Visiting Tutu in Hawaii—Part 2

My friend, Christine, visited Hawaii every year (at least once, some years more often) to spend time with her grandma (Tutu.) Every visit lasted at least a month and Christine has wonderful memories of her time in Hawaii. This is part two of her memory sharing with my blog readers.

Her grandma lived most of her life in Tahiti, but in 1967 she moved to Aina Haina on Oahu where she lived until she passed away in 1998.

Christine has visited only one other island besides Oahu, and that was Kauai for her honeymoon. As wedding gifts people gave them excursions and meals out to use while visiting Kauai. She and her husband went scuba diving, swam with huge turtles, took a helicopter ride, kayaked, attended a luau, and ate very well!

One funny memory for Christine was during the scuba dive. Her fellow divers began calling her “shark bait” because she was continually attracting sharks. They were Nurse Sharks and are not considered dangerous. Attacks that have resulted in injuries were provoked. For more information on these sharks, visit this site:

http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/chondrichthyes/selachii/orectolobiformes/nurse-shark.htm

Christine’s grandmother’s cousin, Moana, still lives in Hawaii and has written a travel book. Her uncle was a photographer who took gorgeous photos of Hanauma Bay. During her childhood visits to the bay, Christine recalls how deserted the area was. Hmm . . . not so much today!

Christine's Grandmother, Grandfather,
and Her Father as a Baby in Tahiti

Although she has no current plans to visit Hawaii again, Christine says given the opportunity she’d go in a heartbeat!

Don’t forget to take me! And thanks for sharing your experiences, Christine!

Mahalo for visiting!

Cheryl

www.cheryllinnmartin.com