Story and photos by Andrew Bourret

Monmouth Academy



Winter. The ancient Greeks would tell you that it comes because Persephone has yet again been abducted by Hades and brought to the Underworld for four more months. Scientists today would explain that it all has to do with the tilt of the Earth. Regardless of what you believe, it’s here now, bringing along dead, dreary, depressing days that seem to drag on at no end. It’s at this time, when I listen to the weather report and hear forecasts of week-long, below-zero temperatures, that I think fondly back at last April. You see, it was more than just another spring. I made my escape.

For months in advance, my family made periodic trips to the travel agency and did countless searches online for the best rates on plane tickets. After a comprehensive hunt for good deals and convenient schedules, we had made our decisions of when, where and how we were going to Hawaii. For the sake of abating my homework load, my father was able to plan the trip to coincide with April vacation. I would still miss about a week of school since we were going to spend roughly two weeks on the islands. Making up a week of homework is no pleasant or painless task; however, when given a choice between staying behind to attend school or vacationing in Hawaii with a bit of homework in your suitcase, only a fool would hesitate to choose the latter.

So with everything set in place, I could do but one thing-wait. For the next three or four months I tried to put the thought of it out of my mind. In the weeks approaching our departure date of April 18, these efforts were to no avail. In fact, the night before we left, I didn’t fall asleep until midnight, despite having gone to bed at 8:30. In order to catch our flight, we woke at 3 a.m. and loaded our baggage into the trunk of the car. It seemed as though the rest of the world was asleep and I had arisen to abscond from the monotonous, school routine that becomes the bane of all students at one time or another.

We piled into the car and drove to the Portland International Jetport. Most of the ride I don’t remember because I somehow managed to drift into a comfortable sleep. This would be the last time I slept for about 24 hours. After making it through security untouched and onto an express plane, we were off to Newark, New Jersey. Excited and anxious, we sat content for 45 minutes. When the plane landed, we got off and located a set of empty seats. For three hours we waited. During this time I finished my math homework and wandered through the airport stores. My father bought some James Bond-style, collapsible sun glasses; a wise decision considering our destination. Eventually the time came and we boarded our flight. I found my seat, in the aisle, which would be my home for the next 10 1/2 hours. My brother, constantly a step ahead of me, beat me to the window seat.

When it comes to flying, my biggest trouble is sleep. A combination of comfortless seating, a lack of leg room, and a wandering mind are to blame for this predicament. I sat through the entire flight watching the “Maid in Manhattan” and “The Hot Chick” two or three times each. One word to describe this experience comes to mind-torture. To make matters worse, there was a mob of teenage girls dispersed throughout the plane. They all had thick New York accents, pink cell phones, and colorful, plastic fingernails. I wouldn’t have minded them; however, they couldn’t seem to sit still. They ran irreverently through the plane gossiping with their friends seated on the other side of the aircraft. I began to wonder if it was all going to be worth it.

I noticed an immediate change as soon as we landed in Honolulu. The air was warm and moist and the sun shined brightly over the horizon. It was around 4 p.m. and my family and I were exhausted. With our remaining strength we gathered our luggage and dragged it to a “Wiki-Wiki” shuttle (that’s really what they’re called). After a half hour drive, we found ourselves standing in front of our hotel, set a few blocks back from the famous, white-sand Waikiki Beach. The shore in this area is lined with large resorts and gift shops, which make it an obvious tourist trap. Our room was about 30 stories up and had a balcony looking towards the ocean. I can remember hearing the waves rolling in the dark and looking down at the bright, sleepless city below. This was going to be a great couple weeks.

The next morning we were up early and on our way towards Pearl Harbor. We took a ferry out to the memorial over the U.S.S. Arizona and watched a short film about the events that took place on December 7, 1941. It was amazing to stand in an area where history had been made several decades before, as well as a great time to remember and honor our troops overseas who still fight for our great country. After numerous clicks of the camera shutter and a quick browse through the gift store, we were off to Diamond Head. Diamond Head is a giant, crater-shaped landmark resulting from the abundance of volcanic activity on the islands of Hawaii. It sits on the flank of Waikiki Beach, which makes it an excellent place to snap photos of the ocean and city below. After a strenuous hike up a dry, dusty trail we came to the top. We took our share of pictures and admired the astonishing view. I gazed out over the ocean, absolutely mesmerized by the immense beauty of the contrasting blues and greens. It was unlike anything I had seen before; even being from Maine Vacationland.

Later that day we left the island of Oahu for Hawaii or “The Big Island.” Our plane landed in Kona, a small city on the western shore.There was something quite unique about the airport here; it was entirely outdoors. I couldn’t believe it. The baggage claim, waiting areas, and even security checkpoints were outside. The only shelter was roofs that shielded against precipitation from above. I later found this was quite common for the area when I sighted a wall-less church. In front of the airport we met some family friends who we’d be spending the larger portion of our vacation with. They greeted us bearing smiles and leis (necklaces made of flowers). We got in the car and began our trip to their home. Behind their house they had a massive garden with every kind of tropical fruit you could imagine. Coconuts, bananas, papayasetc. all grew in their backyard. It was virtually a mini-jungle that wrapped around the house. I was enthralled the day, Kenny, our host, asked my father and I to help him pick avocados. We followed him outside with a bucket, while he climbed a tree and tossed fruit down for us to catch. Even though I knew Hawaii is one of the 50 states, in many ways it felt like a different country.

In the days ahead we relaxed, making daily trips to local beaches. The warm, aqua-colored Pacific Ocean was a pleasant change from the frigid, northern Atlantic that I was used to. On several occasions Kenny took me snorkeling around the shoreline. Just by putting your goggles in the water you could see there was an entire world beneath the surface. I mean, I’d seen pictures of tropical fish in magazines and books before, but to actually be a mere four or five feet away from them is completely different. I saw dozens of various colorful fish, coral of all forms, and even a few sea turtles. One could explore the sea floor for hours upon hours and continue to be astonished and delighted.

I recall one sunny day (of many) that our host rented a few kayaks. We drove them to a launch area on the flank of an inlet. The inlet was roughly a half mile wide and the shoreline was lined by towering, rocky cliffs. The water was calm and had a deep blue hue. After a bit of rowing we came to the middle and noticed several groups of dolphins coming into the cove for a rest. Although tired from feeding, the sea creatures were still quite playful and seemed delighted to put on a show for a few human spectators. A few times they came several feet from my kayak and repeatedly leapt out of the water twisting and spinning without a care. Unfortunately they were so fast that most of our pictures are just splashes and ripples of water. It was truly a marvelous occurrence and I can confidently say that you haven’t lived until you’ve been kayaking with dolphins. To end our vacation we took an inter-island flight to Kauai, a much smaller but older, island. Here we visited a coffee plantation, a couple of beaches, and Waimea Canyon but, the big finale of our trip was a helicopter tour which would circle the island. We flew through Waimea canyon and sighted several waterfalls stretching hundreds of feet tall. My favorite part of the tour was the Na Pali coast, located on the northwest shore of the island. Virtually untouched by humans, the Na Pali coast is composed of beautiful green and orange wrinkled mountains that slope down into the ocean. For about an hour we sat, awestruck by the unsurpassed views. Our pilot periodically gave little bits of information about particular areas while we contently snapped pictures. I was surprised to learn a number of famous films had been made in Hawaii including Jurassic Park, 6 Days and 7 Nights, and we even hovered over the beach from Gilligan’s Island.

Sixteen days after landing in Honolulu it was time to go home. Weary and sad that our trip had come to an end, we boarded our plane in shorts, t-shirts, and sandals on another sunny, 85 degree day. On the ride home, my thoughts slowly shifted to the obligations that lay ahead like school, but I vowed to make another trip back someday. I would without hesitation recommend visiting Hawaii to anyone interested. After another long flight we landed in Portland International Jetport. It was about 45 degrees, overcast, and rainy. Welcome home.