Hawaii is not just Honolulu and Waikiki, it is also about the great islands. We decided to visit a few sites around Oahu since it was a little bit of a rainy day.

But first, I had to kick off the day with a run since, believe it or not, I have never run on Hawaii before! I must admit, that I found that the Honolulu area has more runners per capita than any other city in the world I have visited.

The coast is always amazing to check out even when it is raining. The advantage is there is no so many tourists and you can always get some great shots.

Of course, we had to checkout the classic Hawaii blow hole which is always intriguing no many times you have seen it. The Pixel7 Pro does not capture the windy audio very well does it?

We also choose to do a little hiking and checkout the Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail which is a very easy but scenic trail to the east of Diamond Head and the main city.

It is about a 2 mile hike and has some great scenic views.

One unusual observation of the eastern side of the island was the numerous helicopter training missions that were occurring, both civilian and military. One person said that people often go out on the cliffs and rocks when they should not and get injured a lot.

We also checked out the Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Gardens. They are very scenic and have some great views, but you need to be very aware of all the wet and muddy trails.

The park staff are amazing and very knowledgeable. Some of the panoramic views of the waterfalls when it is raining are not to be missed.

Here is the local dining recommendation that many not ever be aware of:

Check out Konos in Kailua. The bomber is delicious!