Checked into a lovely hotel in the middle of town - what bliss. After 15 months of spending almost every night in a backpackers with goodness knows how many other people in my room and the bathrooms a trek down the corridor I finally had my own king size bed, bathroom, shower and even a small kitchenette!

Caught a local bus into downtown Honolulu where the Lonely Planet provided me with a pleasant walk around town sightseeing. Caught the bus back into Waikiki and then a connecting bus up towards Diamond Head. It was a trek and a half from the bus stop to the car park, and that's when the real walk began. Up the volcano, up numerous flights of steps, and finally to the top where Paddy and I were treated to a spectacular view of Waikiki. Then of course it was the walk back down, which was a lot lot easier!

Had a wander down to the famous Waikiki beach and watched some traditional hula dancers once the sun had gone down and the torches along the seafront had been light in a small ceremony.

Decided I just had to have a lie on Waikiki beach, so off I went. I don't honestly know how people can spend their whole holidays lying on the beach - after an hour I was roasting, and had to leave. I dread to think what it's like in the summer!!!

Joined a trip to a traditional lu'au. The entertainment was great with all the polynesian dancers, and then it was time for the food. The roast pig is cooked in an "imu" in the ground. Washed down my food with a Mai Tai, a Blue Hawaiian and a Pina Colada - this is the life!

Had to get up really early for a 6:30am pick-up to go to Pearl Harbour and the USS Arizona Memorial. It was incredibly crowded (as I knew it would be), but one of the "must sees" on Oahu. My trip then continued on a clockwise tour of the island, taking in all of the sights including the Del Monte and the Dole pineapple plantations.

Having seen Oahu it was time to catch my first inter-island flight to Hawaii.