The Hawaiian Quilt (5 page)

Haleakalā Crater

“Did you ever see anything so strange?” Barbara asked as she and Mandy stood with several others at one of the observation areas, looking at the lava formations.

“Seems like we’ve landed on the moon.” Mandy giggled. “Course, I’ve never been to the moon, so I really can’t say.”

Barbara tipped her head back and looked up. “Did you hear that
gedumor
?”

“What noise?”

“It sounded like geese honking.”

“Oh, those are the nēnē geese,” their guide explained. “They’re an endangered species and live on the wooded slopes of Haleakalā.”

Mandy took out her camera and snapped several photos of the surrounding area. She could see for miles, clear out into the ocean. There was no way she could ever describe this unusual place without showing her family and friends a few pictures. She felt thankful she’d come to Hawaii, and what they were seeing today was only the beginning.

On the Cruise Ship

After Sadie and Ellen boarded the ship again, they headed for their room to get ready for the evening meal. They found Barbara and Mandy there.

“We had a good time today.” Ellen yawned. “I’m tired, but no worse for wear.”

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t wait to eat.” Mandy gave a sheepish smile when her stomach growled. “I’ve snacked on a few roasted macadamia nuts. It’s hard not to get carried away because they’re so good.”

“I tried a couple of them, but they’re not as appealing to me, so I’ve been snacking on chips.” Barbara sat in a chair with a bag of Hawaiian-style chips in her lap. “You’re all welcome to try some if you want.”

“Those sound tempting.” Ellen walked over and reached into the bag. “They even smell good.”

“What’s on the front of your dress?” Mandy pointed.

“Ellen and I had some shave ice today. Mine ended up leaking on me.” Sadie helped herself to a few macadamia nuts. “These are so good.” She glanced at the clock. “There’s still a little time before we head up for dinner, so I’m going to change out of this dress, put some stain remover on the spot, and soak it in the sink.”

“Hopefully it’ll come clean.” Mandy moved to the window with her camera to take a few pictures of the beautiful sunset. “Would you look at that? We’re seeing the hand of God again, jah?”

During dinner, the girls talked about the things they’d seen that day.

“The best part for me,” Barbara said, “was visiting the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm. It was beautiful, and I bought a few lavender gifts at the Gallery Gift Shop to take home for family.”

“It was a nice place to visit,” Mandy agreed, while reaching for her glass of water.

“What was it like?” Ellen asked.

Eyes sparkling like fireflies on a hot summer night, Barbara told about the breathtaking views and walking paths. “It was interesting to hear the history of how the farm came to be, and we got to see and smell the pretty lavender plants.”

“We were thankful for our tour guide, who explained everything,” Mandy interjected. “It was so peaceful. We wished we could have stayed longer.”

“That’s how I felt when the group Sadie and I were with visited the Maui Ocean Center.” Ellen blotted her lips with a cloth napkin. “My favorite part was the outdoor turtle lagoon. It was fun to see the turtles playing in the water and basking in the sandy area provided for them.”

Sadie took a bite of roast beef, then set her fork down. “Watching the turtles was enjoyable, but the best part for me at the ocean center was the indoor part of the aquarium, where we saw many species of native Hawaiian fish.”

Ellen smiled. “After our tour we ate lunch at the Aquarium Reef Café and browsed the gift shop, where they had all kinds of treasures.”

“Did you buy anything?” Mandy asked.

“No, I’m waiting until we get to the next island in the morning.”

“Speaking of which…” Mandy tilted her head. “I hear the ship’s motor running below, which means we’re getting ready to leave port.”
I can hardly wait to see what adventures await on Oahu tomorrow
.

The Island of Oahu

M
andy shivered in anticipation as she waited to leave the ship. She and Sadie would tour Pearl Harbor while Barbara and Ellen explored the Polynesian Cultural Center. There wasn’t time to go on both tours, so the four friends had decided to split up and then share their experiences during dinner. Later on, they’d also exchange pictures.

Mandy chose Pearl Harbor because she’d studied the World War II attack and was saddened to think how many people lost their lives because of it. Sadie was also interested in history, and especially wanted to visit the USS
Arizona
Memorial, which she’d heard was one of the most popular visitor attractions in Hawaii.

“I’m eager to see the cultural center. The brochure I have mentions it’s a forty-two-acre lagoon park.” Ellen placed the brochures in her tote bag. “We’ll be able to see Polynesian dance, costumes, and songs, and learn how they used to live. From the pictures I’ve seen, it appears to be a special place with natural beauty, showcasing the culture of the Pacific. There will be so much to see and do, all in a single day.”

“I’m excited, too,” Barbara agreed. “It will be interesting to learn about the various aspects of Polynesian culture.”

“Oh, look, there’s a beautiful
reggeboge
! It must be raining somewhere on the island.”

Mandy looked in the direction Sadie pointed. Sure enough. A gorgeous rainbow spanned the sky. Its bright colors pierced the clouds, captivating her as she admired the rainbow’s beauty. Looking closer, she noticed a double rainbow, but the colors were in reverse of the brighter one.

Mandy thought about the Bible passage where God placed a rainbow in the sky after the flood as a promise to never again destroy the earth by water. Whenever she saw a rainbow, she remembered God’s promise, and it made her feel closer to Him.
Our heavenly Father created many wonderful things for our enjoyment
, she thought.
Too bad some people take them for granted or don’t notice at all
.

Polynesian Cultural Center

“This is fun!” Ellen could hardly contain herself as she and Barbara sat in a canoe.

Their paddling guide led them through a lovely lagoon, slowly maneuvering from one end of the cultural center to the other. After spending most of the morning on their feet, looking at many of the exhibits, it felt good to sit and enjoy a more leisurely pace. She’d picked up a disposable camera at the first gift shop they’d visited and had already taken several pictures. Her camera wasn’t fancy like the digital one Mandy purchased before leaving on their trip, but it would capture some of the special places Ellen was seeing today. Tomorrow, she’d also have more picture-taking opportunities when they visited the island of Kauai.

She leaned back, closing her eyes for a brief time, enjoying the perfumed fragrances in the air. “Can you smell the flowers?” Ellen tilted her head farther and sniffed deeply, to catch more of the pleasant aroma.

Turning to face her, their handsome young guide spoke up. “The fragrance you’re enjoying is from the gardenia flower growing over there.” He pointed toward the bank of the man-made freshwater lagoon. “They do smell wonderful.”

Barbara smiled. “I agree. The scent of those flowers is so different than any we have back home.”

“Where are you two from?” he asked.

“Middlebury, Indiana,” Ellen replied.

“You’re a long way from home. How do you like Hawaii so far?”

Ellen’s cheeks felt hot as she murmured, “It’s amazing.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Barbara dipped her hand into the water as they glided quietly along.

“Maybe you’ll come back someday. We see a lot of returning guests here at our center.” He winked at her.

Stifling a snicker, Ellen exchanged looks with her friend. Then to ease her embarrassment, Barbara leaned closer to Ellen and whispered, “What should we do after this?”

“I’m hungerich, so maybe we should eat lunch.”

“Sounds good to me. There’s a snack stand at the Marquesas Village inside the center.”

“They have good food, and the prices aren’t bad.” Their guide smiled and winked at Barbara again.

Ellen wondered if he was flirting with her friend. If so, she was glad Barbara wasn’t flirting back.

“Thank you for the information.” Barbara turned to look at Ellen. “After we eat, maybe we should stop by the Polynesian Marketplace, which has many handcrafted items. I bet we can find some nice things to buy.”

“They do have some interesting items,” their guide interjected.

“I need to be careful not to spend all my money in one place,” Ellen said. “We still have two islands to see, not to mention our stop in Ensenada, Mexico, before returning to Los Angeles.”

“So you came by cruise ship?” the young man asked.

Before either Barbara or Ellen could respond, he added, “I’ve never been on a big boat like that.” He paused, lifting his oar out of the water. “So, what’s it like?”

“It’s an interesting way of traveling,” Barbara replied. “There are a variety of shows to see on board and incredible amounts of elaborate food to eat. It’s like a small floating town, with shops, swimming pools, and many other things to see and do. So far, it’s been quite enjoyable.”

“Except for me getting seasick one day.” Ellen leaned closer to Barbara. “I wonder how things are going with Mandy and Sadie.”

Pearl Harbor

A lump lodged in Mandy’s throat as she stood on the USS
Arizona
Memorial platform, looking into the water. She could see an outline of the submerged ship. A taped narration played close by, telling about the attack. This was the final resting place for the 1,177 crew members who lost their lives when the ship was sunk by the Japanese on December 7, 1941.

“This is so sad,” she whispered.

Sadie nodded slowly, clutching her handkerchief.

Mandy could hardly fathom the horrible chaos that went on during the bombings. This wasn’t the only ship that had been attacked in the harbor. The
Nevada, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, Oklahoma
, and
California
were also hit. The battleship
Pennsylvania
was in dry dock that day for repairs.