It’s a humbling experience, one I never thought could be felt while on vacation romping around the South Pacific on a three island tour of Hawaii. I thought this trip would be all sun, sand, beaches & pina coladas, hula dancers and luau’s. But as I stand gazing into the waters at Pearl Harbor searching for the remnants of the USS Arizona, I realize there is much more to Hawaii than festivities. The history of this tropical paradise is better than any beachfront limbo dance or fire-juggling act.

I’m on a ten-day, three island vacation tour of Hawaii with my family led by Globus Travel who is guiding us across Oahu, then to the big island of Hawaii and finally to the smaller island of Maui. The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor is our first stop on the tour. It’s difficult to spy much of the sunken ship beneath the water but you can see the rusted edge of the hull that spans a great distance. Again a very humbling sight.

While on Oahu, we travel by bus to the Iolani Palace and then to the statue of King Kamehameha. The palace and many of the state office buildings aren’t open to the public but are beautiful spectacles nonetheless. Aside from its beauty, what strikes me most about Oahu and Honolulu is how densely populated the area is with people and buildings. I always imagined Hawaii to be just white sandy beaches, turquoise blue water and palm trees. And, yes, there is a lot of that on Oahu but there is also a very real big city feel to Honolulu.

From Oahu, we make a quick island-hop by plane to the big island of Hawaii which is much more of what one might expect while on vacation in the South Pacific. The big island of Hawaii is much more tropical, lush green and very humid.

We take several tours on the big island including a trip to an old coffee plantation where we learn how coffee is grown, harvested and ultimately processed into the fine grinds we drink every morning. From the plantation, we again travel by bus to the black sand beaches of Kona where, much to our surprise, we find an enormous sea turtle lounging in the sun. It’s an awesome sight and not one we expected.

The following day we again board another tour bus for an all day excursion to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Kilaueau Crater which is smoking when we arrive. Finally, while on the Big Island, we went on a waterfall tour during which we saw the epic Rainbow Falls waterfall as well as some smaller falls. This was the best part of the trip and truly reminded me of what a garden of Eden might look like.

To conclude our visit to Hawaii, my family and I take another quick island-hopping flight to Maui and tour the Iao Valley where we see the Iao Needle another breathtaking sight in the South Pacific. From there we travel back to Kaanapali Beach where we watch cliff-jumpers leap from a thirty-foot ledge and into the Pacific Ocean. Again, another humbling sight.

When I first deplaned in Hawaii, my only thoughts were sun, sand, surf & cocktails, have fun and get a nice tan. And while I did all that, I now realize there is much more to the Hawaiian Islands. There is a rich history to be learned and beautiful people to be absorbed. And I am eternally grateful to have had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii.