A grieving woman travelled 7,000 miles to spread her hamster's ashes - in Hawaii.<br /><br />Lisa Murray-Lang, 46, was devastated by the death of her Syrian hamster 'Spud' at the impressive age of three years and seven months in March 2022.<br /><br />She had spent years making him cardboard versions of locations around the world for him to play in - and said his favourite was a mini model version of Hawaii.<br /><br />So she saved up and took Spud's ashes to the exact beach she used as inspiration for the cardboard scene - in Waikiki, Honolulu.<br /><br />Lisa and husband William, 66, took a 10-day trip - including three flights via Amsterdam and Los Angeles, and a 4-star hotel booking.<br /><br />And on the final day of their trip, they scattered his ashes during an emotional ceremony, next to some surfboards on the beach.<br /><br />The professional dog walker from Birmingham said: "On the last night before we came home, as the sun was setting, we went down to the beach and laid him to rest. <br /><br />"It was amazing really because one of the beaches I had been inspired by when I made Spud's Hawaii model, and had all these surf boards lined up on the beach.<br /><br />"The spot where we left him was just like that, which made it really special for me.<br /><br />"We took a picture of roughly where he was, with our shadows cast onto the beach as well so that we could always remember where he was.<br /><br />"It was a really nice way to say goodbye, and I'm happy knowing that we left him somewhere that he would have loved.<br /><br />"There's definitely a reason why they call Hawaii paradise - it was exactly as it was on TV. It was just stunning - really beautiful.<br /><br />"We went snorkelling while we were there too, and out onto the water on a boat trip - it was just an amazing trip really. <br /><br />"It was a very long trip. On paper the journey looks easy, but by the time we got there we were absolutely shattered. It took about 28 hours."<br /><br />As planned, the couple played Beyoncé's song 'I Was Here' and left a message in the sand dedicated to her beloved hamster.<br /><br />Lisa started making sets for her pet as a lockdown hobby when the pandemic started, just six months after she got him.<br /><br />She handcrafted every element using cardboard and dolls, with some sets even featuring hamster-themed artwork.<br /><br />She recreated cardboard versions of London, Paris and Coronation Street during lockdown and let the hamster play in them.<br /><br />Other particularly impressive sets included the famous magical castle of Hogwarts - or "Hamwarts" - from the Harry Potter films, along with No.10 Downing Street.<br /><br />She scattered the ashes in Hawaii in October.<br /><br />Now, as a final memorial tribute to Spud, Lisa says the couple plan to travel to Amsterdam - 'Hamsterdam' - later this year to 'follow in his pawsteps'. <br /><br />Spud had 'visited' the city himself in his second favourite display - featuring a visit to the Van Gough - or Ham Gough - museum, which Lisa will visit to pay tribute to Spud.
