They travelled the country far and wide, as well as visiting far-flung locations on cruises and organized tours. Molly often reminded herself how lucky she was in marrying such a wonderful man as George, who was also wealthy enough to allow them to take such wonderful vacations. Molly was especially excited about their seventh honeymoon: a two-week vacation in Hawaii, a place that she had always wanted to visit for a "romantic" vacation in a tropical paradise setting. It consisted of a round trip flight to Honolulu; a tour of Oahu; and a cruise around the five major islands of: Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Oahu and Kauai.
They arrived at Honolulu airport in the early afternoon on Sunday, and after being greeted Hawaiian-style, they picked up their rental car and drove to the Hyatt Hotel on Waikiki Beach, from where they would spend five days touring Oahu before boarding their cruise ship. They started their visits on Oahu by driving around the periphery of the island, stopping in Haleiwa for lunch and in Kaneolie for dinner, returning to the hotel for an evening entertainment of hula dancing and singing. After breakfast at the hotel the next morning they left to tour some of the island’s military monuments: the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor; the Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, and the defensive big gun installations on Diamond Head. Their third day was spent in visiting military museums at Pearl Harbor, Schofield Barracks, Hickam Airforce Base, Wheeler Airforce Base, and Fort Kamehameha; arriving back at the hotel in time to attend a luau, with typical native foods and entertainment. They decided to spend their entire fourth day at the Polynesian Cultural Center, at Laie - the Mormon Church's elaborate and beautiful center which celebrates the many cultures of Polynesia.
They were amazed to read that nearly all the Polynesians who worked and/or performed at the Center were members of the Mormon church, and were attending the university across the road from the Center. The university was a branch of Brigham Young University. At the time, the campus was in an active building phase, so most, of the buildings in use, were temporary wooden structures, scattered over the developing campus of 400 acres. The temporary wooden structures were gradually being replaced by permanent brick and stone buildings (one was nearly completed and three more were under construction). The central road went from the Center, through the middle of the campus for approximately two miles, where it terminated at a very large, magnificent, Mormon Temple. Interestingly, the university and Center operated as a student/faculty cooperative, like that of venerable Berea College in south-central Kentucky.
They had planned on driving around the western half of the island during the fifth day, but changed their minds and revisited the Center and the Punch Bowl cemetery. At the cemetery, they were indelibly impressed by the incredible cost to the nation of defeating the Japanese in the Pacific theater of war, and then at the Center they spent most of their time seeing native dance and ritual performance, talking with as many of the performers as they could. Of the many Polynesian cultures represented, they were most impressed with the Maoris, Samoans and Tongans. They were very impressed with how tall the people were, especially the well-built and light-skinned Maoris and the huge, stout Samoans. Before leaving, they purchased most of the books and booklets, and a few souvenirs, from several of the gift shops. They left the Center with a tremendous admiration of the Polynesian people, as well as with a great respect for the Mormon church.
Early the next morning, they checked out of the hotel, dropped off their rental car near where their cruise ship was berthed, and embarked into the ship, and were immediately escorted to their "cabin." It was a comfortable well-appointed, two-room suite, with a large bathroom and a large balcony, and furnished with two chairs, two lounges and two side tables. George had arranged for one of the best suites on the ship, without Molly's knowledge, as a surprise to her.
After unpacking their luggage and stowing their clothing and other things in the dresser drawers and cabinets, they had several glasses of champagne, toasting the beginning of their romantic cruise around the islands. Then they took a stroll around the ship, sampling some of the gourmet fare before cleaning up and changing into formal attire for dinner. After a delicious gourmet dinner, of which they both ate too much, they strolled over to the ship's main theater to watch the featured stage shows of the evening. There were several very entertaining short shows followed by a highly professional two-hour stage production featuring dancing and singing entertainers dressed in elaborate, colorful costumes.
Finally, they retired to their suite and sat for up to a half hour on their private balcony, chatting about the events of the day and speculating on the coming days events. Before arising in the morning, they would lazily make love. They would then clean up in the bathroom, dress casually and then debark at the morning’s port of call.