Hawaii – Day 7

Sunrise at Makai Research Pier & Pearl Harbor

When there is so much natural beauty in life it normally gets overlooked and not enjoyed enough as it should be. To me watching a sunrise or sunset is captivating, something we shouldn’t take for granted because it’s a sign we have lived another day on this beautiful Earth and faced whatever was thrown our way.

Just like the days, no two sunrises are ever the same while sunsets are proof that whatever happens, every day can still end beautifully.

Hawaii is known for its beautiful sunsets, however we did have a lot of cloud cover on our afternoons so we unfortunately didn’t get to see many rainbow coloured skies but we enjoyed what we had.

This morning we were on a mission to find the most photographed pier on this island, the Makai Research Pier. Many people pay tour guides a lot of money just to go here to get their insta worthy pics and with the right time of day, perfect sunlight light and good camera set up, it does look amazing.

Today we still had a few hours left before we had to return the Jeep we hired, so we though let’s get up early, drive 35 minutes to the pier and watch the sunrise – romantic 100%!
So we woke at 5am got our butts out of bed and headed off in the dark to Waimanalo.
Sunrise was at 5.45am and we made it with 5 minutes to spare.
This little secluded beach under the pier was so peaceful and warm. Little crabs were just exiting their sand dunes and there was another couple waiting patiently with their better camera set up then our Samsung and gopro. LOL
We sat on a towel and just watched the world go by together before seeing the beautiful glow of light appear over the horizon.
There’s something so calming about watching a sunrise or sunset and to be doing this in Hawaii makes me even more grateful for my life.

Of course by 6.30am we were hungry, so we grabbed some Mac Donald’s and refueled on the way back to Waikiki before returning our car.
For the rest of the day we decided to catch a bus and do a tour of Pearl Harbor.
Pearl Harbor was the site of an event that changed not only the United States but the world. December 7th, 1941 marks the fateful day the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the unsuspecting base on the island of Oahu. The shocking offensive left 2,403 dead and over 1,000 wounded. 

We took a bus straight to Pearl Harbor, a very long bus ride I might add where I think I fell asleep numerous times.
At 9.30am we arrived and were lucky there were still free tickets left for the 1.30pm documentary and Navy boat cruise to see the Arizona Memorial & USS Missouri. At the time we visited, the Arizona Memorial was closed to the public so that was disappointing but Im glad we still got to go on the boat ride conducted by the US Navy to have a closer look.
The atmosphere at Pearl Harbor is hard to describe, it’s not quite eerie, but there is a respected quietness on the grounds of people learning about history and also veterans visiting the past.
There are also many birds hovering around for food and happy to eat out of your hand, even though the signs state ‘do not feed the birds’ but we all know what Trent and I are like with following signs.

There are many tours you can pay for at Pearl Harbor, but today we were happy walking around on our own and taking it all in. We really enjoyed the 1.30pm doco and boat ride out to sea, it really makes you appreciate life and how horrible it was for those men, women and children in 1941.
I’d recommend this day for anyone of any age who is interested in history or has heard or read about Pearl Harbor, I still learnt so much more from the museum and documentary there. The place is well run and looked after, food is available there and it’s free entry.
TIP: you cannot take backpacks or handbags in, only small purses, cameras, food and water. So when you arrive be prepared to pay a $5 bag holding fee.
By 2.30pm we caught the bus back to Waikiki. We shopped some more at ROSS and Nordstrom before heading to the famous Marukame Udon resturant! The line was 15 minutes long but so worth it! They make everything onsite from scrtach and you can see it all being made as you wait in the que, it was amazing. Chefs rolling out the dough, cooking huge batches of broth, even battering shrimp.
We thought it would be hard to get a table but as soon as you finish your meal theres floor staff who basically clear your plates and say “thank you for coming bye’ but I guess its good service so the new comers in the line don’t have to wait for a table.
Im so gad we came here after reading all the good reviews – it lived up to the hype! Its not expensive, a large bowl will cost around $9 and there are so many noodles I couldn’t eat it all.
By 9pm we ended our day how we did almost every night in Waikiki, it became our little tradition to walk down to Waikiki beach, relax on the sand with our wine and people watched the night away. Perfect!