Oahu is always jam packed with tourists, always busy and always ready to put on a show. Lots of people may hate this about Hawaii but for me the islands are about so much more. My family has a long history with Hawaii with my grandparents leading the pack on something like 14 separate occasions spent in the land of the lei.

I first visited Oahu with my family as a 7 year old and have made other trips back since. It was on this trip that I actually took my first photograph, a shot of my parents and brother outside the International Market Place. Sean and I have not so fond memories of lay overs in Honolulu Airport on trips back and forth between Australia and Canada but it will always have a special place in my heart because of the trips my grandparents made. They would tell us stories of the dolphins that swam about “The Kahala” and bring us back gifts, my favourites always being the Hula girl dolls and grass skirts.

Hawaii also makes me think of my late father who was obsessed with the place. I think in his mind, he imagined himself and my mum living there someday, in a warm, tropical paradise. His University of Hawaii baseball cap is still one of my favourite reminders of him.

I love the passion of the people, the beauty of their dance, the softness of the breeze off the ocean and the feelings of familiarity I get when I’m there. It always feels like home and now that I know how easy it is to get there from Vancouver, it may be more of a home than I ever imagined.

Related posts:

1. New Prints Available and Hawaii Bound
2. Aloha