The center portion of our Hawaiian Vacation took us to the Jurassic Jungles of the North Shore and to the haunted happenings of downtown Honolulu. The diversity and differences between the rural and the urban are quite vast proving that there is truly something for everyone on the island of Oahu…
I absolutely love this photo. Looks like it belongs in a picture frame. I took this while walking between our Hawaiian fishpond tour and our catamaran voyage tour. Both were part of our Kualoa Ranch experience.
Taken aboard our catamaran, which was basically an hour long trek out to sea. It was a lovely experience that was enhanced by our incredible tour guides. They were extraordinarily knowledgeable and often quite hilarious.
The views here were truly second to none. This was taken from the floating restrooms (you know I’m always gonna find the restroom anywhere I go) and showcases our fishpond boat in front of the breathtaking mountains.
Following the tragedy of Pearl Harbor, The United States Army Coastal Defense Program built a series of these bunkers all across the island in 1943. This one on Kualoa Ranch is known as Battery Cooper. We got to tour it and while it mostly features set pieces from the 150+ television shows and movies filmed here, it did still play host to a vast collection of World War II era items.
Hawaii has the most beautiful ocean waters I’ve ever seen. The various shades of blue against the backdrop of the crisp blue sky is a scene I could never tire of.
I absolutely loved our tour of Kualoa Ranch. Our tour guide was just as awesome as the catamaran ones and a huge film enthusiast! Several of the Jurassic Park/World films have been filmed here and as a fan of that franchise, it was truly awesome being able to see this place and visualizing the various scenes from the films.
It was just so perfectly tropical here in this Jurassic Jungle. You can easily see why Hollywood returns here time after time to film so many of their productions.
Thank goodness our tour was free from any Tyrannosaurus Rex!
…or was it? This is a Tyrannosaurus Rex footprint.
Nancy with a ribcage.
Melissa with a Triceratops skull.
Me with a Kong skull. All three displays of “bones” were from the bone graveyard, which is heavily featured in “Kong: Skull Island.” A movie I’d seen in theaters back in 2017, but Melissa and Nancy hadn’t, so we made sure to watch it post haste when we returned home. I’m honestly a fan of all the King Kong films going all the way back to the 1933 original.
A scene from the North Shore.
A beautiful war memorial, also along the North Shore.
I told you all, I couldn’t get enough of Aulani at night. It was the best of the best for me. Take me back anytime.
Aulani had a pumpkin decorating contest and these were some of the amazing submissions. Honestly, I loved them all.
We met for our Haunted Honolulu guided walking tour here in front of the Ali’olani Hale, which is the building that houses the Hawaii State Supreme Court. We love a good guided walking tour that features and focuses on the haunted side of wherever we are and this one was no exception. There were about two dozen of us on this ninety minute excursion and we loved it. Our tour guide was the perfect person to showcase all the haunts and happenings in historic Honolulu.
Iolani Palace, which is the former residence of the Hawaiian Royal Family. I took several photos of this beautiful building, but this one was my personal favorite. It had the right amount of spooky tossed into the mix for me. There were several eerie stories about this place, each of which was more interesting than the next.
There was this circle of trees that several of us on the tour walked into because the tour guide said we would often hear children from the orphanage of years past playing in them. I didn’t hear nor see (later on photo) any children, but the story that she provided about this place was every bit as eerie and interesting as the next.
This is an active Catholic Church and there was a super spooky story about a monstrous spirit haunting the back building where a basketball court and other activities are held. This place apparently has a high turnover amongst the overnight security and after hearing that story about the hauntings here, I understand why.
We heard several urban legends on our haunted walking tour, but the one I was most interested in was that of the Night Marchers. Two other individuals had mentioned them to us the night’s prior, so I knew they’d come up at some point on tour. Needless to say, their legend didn’t disappoint.
Night Marchers are the spirits or ghosts of ancient warriors who once served under past Hawaiian Chiefs. They are considered exceptionally formidable protectors and have chosen to continue with their duty in the afterlife. The sound of distant drums or the booming of a conk shell as well as the accompaniment of flickering light from torches or mist are indications that they are descending upon you. It is often said that the air becomes very thick and heavy and the ground will shake with their presence. You are to immediately get down on your hands and knees with your face facing the ground to show respect. Looking a Night Marcher in the eye will bring you immediate doom or death. It is also cautionary to avoid sacred Hawaiian sites during the last four phases of the Hawaiian Moon.
Not going to lie, when she shared the story about the Night Marchers the hairs on my arms were raised and I spent the rest of the tour wondering if we’d encounter one. This is a Grade A urban legend that I feel like should be explored in greater detail. With Hollywood shooting as many films and shows as they are there, I cannot believe there hasn’t been anything based on these legends! Definitely a missed opportunity because there is for sure as solid story there.
Well, there you all have it, the next installment of our Vacation of Westward Expansion! Feel free to leave a comment below as I love reading and responding to them! I’ll return soon with the final bit from this trip, but until then, I wish you all, all the best!
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