This IETF was in Honolulu, on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, United States. After work in Honolulu, I took some vacation on the north shore of the island.

2014-11-08

I kept my camera out for the flight from Boston to Minneapolis–Saint Paul so I could get videos of take-off and landing, and some photos.

2014-11-09

In the morning, I noticed something slightly disconcerting about the architecture in Honolulu: there were many places where doors or windows seemed to be missing. Not removed or broken, just completely missing from the building design. Once I thought about it, I realized that of course it’s much less important to keep out the outside air when the tempuratures never really get that cold.

I was busy most of the day, but I got a few pictures of Waikīkī in the evening.

2014-11-10

2014-11-11

I had some free time to walk around the meeting venue (Hilton Hawaiian Village), stick my foot in the Pacific Ocean, and get some pictures. Also, there were some cute ducklings by the hotel reception area.

2014-11-12

2014-11-13

I had lunch outside in Ala Moana Beach Park, then walked around taking pictures. Apparently Ala Moana Beach is a popular place for wedding photos, since I saw many being taken. I also learned that the ocean currents take Sundays and Holidays off. I wonder how they know which days are Holidays?

2014-11-14

2014-11-15

This was the first day of vacation, so I picked up a rental car and gradually made my way from Honolulu to the North Shore. My first stop was the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites.

Later on, I accidentally found myself at Puʻu o Mahuka State Historic Site and walked around in the woods until I found a view of the Waimea Valley.

At night, I ate dinner in the hostel common area and then ended up playing cards for hours. I learned a new-to-me game.

2014-11-16

One of my cabin-mates offered me scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. What a great way to start the day! First stop on the day’s exploring was the Waimea Valley, this time at ground level.

My next stop was Haleʻiwa for lunch, followed by my first shave ice. It wasn’t bad, but I prefer chocolate ice cream. Then I headed to a beach near Kaʻena Point.

Then, on to the Dole Plantation. The Loo Lady climbed a small hill of pineapple, which I then proceeded to eat. It was delicious pineapple.

There were references to Dole’s take on their own history in various places. However, I did not notice any references to some of the less than peachy parts of Dole’s history. I did not like how one-sided their take on history was.

For dinner, I picked up two types of poke at the supermarket. Both were delicious.

2014-11-17

One of my cabin-mates wanted a ride to Honolulu. I didn’t have any plans so we (me, him, and David, another cabin-mate) made it a trip. First, he showed us Banzai Pipeline, an interesting break, then we drove to Honolulu. David and I had a really good lunch of Korean food. Then we all meandered back around the coast in a counter-clockwise direction. At Hanauma Bay, I wanted to get a picture of the Loo Lady by the Toilet Bowl. Unfortunately, the trail to the Toilet Bowl was closed. Fortunately, the security officer guarding the trailhead posed for a picture with the Loo Lady so I didn’t have to come home empty-camera-ed. At least there were some decent views from near the trailhead.

The drive from Hanauma Bay around the south eastern part of Oʻahu was really pretty, but I didn’t get any pictures so you’ll just have to take my word for it. Our next stop was the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park where we saw Byodo-in temple, and David and I got to ring a bell. Then I saw a black swan event.

On my walk from the hostel to dinner, I saw a gorgeous sunset where the sun passed just behind Kaʻena Point.

2014-11-18

I drove around a bit and chanced on what I think is the Laie Hawaii Temple.

Next I went back to Banzai Pipeline to get some surfing photos. I was quite impressed by the apparent skill involved in surfing.

Then back to Waimea again, this time to the beach.

I went back to Three Tables Beach to see the sunset again. The sun went down in a slightly different place of course, but it was still pretty. And this time I brought my camera. There were also a few surfers out at dusk.

2014-11-19

On my last day, I checked out of the hostel and drove to Honolulu. First I saw ʻIolani Palace, the only royal palace in the United States.

Then I ate lunch in the center of Diamond Head.

Some more driving around led me to a windy road up a hill over-looking the city.

The Honolulu airport is really interesting. Like other buildings in Hawaii, it has a bunch of parts that are open to the outside air. And it has some nice gardens in the center of the main terminal.