TRAVEL
In April this year, I stayed in Honululu, Hawaii, United States of America for eight days.
And the sunset cruise was part of my Hawaiian itinerary. The Waikiki Sunset Cruise provides an opportunity for visitors to see the golden-hour view of Hawaii’s sunset. This is the sixth part in my ‘Aloha Series.’
Waikiki Boat Cruise
IT was Sunday, April 19, 2026 – my fourth day on the island of Oahu where Honolulu is located. Earlier, that day I visited the North Shore. It is a popular surfing spot due to the massive waves (featured in my previous article). In evening of April 19, my partner Mulberry and I had an evening cruise aboard a 40 Foot Catamaran along Waikiki.
I booked the cruise titled, ‘Oahu Catamaran Waikiki Sunset on 40-foot catamaran on the website, ‘Viator’ – a trip advisor company. This website has a mobile application (which you can download from Google play store).
A customer can make bookings, then pay later. We both spent US$136.6(K594) for the cruise which came with complementary appetizers. These were fruits, vegetables, chips, and cookies, bottled water, soda, and juice. Guests were allowed to bring their own alcohol.
James dropped us off at the meeting point at the marina along Ala Moana Boulevard around 5pm. There are many piers for various cruises. Ours was Pier A, Slip 0. We saw a queue of more than 10 people, all dressed in white.
“You did not tell me that white was the dress code,” Mulberry who was dressed in a blue and red flower dress whispered to me. “The organiser did not say anything about a dress code,” I replied.
I wore an orange shirt, black shorts and white Nike sneakers. Then their organiser did a roll call and our names were not mentioned. “We must have been scammed or came to the wrong place,” I thought to myself.
Panic started to set in when I looked to my left and saw another catamaran named; ‘Oahu Catamaran.’
“We are in the wrong line,” I told Mulberry. We were in the queue for Hawaii Ocean Charters. We hurriedly moved aside and waited near the correct boat. About 10 minutes later, the captain of the Catamaran named Chase greeted everyone and told us to stand in line. He checked our names and we handed in our shoes.
He did not explain why we had to be barefoot but I think it was to do with cleanliness and to ensure passenger safety. About 25 passengers along with two crew members boarded the boat.
After a quick safety briefing, the boat slowly made its way out of the marina. The soothing Hawaiian tunes including that of Hawaiian born singer Bruno Mars played on the boat’s speakers which set the ‘Aloha’ mood for the evening.
Captain Chase advised us to serve our refreshments in case we hit rough waters. And Captain Chase was right. As we munched on the snacks the sea became choppy and the boat started to rock.
‘Where are the life-jackets?’ was the first thought that popped into my head. I had to hold on to the side of the boat’s ropes or the seat to get my balance as I moved around the boat.
Mulberry and I sat on the left side of the boat (portside). This gave us a perfect view of the famous Waikiki beach and the Koʻolau Mountain Range which was covered in dark clouds.
In contrast it was slightly overcast over Waikiki. I saw surfers ready to catch the next big wave. They were about 50 meters out from where our boat was.
It was cold and windy so I wondered how some people were swimming or surfing at Waikiki.
Captain Chase then stopped the boat’s engines and we drifted near a spot known for sea turtles. However, we did not see the turtles on this occasion. This also gave us a perfect view of the majestic shoreline of Waikiki, Honolulu, city and the Diamond Head Crater – which looked like another island. We took many pictures and videos. Everyone on the boat were courteous and gave each other the opportunity to take pictures at various vantage points aboard the boat.
During this time, I had a great chat with George from Iowa, USA who worked on the boat.
“We do not get many visitors from Papua New Guinea. We usually get visitors from other Pacific Islands like Tonga and Samoa,” he said.
George told me about how much he loved sailing and the relaxed Hawaiian lifestyle.
“I would like to visit Papua New Guinea one day,” George said as I continued to tell him about some similarities between PNG and Hawaii.
About 20 minutes later Captain Chase turned the boat and we slowly passed Waikiki again – this time facing the sunset. In the foreground was the dark silhouette of the Oahu coastline which rose from the sea. It was about 6.30pm when the sun slowly started to set amidst thick, textured coloured clouds. A dark cloud formation dominated the upper right of the sky, while smaller, wispy clouds to the left were illumined by the sun’s rays.
The sun created a vibrant orange and yellow streak across the sky as it vanished behind the thick Hawaiian clouds. The gentle waves reflected the dimming light as almost everyone fell silent at the sight of this marvelous spectacle.
Captain Chase played a Hawaiian song when the sun finally disappeared behind the clouds and darkness descended upon Honolulu. I do not know what the words of the song meant, but the tempo, and beat of the song matched the atmosphere.
With the sun now hidden behind the horizon, the Waikiki shoreline was lit up by lights from the many high rise buildings in Honolulu. Captain Chase set the sails and the boat returned slowly to the marina.
There is a popular theory that states; ‘after death, the human brain lives on for seven minutes to replay its best memories.’
For me, watching that sunset with my partner would fill a space in those seven minutes. This was by far one of the main highlights of our trip.
Next edition – Dole Plantation.
