Hawaii 2016 - Day 4 (12/6/2016) - Maui to Oahu

I had a noon flight from Kahului to Honolulu, so I didn't try to get in any activities this morning.  The turboprop flight on Island Air took maybe 40 minutes, and provided nice views of Moloka‘i and O‘ahu.  I wasn't as fortunate with Emerald Aisle this time around, with a Nissan Altima being the only option that wasn't a minivan.  I found my way to the Waikiki Resort Hotel and then checked in.  One thing I liked about this hotel (which I didn't know beforehand) was that they offered an "unlimited" DVD rental service from a kiosk in the lobby - I guess that resort fee is good for something after all.

After stowing my gear, I drove out to check out a couple of spots that had been recommended to me by coworkers.  My first attempt was the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, but I found that entrance to the park was closed on Tuesdays.  Next I went in search of Spitting Cave, which Nick Dare said was his favorite place in the world.  I have to agree that it is a pretty cool place (though unexpected given the neighborhood that you drive into to get there), with a nice cliff-side overlook of the ocean.  Unfortunately, I didn't even get a great view of the cave itself doing its spitting thing, as I didn't know what to look for.  Also, I had a near-panic moment after mustering up enough courage to cross the narrow slope (above the cave inlet) to get to the eastern jut of the cliff.  I got about halfway when the other two guys who were there started crossing back over, so I sat on the rocks to let them pass by.  After they had passed and I snapped a few pics, I realized that I didn't want to be out on the other side and have to cross back by myself with them gone.  So I freaked out a little bit and gingerly made my way back to safety.  In retrospect, I probably way over-exaggerated the danger in my mind. For one, the crossing wasn't really *that* steep, and it is pretty easy to just walk across.  Secondly, if I had fallen over the edge, having those guys around would not have made a difference.  In any case, it was still a great spot to check out.

My next stop was Diamond Head State Monument.  When I arrived there around 4:40pm, the guy at the entrance window told me that I would have to hustle if I wanted to make the hike up and back by the time they closed the gate at 6pm since it ordinarily takes about 45 minutes each way.  I probably could have done it, but I decided that I wanted to take my time admiring the view during the hike, so passed for that night.

I drove back to the hotel and parked the car, then went for a walk around Waikiki.  I ended up having dinner (a veggie burger) at a Mahaloha Burger in the food court of some shopping center.

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Pictures can be found here:
https://goo.gl/photos/aLt7oAej7KErPCx86