Hawaii – Day 2 – Travels with Carolyne

Oahu – Day 2 of a 8-Day Trip in Hawaii

Day 2 was spent at Pearl Harbour. Pearl Harbour is a harbour in Oahu that suffered a surprise attack by the Japanese as part of World War II on December 7, 1941. As a result, the United States sped up their efforts to develop the atomic bomb, which would subsequently be used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Today, Pearl Harbour consists of memorials for those lost during the war as well as various war museums to visit. The memorials themselves are the submarines that were sunk during the Pearl Harbour attack – they were not removed from the waters afterwards. The USS Arizona Memorial is visitable by reservation (free) – it is the resting place for 1,102 of the sailors and marines that perished as part of the attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941.

Day 2
Oahu

Before heading out to Pearl Harbour, we had breakfast at Redfish Poke Bar. I ordered the fried eggs with kalua pork, bacon, and rice. The restaurant also gave us a side of poi for the table. This poi was sweet and really delicious; felt like more of a dessert.

From Waikiki (a downtown Honolulu neighbourhood), it is about an hour long direct bus ride to Pearl Harbour. Note that no bags are allowed in Pearl Harbour, so plan accordingly! There is also a baggage storage at the entrance for a fee. There is a lot to do at Pearl Harbour – the Battleship Missouri, Bowfin Submarine, Aviation Museum, and more. There is even a free bus that takes you from Pearl Harbour to Ford Island, where there are more museums to visit. All the museums, with the exception of the USS Arizona Memorial have an additional admission fee. We had our visit to the USS Arizona Memorial booked for 3pm, so we just explored the area until then. We chose not to go to any of the museums, but I’ve heard good things about them.

At 2:45pm, we checked in for our reservation to the USS Arizona Memorial. The visit starts with a brief talk from a park ranger about the sacrifice of these brave souls and a reminder to be respectful. The memorial is built on top of the sunken submarines in the middle of the water, so we were taken out by boat. The memorial is not too big, but its symbol is impactful.

After our visit to the USS Arizona Memorial, we headed back to the bus stop to return to Waikiki. Note the bus pick-up spot is not the same as the bus drop-off spot in the morning. The bus pick-up spot is on the main road a bit further up. Check Google Maps! By the time we returned, it was time for dinner. We selected Marugame Udon Waikiki for dinner. The line outside the restaurant goes really quickly as everything is already prepped and just assembled per your order. Despite the summer heat outdoors, the udon noodle soup still hit the spot after a long day of exploring.

Next, we walked around Waikiki and browsed the stores. It was bustling with people. Then, we went to Duke’s Waikiki for drinks. We had actually stopped by at Duke’s prior to Marugame to put our names on the waitlist. Duke’s Waikiki is a beachfront restaurant and bar. To end the night, we ordered drinks and slices of the ice cream cake.