In February 2026, we visited Honolulu, Hawaii, for three nights enroute to New Zealand. The stopover provided a welcome way to break up the long flight from the US to New Zealand.
Our visit was disappointing in some regards, but rewarding in others.
The weather forecasters predicted that a major wind and rain storm would strike Honolulu beginning the day before we arrived, with flood warnings. The governor called upon residents to stay home. Businesses and schools were expected to close.
Heavy rains and flooding never came, but scattered showers and light, misty rain fell during much of the time we were there. And it was windy, though not heavy enough to do damage. This curtailed some of the exploration we might have done.
The weather notwithstanding, we didn’t get to see several of the sights we hoped to visit. Two of the museums were closed on the days we were in town. We try to note closure days when we’re compiling our lists of the places we want to visit, but we missed or overlooked these. When we arrived at a gallery we hoped to visit, it was closed because they were installing a new exhibit. And the rainy weather made visiting the botanical garden unfeasible.
Still, we discovered an interesting place a couple of blocks from our apartment called the Lucoral Museum. This small museum is a labor of love for the Lu family, who make jewelry from coral and collect coral, pearls, carved jade, gemstones, and related items from around the world. We enjoyed it!
The weather cleared up a bit on our second full day in Waikiki, so we went for a walk along the beach.
A highlight of our visit to Honolulu was having lunch with two of Dave’s friends from his early days at Intel, Jan Davis and Patti Ferraras. They’ve lived in Hawaii for many years. Although Dave and Jan keep up on social media, it’s been around 20 years since Dave has seen them. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and spent two hours catching up and talking about all sorts of things.
One evening, when we were walking through the International Market, we caught the tail end of a performance by a troupe of fire dancers and hula dancers. Enjoy!
The other highlight of our stay in Honolulu was our visit to the Green Lady Cocktail Room at the White Sands hotel. Every Tuesday evening from 8:00 to 10:00, a ukulele player and bassist perform “Tropical Jazz.”
We love all things tiki, including cocktails and the exotica music that was popular in the late 50s and early 60s. This duo, Randy Wong and Abe Langrimas Jr., are two founding members of the Waitiki 7, a modern exotica septet whose work we enjoy and sometimes play while we’re sipping mai tais in our pool. So it was a real treat to hear them perform. They’re outstanding musicians! They played mostly jazz standards with some exotica classics.
The Green Lady Cocktail Room is all about the ambiance. The entrance is hidden along a bamboo-covered wall.
Once inside, the bar is on the left.
Continue straight to reach the patio, where the live music happens.
The cocktails, while pricey, were some of the most unique, well-crafted, and delicious cocktails we’ve ever had. They were worth every cent!
We enjoyed a nice conversation with Abe and Randy during their break. They were amazed that not only were we familiar with the Waitiki 7, but that we owned all of their albums! They were nice enough to pose for a picture with us.
If you’re ever in Honolulu on a Tuesday, we highly recommend that you visit the Green Lady Cocktail Room to enjoy superb cocktails and tropical jazz! Don’t miss it!