Oahu

On our flight across the International Date Line from Sydney via Auckland to Honolulu we regained the day we had lost when we crossed in the opposite direction.
We stayed in Waikiki for a week where we met up with some friends of Werner as well as with Alexis' cousin and his family who live on Oahu. We explored most of the island, drove all around it and especially enjoyed the beautiful beaches, the green mountains and various small towns on the East and North Shore. Despite it being touristy Waikiki is very nice and has a lot to offer. There are loads of wonderful restaurants (our favorite is the "Shorebird" right on the water), free entertainment and of course nice beaches. We liked the free concerts/Hula shows that were going on every night and Alexis had fun at the free Hula lessons. We also made it a point to watch the sun set over the ocean every day. Another highlight was snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, where a coral reef comes to within a few yards of the beach and one can see lots of colorful fish.

Kauai

In Honolulu we had booked a package deal for a nice hotel, rental car and airfare to go to Kauai. So we stayed at the lovely 'Islander on the Beach' in Kapaa for 5 days and explored the island with the car. We saw the beautiful Waimea Canyon, watched the waves and the stars at Polihali beach and saw beautiful sunsets at Kee beach. We also managed to sit through a timeshare "presentation" and got a couple of free tickets for a cruise along the NaPali coast, which is simply spectacular. This is where a lot of Hollywood movies have been filmed, like Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and many more.
On the first Sunday we found a nice, small church in Kapaa where we enjoyed the fellowship and met some nice people. We found out about a nice state park on the North Shore with a campground and got a permit. We camped at Anini Beach State Park for 5 days with quite a few long-term hippie campers. It was a very laid back and relaxed time and we explored the surroundings on foot and by car. There are a lot of fruit trees and we picked some Guava (yum) and Noni (yuck) that were growing wild by the side of the road.
For the final three days on Kauai and also the last days of our "official" honeymoon we stayed in the Kauai back country, which is very luscious, green and tropical with many waterfalls. We stayed at a wonderful B&B (Paradise Inn) where we just relaxed and made plans for trying to find work and a place to stay on Oahu.

Read about our life after the honeymoon.