Day 19: Waikiki Aquarium and Dole Cannery

On Sunday Samantha and Steve met me in Kaneohe to have breakfast at Whole Foods on the way in to Waikiki. Sam and I dropped Steve off at the park to play lacrosse and headed toward the nearby Waikiki Aquarium. The aquarium was smaller than I'd expected, but had lots of neat marine life that I hadn't seen before - including sea horses, jelly fish, giant clams, and hundreds of types of coral. When Janine and I had snorkeled over the reef at Hanauma Bay I thought I'd seen coral, but apparently most of the greyish, rock-like coral that I'd seen while snorkeling was dead as a result of people climbing on and touching it. Waikiki Aquarium had coral in all shapes and sizes on display. My personal favorites were the pools of different jellyfish, clown fish cleaning sea anemones, and the little octopus that the aquarium stimulates by introducing different objects into its tank and allowing it to manipulate. My favorite fish is the Hawaiian state fish, Humuhumunukunukuāpua'a.

Image courtesy of hawaiibusiness.com

After leaving the aquarium Sam and I went to her friend Ingrid's apartment in Honolulu to help her try on her wedding dress, then to the Ala Moana Center for gelato and to pop around the (gienat) Apple Store. Samantha had to jump a flight back to the mainland the next day, so she and Steve left around dinner time to make their way back to the North Shore while Ingrid and I met her fiance for dinner. I enjoyed dinner with new friends over cocktails and salads, then met up with Janine to see a movie at the Dole Cannery, the remnants of the Dole Pineapple Company packing plant converted into commercial space in 1991. We watched the Great Gatsby over snacks then headed home for the evening. I was sad to see Samantha leave, as today was the last day that I'd see in in Hawaii, but I look forward to seeing her later on this summer back in NY and am so happy for the time that we got to spend together while she was here!