Tuesday Treasures - 1995 Hawaii

  Tom hosts Tuesday's Treasures.

March 2026 

So last week I mistakenly wrote that we first went to Hawaii in 1999 and then we went in 2001?? with family and couldn't find the pictures (which then sent me into a panic). Well, I found them, hiding in plain sight! And no, we didn't go with family!!

At the time John was travelling across the country for two weeks a month, so he really racked up the frequent flyer points, as at that time, he was allowed to fly business class.

So we decided to use them to go to Hawaii. We did use our timeshare.

HONOLULU OAHU

Perfect shot of Diamond Head from the plane.

We would climb it in 2005 and got our certificates!

Chinaman's Hat

Pearl Harbour - we would have to wait until 2005 as it was shut down on this visit.

The US government did not technically "run out of money" in the sense of having zero assets, but it did shut down twice between November 1995 and January 1996 due to a budget impasse between Democratic President Bill Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress. 

The disputes over funding for education, the environment, and public health resulted in two major shutdowns: 

November 14–19, 1995 (5 days): Triggered when President Clinton vetoed a spending bill, leading to the furlough of about 800,000 workers.

 BIG ISLAND

We took much better photos in 2005 and 2009! 

Perched on a hill, overlooking the historic panorama of Kealakekua Bay and the Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Park known as “A Place of Refuge,” Saint Benedict Church, better known as The Painted Church. This Roman Catholic Church once stood at the shore of Honaunau and at that time was St. Francis Regis Chapel. In the 1880’s the hot tropical climate motivated the local community to move further up onto the rise of Mauna Loa where the climate was temperate with productive soil.

In 1995, Kīlauea on the Big Island continued its12-year-long east rift zone eruption, characterized by steady lava flows, acidic plumes from ocean entries, and significant bench collapses into the sea. The Puʻu ʻŌʻō-Kupaianaha eruption was active throughout the year, with a brief pause in mid-December 1995.

MAUI
This was probably the first time that I had ahi tuna, funny story there!

We ordered tuna and when it came we said, it's raw! The server, it is supposed to be!! It became my favourite dish to order whenever I can! I almost had it yesterday (24/03/26).

I remember we also ate at our first Cheeseburger in Paradise!

We drove the Road to Hana. And again, because of the government shutdown we got to the end and had to turn around.

This might have been our first Planet Hollywood.

Diamond Head

This picture was taken from the plane on our first trip to Hawaii in 1995. Diamond Head  is a  broad, saucer-shaped crater formed about 300,000 years ago during a single, explosive eruption that sent ash and fine particles in the air. As these materials settled, they cemented together into a rock called tuff, creating the crater, and which is visible from the trail in the park. Most of the vegetation and birds were introduced in the late 1800s to early 1900s.

These photos were taken in 2005 when we decided to climb Diamond Head. And what a steamy, sticky, steep climb that was!!!

The unique profile of Diamond Head (Le'ahi) sits prominently near the eastern edge of Waikiki's coastline. Hawaii's most recognized landmark is known for its historic hiking trail, stunning coastal views, and military history. Diamond Head State Monument encompasses over 475 acres, including the interior and outer slopes of the crater.

 But the views were great!