Waikiki

On Sunday we left Kona for Waikiki.

It was a little bitter sweet as we have really enjoyed our time in Kona. We actually enjoyed it more than we probably thought we would and we will definitely return to the Big island of Hawaii and the Kona area.

The Hawaiian Airlines flight was smooth and once we picked up our luggage we caught a Taxi cab to Waikiki. There are airport shuttles available that are a little cheaper, however trust us, spend the bit extra and take a cab.

On Monday after a morning walk and coffee we headed to The Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center for a free flower lei making class. The instructor was Naomi and she has been making flower leis since she was 4 1/2 years old; she is coming up to her seventieth birthday.

The shopping center pays her to put these classes on, she provides all the materials, the instruction and you end up with a flower lei. Tables are laid out, flowers and leaves are distributed and the class begins. There were about 20 participants of all ages and everyone received personal instruction.

In order to make the leis Naomi makes up cotton strings with needle like wires on the end and each person gets one of these. Then she demonstrates how to pierce the flower properly, add a bit of greenery and then finally transfer the flower from the needle to the cotton string. She was very exacting in her work and wanted to make sure we all knew how to make a proper flower lei.

We thought this class would take about 15 minutes to 1/2 an hour. Boy, were we wrong. By the time we were finished it was over 1 1/2 hrs and it was very informative about the culture, the tradition and the correct way to make a Hawaiian Flow Lei.

Attached are a few more pictures.

Us with Naomi and the finished products.