Discover Hawaii Tours Blog

Memorial Day weekend in Hawaii was blessed with great weather and some amazing ways to observe the Holiday. Below is a recap of what happened at Discover Hawaii Tours during our Memorial Day weekend. If you have any pictures or would like to share how you spent your Memorial Day please add them to the comments section below or to our Flickr Group Page

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Lantern Floating Hawaii Memorial Day 2009

Our tour guides reported that Pearl Harbor and Punchbowl National Cemetery were packed with people remembering those who have served in the US Armed services.

Pearl Harbor Tour

On the morning of Memorial Day I was able to get down to the Memorial Cemetary at the Byodo-In Temple, which we visit on our Pearl Harbor Tour, and found a number of people honoring U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. There were many families adding flowers, fruit, and ribbons to say thank you and remember their loved ones.

Memorial Day 2009

Monday evening I went down to Ala Moana Beach Park to watch and participate in the Lantern Floating Hawaii ceremnoy. The Lantern Floating ceremony is done to honor and remember all those who have given their lives in coflict and also prays for a peaceful and harmonious future. Thousands of people were down at Ala Moana Beach Park to watch the opening ceremonies and speaches and then float over 1,000 candle-lit lanterns out to sea.

Lantern Floating Hawaii Memorial Day 2009

Ala Moana Beach Park Lantern Floating 2009

If you have any pictures from Memorial Day please add them to our Flickr Group Page.

Hawaii Memorial Day Activities

USS Missouri Battleship at Pearl Harbor

Are you visiting Hawaii during the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend? Hawaii has a very unique and important place in US military history and is an amazing place to observe Memorial Day. Below is a list of the many things to see while observing Memorial Day in Hawaii:
Pearl Harbor Tour
Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial offer an amazing historical experience of both US and World History. Pearl Harbor is a naval base famously attacked by the Japanese navy on December 7, 1941. This became known as a “Date which will live in infamy” when US President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the nation with news of the attacks. The attack sank 4 US Naval battleships, most notably the USS Arizona, which is where the Pearl Harbor memorial now resides.

Pearl Harbor Visitors Center and Memorial

To best see all the sights at Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial, and to ensure you will have tickets, you can take a guided tour with Discover Hawaii Tours.

Visit the USS Missouri
The USS Missouri, also known as the ‘Mighty Mo’, is a U.S. Navy battleship, and was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of Missouri. The USS Missouri was the last battleship built by the United States, and was the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan which ended World War II. The USS Missouri is full of US military history and can be combined with our Pearl Harbor Tour.

USS Missouri Battleship

Pacific Aviation Museum
The Pacific Aniation Museum, which is also located in our Pearl Harbor Tour, is an airplane hangar full of airplanes used to attack and defend Pearl Harbor.

National Memorial Cemetary at Punchbowl
Visiting the National Memorial Cemetery at Punchbowl is another great way to remember Memorial Day while in Hawaii. Inside the Punchbowl cemetary there is a memorial for those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

On Memorial Day over 50,000 fresh flower lei are put on the graves of veterans, if you would like to donate a lei you can do so by contacting the City and County of Honolulu Parks and Recreation Department at 808-768-3002.

From the Punchbowl Cemetary you will also have a spectacular view of Honolulu down below. On Memorial Day, at 8:30 a.m. you can witness the 60th annual Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony.

Memorial at Punchbowl National Cemetary

Also, you can take one of our Hawaii Tours that visits the National Memorial Cemetary at Punchbowl.

Lantern Floating Ceremony at Ala Moana Beach Park
During this ceremony 1,000 candle-lit lanterns are floated out to sea. This ceremony is done to remember those who gave their lives in conflict and allows for reflection on the memories of loved ones and dedicates prayers for a peaceful and harmonious future.

This event will be held Monday, May 25, 2009 at 6.30 p.m. on Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach Park, for more information please visit the Lantern Floating Hawaii website http://www.lanternfloatinghawaii.com/index.html

If you have any further questions about observing Memorial Day in Hawaii please feel free to contact us:

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Polynesian Cultural Center Horizons Show Cast

Polynesian Cultural Center and Discover Hawaii Tours have begun offering a “Summer Special” Tour, that includes a Free Dinner Buffet with a purchase of the Polynesian Cultural Center Show Package.

The Free Dinner Buffet is valid from April 22, 2009 through August 31, 2009.

Additionally, during this time the Polynesian Cultural Center children’s rates, which are normally applied to ages 5 through 11 years of age, have been extended to include those aged 5 through 15.

The Admission/Show experience remains the Polynesian Cultural Center’s most affordable package. You can walk through seven different Pacific villages, representing the major Polynesian subcultures, and well as enjoy the canoe pageant, an IMAX™ movie, the tram tour of Laie, and even canoe rides! For dinner you will enjoy a free buffet at the famous Gatweay Restaurant and you’ll receive reserved seating at the Horizons Night Show, the most spectacular show on Oahu.

Additional Information:

· The Polynesian Cultural Center is a non-profit organization

· Alcoholic beverages are not permitted or sold on the grounds

· Caffeine-free Coca-Cola, coffee and tea are available

· There are designated smoking areas available

· No flash pictures are allowed during the night show performance

· Passport to Polynesia lets kids take home a stamp and a great memory – from each island culture they visit.

· Special bonus offer from Discover Hawaii Tours – Free buffet dinner at the Gateway restaurant.

Hawaii has seen an increase in the number of Tourists looking to avoid swine flu at other popular destinations such as Mexico.

With no reported swine flu cases in Hawaii, the Islands are looking better and better as a tourist destination – especially when compared to Mexico. Hotels, airlines, and travel agents have seen cancellations in trips to Mexico, and increased bookings to Hawaii.

The state of Hawaii has taken a proactive approach to dealing with swine flu, with experience from the SARS outbreak a few years ago. Honolulu International Airport is actually way ahead of other international airports in terms of surveillance; Hawaii is the only state that has surveillance and diagnostic capacity at all airports.

Hawaii Senator Mike Gabbard, is encouraging state officials to take swine flu prevention a step further and put on “a full-court press” at its airports to make sure swine flu does not enter the Islands.

He wants state officials to:

· Take the temperatures of incoming passengers

· Screen passengers from Mexico

· Ask passengers to fill out a questionnaire in flight, detailing whether they have any flu symptoms and where they recently traveled

· Distribute information to hotel guests, including a hot line number to call if they develop flu symptoms

In addition to Senator Gabbards requests, Governor Linda Lingle has urged residents to “remain calm but vigilant” when it comes to swine flu.

State transportation director Brennon Morioka said, “We are doing everything that we have planned for. … We believe that we are ready to address any form of condition or situation that might arise.”

Overall, the State of Hawaii is doing everything in its power to prevent any cases of swine flu from arriving on the islands. Thus far, we believe the state’s plan is working, as there have been no reported cases.

The state Health Department unveiled a new swine flu information line for callers to get up-to-date information, if you would like call (866)767-5044.

The TV show “Lost”, which is often filmed in the Koolau Mountains on Oahu, will air their 100th episode on April 29th. This is a big milestone for the show that sucks its followers in with complex plot lines involving time travel. The last nationwide TV show (not counting reality series “Dog the Bounty Hunter”) that was primarily filmed in Hawaii to reach the 100 episode platue was Hawaii Five-O, which aired 268 episodes over 12 seasons from 1968 to 1980.

Koolau Mountains on Oahu - film location for "Lost"

Nowadays it is easy to visit the famous film locations of “Lost”, and other films such as Jurassic Park, Godzilla, and Pearl Harbor on one of Discover Hawaii Tours many Oahu Tours.

The former Obama residence, on the 10th floor of a 12 story apartment building in Makiki on Oahu, may soon be added to the National Register of Historic Places.  The apartment building, where President Obama grew up from 1971 to 1979, can be viewed from our Hawaii Obama Tour. 

“By placing this on the register, we get to talk about how Hawai’i and its places shaped the character and the philosophy of this unique resident,” said Kiersten Faulkner, executive director of the Historic Hawaii Foundation.

President Obama’s grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, also rented a unit in the building for 41 years until she died just before Obama was elected president.

Tourists are not allowed to enter the home, but it can be viewed from the street and is a favorite stop on our popular Obama Tours.  Here is how the apartment looks today:

President Obama's childhood home

For more information about our Hawaii Obama Tour please visit our website:

http://www.hawaiiobamatour.com/

Young and Still Growing

The Big Island of Hawaii lives up to its name; at 95 miles long and 80 miles wide, it is much larger than the other three major islands combined. Indeed, it comprises over 63% of the land area of all the Hawaiian Islands. At a mere 450,000 to 800,000 years of age, it is also the youngest island and is still forming today because of Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano.

Unparalleled Majesty
Big Island has some of the world’s tallest mountains, deep valleys, plunging waterfalls, 266 miles of coastline, black sand beaches, astounding agricultural plantations, picture-perfect tropical waters - the list could just go on. It truly is a place of matchless beauty.

Walk on Lava
Volcanoes National Park is the most active volcanic region on the planet. Only on the Big Island can you witness the breathtaking natural phenomenon of lava flowing into the ocean. Our specialized volcano tours take you right into the middle of the action in both these places. You can choose a volcano sightseeing tour that will provide you with a day-long overview of all the best sights and scenes on the island. We offer departures from Oahu, Kauai, Maui and of course Hilo.

Tora Tora Tora

Our new world war II tour will allow passengers to experience Pearl Harbor from both the ground and air. The tour is named Tora Tora Tour 41 because the air portion will trace the actual path take by the Japanes Zero aircrafts on their way to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The tour will be a fabulous way to experience to experience Pearl Harbor and nothing like it has ever been offered before.