Looks like you good folks are going to be treated to 3 posts in one day! Today was a very relaxed type of day. There was only one activity scheduled and confirmed, and it was the Dole Pineapple Plantation! You might not know but there are relatively few pineapples grown in Hawaii these days. I was wondering, if they don't grow here, why pineapples are everywhere in Hawaii. The US doesn't even rank in the top ten for pineapple growing countries. The disembodied voice of the train at the Dole Pineapple Plantation explained everything.
The Hawaiian Pineapple Company, was founded in 1901 by James Drummond Dole (The Pineapple King). At one time the HAPCO was responsible for over 80% of all pineapple production in the world. James Dole even purchased the entire island of Lanai to be used as a pineapple plantation. One would think he was loaded to be able to buy an entire Hawaiian island. I am sure he was, but it probably didn't hurt that he was a cousin of the first President of the Republic of Hawaii following the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani.
The Dole Pineapple Plantation still grows some pineapples and you can tell if the fruit you are getting was grown in Hawaii if the tag reads 'Royal Hawaiian'. I don't know if they are better, but they are grown in the US.
While at the Plantation we enjoyed the Pineapple Express, the Pineapple Gardens, and the world record holding Pineapple Maze. We also tried the famous Pineapple Whip. The whip batted a solid .500 with me, Melissa, and Elizabeth enjoying it and Ryan, Gillian, and Audrey not digging it so much. I watched a pineapple cutting demonstration that was just pretty much a pitch to buy their pineapple knife. I did get the inside scoop on how to pick the best pineapple at the store. I would tell you all of the details but I was sworn to secrecy. You will just need to come experience it for yourself.
After the Pineapple Plantation we headed over to the Waimea Valley. The valley is the home of the only waterfall you are actually allowed to swim in. Unfortunately we arrived at 5:25 and they closed at 5:30. It is on the short list of places we might return to.
The pivot point of our excursion was Sunset Beach, home of the banzai pipeline. When the conditions are right, this is where the professional surfers can practice on really big waves.
There is a very different vibe on the North Shore from the touristy area we have been in. It was a very nice beach but there wasn't very much going on when we were there, although I feel like there were plenty of beach goers earlier based on the traffic. Lots of folks were sitting waiting around to watch the sun dip below the horizon. Since there was still an hour before sunset, we started looking for a place to break bread. The hostess at the place we stopped must never have been an employee at Disney. She might have been the rudest person I have encountered while in Hawaii. I asked a very simple question, 'how long is the wait for a party of 6'. Her answer was just as simple, 'an hour and a half'. This wasn't the rude part. Since we didn't really want to wait an hour and a half, I just asked if she might know of another place that would be able to accommodate us a little quicker. She barked out 'nope'. No discussion, no thought, no hesitation, just 'nope'. The young lady working with her looked like she wanted to answer, but the hostess kept interjecting, 'nope' or 'I have no idea'. It was a good thing she did because we eventually ended up at Assaggio Italian Restaurant. The service was excellent, the food came out quickly, my fish was perfectly prepared and the sauce was delicious. I think everyone throughly enjoyed their meal. It was a great finish to a fabulous day.