In the ten years between 1987 and 1996 we visited the Hawaiian Islands four times, each time as participants in the annual Archway Cookies Owner's Meetings. These four trips are documented here (we brought the kids to the islands in 1999 and 2004. They are chronicled separately).
1987: Magnum P.I.
In 1987, we (Tam and Tom) took their first trip together to the islands. We were guests of the Archway Cookie Company, during one of their annual owner's meetings.
While staying at the Mauna Kea Beach Resort, we circumnavigated the Big Island by car, stopping at Volcanoes National Park and Ka Lae, the southern-most point in the United States.
We also flew to Oahu, where we toured the USS Arizona Memorial and Waikiki Beach. The highlight of our trip, however, was our chance encounter with the set of Magnum P.I. while driving to the Polynesian Cultural Center. The CBS film crew was finishing-up a scene at the Robin Masters estate (located on the east side of diamond head) After waiting an hour, actor Tom Selleck walked out to greet us, and thanked us for our support.
Truly unforgettable ...
1990: The Golf Trip
We spent most of the 1990 trip on the Big Island, playing golf and enjoying the beauty of the Mauna Kea Beach Resort.
Returning to the mainland, the family stopped at the Monterey Peninsula, savoring the spectacular scenery of Carmel ... and since the golf clubs were with us, we played a round on the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links.
1993: The Scuba Trip
By 1993, the new passion had become scuba-diving. Acting as divemaster, Tom (along with Gene McKay III and instructor Roy Jasper) gave the entire Archway group a 'resort-course' in scuba. Then we took everybody out for their first open-water dives and ran across a humpback whale and her baby, just off the Kawaihae coast. We also briefly visited Maui and Oahu.
1996: The Last Archway Trip
In 1996, the Archway Owner's Meeting was held at the Marriott Lahaina Beach Resort on Maui (instead of the Mauna Kea Beach Resort). There was some contentiousness, both among Archway franchisees and within the parent company. An agreement was reached between Tom Olin, Sr. and Gene McKay, Jr. regarding management transition.
We also dove the Molokini Crater and several blow-holes along the coast of Lanai. Crossing the channel between Maui and the other islands was brutal.
After the meeting, the Olin family traveled to Lanai, where we celebrated Tom Sr's birthday at the Manele Bay Resort (he would pass away seven months later).