U.S. Sen. Barack Obama had his Hawai'i homecoming yesterday, telling a sun-drenched rally at Ke'ehi Lagoon Beach Park that he plans to enjoy a plate lunch, shave ice and body surfing on his vacation but also inviting them to join him in his campaign for change.

"How's everybody doing today?" he asked. "Howzit?"

Dressed in a short-sleeved, black polo shirt and khaki pants, Obama made it clear he was on vacation and that he was in the Islands for the first time since December 2006 to see his grandmother and sister and spend down time with his family.

Obama introduced his wife, Michelle, by calling her, "my partner, my love and the person that knocks sense into me every once in a while."

The Hawai'i-born Democrat described some of what he has been missing on the campaign trail: "I'm going to get a plate lunch. I might go to Zippy's. I might go to Rainbow Drive-In. I haven't decided yet. Get some Zip Min. I'm going to go get some shave ice. I'm going to go body surfing at an undisclosed location. I'm going to see my tutu — my grandma — and I'm going to watch my girls play on the beach, and once in a while I might go into the water. But mostly I'm going to watch them."

A flushed but enthusiastic crowd estimated at 4,000 by city officials pushed up toward the stage.

Obama, speaking to local reporters earlier at a private hangar near Honolulu International Airport, where he landed about 45 minutes behind schedule, said he may do some work on his speech to the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this month. He said he would not be making any announcements about his vice presidential choice.

Asked about how Hawai'i, where Democrats have dominated for more than half a century, fits into his campaign for change, he said: "Hawai'i is paradise but folks are going through trouble in paradise, too," referring to the need for alternative energy to reduce high energy costs.

Asked about former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, who yesterday publicly acknowledged an extramarital affair, Obama expressed empathy for Edwards and his family.

"This is a difficult and painful time to them," Obama said. "And I think they need to work through that process of healing. My sense is that that's going to be their top priority.

"John Edwards was a great champion of working people during the course of his campaign. Many of his themes are ones that Democrats as a whole share. Those will be amplified at the convention, and I wish them all well."

'YOUR GOVERNMENT'

At the rally, Obama referred to a vision of government that took care of his own family in Hawai'i when they were in need.

"This is your government. This is the government of and by and for the people," he said. "This is a government of the single mom, who like my mother, when she was living here in Honolulu, who had to get food stamps sometimes but still was able to get me a good education and still was able to send me to college, that's what this government is.

"This is the government that, when my grandfather came back from World War II, gave him a G.I. Bill, so he could go to college, gave him an (Federal Housing Administration) loan, so he could buy a house, and gave him the kind of burial he deserves. He's at Punchbowl cemetery, interred there.

"A government that stood by him his entire life because he had served his country in World War II. That's the government we deserve. That's the government we're fighting for."

Before Obama appeared, U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, led the crowd in prayer and U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, primed them with chants of "Obama! Obama! Obama!"

Abercrombie, a friend of the Obama family, described the Illinois senator as a "son of Hawai'i" who would remember the Islands if he gets to the White House.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann welcomed Obama to the stage as "Honolulu's latest, greatest gift to the world."

Republicans, prepared for the hoopla surrounding Obama's visit, urged reporters to press him on policy details.

"We're anxious to hear Obama solidify his positions and policies regarding energy exploration, lower taxes, better government and to understand what he really intends to do were he to be elected," said Willes Lee, the state GOP chairman.

FAMILY TIME

After the rally, Obama stopped for a private visit with his grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, at her Beretania Street apartment and spent more than an hour inside.

Obama had told reporters earlier that his grandmother was "sharp as a tack" but struggling with osteoporosis that limits her mobility.

"She is somebody who helped raise me, and she's the last person of the generation ahead of me who's still living, so it means a lot to me to spend time with her," he said.

Obama's entourage is at a private, beachfront residence in Kailua, where he is staying with family and friends during his weeklong visit.

He does not have other public events on his schedule. He mentioned the possibility of paying respects to his grandfather at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.

Obama is planning to attend a private, sold-out fundraiser at The Kahala Hotel & Resort on Tuesday night. Tickets were $2,300 per person and $10,000 for a VIP reception.

His appearance marked the first time that a major party presidential candidate visited the Islands during a campaign since Richard Nixon in 1960.

Ralph Nader, an independent presidential candidate, stopped here in July. U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination, campaigned here in September 2007.

Staff writer Mary Vorsino contributed to this report.