Our travel agent called. The pool privileges we were supposed to have at the Sheraton Waikiki have been reinstated. It’s much more family-friendly than the pool at the Moana Surfrider. This makes the girls very happy, and it’s only a couple blocks away.

The day starts with a breakfast buffet at the Moana Surfrider’s Beach Club. It’s a welcome addition to the package. They have beer, wine and snacks in the afternoon, so we’ll be back later. Great views of the beach from the restaurant.

We’ve never been here in the summer before, but the beach seems more crowded than I ever remember. There are boats everywhere, surfers, stand-up paddle boarders, way too many helicopters, and of course swimmers. There is still room to carve out a niche in the sand for the day, but mileage may vary depending on where a person wants to settle down.

An interesting fact: Waikiki is a manufactured beach. The name itself means “spouting waters,” and there used to be springs here that fed into wetlands. In the late 1800s the area was turned into a beach. The sand had to come from elsewhere, and it still does today. Erosion is always a problem in Waikiki with the building of hotels too close to the shoreline, as well as the construction of seawalls. Climate change affecting sea level rise is now taking a foot of beach away every year. It’s an economic race to keep ahead of erosion with more than 40% of Hawaii’s tourist industry revenue coming from this small part of Oahu.

We have joined a mass of humanity at a central location to wait for an excursion pickup. Apparently half of Waikiki is going somewhere else today. We’ll be leaving with Oahu Nature Tours, which is an ecotour company that goes all over the island. Today we’re headed into the Manoa Valley to hike up to Manoa Falls, an area that Jurassic Park and LOST  filmed in. Lisa and I hiked this trail in 2006 on our honeymoon.

Joining us on the hike today is a middle-aged couple from Australia and a younger German woman. Aria is talking non-stop to our guide, Steve, who is dealing with her really well. He’s earning his tip!

We’ve talked on the drive to the trailhead about the major controversy brewing at Mauna Kea on the Big Island. After a decade of permit processing and court battles the Thirty Meter Telescope was to begin construction on the mountain six weeks ago. Native Hawaiian protectors have staged a large protest demanding the TMT be built elsewhere, as they view Mauna Kea as sacred land. (The only other construction option is the Canary Islands of Spain.) As measured from the ocean floor to the peak, Mauna Kea is more than 33,000 feet, making it the largest mountain in the world and far from light pollution — perfect for astronomy. But, it’s also a huge telescope to be built with many others already on the summit.

There have been as many as 2,000 people on the mountain blocking construction access and the highway in general. Law enforcement has backed off after initially coming on strong. No one really knows how this is going to end, though Steve mentions that when it snows up there, people may dissipate.

This isn’t really science vs. cultural. It’s more about anger over broken promises, mismanagement of land, and disregard for native wishes. There is a long history of that in the islands. White Americans overthrowing your monarchy will do that. Protests have spilled over to Oahu, and I’ve seen someone wearing a T-shirt promoting it.

The hike to the falls is not as wet as the spring Lisa and I traveled here. I’ve been a little worried about Gary. The trail is rated as moderate, but that is relative. He’s working pretty hard. Meanwhile, Aria is leading our guide. Kid’s got moxie!

The view of Manoa Falls is nice, but the journey there is most interesting to me. Everyone lives and Aria gets Gary and Sara down the trail while the rest of us hang back. On the return to Waikiki we pass the Baskin-Robbins where Barack Obama got his first job.

Following an afternoon in the pool where Aria seems happiest — she is a Pisces after all — I’m taking her shopping. First up, the Honolulu Cookie Company. Aria likes her cookies. She tries out quite a few free samples. I buy a couple things and they throw in bonus cookies, presumably for her. She doesn’t like the pineapple cookie, saying, “I don’t want to waste it,” as she eats the whole thing. Quickly.

I take her to the International Market Place, which used to be trinket central. Several years ago it was completely reimagined and the Miramar Hotel right behind it, where Lisa and I first stayed in 2004, was demolished to make room for high end shops: Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Rolex and Tesla, among others. Because a tourist is going to buy a car and ship it home?

I get Aria to pose with a bronze statue of Don Ho in the open courtyard, but she keeps grabbing him…there. And the more I tell her to knock it off, the more she does it, which is straight from the Kid Operation Manual. She finally relents and I snap a picture.

I’m getting Aria a hibiscus hair clip that she really likes and some dried mango at one of the 37 ABC Stores in Waikiki. All Blocks Covered indeed.

Tonight’s activity is a luau. Lisa and I have been to Germaine’s and Paradise Cove on Oahu. This evening it’s the Royal Hawaiian Luau, and it looks to be a different experience. For starters, food is served on china rather than paper plates. And they do poi much better, mixing it with other food rather than serving alone. We’ve gone classy!

The show has been great. The emphasis is on Waikiki history and the ali’i, which makes sense as the luau is at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Having read Hawaiian history I appreciate the different approach. Various actors are brought out representing some of Hawaii’s nobility: King Kamehameha, King Kalakaua, Queen Kapi’olani, Queen Lili’uokalani, and Princess Ka’iulani.

They do a nice job with the hula, but like all the luau shows, there is Samoan fire knife dancing and the wild hip swinging of Tahitian dance. Neither is authentic Hawaiian culture but it gets lumped into these shows and people think of it as Hawaiian.

As an aside, the hostess of the luau has subtly and with aloha mentioned the struggle at Mauna Kea. If guests don’t know what she is talking about it flew right over their heads.

Off to bed now. The ohana is heading to the zoo tomorrow. I’m taking a bus into downtown Honolulu to find a new ukulele. Aloha po.

Get caught up on the adventure.

I have become intimately familiar with 4 a.m. Waking up to go to work. Becoming comatose while at work. Today, getting on a plane. Actually, I’m awake before the alarm goes off, but for any other reason than vacation, I’d be unhappy being conscious at this hour.

Living in Salem, Portland International Airport is a longer drive than it used to be so we opt to leave at 6:00 a.m. We get to the airport two hours before our flight, but lines are so long that we use up all the extra time. We get to the gate 10 minutes before boarding, and now I’m so ready for a nap.

Before going further, here is the cast of characters for this trip:

• Lisa – spouse
• Aria – daughter
• Gary – father-in-law
• Sara – mother-in-law

We’re flying Alaska Airlines, which doesn’t have the big planes that many of the other major carriers fly. We’re traveling on a 737-900. Only one aisle and two restrooms. So, I am really glad I threw out that bad lettuce in my lunch salad yesterday…

My reading choice for the flight is Captive Paradise by James L. Haley. It’s an evenhanded look at Hawaii’s history from ancient days to annexation. Hawaiian history is complex, and I’ll touch on that later in the trip. I started the book earlier this month. It’s an interesting read.

The flight is uneventful other than the apple juice shower Aria gives herself. Soaks everything. Lisa is less than pleased. My job is getting as many paper towels out of the restroom as possible to clean up the sticky scene of the crime.

After flying all day we arrive at our hotel, the Sheraton Waikiki, in the early afternoon. Love that three-hour time difference! Not so great what happens next. We are in the hotel’s system, but our reservation has been canceled. Uh, what? Phone calls are made. Questions are asked. Someone messed up somewhere. It takes an hour for our travel agency and their contractor to figure out what happened and propose a solution. It’s convoluted, but it sounds like the hotel confirmed us for rooms it didn’t have. Oops.

On a brighter note, we’re moving to one of their additional properties, which happens to be nicer. Off we go to the first hotel built in Waikiki (1901), the Moana Surfrider, also known as the First Lady of Waikiki. We’ve passed by this hotel dozens of times over the years. It’s beautiful. It’s also a destination marriage resort for Japanese couples. By my count there are two to three weddings here each day.

The girls go swimming in the hotel pool, and Aria keeps getting out to run onto the beach so she can use the foot washer before returning. She loves that thing. We visit Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner, a first night tradition Lisa and I have had since coming here in 2004. After a burger and a mai tai I’m exhausted and have a dehydration headache. Everyone is fairly worn out from the travel and the hotel debacle. Except Aria. She could stay in the water all night. The sunset is spectacular, but it’s 7:30 p.m. and we’re calling it a night. There is a lot going on tomorrow. We’re headed to Manoa Falls early in the morning and then to a luau for dinner. Aloha po.

Get caught up on the adventure.

We’re heading back to my happy place, Hawaii. We’ll be on Oahu this trip and staying in Waikiki for the first time in many years. There is a lot of humanity and concrete packed into the 3.4 square mile neighborhood, so it’s always great to get out and explore more of the island. Aria is coming and my in-laws are also traveling with us. By now Lisa and I are well-versed on this island so we’re managing all the details.

I’ve heard it said that a person can enjoy Hawaii without ever understanding it. Since my first visit in 2004 I’ve attempted to understand and to view Hawaii as a place that offers more than famous beaches and endless sunshine. It’s far more interesting than what the tourism industry sells, which isn’t necessarily reality. Hawaii is a special place steeped in complicated history with a culture that resists oppression. At times it feels like a foreign country, and I mean that in a good way. Were it not for the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy by American-backed businessmen, it might still be a sovereign nation.

My perspective on Hawaii changed further with a book I was given for Father’s Day this year. Volcanoes, Palm Trees and Privilege is a collection of essays by Portland author Liz Prato. She tells a story of love, loss and survival — her own and Hawaii’s. It’s a quick but impactful read.

While I don’t have the same story to tell as Prato, this year I’m going to journal what we do and my thoughts as we go along. A few posts will have history. Some may just chronicle the day’s activities. My hope is they will be entertaining. When I get back to the mainland, I’ll post them here.

And now it’s back to packing for the trip and the six-hour flight. I’m having a problem getting my travel ukulele and snorkel gear in the same carry-on bag. A hui hou.