Today is our last day in Hawaii! We headed back to the Polynesian Cultural Center this morning, taking a much shorter route, to catch this canoe pageant. I just love this Tahitian hip shaking dance!

On our way back to Honolulu, we made a stop at the beautiful Laie Temple, and now we're off to catch our plane. What a great trip this has been!

Today we've hit the road for Laie and the Polynesian Cultural Center! We're making our way there along the shoreline, which turns out to be quite a long drive, but absolutely gorgeous!







Here we are looking around after our arrival at the PCC! The park is made up of seven major exhibits, each representing a different Polynesian island (Hawaii, New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji, Tahiti, Tonga, and Marquesas). There are a loads of interesting things to see here, but our favorite so far has been this Tongan drum show, impressive even by Joseph's standards!





After all that drumming, our little hot pepper couldn't wait to make some noise himself. These bamboo drums were part of the Fijian exhibit, and it sure didn't take Joseph long to get the hang of them!



What would a visit to Hawaii be without a luau? The one here at the PCC featured a flower lei greeting, Hawaiian music and hula, and lots of food, of course! Joseph especially loved these purple taro rolls.

Last but now least, here's a shot from the fantastic Horizons evening show! Our seats are perfect, and the ice cream handed out during intermission is keeping Joseph going. I think we're actually going to be able to watch the whole show! What an amazing day it's been!

Tim spent most of the day so far at his conference, and says he's ready for some playtime here at the beach! He actually gave his presentation this afternoon, and in spite of a bigger audience than expected, felt really good about it. I'm so glad he's able to have this experience, and I'm so proud of him for all the hard work that got him and us here!

Meanwhile, I'm wandering the shore looking for an interesting rock or shell. This isn't exactly an out-of-the-way beach, I suppose, and since I'm not finding anything, it's time to head back and join the real fun!





Our little newbie shore explorer is feeling a little more comfortable with the water today and is having fun chasing this beach ball around!





It's amazing how everything becomes new again when you see it through the eyes of your child...





or grandchild! I just love these shots of Mom and Dad watching Joseph play!

On our way back to the hotel, we couldn't help but hear this little Japanese White-eye chipping away in a palm tree above us. It wasn't hard to locate, either, as it was clearly very agitated, flitting from branch to branch wildly. We paused to see what the matter was, which was apparently not what the bird wanted, as it got even louder and more visibly upset!

We finally figured out what all the fuss was about when we saw this tiny, grumpy-looking chick sitting on a palm frond right in front of our faces. Looks like we'd better be moving on so both these poor birds can have some peace!

These Zebra doves are absolutely everywhere and apparently have very little fear of humans. Here they are all huddled down for the night together on the ground. Almost none of the birds that live around Honolulu are native to the island. The Zebra dove and Japanese White-eye were both introduced from Asia.

Here's a shot of our hotel! We're on the 24th floor, or really the 23rd, since buildings don't officially have a 13th floor. It's nice to have such a comfortable place to come back to at the end of the day!

Here's a fun shot from our walk through the Waikiki shops this afternoon. Joseph loved watching the fish jump in this little pond!

Here we are at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, one of the best snorkeling spots in the Hawaiian Islands! The light parts of the water show sandy bottom while the dark parts show reef, where all those fascinating fishies hang out and where Tim and I will be swimming around!



We tried to arrive as early as possible to avoid the big crowds and maximize our chances of seeing marine life. We had to watch an educational video before we were even allowed on the beach, but now we're all ready to head down!

Since Mom, Dad, and Joseph won't be snorkeling, they'll be spending the morning together on the grassy areas beyond the beach. Once again, Joseph is thrilled at the chance to be outside and to be near his new favorite toy, the stroller!

Here's the beach, with a few people already there! It will get much busier as the morning goes on, although the number of visitors allowed into the preserve each day is quite limited.



Who in the world are these nerdy-looking people?

Whoever they are, it's clear they know diddly-squat about using snorkel masks and fins!



Seeing the underwater world here is truly amazing! It's almost impossible to miss seeing the fish, as they are colorful, plentiful, and really quite tame. Getting a good shot of one is another story, however, since they are also prone to moving quickly, and those ocean currents certainly don't help!



Here we are in action! I guess it's just as hard to get good shots of people underwater as it is fish. In any case, we're having the time of our lives in here! We've seen several varieties of tang, butterflyfish, wrasse, parrotfish, and puffers, plus a coronetfish, several corals, and lots and lots of urchins. The most challenging part about the whole thing is avoiding contact with the reef while getting around. No hands, elbows, or flippers are supposed to touch it, and in some places the water above it is less than a foot deep!



This, though, is definitely the highlight of our trip: an honest-to-goodness, in-the-wild, green sea turtle! It's amazingly graceful, munching along and occasionally gliding up to the surface for a quick breath. We didn't get too close, but followed it along at a distance for quite a while! As much as I'd like to stay here all day, my fingers are getting pretty pruney, and we're both getting a little tired. Perhaps it's time to head back to shore and see how Mom, Dad, and Joseph are doing! What an awesome morning it's been!

Back at our hotel, Joseph has discovered our snorkel fins, and our little shoe-lover just can't resist wanting to try on such fun-looking footwear. Luckily, Grandma Susan is here to help!

This afternoon, we're at Diamond Head State Monument to see if we can make it to the top and back before the park closes!

Since we opted not to get a rental car for most of this week, we came by taxi, but thankfully were able to leave Joseph's car seat at the fee office. Now Grandpa Lloyd is the only one with a heavy load, not that he seems to mind too much!



I had heard that the vegetation changes a lot as you travel up the crater, and so far that's been absolutely true. I no longer feel like I'm in a tropical jungle, and the plants here look like they're suited for a much more arid climate!

We're already seeing some amazing views, and we're not even close to the top!

We've got to go up...

and up...

and up!

We're almost there now!





What a gorgeous view of the ocean, and this neat little light house. The color of the water is amazingly blue, the waves are mesmerizing, and the breeze is cool and pleasant. I feel like I want to stay here forever, but we actually still have a few steps to go until the very top!





Here we are at last, with a superb view of the impressive contrast between the lonesome ocean and the crowded city. What a fun hike! We all really enjoyed ourselves, although I think Grandpa's ready to let Tim have a turn at that heavy but loveable load on the way down!