Aloha!
During the Christmas break from dog shows, we thought January would be a good time to take a short trip to Hawaii to go to some dog shows, see our dogs there and meet 'email' friends. We had talked about doing this for some time and decided that now was the time.We arrived on 25th January, collected our hire car and headed off to the hotel to check in. and have a shower and refresh before we headed off to explore the surrounds.
Firstly, of course, we visited the famous Waikiki Beach, just across the road from our hotel. This is quite a different type of beach to Australia but very busy and clearly a favourite for the boardriders who sat out on the waves from dawn to sunset, every day!!. We walked all around Waikiki (with a short break at Starbucks for a Chai) and then took the 'trolley' to the major shopping mall, the Aloa Moana Centre, absolutely massive with lots of designer shops, Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Dior, Tiffany - to name but a few - great for window shopping! Friday we drove out to the outlet mall at Waikele which was small by comparison to the ones we had visited on the mainland but a great day and did some more shopping...our greatest purchase was another digital camera that we shopped hard for and eventually found a great bargain in the local papers...where else! We are quite used to seeing Val propped up in bed in the morning at the hotels reading the local papers for the bargains!
Saturday, with our chairs in tow, (can’t go to a dog show without the folding chairs), we headed down to the dog show which was held in a beautiful park with big old trees. It was like being at home at a dog show with all the cabanas set up and the dog crates! ..The show was the Aloha State Sporting Dog Association show and the biggest breed numbers were the Golden Retrievers and Labradors and several breeds had dogs imported from AustraliaIt was such a thrill that Am Ch Greydove 'Ekahi Island Gal "Tita" not only won the breed but also the group (Best in Show) and we were included in the official photos. It was great to see Tita again, she was only 14 weeks old when she left Australia, and to meet Daryle and the Weimaraner fraternity on the island...all the Sporting Dog community seemed to know who Tita was!
Headed back there on the Sunday for the Specialty...and again a Best in Show win After the show we packed up and all headed for Mike Goldstein & Lynne Richey's home for a bbq....We thank our island friends for the hospitality and friendship shown to us on our visit and look forward to seeing them all again, either on our next trip to Hawaii or when they come to visit with us in Sydney.
Monday was the sightseeing day, and there really is so much to explore in Hawaii. We spent the morning at the Arizona Memorial which is truly wonderful and very moving. We then took a drive out to Diamond Head to enjoy the magnificent scenery before heading back to the hotel for a spot of lazing around the pool (with our favourite cocktail from Hawaii – the Lava Flow - mmmm delicious!) We found Hawaii a very inviting and relaxing place to visit ... Mahalo ! and we will return !
