Here’s one of life’s great pleasures I never thought about until today: circle most of the island of Oahu in a junky car while listening to traditional Hawaiian music on the radio and stopping now and then for pineapples and coconut water.

Starting from here, in Honolulu….

This was the route I chose.  It took about eight hours, but that included lots of stops, a hike up a small mountain, two long swims, and an hour on the beach watching outrigger canoe races and two black labs frolicking in the waves.

Here are some views past Waikiki along the South Coast, including the lighthouse mountain at Makapuu Point

Then the Windward Coast presented views right out of Jurassic Park.

From here I passed through the center of the island, which is all pineapple plantations.  I took a tour of the Dole Pineapple plantation aboard a happy little train with a recording telling us how the pineapples are planted, raised and harvested – by hand – by people who have to wear heavy clothes and canvas gloves in the blistering heat to prevent being sliced like, well, a pineapple by the sharp leaves.  I trust Mr. Dole himself never spent much time in the fields.   (I hope the harvesters are well paid.)

And finally the day was rounded off with a pineapple ice cream that is my new favorite thing on earth.

Tonight – off to Waikiki.