Hawaii 2-0 Part 8 Farewell Honolulu, G’Day Australia

Our remaining time in Honolulu was spent walking up and down the streets of Waikiki, exploring the local shops and markets and buying last minute souvenirs for friends and family. We also visited places of interest such as the Eternal Flame, built-in memory of all Hawaiians who have served in the armed forces, the War Memorial, Government House and the Town Hall.

We also spent half a day at Waikele Premium Outlets. With only 50 stores it was nowhere near as big as our Harbor Town, but they had an impressive list of stores including: Armani, Adidas, Banana Republic, Calvin Klein, Coach, Gap, Guess, Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. We spent about half an hour at Levi’s alone just trying to figure out US sizing for the kids to buy them some jeans for winter (which we’ve since found out we got totally wrong and none of them fit).  We also got Chris some new shirts, pants and ties for work from Calvin Klein.

We couldn’t leave Hawaii without experiencing a luau so one evening we booked into the  Waikiki Starlight Luau, which is held under the stars on the roof top of the Convention Centre. Included in the tickets were two drinks (Mai Tai’s of course) a banquet feast, live music and a wonderful show of dances from across the pacific region including the Hakka from New Zealand and a Tongan fire dance. The costumes were amazing and we had a really great night.

All good things must come to an end, and by 8.30 Tuesday morning we were all packed and waiting for our hotel pickup to take us to the airport. After a 1/2 hour ride to Honolulu Airport, a relatively easy check-in (which included getting exit row seats for the flight home – YES!) and more Starbucks (I love their iced white chocolate mocha almost as much as the free wi-fi) we were boarded and on the way home.

While the flight back was longer than the flight over (not quite sure why) the extra space in the exit row, plus the fact we were travelling during the day, made for a relatively painless flight and hardly any jet lag. I finally got to read my new Matthew Reilly book ‘Scarecrow’ which I had bought and he autographed for me late last year, and Chris and I watched Fast Five (the fifth edition of the Fast and the Furious – meh!) and Battle Los Angeles (highly recommend).  Due to the curfew at Adelaide Airport it wasn’t possible to travel all the way home in go so we had an overnight stop in Sydney where we stayed at the Radisson Suites and Apartments and had a good nights sleep in a king size bed. Then it was back to the airport in the morning and onto Adelaide. There was a lovely surprise waiting for us at the airport, two happy smiling children who were very glad to see their mum and dad home again, and couldn’t wait to see what presents we had bought back for them.

After travelling close to 20,000 km by plane, boat and car/bus it is nice to be home, although I am sitting here looking at a massive pile of laundry that just won’t go away. Thank you for joining me on my adventures. I’m not sure when I’ll be posting again, but after how much we enjoyed this trip, it won’t be long before we start planning again.

Mahalo!

Hawaii 2-0 – Part 7 Adventures in Honolulu – Pearl Harbor

Okay some of you caught me out and realised that I’m now back home, and writing this from the comfort of my couch. Too much to see and do and not enough time to write about it, so I left the last three days of our trip in Honolulu and our travels home till I got back so I could just take it all in.

While the beginning of the trip went by quite slowly by the end I felt that it was racing along with so much more we would have like to do before we left. We didn’t get to travel outside of Honolulu to other parts of Oahu, we didn’t get to the Aquarium or Wet and Wild Water Park and we didn’t get to do any snorkelling, surfing, body boarding or even get to swim in the Pacific Ocean. The weather wasn’t really warm enough to do the last couple of things.

We did however spend almost a whole day at Pearl Harbour which, while it was an extremely long tour, was a very worthwhile experience.  The tour started with a hotel pick up at 6.45 am (which for anyone that knows us is REALLY EARLY!!!!)  It takes about 1/2 hour to get to Pearl Harbour from where we were staying at Waikiki, a little longer if the tour driver diverts through his neighbourhood to show you where he lives. :-)  Funnily enough he wasn’t the only tour driver to do this.  Because Pearl Harbor is still a working Navel Shipyard you are not allowed to take bags into any of the facilities, or across the bridge to Ford Island. Also until recently overseas travellers had to carry their passport, however now only a valid photo ID is required (i.e. Australian Driver’s licence).

Access to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Information Centre is free, and you are welcome to look around at the historic monuments, memorials, and artefacts located on the grounds. In addition there are a number of separate tours you can do such as boarding and looking around the USS Bowfin Submarine and the USS Missouri Battleship, traveling by boat to the memorial of the USS Arizona and touring through the Pacific Aviation Museum.  We didn’t have time for everything so we did the Arizona and the Missouri tours.

Pearl Harbour Visitor Information Centre & USS Bowfin

For those of you that don’t know the history of Pearl Harbor and haven’t seen the movie, starring Ben Afleck and Kate Beckinsale, here’s a brief run down on its history and the history of the USS Arizona and USS Missouri. More information is available at http://www.pearlharboroahu.com/index.htm.

Early in the morning of December 7, 1941 the Japanese Empire launch a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor Naval Base. The attack was significant for several reasons, one being the devastating loss of life (2,402 people) and assets (eight battleships, three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship and a mine-layer were damaged with four sinking).  The second being that as a direct result of the attack, the US decided to enter World War II and the following day, December 8, 1941, they declared war on Japan.

Of the lives lost at Pearl Harbor, 1,177 were from the USS Arizona which they say exploded due to a direct hit, and sank within 9 minutes taking almost its full complement of personnel down with it.  The ship is still there and a memorial to those that lost their life on board has been built over the top.

Remains of the USS Arizona & the Memorial

The USS Missouri or the “Mighty Mo” was both the last battleship to be constructed by the US and the last to be decommissioned. While some of you may recognise it as the ship in the film “Under Siege” with Steven Seagal, the ship has a more important place in history, as it was on the deck of the Missouri in Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945, that the Japanese unconditionally surrendered to the Allied Forces, ending World War II.

USS Missouri

The tour guides speak of the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri as the bookends of the war. There they sit facing each other bow to bow, one underwater and the other above.  One representing the United States entry into the war, the other Japan’s surrender.

Hawaii 2-0 – Part 6 Farewell to the Pride of America

The end of the cruise had arrived and just like a hotel all passengers on board the ship had a set time to check out. It wasn’t too early so we had plenty of time for our last on-board breakfast and a final run around the ship to take photos of everything to share with you.

While my blog posts have focussed more on the activities we have done off the ship, one of the things I’d like to do here is dispel some of the myths about cruising, well at least about our type of cruise. When we told people we were going on a cruise we got mixed reactions. Some asked why we would want to travel with a bunch of old people, some absolutely got the concept of a floating hotel and loved the idea, while others just laughed and asked what else we would do besides playing shuffleboard.  I am happy to say while we did find the shuffleboard deck we also found many more varied things to fill our time, as well as lots of interesting people to talk to, when we weren’t off the ship exploring the islands that is.

MYTH 1: You have to choose between two sitting times for each meal i.e. an early or late sitting for breakfast, lunch & dinner, with half the ship trying to eat at each sitting.

FALSE: On our cruise you could dine pretty much anytime you wanted to and had a choice of a 14 different restaurants some included in the fare and some speciality restaurants with a small cover charge.  Each of the restaurants had a theme of decor and food so there was plenty of variety.

We tried to mix it up and eat at different places each day. We also tried two of the speciality restaurants Little Italy, which funnily enough served nice Italian foo,d and Jefferson’s Bistro which served French food. Yes, I even tried the escargots (snails) and like them!

You could also rock up to any restaurant and order food to take away with you back to your room, to the pool deck, or anywhere else. Alternatively you could order room service 24/7. There were also bars all over the ship with different themes, everything from the Gold Rush Saloon (which offered beer tastings and Karaoke every night) to Pinks Champagne Bar which almost always had a pianist on hand to play a few tunes. Best of all there were nightly happy hours at bars across the ship (Mai Tai’s became our drink of choice).

MYTH: There’s nothing to do while you’re at sea

FALSE: There is in fact too much to do we often had to miss things because we had organised tours, or had dinner plans, or more than one thing was happening at the same time. Apart from the obvious outdoor activity spaces like the pools & hot tubs, putting green, basketball court, etc, there was a day spa for massages, facials, etc and there was a gym with lots of equipment and daily classes (body fit, trx, body sculpt, yoga, etc). For entertainment there was karaoke every night, nightly performances in the piano bar, and nightly theatre productions, a late night comedy hour, lei making classes, sarong tying classes, lectures on the history and culture of Hawaii, quiz nights, game shows, themed parties (e.g. all white night and FABBA), much, much more.

For the more cultured traveller there was also an art gallery with daily art auctions, shops, a conservatory, library, chess/cards and backgammon room and the Napa Wine Bar with wine tastings for the connoisseur.

MYTH: Only old people take cruises.

FALSE: Well false on this cruise anyway. Yes there were groups of older people but there were just as many people our age and younger, as well as many young families. In a way there were different time zones happening on the ship. The oldies would be up and eating breakfast really early, then the young families and then the 20’s & 30’s and those without kids.  This would repeat at both lunch and dinner with the oldies eating early and heading straight to bed, same with those with kids, while everyone else seemed to eat later in the evening. There were just as many oldies dressing up for FABBA and the white nights party as the younger crowd.  Don’t forget they were younger once too.

In closing I’d like to make a disclaimer that not all cruise ships are the same and not all cruises are the same but I can highly recommend this particular cruise. It suited us perfectly, allowing us to work to our own timetable, make our own choices about when and where to dine, and provided us with lots of variety for entertainment.  I would love to do it again with all our friends.

Hawaii 2-0 – Part 5 Adventures on Kauai

Nawiliwili Harbor on the island of Kauai was our last port on the cruise before heading back to Honolulu, and it was an overnight stay, so we wanted to make the most of it. We had pre-organised two tours for this port, one for each day, allowing a bit of time to also look around the island before leaving.

First up was a Mountain Tubing Adventure. What is Mountain Tubing I hear you ask? Well while it’s not white water rafting the idea is the same, though on a much smaller scale, and it was certainly a lot of fun. Historically Kauai was renown for its sugar plantations, all of which needed a lot of water, and so an extensive irrigation system of ditches and tunnels were hand dug to direct water across the island’s plantations. Kauai Backcountry Adventures has exclusive access to the irrigation system of the former Lihue Plantation, which includes five tunnels and miles of channels.

The tour starts with a safety briefing and everyone gets handed their safety gear, a hard hat with headlamp (for the tunnels) and a pair of thick gloves. You also have to wear water proof shoes with straps. The main reason for the safety gear is that a number of the tunnels were dug out of rock, and some of the channels are lined with rocks and you need to be able to push yourself out from the edge if necessary. It’s also possible that you’ll get shoved a bit as you move along, by the other tubes (rubbing is racing or so they say), hence the hard hat just in case. Unfortunately we didn’t get a photo of ourselves decked out in our gear.

After everyone was loaded into the tour van our fantastic guides made everyone feel welcome, and told us a lot about the history of the places we drove through on the way to the tubing site.

Because our camera is not waterproof we left it on the tour van and didn’t get any photos of the tubing but I’ve included some images from their website so you get the idea http://www.kauaibackcountry.com/

Everyone on the tour had a great time, especially with the tunnels. We did the last tunnel with all the headlamps turned off. All the guides were amazing (thanks guys!) and made it lots of fun, especially their instructions on removing certain words from our vocabulary and replacing them with more appropriate alternatives.  For example, the water is not “freezing” or “icy” or “bum numbing”. No we were encouraged to use the more appropriate descriptions of “refreshing” and “exhilarating”. Also given the length and structure of the irrigation system saying sorry every time you bump into someone gets extremely repetitive. We were advised that the most appropriate alternatives were “bring it on”, “take that” and “coming through”.  Finally following instructions to go left and right can be a little tricky if you speeding backwards or spinning round and round in circles, but we all made it to the end in one piece.

After the tubing was finished the tour guides drove us to a beautiful, secluded picnic area where they served us lunch and gave us the opportunity to go for a refreshing swim. Anyone that knows me well will know that I was one of the first in the water and one of the last to get out. There was a cute little waterfall that fell into the swimming hole, and it was warm.  Nice!

This was also a very special day for us because it was the day of our actual wedding anniversary.  So to celebrate we went to dinner in one of the speciality restaurants, Little Italy, where you pay a small cover charge ($10/head). The meals were great and the staff were lovely and even presented us with a celebratory cake for dessert.

One the second day we had a fairly early pick up for our helicopter tour. This was probably our most expensive tour for the trip but it was certainly good value for money and well worth it for what we were able to see of the island during the 75 minute flight. We had chosen this specific tour as it sets down at a place called Jurassic Falls (the main waterfall used in the movie Jurassic Park), where we had the chance to walk around to look at the falls up close, before flying away again.  We had to wear little shoe covers for the ride to the falls as it was really muddy there and it was the best way of keeping the chopper clean.

Jurassic Falls

The falls were around 400 feet high and were definitely the most spectacular we’d seen on the trip. You couldn’t take photos up close because the air was full of spray. After the falls we did a wide circle back to the airfield where we saw the Waimea Canyon, Mt Waialeale Crater and the NaPali Coastline, a 15 mile stretch of the island’s most rugged coastline where the cliffs drop thousands of feet straight into the ocean.

I would highly recommend this flight to anyone that has time to spare on Kauai. It is the best way to see the whole island and the pilot flies really close to the ground, so you can see so much detail, which is great until the ground suddenly drops away from you a couple of hundred feet into a valley. Most helicopter flights I’ve been on haven’t been this long, and with the wind buffeting us around so much flying in and out of the canyons and valleys I was definitely feeling a little off towards the end and was glad to get my feet back on the ground.

The rest of the day was uneventful as the ship had an early departure (2 pm instead of the usual 6 pm). This gave us plenty of time to grab some of our favourite foods from both the Cadillac Diner and the Aloha Cafe and take them back to our room to sit on the balcony and watch the beautiful NaPali Coast sail past followed by some whales and another glorious sunset. Was a fantastic way to end the cruise.

Hawaii 2-0 – Part 4 Adventures on the Big Island (Kona)

Kona was about halfway through the cruise, and we only had one day there, so we’d planned it as a bit of a day of rest and relaxation, after all we’re supposed to be on holidays.

Taking it easy for us means sleeping in………REALLY LATE! We then skipped the breakfast buffet rush at the Aloha Cafe and headed up to the Skyline Diner for a more formal breakfast service.

Skyline Diner

Chris had the eggs benedict and I had poached eggs, with a side of mushrooms, and of course bacon. There seems to be two different types of bacon here, Canadian Bacon (big thick slices like ham steaks) and our favourite thin bacon crisped to within an inch of its life. Then given on the other islands we’d focussed on land based activities we decided to book a water based activity, a tour of the sea-bed on the Atlantis submarine. More on that later.

Kona is the only port on the cruise where the ship can’t actually pull up alongside the dock, so it has to anchor in the harbour and all the passengers tender into port.

Once we landed we had a couple of hours to spare so we took the free shuttle bus to Wal-Mart and bought a few treats generally not available in Australia (e.g. think hershey’s, reeces peanut butter cups, etc). After that we headed back to the port and walked around the harbour until it was time for our tour.

It’s a short boat ride from the dock to the sub and then, once everyone’s aboard, down she dives, to 100 feet.  I’ve never been scuba diving or snorkelling so I wasn’t really sure what to expect under the water.  I was really happy to see that the ocean was crystal clear and you could see lots of detail in the coral and a wide range of fish.  I was surprised however, that all the coral was one colour unlike the colours you see in promotional photos of the Great Barrier Reef.

After the tour we returned to the dock and waited for the next tender back to the ship. The rest of the day was uneventful but it is worth mentioning that we had dinner at one of our favourite restaurants on the ship, the Cadillac Diner.

The menu consisted of mainly simple American foods similar to what you would have ordered from a diner in the 50’s.  Our favourites were the mozzarella sticks and the buffalo wings.  They also did a mean hamburger and fries (don’t forget the pickle on the side!).  They also specialised in milkshakes and let me tell you, they were to die for. For Chris it was the Oreo’s Milkshake and for me PB&J (peanut, butter & jelly), topped off with whipped cream and a spoonful of peanut butter. Sickeningly sweet but yummy!!

After dinner it was back to our room & our balcony to watch the sunset as we left Kona.

Hawaii 2-0 – Part 4 Adventures on the Big Island (Hilo)

While we’d pre-planned some of our Maui adventures, like the Road to Hana trip, we hadn’t pre-planned anything for Hilo and I’m really glad we didn’t.  Each night, when they come to turn down your cabin, they deliver a newsletter to help you plan activities for the next day.  Each newsletter outlines some of the specials available on board the ship (ie massages in the day spa, jewellery sales & the daily art auction).  You also get a list of all the activities available on board the ship during the day such as – yes you guessed it shuffleboard J and cards, but also art and craft classes (like lei making), pool parties, special events and nightly entertainment.  You can also find out what off ship tours are available and book them through the ship.

Unlike Maui where we had an overnight stay, we only had 9 hours in Hilo. When we looked at the list of tours one immediately jumped out at us, a trip to the top of Mauna Kea a dormant volcano that, at its peak, is 13,796 feet high (or 4.2km) and Hawaii’s highest mountain. Until you actually see Mauna Kea up close it’s hard to image how high that really is, but to help give you some idea Mt Lofty is 2,385 feet high (or 727m). That makes Mauna Kea nearly 6 times higher. What is even more interesting is that if you measure Mauna Kea from the ocean floor you can add another 15,000 feet!

We had an amazing tour guide called ‘Daniel’ (not his Hawaiian name) who used to have a recording contract with Sony (too long a story to tell here).  We had been told to dress warmly as it snows on top of the mountain but here was Daniel in shorts and a t-shirt. That’s locals for you.  Our first stop on the tour was a place called Rainbow Falls Lookout. Rainbow Falls is part of the Wailuku River, the longest river on the Big Island, which runs right through Hilo. There is also an amazing collection of Banyan Trees around this area. After we finished there we started up the mountain.

Rainbow Falls

Because of the height of Mauna Kea you are advised to make a number of stops along the way to help your body acclimatise to the change in atmosphere as you ascend.  At 13,796 feet, atmospheric pressure is 60% what it is at sea level and it is common to get altitude sickness.  Our first acclimatisation stop was at Kipuka Pu’u Huluhulu at 6,758 feet where we stopped for 15-20 minutes. Here we saw the first of three shrines to Wakea, the sky God, where it is customary for locals to say a chant and provide an offering (no not human sacrifices). We could also see at this stop evidence of historical lava flows as the molten lava travelled where and when it wanted and left an almost barren wasteland of volcanic rock behind. We were however surprised to see that some plants are so sturdy they will grow anywhere like the little fern in the photo below.

Our next acclimatization stop was at the Onizuka Visitor Information Station at 9,200 feet.  According to my trusty Lonely Plant guide the visitor information station was named after Ellison Onizuka, a native of the Big Island, who was one of the astronauts who perished in the 1986 Challenger Space shuttle disaster. Here we saw the second of the three shrines for Wakea and also an interesting plant called the silversword that only grows at extreme altitudes. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa (the second highest mountain in Hawaii) are the only two places in Hawaii where it grows. It takes around 50 years to flower and flowers only once in it’s life.

Journeying up Mauna Kea

We stayed at the station for around 45 minutes at which point our tour guide gave everyone the thumbs up to continue.  If you are displaying any signs of altitude sickness at that point you are not allowed to proceed any further up the mountain. While our last journey was only 8 miles long we travelled around 4,000 feet up.  Just before the summit we stopped at the first set of dome-shaped observatories (long-range space telescopes) that litter the top of the mountain. There are 13 in all belonging to a range of difference countries including Australia.

The view from Keck II Observatory

We were lucky enough to have a brief look through part of America’s Keck II Observatory. One of its purposes is to look for any space dangers such as meteors & asteroids another is to look for another planet capable of sustaining life.  The work undertaken at these observatories is amazing. However, if, like me, you grew up learning that Move Very Easily Ma Just Said You Need Patience represents the order of our solar systems nine planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune & Pluto), then you too are probably devastated to know that Pluto was demoted from planet status when two new planets were identified (good going Keck II!)

The road doesn’t lead all the way to the summit but to the last of the observatories, which is almost at the top, but I’ve included a photo of the actual summit.  When we got out of the tour bus there was a noticeable difference in the air. You felt very light as you walked around and could easily feel unstable and off-balance (don’t spin around too quickly). The air was also very dry and very cold.  For someone like me, with Asthma, who struggles to breathe in humid air it was beautiful and crisp.

This is another one of those times where it is impossible to describe how breathtaking the views were so I hope my photos do it justice. For anyone that’s travelled by plane remember what it’s like when you look out the window, after the plane’s come through the clouds, and the sun is shining and it looks like you could get out and bounce across the clouds? Well standing on top of that mountain, looking out to one side, the clouds were far below us and they looked like a blanket of cotton wool stretched out to the horizon.  On the other side you could see the mountains all the way on the other side of the island, and straight up was brilliant blue sky with a second layer of clouds (snow clouds).

View from the top

After we’d only been up the top for about 15-20 minutes we all started to feel slightly off-key, and one of our tour party even had to sit back in the van with an oxygen mask for a few minutes.  So we quickly got our tour guide to take a photo of us in front of the Australian observatory (Gemini) before we all piled in to the bus to head down.  We had another ½ hour stop at the information station for lunch and a warm cup of coffee (made for a great hand warmer), before we headed home to the dulcet tones of Daniel’s latest recordings.

We made a quick pit stop at Big Island Candies, where you can buy almost anything chocolate dipped (I even tried chocolate dipped squid). Their specialties are macadamia nut shortbread and chocolate covered macadamia nuts. We went a little nuts (pun intended) buying gifts for family back home, but I’m not sure how much will make it back (sorry mum’s and dad’s)!

We finished the evening sitting around the ship’s main pool area sipping on Mai Tai’s, watching the ships performers crank out song after song of ABBA gold at the FABBA Theme Party before heading into the Skyline Restaurant for dinner then back to our cabin for a well-earned sleep.

On a side note the guy who looks after our cabin is fantastic and each night we found a new animal towel on our bed. They are so cute I thought it was worth posting a couple of photos for you.

Hawaii 2-0 – Part 3 Adventures in Maui

We arrived in Kahului Harbor, Maui around 7am.  We were really excited about today as we were driving the Road to Hana, titled by our Lonely Planet guidebook as “the big kahuna of breathtaking drives”.  In all it has 600 twists and turns, 54 one-lane bridges and nearly as many waterfalls. Also if you have the time and are prepared to get out of your car there are many detours, short walks and hikes to swimming holes and sleepy seaside villages.

We had breakfast in one of the free dining restaurants, the Aloha Café which is very bright and cheery.  It offers your typical buffet style hot breakfast with bacon & ham, cooked mushrooms & tomatoes, scrambled eggs, eggs benedict or a made to order omelet or crepe. There was also an assortment of cereals, fruits, breads, etc.

After breakfast we exited the ship, went through border patrol and got a free transfer to the airport to pick up our thrifty rental car. Now those of you that use your car just to get from A to B won’t understand this so maybe you can tune out for a minute.  For everyone else we rented, wait for it………a metallic blue ford mustang convertible. I’m pretty sure you would all agree that while a winding mountain, coastal drive sounds pretty good, being able to put the top down and feel the wind in your hair as you cruise along is the icing on the cake.

I don’t have enough space to describe everything we experienced driving the Road to Hana but I will definitely say that it is NOT for the faint hearted nor for those that get car sick.  If that is not you then you MUST, MUST, MUST take this drive if you are ever in Maui.

After picking up a picnic lunches in Pa’ia we started off on our drive.  At first the road was wide enough for two cars and a shoulder on each side of the road, but it very quickly narrowed to become only just wide enough for two cars and often at times you had to ‘yield’ to cars coming the other way, not just at the bridges but also at places where the road narrowed significantly.  We stopped off at a several places along the way to get of the car, take some short walks and take photos. Our first major stop was Kaumahina State Wayside Park where we climbed through the jungle to the top of the hill to get a great view of the road below and the ocean.

Another amazing spot was Ke’anae Peninsula where we stopped for morning tea.  According to our Lonely Planet guidebook the peninsula was created by a late eruption of Haleakala (a volcano) that sent lava gushing all the way down the valley and into the sea.

Road to Hana & views from Ke’anae Peninsula

At most waterfall stops you see them falling majestically from many feet above you, however Makapipi Falls drop from under the bridge so you get a birds eye view from the top of the falls looking down.  While we have seen many falls in Australia that are far grander than the ones we saw on this trip, the Australian ones are all off the beaten track not right there next to the road, making this a very special experience. 

The last stop I want to mention is the tiny rural village of Nahiku. It is only accessible by a single lane 2.5 mile road, meaning some very scary moments when locals come hurtling around the corner taking up the whole road in their big Ford Utes, with super ultra lift kits and BFG Mud Terrain tyres (that last point is for all my 4WD friends who are reading this and drooling). Let me tell you it was well worth the drive though.  The road was half covered with a canopy of huge trees smothered in hanging vines. There were also some old rickety wooden bridges and due to recent rain the edge of the road had washed away in places. At the end of this beautiful nightmare of a road is a picturesque picnic spot overlooking the ocean where we ate lunch.

Views from the end of the Nahiku Road

By the time we got to Hana we’d been on the road for close to four hours and the weather had turned slightly, with rain on and off, so we had put the roof up.  We grabbed some shaved ice, a local delicacy and then headed for home. The return journey only took 2 ½ hours so we were back early and had time to drive to Lahaina for a look around. When you think of the main street of Lahaina think of Jetty Road Glenelg. While most of the city was closed the road along the foreshore was lined on both sides with restaurants and shops including the very famous Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. We bought some more family gifts before heading home for a much-deserved rest.

We took it down a notch on our second day in Maui and just hung around the ship in the morning. After lunch we headed on the free shuttle bus to Maui to explore the local area. While there wasn’t a lot to see we did come across Big K Mart where we picked up some Gold Fish crackers (my West Wing friends will know what these are), then across the road we found the biggest Krispy Kreme Store I’ve ever seen.

As I type this we are lying in bed, after seeing a live theatre show of a collection of broadway songs in the ships larger theatre. We have left Maui and are on our way to Hilo on the Big Island. The waves are pretty big tonight and the ships rocking back and forwards as well as jumping up and down every now and again which is pretty disconcerting.  Early start tomorrow so that’s all for now.  Night!

Hawaii 2-0 – Part 2 Hawaii Bound

For anyone that hasn’t spent 10 straight hours in a plane, in economy, can I just say……… (sigh) I don’t recommend it.  The time actually went a lot quicker than I expected, and I got lots of quality reading time, but I can’t sleep sitting up like that and I don’t like to sit still for that long. By the end of the flight I was so tired and fidgety, however, things got better very quickly after that.

After passing through customs at Honolulu Airport we were greeted with a welcoming Aloha and a beautiful flower lei each! After a short transfer coach ride into Waikikki we arrived at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. OMG! This place is like four hotels in one, each accommodation tower separated by pools and shops and bars and restaurants and waterfalls and fountains and more.  They even have their own pool of little fairy penguins and massive big goldfish. We stayed for one night in a lovely room in the Diamond Head Tower with views to both the ocean and the mountains. After ordering our first Hawaiian cocktails we sat on the balcony and watched the evening’s fireworks display before heading off for a much needed sleep.  Bliss!

Hilton-Hawaiian Village Hotel - Waikikki - Oahu - Hawaii

The next morning we had a couple of hours to spare until we had to head to the harbor to board the ship so we had a look around Waikikki Beach and all the hotels shops. After buying some Hawaii t-shirts for the family we came across a little pearl shop where you could choose an unopened shell from a container of water, then they opened it for you and you got to keep the pearl inside. Bit like a mystery box. My pearl was a beautiful little pink, gold and white pearl that I got mounted into a white gold cup ring with a little diamond.  I had wanted to get a ring on this trip as a celebration of our anniversary and our trip so I was very happy.

After that we went back to the hotel, collected our bags and headed off to check in to the ship that would be our home for the next 7 nights. Cruise ships are amazing things. The sheer size of them is unfathomable until you are actually on board and walk from one end to the other…………ten times……….. as you work your way through each level.  On our first day we came across nine restaurants, two theatres, seven bars, a library, card/game room, internet room, kids & teen entertainment areas, a chapel, two swimming pools, a gym, day spa, art gallery, shops and two magnificent staircases. I’m sure there’s even more that we haven’t encountered yet, but more on that another day.

On board the Pride of America

The rest of the day/night was uneventful, with the exception of a compulsory safety drill, and at 6pm we settled into our cabin, which is at the back of the ship with it’s own private balcony, and watched the ship sail away from Honolulu just as the sun was setting. Beautiful sight

Hawaii 2-0 – Part 1 In the Beginning

So for anyone that doesn’t already know, and I’m sure there’s not many of you left, Chris & I planned a trip to Hawaii for our 20^th wedding anniversary for a 7 night cruise.

Why Hawaii and why a cruise I hear you ask?  Well we’d wanted to go on a cruise for our honeymoon but couldn’t afford it at the time, so we figured 20 years down the track it was time to cross it off our list of things to do.

Leaving the kids for an extended period of time with someone else was not really an option, and I didn’t want a cruise that left from Australia, so we were a bit limited in choices.  We’re also not really the type to stay in one place for a long time and didn’t want to spend long days just on the water.

The Hawaii cruise on the Pride of America, run by Norwegian Cruise Lines, was the perfect find. It is a 7 day cruise that island hops, like a floating hotel moving from place to place, but letting us leave every day to explore our new surroundings which include volcanoes, rain forests, waterfalls, beaches and some of the most beautiful & rugged coastlines I’ve ever seen.

This is the route that we'll take on our cruise

So we booked about 12 months ago and have been counting down since. Things didn’t feel real though until Chris’s parents, Grandma and Grandpa, arrived on Thursday for their induction to the Downing household and the official handover of the kids.

They gave us a ride to Adelaide Airport friday lunchtime for our flight to Sydney then after a quick stopover we were finally on our way to Honolulu.

Waiting at Adelaide Airport for our flight to Sydney

As a sideline we always give our trips a title and making up this one was easy.  Hawaii 2-0 is a play on Hawaii 5-0 (there’s only two of us not five) and it’s our 20th anniversary.  :-)