Hawaii- Day 4: Kayaking Kailua Bay, Punch Bowl & USS Arizona

I'm trying to remember exactly why I wanted to kayak Kailua Bay so much. In hindsight, I'm honestly not entirely sure what I was thinking. The prices were astronomical so Brent and I decided to just rent two three-person kayaks. The rental place was a bit of a walk to the water. The walk itself wasn't too terrible. It's just hard to be inconspicuous as a tourist when crossing intersections in life vests with a huge kayak on wheels. 

We practiced on a water channel in a residential area before lugging those things across the sand to the ocean. There was a tour group of people in double hulled canoes like the ones in Moana. Their guide was yelling at Brigitta and Sydney to get away from the shoreline as he couldn't guarantee where they would land. They didn't hear- too excited to be splashing around in the water and so I had to run and grab them. 

We decided I would have Liesel and Sydney while Brent took Brigitta and Ireland. Pointing the kayak straight out into the water, I got in first. Just after Liesel got in, a big wave angled our kayak slightly to the side. We urged Sydney to hurry and get in before another one came because we needed time to correct the angle so we could get out into the water. She fussed about being yelled at and with just one foot in, a wave hit us hard and knocked her right out of the kayak in the water. There was another powerful wave right after it and with the rise in water, the kayak completely ran her over. Then the water receded so the weight of it was pressing on her. I struggled to get out and pull the kayak off of Sydney and the tour guide came running with his whole group of people watching. It was awful.  

Things weren't much better in Brent's kayak. I was a bit preoccupied with Sydney but something happened and Ireland was in tears. We'd been told not to linger in the swimming area so we paddled out and then reassessed the situation. While the girls slathered on sunscreen, we tried to soothe feelings. 

Liesel wanted to kayak to one of the nearby islands but I was already tired. There were some beautiful homes along the coast and we decided to kayak by those. Eventually we turned around and that's when the wind picked up a bit. Really, it was just a bit, nothing dramatic. I thought we were familiar with kayaking since we had done it on Lake Michigan. Kayaking on the ocean is a different smack. That little bit of wind made it feel like there was a 300 lb animal in the boat. I was fighting to keep us off the rocks and I do mean fighting. We made it back to the landing area and I sat down on the beach to catch my breath. The girls were thrilled to just play on the beach for a bit. 

I have to give Brent props because in this moment, he was wonderful. This had been a complete bust and to make matters worse, we had blown money on it. Brent didn't act like it wasn't all that bad (it was). He didn't sit in silence or even vent his frustration. He looked at me and simply said, "It's ok. Don't worry about it." Just knowing he wasn't worried about it took a lot of emotional weight off me. Eventually we packed up- Liesel even kayaked a bit of the channel on her own!

It just so happened that registration for FSY had opened and spots were filling up fast. One of Liesel's leaders texted us and I explained I was nowhere near a computer. That sweet lady took care of everything (even paying the fee!) so we were frantically texting insurance information and the required head shot- which we took just outside Kailua Beach Adventures while Brent returned the kayaks. 

Liesel had mentioned she was getting "family fatigue" and I had to agree that by this point we were all a little sick of each other. When we arrived at the Punch Bowl, I was happy to walk around on my own for a bit. 

I did so barefoot because A- this is Hawaii and B- because this felt like holy ground to me. The cool grass felt amazing and the peaceful nature of the cemetery gave me weary soul a rest. One part of the memorial was engraved with the following: In proud memory of the achievements of her sons and in humble tribute to their sacrifices, this memorial has been erected by the United States of America. These men were part of the price that free men have been forced to pay to defend human liberty and rights. To these men we owe a debt to be paid with grateful remembrance of their heroism. I loved the mosaics!

Let's close up on that one a bit because I loved this!

Grandpa Nielsen fought in Iwo Jima in the 5th Marine Division. It was really sobering to see that battle laid out like this:

The sanctuary is really beautiful with symbols from all different faiths. The windows have metalwork with pieces of colorful glass. I really loved how it was open to the outside because so many sanctuaries can be stuffy and add to that feeling of death and sadness. This was light and airy and really beautiful. 

My friend Janeal is really into US history and graves. She's the one who told me members of our church can have their grave marked with an angel Moroni. Once I passed along this little tidbit to the girls, the many graves became a scavenger hunt to find the different symbols of faith. The names became more nuanced as we realized this one was Hindu and that one was Christian and this one was Jewish. Janeal graciously answered my many texts and was so excited to hear we were having a good time.

Thanks to this TikTok , I really wanted to find the graves of the unknowns. Brent figured it out but time was growing short. We all rushed to find them and at first found the individuals where the ship isn't even identified yet.

The girls excitedly announced when they found a marker that included the ship.

Then we began finding the graves with multiple unknowns.

It almost became a contest to see who could find a grave with the most unknowns.

This was the winner- 25 unknowns from the USS Arizona.

There were also some from the USS Oklahoma- not even numbered, just plural "Unknowns".

From what I understand, these graves detailing death at the West Loch Disaster are the most newly amended at the Punchbowl Memorial.

We were really getting pressed for time but a groundskeeper pulled up in his golf cart looking thing and asked if he could help at all. I referenced the TikTok I'd seen and he said yeah.... he'd heard about that and it's not true. First of all, dog tags aren't made of aluminum. I was a little bummed but wanting to fully understand what I was looking at, he said through DNA breakthroughs they've actually systematically been identifying remains and updating the grave markers. He said they've been able to piece together where people were at the time of the attacks, who survived and who's been identified already and that is how they know approximately how many people are in one grave. I thanked him and we jumped in the car to head to Pearl Harbor.

We missed the informational video but we did make it in time to catch the ferry to the USS Arizona Memorial. This was the first time the whole family was together and there was a lot of hugging and happy chatting between cousins. One of the navy guys reprimanded everyone, stating we were headed to the resting place of many who died during the attack on Pearl Harbor. From then on it was just excited whispers.

 

Seeing a battleship above the water somehow made the USS Arizona Memorial all the more poignant. That quiet contrast just sunk into my heart as I realized that massive piece of naval weaponry was brought to its knees and now lay beneath us- slowly being reclaimed by the sea. 

Somehow in all my research the fact they made sure a flag still flies with the USS Arizona didn't cross my radar. 

Here is the old part of the ship it is attached to:

and here is the new:

In spite of all the people in this room, it was so incredibly quiet. Even whispering felt sacrilegious somehow.

Words are so powerful and this inscription really struck me.

I learned those who did survive the attack can still be cremated and buried with the ship.

Here are divers ready to take down a sailor's remains.

Conceptually, I know the memorial straddles a whole ship but with murky water it can be hard to see. This helps give some orientation.

You can see Liesel looking down on the ship.

Buoys help mark the bow and stern. I'd heard of the "black tears" of the USS Arizona where oil will still leak up to the surface but as I was scouring the water to see this for myself, everyone got on the ferry to head back. Brent tried whisper-yelling but I didn't hear him. He ran to grab me but by then the ferry had left. We didn't intend to leave our kids with everyone but honestly it was lovely to kind of have a little date there, just the two of us. 

Our ferry arrived carrying nothing but sailors and once they unloaded, we secured our seat. I wish we'd sat in the very back because as the ferry pulled away, there was a fantastic view of the memorial.

I was worried everyone was going to be annoyed with us but the whole family was just chatting and catching up. Some college friends had joined the group and there were another round of hugs. When the sailors came back I told Liesel to pose in a flirty way for a picture so she's twirling her hair.

Liesel and I spent some time going through the museum portion but my phone died and Brent had a hard time finding me. Eventually we met up in- where else- the gift shop! There I found this fantastic print of the black tears and plunked my money down to buy it. 

Some cousins were getting pizza but we had a big day with the wedding the next day so we headed back to the resort just in time to see another beautiful sunset smolder into night.