Hawaii the forgotten 50th state of America, a taunt to some but easily mistaken, with the relaxed laid back attitudes and magnetic attraction to anything surf related, its an ideal spot for an invitee to experience an abstract of our journey.

The flight from Fiji was once again not without incident, yet we arrived safe and on time with luggage and smiles. Although smiling, we soon realised that we would no longer be visiting another country other than our own, a disconcerting reality after almost four months away. It was time for Deana to visit and after a long flight; a bagful of treats and a very happy reunion, our twosome became a threesome.

Soon though the threesome retraced back to a twosome as a week of fruit, fish and Fijians didn't settle too well with Adz' stomach. No, it wasn't swine flu although on the fourth day it did cross my mind! Whilst being somewhat restrained, Grillz and Deana got to look around the island and headed out for a kayak day trip where they spotted some turtles and snorkeled too.

We planned our time here in Hawaii as more of a beach holiday than a backpacker's trip. So we booked a hostel to stay at for the whole duration and stayed on only one of the island's called O'ahu. Most days as you do on a beach holiday, were spent on the beach, where tans were topped up, books read and problems forgotten about. In other words lots of lazy days! Soon after a full recovery was made and we planned a few day trips away from Waikiki, first up was the north shore .

The north shore of O'ahu is renown for its huge waves and sunbathing spots. We headed to Waimea Bay that can get waves reaching up to 40 feet high...they were about 4 inches for us, which was good as we could jump off the cliffs into the water but we would rather of had at least 5. Around the north, there are some great beach spots, some we even got to share with green sea turtles coming in to feed and bask in the sun. The beach known as sunset beach was also the place where the TV show "Lost" was filmed, they had security there protecting the filming sites so we spotted no one famous, we will save that for Los Angeles. We spent the rest of the day there with George the turtle, and watched the sunset, another one for the collection, before heading back for the night, tomorrow Pearl Harbour.

As you may already know on December 7th 1941 the fate of thousands were changed when Pearl Harbour was bombed by a surprise attack from Japan, breaking a treaty and ultimately contracted the USA into WWII alongside the allies. Twenty-one vessels were sunk or damaged and the dead totaled 2,390, with hundreds wounded. One of the wounded made a special appearance today, and in a very moving speech told us about what happened to him and others on a day he would never forget. One ship to never be salvaged was the USS Arizona, a resting place for over 1,000 crewman who lost their lives, some their final resting place. Now above the ship lies a memorial structure created to remember and honour those who died. On it a wall that names all of its crew, some 38 brothers were on that one boat alone. To see the top of the sunken ships and the skin of oil that still leaks up from beneath made the history we have read about tangible and unforgettable. The memorial itself was a tasteful and commemorative way to keep the memory and history alive.

It was soon the end of the week but we had one last trip to a volcanic crater, called Diamond Head. The crater has been extinct for 100,000 years and was once used as a fort and an observation deck, which is where our hike led to. To get to the summit we had to walk through an unlit tunnel, steep steps and then uphill for about an hour, which was certainly worth it for the breathtaking, unparalleled views of the entire west coast. A great end to a great holiday.

Adam & Adam... & Deana