Hawaii is very touristy, to say the least, & the Pearl Harbour Memorial is the epitome of just that. The folks from the US of A lap it up. But I was very unimpressed.
First you watch a half hour film about the Pearl Harbour attack. It didn't tell me anything that I hadn't already seen on the History Channel. Then they take you out to the wreck of the USS Arizona, where there is a memorial to those who died that day. The memorial itself is actually quite ugly, to be honest (below). They tell you that the oil droplets on the surface under the memorial are from the ship's fuel stores, but rumour has it that the yanks leak it intentionally for the tourists.
Lucky it was free, because I would have felt cheated otherwise.
While we were waiting for the memorial, we went next door to the USS Bowfin, a WWII submarine. It was much more interesting than the memorial. They give out a headset that gives you a self guided audio tour of the vessel.
The highlight was the active amphibious assault ship (AAS) coming into port at the time. (see left of picture below). They look a bit like an aircraft carrier but only accommodate helicopters, Osprey and other S.T.O.L. aircraft, not jets.
The battleship USS Missouri was pretty impressive. Battleships have given way to Carrier groups these days.
Dole Pineapple Plantation
This is the most touristy thing on Oahu. The Dole Plantation. It was OK, but was seriously corny! For those who have been to the Big Pineapple in Queensland, the train was like that, except the narration was corny and the plantation was a bit unkempt. We do these things to tick the box and say we've done it. Having said that, the pineapple sorbet in the waffle cones were awesome!
The new room doesn't have the view, but it is heaps quieter and the view at night is better.
