Another Wedding in Hawaii…at the Kualoa Ranch

Just nine months ago, we renewed our vows at the Paradise Cove in Kapolei, Hawaii on the island of Oahu. Last month we were back on the island for another wedding, this time at the verdant Kualoa Ranch in Kaneohe, Hawaii. It’s a 4,000-acre natural landmark of beaches, mountains, and valleys with historic sites and buildings. Best known as the movie film site for such cinematic greats as Jurassic Park and 79 other movies and shows, the Ranch offers many tours and ziplines for exploration.

My husband’s first grandchild and his bride chose the Paliku Gardens on the ranch as their wedding venue. It has spectacular views of Kaneohe Bay and Mokoli’I Island, otherwise known as the Chinaman’s Hat, as well as rolling pastures, and green gardens. The short and sweet ceremony was held at an Upper Garden with rustic steps leading to a lower open pavilion where we were served a farm-to-table experience of Kualoa-grown beef, fish, vegetables, and fruits.

Both the groom’s and the bride’s families were well represented as well as the couple’s friends, all coming from the islands and mainland USA. Everyone was booked in different hotels and resorts around Waikiki, 45 minutes away. We always got together with my husband’s three children and their spouses for a taste of Hawaii the day before and the two days after the wedding.

For brunch, we returned to Liliha Bakery at the International Marketplace, the restaurant and bakeshop that popularized the island’s cocoa puffs. Its signature butter bread served with all entrees was a standout. Another great discovery was Basalt, both a marketplace and a restaurant. I was extremely pleasantly surprised that they served an upscale version of Tapsilog, the popular Filipino breakfast, along with other classics.

For the evenings, we had three discoveries. The night before the wedding, we met at Moani Waikiki, a Bistro and Bar, one of the 13 eating places of the Garden Level on the third floor of the International Marketplace. The night after the wedding we returned to Doraku Sushi Waikiki at the Royal Hawaiian Center, a favorite restaurant of the new couple. We loved the grilled butterfish and tempura brownies aside from the vast array of sushis. The night before we all went home, we chose to do Italian and gathered at the Taormina Sicilian Cuisine. They had a truffle carbonara, the grilled monchang, a local fish, and the house-made tiramisu.

My husband and I were the first ones to arrive in Honolulu, closely followed by his youngest and the mother of the groom. While waiting for the others, we took the time to visit the Valley of the Temples, a beautiful sprawling memorial park nestled at the foot of the Koolau Mountains ten minutes from the town of Kaneohe and 12 minutes before the Kualoa Ranch.  There are sections for Buddhist, Shinto, Protestant, and Catholic burial sites.

The centerpiece of the park is the Byodo-In Temple, a replica of the historic Byodoin Temple of Uji in Japan’s Kyoto prefecture built in 1052. This 11,000 sqft landmark was built in 1963 and was dedicated in 1968 to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese in Hawaii.

Inside Byodo-In is an 18-ft. Lotus Buddha in gold and lacquer. On the grounds is a three-ton brass peace gong. A large two-acre pond abundantly filled with beautiful koi fish surrounds the temple as well as lush Japanese gardens with a Meditation Pavilion in the middle. All that beauty can be seen against the backdrop of the towering cliffs of the mountains.

At the gift shop, you can buy "wish" cards for a dollar and fifty. Tradition says you should keep it if you like what you find inside. Otherwise, ask the gods to improve it by tying it to any of the tree branches around. Secretly, I wished that I go back to Hawaii again soon. Every time I do, I find another version of beauty, another side of peace, and another level of happiness.