29 June, Waikiki, Hawaii

We arrived back in Honolulu this morning while we were still asleep. After a relatively early breakfast we were able to depart the Pride of America by 09:00 and soon we were on our way back to the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel.
Last night after we sailed from Nawiliwili, the ship travelled to the northern part of Kaua'i for a special close up of the Na Pali coast line which is world famous and has been the subject of countless feature and documentary films. The ship moved right in to within 1km of the coast line which consist of stark lava cliffs rising straight from the sea.

As the sun slowly set the ship finally turned and set course for Honolulu.

We had our final dinner last night and enjoyed an outstanding wine, Esser Merlot from the Napa Valley. Must check to see if Dan Murphy's can get hold of some. After dinner we attended the final show in the Hollywood Theatre, which was outstanding and the finale came when staff from all departments of the ship appeared on stage. A great ending to a wonderful trip. Tomorrow the shuttle to the airport picks us for out trip to the airport, with lift-off at 12:30. This is the last blog entry before we arrive home, so from Hawaii its Aloha!!

27 June, Nawiliwili, Kaua'i, Hawaii

When we woke this morning we were docked in Nawiliwili on the island of Kaua'i, regarded as the most beautiful of the Hawaiian islands. We had already booked on a bus tour of some of the island's features and the bus was departing from the dockside at 08:30. So no sleeping in today with breakfast at 07:30.
Kaua'i is mostly an agricultural economy. In the past, sugar and then pineapples were the main crops but today coffee and corn predominate. Our first stop was at the Kaua'i Coffee plantation where we were able to taste various blends and roasts. Also had a coffee flavoured ice-cream.
From there we drove up a 3400ft mountain to view Hawaii's answer to the Grand Canyon, the Weimeia Canyon. This canyon is nothing like the size of the Grand Canyon but very spectacular. Bright green vegetation seems to grow everywhere even on near vertical surfaces. A spectacularly beautiful place. The tour finished at 1:30 and after lunch on the ship we headed back into town for a bit of shopping.

We are staying in Kaua'i overnight and heading off on our final leg to Honolulu tomorrow.

26 June, Kona, Big Island, Hawaii

Very limited WiFi access at the moment. Spending today in Kona, a very beautiful spot. Yesterday we were in Hilo which we found to be pretty shabby. Last night at about 10 pm the ship sailed very close to the shore so that we could see the lava from the active volcano Kilauea pour into the sea. Quite  a spectacle. Tonight we sail to Kaua'i, the most beautiful of the Hawaiian islands. We've booked a day tour around the island there.

24 June - Maui, Hawaii

We boarded the Pride of America around 3pm on Saturday 22 June, and set sail around 7pm. By then it was almost dark and the ship sailed right past Waikiki beach and Diamond Head. It was quite a sight watching all the lights go by. When we woke yesterday morning we had already docked in Kahului on the island of Maui. We are here for two days.

After breakfast we caught a bus to Lahaina, which is a beautiful old whaling port on the other side of the island. Great shopping, food and water activities. An all day bus ticket is only $4.00. Lahaina is famous for its huge banyan tree which covers an entire city block. We had a great time just walking around the shops and trying the locally made ice cream.

We returned to the Pride mid afternoon for a bit of rest in preparation for dinner and the evening activities. At 7pm we attended a wonderful Polynesian music and dance show in the theatre, followed by dinner in the Liberty Dining Room. Then at 10:00 we attended musical presentation by a local star called Uncle Willie - great singer and musician on the ukuklele and guitar. Quite a remarkable show.
By the time we got back to our cabin (8205) we were ready for sleep.

Today we are just taking it easy at the local shopping mall. We have a 5:30 departure this afternoon. I think wer're off to the big island. WiFi access is a bit patchy so I'll update the blog when I can.

21 June - Waikiki

Our last full day in Waikiki, tomorrow we board the Pride of America. We had no activities planned for today so it was a chance for everybody to catch up on odds and ends. Rosa, John and Sandra went into downtown Waikiki to do some last minute shopping. After speaking to a number of musicians here I walked to Good Guys Music and Sound to have a look at the fabled locally made ukuleles. Hawaiian ukuleles, made from Koa wood are the best instruments in the world and Kamaka is considered to be the 'Stradivarius' of ukuleles. You can find them in some of the shinier shops on the tourist trail, but the prices are outrageous. I had been told by a few musicians that Good Guys was the place to go and so I trudged off there this morning to have a look. Some of the most famous musicians in the world (including George Harrison) bought Kamaka ukes here and I was pleased to find a handful of these legendary instruments in the shop. I already own a pretty good 'concert' size ukulele. The next size up is the 'tenor' which has a lovely deep and warm sound. Chatted with shop owner for a while - he was very helpful and pulled out a huge range of imported instrument which were all excellent, but then eventually he brought out a tenor size Kamaka complete with case. It was priced well below that of the 'main street' shops and when I took it out of its case I was a goner.

Everything, sound, feel, appearance about this little beauty is outstanding and I knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy a very special instrument. So this will travel with me as hand luggage.
In the afternoon John and I went swimming at the beach just across the road from us, and this evening we had dinner at (you guessed it) The Cheese Cake Factory. Once again the food was excellent.
Tomorrow we pack and get ready for a 1 pm pick up at the hotel, for our short trip to Honolulu harbour.

20 June - Oahu, Hawaii

Another early (07:30) start this morning for an all day, 120 mile tour of Oahu Island. As usual our friendly Hawaiian tour guide/bus driver arrived at the front of our hotel to start the tour. Once again, he was a very informative and humorous individual which is what you need when you spend a day together. The island of Oahu, like the rest of Hawaii is incredibly beautiful and we had plenty of stops and photo opportunities. Waikiki is located on the South coast of Oahu, and our tour took up along the Eastern coastal road to the North Coast. As well as the magnificent scenery, there were many surprises along the way. One of the most beautiful is the Byodo-In Buddhist temple.

Just about everywhere you look, a stunning photo presents it self and the valley in which the temple is located is spectacular.

Another highlight was the Waimeia Valley and Waterfall. Once the bus dropped us off, we set off on a 30 minute walk along the Waimeia River through a lush tropical botanical garden. Eventually we reached the Waimeia water fall. Another wonderful experience. This photo of Sandra and John was taken during our walk.

On our way home another surprise awaited us, the Dole Pineapple Plantation and visitor's centre which is located right in the middle of miles and miles of pineapple plantations. We had been told that the pineapple soft serve ice-cream served here is an experience not to be missed. Our information was correct. Rosa and I had the biggest most humongous serve of soft serve ice cream we had ever seen and the pineapple flavour was unbelievable.
We got back to the hotel around 5 pm after a very interesting and enjoyable day. We recuperated with a few pre-dinner drinks and then headed back into town for dinner. And yes we had decided to dine at the Cheese Cake Factory Restaurant again. We are really enjoying this restaurant very much. One of the nicest times in Hawaii is dusk. It is warm, the light is very soft and all along the beaches torches are lit which create a magic atmosphere. Everywhere you go there is Hawaiian live music and dancing and altogether it is a beautiful part of the day. Today we had encountered a little bit of rain around the island. It didn't interfere with our activities at all but at one point, as we were waiting for our table to be ready, it created a spectacular rainbow over Waikiki Beach.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Waikiki and Saturday we board the Pride of America for the start of the cruise.

19 June - Pearl Harbour

Early start today as our tour bus is picking us up at 8:40 to go to Pearl Harbour. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on 7 December, 1941 brought the USA into WWII and led to the defeat of Japan four years later. We had all visited Pearl Harbour previously and were all keen to visit the site of this tragedy. The most moving part is to visit the memorial erected above the US Arizona which was a battleship sunk by an air dropped torpedo with the loss of 1200 lives. The ship sank and settled on the bottom of the harbour and no attempt was ever made to recover it or the bodies trapped inside it. The memorial built over the wreck makes for a unique burial site and visiting it was a moving experience today and on our previous visit. After lying on the bottom for over 70 years oil still continues to seep from the vessel.

After a brief introductory video a US Navy boat took us out to the memorial where we had time to have a good look around and take photos.

The ship is gradually decaying away and is in the process of becoming a reef and home to the local marine life.

Once we left the memorial, we had the opportunity to visit a couple of museums dedicated to the Pearl Harbour attack. I was particularly impressed by a large model of the US Arizona.

Once again, a very interesting day. After an afternoon of not doing a lot, we decided to have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory Restaurant and once again the meals were fabulous and we staggered home very full - although I did find room for a Haagen-Dazs on the way home.

Tomorrow is an even earlier start - we start at 07:00 on a 120 mile trip around the island of Oahu.

18 June - Waikiki

The plan for today was to drive around Oahu island in a rented convertible. We had an early breakfast and walked around to the Hertz place a couple of blocks away. When we arrived there we realised that car hire price here don't include insurance of any kind - in fact you assume total responsibility for damage to your own vehicle and any other you come in contact with. Buying the 'optional' insurance just about doubles the price of the car and by then we were rapidly losing interest. So we decided instead to do the walking/shopping tour of Waikiki and one of the first place we visited was the Outrigger Reef hotel where we stayed on our last visit in 1997. It's obviously been spruced up and now features a Starbuck's Coffee shop where we had our first fix (after breakfast) of the day. Next door to the hotel is a US Army Museum which features a display of Hawaii's contribution to the various US war efforts. We spent quite a deal of time there and found it a fascinating and moving display. One of the most impressive exhibits was a Cobra attack helicopter, located on the roof of the building.

After the museum we wandered back to check out the various shopping centres on the way back to our hotel. After checking the menu we decided to have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory Restaurant. So, back to the hotel for gins and tonic and granny naps. By 06:30 our aching feet were rested sufficiently to walk to the restaurant for dinner. On our way we passed a park where a free performance of Hawaiian music and Hula was being performed and so we sat there an listened and watched as the sun set on another beautiful Hawaiian day.

Dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (recommended by Mark and Donna) was fantastic despite the one hour wait to get a table. Our waiter had worked in Australia and was very familiar with Melbourne. Dinner was accompanied, as it is everywhere here, by two live musicians who were playing everything from George Benson, Bob Marley to Men at Work. During a break John and I gave them a tip and complemented them on the music. They responded immediately with their own rendition of 'The Pub with no Beer". There is live music everywhere here. Even our poolside breakfast features a live artist and a Hula dancer.

Eventually after a brief stop at the International Market Place, to pick up a small item of cabin luggage we wandered back to the hotel to get some sleep and build up the energy for tomorrow's adventure which is a tour to Pearl Harbour.

17 June - Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii

The plan for today was to go to Hanauma Bay for a bit of snorkelling. Hanauma Bay has to be one of the most beautiful spots on the planet. It is a horse shoe bay, with cliffs surrounding it on all sides providing protection from the elements. The place is so popular that you gave to book 3 hour time slots to go there and before you can go down to the beach it is compulsory to watch a video explaining the do's and don'ts while you're there. We were taken there by our tour operator who picked us up from the hotel, provided all the snorkelling equipment and then dropped us off. Once we arrived we immediately  headed for the water and paddled towards the numerous reefs in the bay. Unfortunately today was a bit windy and it stirred up the water which affected the visibility somewhat. Also the marine life was a bit sparse, maybe that's due to the fact that a million people visit here each year. Despite that I managed to capture a bit of interesting video with my waterproof GoPro Hero 3 camera. Our driver returned to pick us up at 2:15 and by the time we got back to the hotel we were all pretty tired.

This evening we dined at the Tikki restaurant here in the hotel and finished the evening with a short stroll through all the tourist shops along the beach front. Tomorrow we pick up our Chrysler convertible for a drive around the island of Oahu.

16 June - Waikiki, Hawaii

The day started at 08:00 this morning with a continental breakfast at the swimming pool. I think we all slept well last night after being awake for a very long time. We had decided that today would be spent exploring Waikiki. As I mentioned earlier things have changed a lot since the last time we were here (1997 for us and 1983 for John and Sandra). We caught the Pink Line Trolley into Alla Moana Shopping Center and by 1pm we were back at the International Market Place in Waikiki. From here it was a slow meander back to our hotel which is the last hotel before Diamond Head which is just visible  right in the middle of this photo.

From our hotel we get a very good view of Diamond Head which is the crater of an extinct volcano, and one of the most recognisable landmarks in the world.

Later in the afternoon we made some bookings as follows:

- tomorrow a snorkeling tour in Hanauma Bay. We get picked up at 10:15
- Tuesday we have hired a Chrysler Convertible for a tour around the island
- Wednesday - we have booked the Pearl Harbour tour.

The weather is perfect all day along and now that we are rested we are enjoying every minute of Hawaii.

15 June - Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

 

All the unpleasant aspects of travelling, long waits at airports, endless flights and dealing with bureaucracy are over, and we have arrived at the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel and checked into our rooms. We are of course, absolutely knackered but excited to be in this fabulous part of the world and enjoying the balmy weather. We were finally given our rooms at 3pm local time and immediately had showers and then a couple of hours of sleep.  Then we headed out at around 6:30 pm for a walk along the beach and in search of a liquor store so we could buy the week's supply of gin and tonics. Having achieved that and after some pre-dinner drinks we had a quick dinner of pizzas and right now (9:45 pm) we are about to collapse into bed ready for an early breakfast at 08:00. Rosa and I were last here in 1997 - some 16 years ago. The change has been incredible - we hardly recognize a thing, but we've seen enough to know we are going to have a great time. I'm almost dozing off as I type this so for now its Aloha from us in Hawaii.

12 June - Three More Sleeps

Three more sleeps and we depart Melbourne for Hawaii. We are travelling with our friends John and Sandra for a two week adventure. We will spend the first week right on Waikiki Beach and then in the second week we board the Pride of America for a one week cruise around the Hawaiian Islands.

It will be nice to get away from the cold weather here and experience the balmy 28-29ºC forecast for Hawaii.  The cruise will take us to a different location most nights as follows:

Depending on WiFi availability we will keep family and friends updated right here!