This was the final day of Pony Club testing for Karen and I. We were starting late enough in the morning that Scott and I were able to get in a morning beach walk which had now turned into a bit of a beloved routine for us. The weather was looking a bit suspect so we drove, rather than walked, to Kailua Beach which was a smart move because less than ten minutes into our stroll, the skies opened up. We ran back to the car and drove back to the apartment. We had gotten a Dole pineapple earlier in the week (it may or may not have been grown in Hawaii) and Scott cut it up for us for breakfast.
Karen and I did the last bit of our testing at Maunawili Farms before parting ways. We had both agreed to stay on and do some lessons and clinics for the next week and she was scheduled to teach at a barn in Waimanalo once the certification wrapped up and I was scheduled to stay and teach at Maunawili. I taught an adult beginner and gave her my “blessing” to go for her D2 Dressage certification and I suggested that we see if her club would let us make that happen while we were in Oahu. I was pleased when they said yes and Karen was able to certify her later in the week.
After my lesson was finished Scott came to pick me up at Maunawili and we headed “home” to our apartment for a bit. He had spent his morning on the beach and then met the kayak rental guy when our sea kayak got delivered. We took a quick nap before we needed to head into Honolulu for our sunset catamaran cruise which we were both excited about.
This was my first real foray into Honolulu and I was treated to a vivid rainbow when we got near the city. Scott had found a reliable place to park in Waikiki and we spent some time walking on the beach and the beachfront park on our way to the catamaran. This was my first time seeing the unusual and sprawling banyan trees up close and personal and I was mesmerized by their unique “accessory trunks” which sprout off the main trunk and allow the tree to seemingly spread out indefinitely. They looked like they came out of a fantasy movie and the amount of birdlife housed inside them was remarkable.
We made it to our catamaran that was beached on the sand in front of the Waikiki highrise hotels and waded through the surf to climb aboard. In no time we had their signature mai-tai drinks in hand. The crewmen ran through the rules of the vessel (no pooping allowed in their toilet as they were sailors, not plumbers) and asked if we were ready to get boozy and cruisey, and our catamaran set sail. One of the crew blew a conch shell that sounded exactly like a ship’s foghorn to let surfers know to make way for the boat. The sky was brilliant with just enough clouds to give dramatic shadows with the waning light. We made our way out into the open water and watched the sun drop lower and lower until it dipped below the horizon. Once we were a little ways off the beach they unfurled the colorful sails. The boat was heading north towards Diamond Head and we eventually got into some bigger surf. Scott and I had positioned ourselves at the bow and we had all been warned by the crew that we might have some waves crash over the boat. Duly warned we took our chances, fully expecting to get doused. Sure enough, a few moments later we encountered the first huge wave and got drenched but thankfully the water was warm. The sea water that made its way into our mai-tais actually enhanced their flavor, as well as the overall experience and we laughed every time another big wave hit us. I love catamarans and sunset cruises and this one checked all the boxes and it was one of the best experiences of the whole trip, certainly qualifying as a “thing to do in the place you’re supposed to do it.”
Scott’s sister had inquired about food costs in Oahu, specifically the cost of a Big Mac Meal. After we got off the catamaran we spied a McDonald’s and popped in to research an answer to her inquiry. ($10.79 which seemed pretty par for the course on the mainland but we did find food costs in general, especially at the grocery store to be quite a bit higher, which was to be expected since everything has to be shipped or flown in.) We made it back to the car and were on the hunt for a dinner spot. We found a local drive-in type place called the Rainbow Drive In, that was reminiscent of the Beacon back home. From Honolulu back to Kailua was about a 30 minute drive and we headed back to our place with the heater cranked up to help warm and dry our sea-soaked but happy bodies.
