DATE: Saturday, December 31, 2022

New Year’s Eve! It was an early morning for us today since we had a 7:30 am flight back to Oahu, and Dad is a jerk for getting us to the airport so early. Classic Dad. Hilo has a very small airport, and in retrospect, we could have gotten there a little later than we did (I’ll admit). But in my mind it’s better to be 2 hours early than 5 minutes late.

Before checking in, Vivian had some questions about the process and why we go through it. Part of Sonya’s response was to tell her that it’s a way to keep everyone safe. So when we were checking in, Vivian promptly approaches the ticketing agent and proudly declares, “I don’t have any guns.” One of the comic relief moments that Vivian is continually supplying us with. With that, it’s a quick nap and a flight to Oahu.

The last leg of our journey was a 3 1/2 day spell in the Honolulu area. We had plans to attend a luau this evening and then to hike up Diamondhead on Monday, but that was about it. We’d end this last part with not too much structure. One restriction that was had was that our last AirBnB had a one-car parking limit. So, we asked the Thrifty agent if we could change our reservations from 2 compacts to 1 7-passenger vehicle (yes, there are 8 of us, but Vivian is small). She was able to make that happen for us, but it didn’t come without challenges. We were hoping to get a minivan with a little cargo space but ended up with an SUV with almost none. With a 4pm check-in time at our AirBnB meant having to accommodate stowing luggage for 8 with room for about 4, max. It was comical, but most for me as the drive who didn’t have to worry about being cramped.

That morning at the Hilo AirBnB, we had a very small breakfast, which burned off pretty quickly. We were all pretty hungry when we landed in Honolulu. So we hit a nearby IHOP for a big breakfast, which would be the last time we would eat before the luau that evening. It would also end up being the most expensive meal so far on the trip. IHOP. Very memorable. 😐

With time to kill before tonight, it was time to relax with some time in the sun. We wanted to stay near our AirBnB so we could quickly check in and get ready for the luau. We also knew that with this being New Year’s Eve, it would probably be busy anywhere we decided to go on the south shore making parking challenging. We chose a little beach park in Wai’alae, which was not too busy at all but did have a small parking lot, making us wait for someone to leave before stopping. We had a nice 3-hour time there and soaked up enough sun (some of us a little too much – ouch!)

This next part of our adventure would certainly be memorable. We have a guaranteed 4 pm check-in time at our AirBnB. With a 45-minute drive to the luau, which started at 6 pm, it would be a time crunch for us to check in, all 8 to get ready, and to make it there on time. I’d messaged the property managing agency (very impersonal to begin with) with a request to check in a little earlier than 4 pm. No response. Kept checking throughout the day. Nothing.

At 2:00, we decided to leave the beach park to try to check into the space with the chance that it was ready. Security at the building let us in to try. I went to the room (37th floor! Top floor!) to try. There was a keypad allowing direct access to the room, and I was guessing that this was activated remotely. I tried to get in. No go. I went back down and told the security guard we would be back. In the meantime, Sonya had the idea to go back to the beach park we just came from, which had showers so that we could, at least most of us, shower in prep for the luau. That ended up being a good call and a huge time saver.

In the meantime, I got a live person on the phone asking about checking in. She said that with them being short staffed on New Year’s Eve, it would be difficult to check in before 4 pm, but to try back at 3:00. Understandable. I called back. No go. Call back at 3:30. I called. No go. So we camped outside the room waiting for 4:00 to hit. 3:53. No go. 3:57. Nope. 3:58. 3:59. 4:00. Nope. 4:01! 4:02!! 4:03!! Nothing!

I called back, but I think my number was now on their “list” from calling so much (twice) earlier, so it went to being on hold indefinitely I sent an email, trying the only other channel of communication given to us, with no immediate reply. So Sonya called from her phone, now at about 4:15, and tried to get a live person. She was successful and a little less nice than I was. 🙂 But she was able to get the ball rolling. The room inspector came up to check the room (which had already been cleaned) and to give us access (to the non-remotely controlled keypad). We’re in! 4:30. Valuable time lost.

It was now an explosion of activity to try to get ready and to leave as close to 5:00 as we could to make it to Germain’s. But we made it out on the road at about 5:10 with an ETA of 5:55. Mission accomplished.

We got to Germain’s and were able to park right away, which was a surprise to me. I thought that it would be crowded tonight, being New Year’s Eve. But it wasn’t at all. We walked right in, got our pictures taken and we were on our way.

The luau was a presentation of different cultures that have affected the overall Hawaiian way of life. Mostly, indigenous Hawaiian, Tahitian, and Samoan cultures were represented tonight. It is a very interesting and entertaining demonstration of their ways of life, albeit probably a very “watered-down” demonstration.

The food there was excellent! I’d waited for quite a while to taste that kalua pork again. So good. Also, I thought I’d try poi again after all of these years. I didn’t like it back then, and I still don’t. Neither did anyone in the family. That’s okay, we all got enough to eat.

We also met a nice couple from Tyler, Texas, who was on their honeymoon. There was also a male hula dance contest. Very funny. The winner was on his 30th wedding anniversary trip and they were from Indiana.

It was such a fun evening. We were wondering if they were going to be doing something for the new year at Germain’s, but they didn’t. We drove back to the AirBnB, watching illegal fireworks go off all over the city. Except for Sonya, who had to stay up for laundry, we all crashed when we got back. Happy New Year!