It was October 2006 and I was excited because my brother and his wife were going to join me and my wife Melanie in Hawaii for their first time. We were going to do some island hopping from Oahu to the Big Island of Hawaii. Once we got to HNL we went exploring the island to show all the great locations of Honolulu: Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, the Punch Bowl (with its great view of Diamond Head), pineapple fields, the north shore, great food from the shrimp trucks, Hawaiian shaved ice, PCC, and so much more. We stayed at Turtle Bay Resort, loved the pool and the beach. Things were going great…. Then off to Hawaii, the Big Island, and again we went exploring. We took them around the whole island and saw Volcano National Park, Refuge City, Hilo, Akaka Falls, Waimea, the north end of the island, and did some snorkelling. My sister-in-law Heather helped bring the fish closer to the boat by being a little seasick. We saw lots of great sea life.
We were staying at the Hapuna Prince Beach Resort and it was Saturday night, our last night in Hawaii, and Heather mentioned how fantastic of a time they were having in Hawaii and how they wished they could stay just two more nights. We all laughed and agreed. Then the next morning as we were packing to head to the airport, everything started moving and shaking. An earthquake was happening! I ran out to the balcony and then jumped on the bed. Things were falling down and shaking. Ken and Heather were walking on the beach, watching everything move. It was quite an experience. We lost power, and sat out on the lawn while waiting to see what was happening. The airport closed for the day. I called and had to change our flights, as my wife and I were leaving the next day. Ken and Heather had to stay two more days for their flight home. So they went exploring during that time and enjoyed the island some more. So be careful what you wish for—it just might come true.
By Steve Spurlock
Steve has been a BDM in the travel industry for over 25 years. He lives in Bremerton, WA, which is just a short ferry ride from Seattle. In the past 25 years, Steve has travelled to beautiful and exotic destinations like New Zealand, Australia, Tahiti, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Ecuador, China, South Korea, the Marquesas Islands, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Canada, and Mexico.
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