Battleland

Kiwis’ Hawaii Adventure: Not So Bad, After All

  • Share
  • Read Later

The U.S. Navy ordered a pair of New Zealand navy vessels to dock in Honolulu’s commercial port last week, instead of Pearl Harbor, where the other navies participating in the RIMPAC naval exercise were at anchor. Kiwi politicians were upset, and saw the basing of their ships away from Pearl as a Yankee snub, as Kirk Spitzer reported Thursday. Too bad the pols back home didn’t check with their crews first.

Kiwi sailors have been busy proposing to local barmaids and frequenting a nearby Hooters, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. “I think they are the happiest guys in RIMPAC — they are not stuck in Pearl Harbor,” a local tells the hometown paper. “They’ve got Chinatown right here, they’ve got Waikiki, instead of spending 60 bucks for a round-trip” cab ride.