I used to live in Kailua, in the early 70's. I loved it, though I did miss the season changes at Christmas :-). I've often wondered what it looks like now. There was talk of building a hotel at Makapuu Point where we used to body surf a lot. Couldn't imagine tourists swimming in those tows. And I loved Kailua Bay, it was like a the biggest outdoor pool in the world to me - plus the festivals they'd hold there most weeks with music.
I hope you love it there as much as I did. After living there about three years, I came home and went to school and I've never gotten to go back. I feared it would never be the same, but from your photos, the changes look like good ones ;-).