Day 9
We were awake again as soon as the sun came up. We had another busy day ahead of us. We got up and got ready and headed over to the conference centre, which is the other side of the Ewa Tower. This morning the weekly Mahalo Member Mingle was taking place. We went to a table outside the conference centre to check in. We were given button badges on which we could write the year we became members. They were not quite ready for us so we just had a look around the courtyard and went in search of Menehune. We did find one very quickly. When we headed back towards the check in table, they had started to let people in. We went inside and helped ourselves to coffee, juice and pastries. They had POG juice so I was happy. I am not normally a big friend of Danish pastries, but this was going to be our breakfast so I thought I better have some. I was positively surprised. They had guava pastries and coconut pastries and they were lovely. We found ourselves a table and we were soon joined by two other couples.
Shortly afterwards, the official part of the meeting started. We were welcomed and then the host introduced the cultural advisor for Aulani, who shared with us that many of the design elements of Aulani borrow from ancient Hawaiian culture. This was very interesting. Many of those things I had already seen while walking around the resort, but had not appreciated the significance. This was followed by a slide show with details around the resort and we had to guess where they can be found. After this we got an opportunity to celebrate a bit of Hawaiian culture ourselves. In the middle of each table were a number of flower leis and we were invited to present a lei to one of the person on our table. This turned into a bit of an icebreaker. Before that, each couple on our table had just spoken amongst itself, but afterwards we all had a chat as a group. There was also a trivia contest, but we did not win anything even though I knew almost all the answers, but I just did not get picked. We then had some more time to chat with the other members in the room. When the meeting was finished, we were each given a special Aulani baseball cap, which I will treasure forever.
After the meeting we headed back to our room and picked up our maps and directions as well as our cameras and then we headed out again. This morning we were going to the Dole Plantation. This was originally part of the plan for our North Shore trip, but with the addition of Byodo-In and Waimea Valley, we had to do this as a separate excursion. The drive was easy and relatively quick and we arrived at the Dole Plantation soon after opening time. We did not quite manage to beat the tour busses though and there was a major convention in Honolulu and the delegates had chosen that day to visit the Dole Plantation. So the visitor centre was a bit of zoo when we got there. As we entered, I was handed a money off voucher for pick a pearl, but I was not going to battle with the masses. We had a quick bathroom stop and then headed outside to the ticket booth.
They have three activities that you have to pay for at the Dole Plantation: the Plantation Garden Tour, the Dole Express and the Pineapple maze. We decided to get the combo ticket with all three. The Plantation Garden Tour is a self-guided tour and we headed there first. This was more what I expected from a Botanical Garden. There were a lot of different tropical flowers there with signs that gave some information about them. We had a look around and had probably seen about two thirds of the Plantation Garden Tour, when we saw the Dole Express pulling into the station. So we decided to head over there. We figured that we would come back to the Plantation Garden Tour afterwards, but in the end we never did.
We made our way across to the station at speed, but that was not actually required. When we got to the entrance to the platform, they took a photo of us holding a pineapple. Once we were on the train, it took a fair while until we actually left the station. We probably would have had time to finish the Plantation Garden Tour and then leisurely walk over. Eventually the train was full and we were on the way. The train tour was very interesting. We learned a lot about the Dole Company and the history of pineapple growing in Hawaii. There were also a number of other crops along the train route. We then learned about the lifecycle of the pineapple and how it is harvested. As a bonus, we also got treated to some pretty spectacular views. As we got off the train, there was another garden area displaying different species of pineapple plants. I have to say after seeing the pineapple plants close up; I have a new appreciation for pineapples and the people who harvest them. The leaves are quite sharp and look like they can defend themselves.
We then headed over to the pineapple maze. On the way there were a number of stalls with crafts and I had a look at those. Even though there were a few things that I quite liked, I resisted the temptation to buy something. We then pushed on to the maze. In 2008, pineapple maze was declared the world’s largest maze. The maze stretches over three acres and includes nearly two and one-half miles of paths crafted from 14,000 colorful Hawaiian plants. Hidden in the maze are eight secret stations that each represent one of the Hawaiian islands. When we entered the maze, we were given a map and a pencil. On the back of the map was a grid with space for each of the secret stations. We set off. We managed to find one of the stations. This explained a bit about the island that it represents. There was also a stencil. You insert the back of the map into this and then trace around the stencil as evidence that you had found this. We gave up soon afterwards. The sun was beating down on us and it was a lot hotter that day then on any other days we were in Hawaii. This may have had something to do that we were quite far away from the coast and therefore we did not have the benefit of the coastal breeze.
Fortunately there is the perfect way to cool down at the Dole Plantation. I am a big fan of Dole Whips and I was not going to leave without having one. So we went to the café to get Dole Whips. This was Graham’s first experience of this particular treat. Like with the shave ice, he did not really understand what the hype is about, but he soon came around to the idea. They had all kinds of different toppings, but when it comes to Dole Whips, I am a purist. I normally go for the Dole Whip float, which is pineapple juice and Dole Whip, but they only sell those in souvenir cups so I just went with Dole Whip on its own. Graham had the same. We both enjoyed our treat. The café had all kinds of interesting dishes and the prices were fair. We had planned to come back one day for lunch, but we never got around to this.
shame you didn't bring them to the lagoon but sounds like a wonderful day. I love in the reef that little statue! 
Awesome trip report so far!
