Koningsdam adventure, Honolulu, Hawaii....

Unbelivable day!!!  Today, we sort of retraced our route from yesterday’s Circle Island Tour, only from the air. Lisa, Jim, Ann, Cathy and I made our way to the small aviation section of Honolulu Airport for our one-hour Doors Off Rainbow Helicopters Circle Island Tour. I have been to Oahu numerous times and this was a first for me…and it offered an incredible view of the breathtaking beauty of Oahu, Hawaii. Our pilot, Lucien, got us all strapped in and we were ready for quite the adventure…  After takeoff, we saw the port area, the Waikiki skyline, Diamond Head and could see the inside of the crater and around the volcanic cliffs to Makapu’u Lighthouse. We followed the Windward Coast, with breathtaking views of the Ko’olau Mountains in the distance. After passing Chinaman’s Hat off the east coast of Oahu we went inland over the mountains to the hidden gems of Ka’a’awa (Jurassic) Valley and Sacred Falls. By the way, Sacred Falls is only visible from the air. We continued to the North Shore passing the Banzai Pipeline and Waimea Bay. From the here we looped back towards Honolulu over the numerous acres of the Dole Pineapple Plantation. Finally, we passed over the iconic Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona Memorial and Hickman Air Force Base before returning to the helipad. We were certainly blessed to witness the historical significance of Pearl Harbor from the sky on this helicopter flight, offering unparalleled views of the memorials as well as gaining a profound appreciation for its rich history and the pivotal events that shaped World War II. We cannot say enough about how pleased we were with our flight (including Jim who is not thrilled either flying) with its breathtaking landscapes of this beautiful island. It was a marvelous day and the weather was perfect. It is also Cathy’s Birthday, so what a beautiful way to celebrate!!! I took a huge number of photos today and am posting almost 200...  enjoy!