Aloha Hawaii

I won a trip to Hawaii!  I was surprised to be sent an email from head office saying I won an all expenses paid trip to Honolulu.  Apparently there was an incentive running for the highest sales of Hawaiian airlines flights sold in the month of March and I was one of the winners.  Excited and surprised - I was off to Honolulu for 5 days in April.

The trip was provided to STA Travel by Hawaiian airlines and Hawaiian tourism for 10 travel agents to travel to Honolulu and experience what was on offer.  5 days of work in Hawaii… sure I am happy to take part!

We set off from Melbourne via Sydney where we all met and jumped aboard Hawaiian Airlines flight to Honolulu.  One of my first friends I made at STA Travel, Maria was also on the trip and we spent majority of the flight up the back sipping glass after glass of red catching up on old times!

We arrived in Honolulu and I could instantly feel the tropical heat refreshing me and was intrigued and ready for the next five days of tropical bliss.  We transferred to our hotel where the rooms were not ready for us so we went to a local restaurant and I started my food trialling frenzy with the local Kalua pork, a traditional Hawaiian style of pork cooked in an underground oven and served pulled and teamed with a rum cocktail served in a pineapple!  The exotic island life was starting to take form.         

The five days was probably not my ideal kind of holiday, yet I say this and it wasn’t really a holiday!  We were at work… in Hawaii! But a lot of the time was spent inspecting Honolulu’s array of hotels from the cheap 2-3 star properties for the budget traveller to the high end opulent option for the 5 star travellers.  It was very helpful for my knowledge of Honolulu and how it is all set out and where you really want to be located on Waikiki beach. 

We had a really great group and we all got along like a house on fire. The nights were spent exploring the nightlife of Honolulu, meeting the passionate locals who love their city and spending time getting to know each other. 

The one day we got out of Honolulu was my favourite.  It was nice to get out and see some of the natural beauty of this beautiful Polynesian island.  Leaving Waikiki made me realise how very touristy it is.  It reminds me of a much nicer version of surfers Paradise in Australia.  It is very much all about money, high rises and chain businesses.  It’s very hard to find a good local jaunt that has kept its true Hawaiian charm.  The highlight was the day we did a circle tour of the main Island of Oahu.  We headed to North Shore where the famous “pipeline” waves are.  Unfortunately the day we got there it was quite flat whereas the locals told us the day prior there were 12ft waves!  It was still great to see and see the surf culture along this coast.  The car parks were lined with local shrimp food trucks and sun bathing youngsters!  This experience was now giving me a true feeling of actually being in Hawaii.

I had my finger twisted and gave surf lessons a chance.  Growing up in a small coastal town, most would think this would just come naturally.  Not for me! I was always interested but just never gave it a chance.  Getting the lowdown back on the white sandy beaches of Waikiki, memories of my Uncle Justin trying to teach me as a teenager on the East beach of Port Fairy came flooding back to me.  It seems pretty straightforward right?  Paddle out, get a wave behind you and stand up!  It seems much easier than it is but at a first try… I did it… I stood up!  I don’t think this experience has persuaded me to invest in a board and spend my weekend searching for waves to ride, but I’m glad I gave it a second chance and can now say “I have surfed in Hawaii”! 

Hawaii April 2013