Cruising the Hawaiian Islands

The Pride of America cruises the Hawaiian Islands all-year round; embarking from Honolulu on a Saturday evening and stopping at Maui for two nights, Hawaii (The Big Island) for two nights (Hilo and Kona) and Kauai (Lihue) for one night. The other two nights are spent cruising the Pacific Ocean. On the way back to Honolulu the ship takes a detour to showcase the spectacular Na Pali Coast. Below are a few photos I took on our recent trip (when I remembered to pack my camera for the day).

Maui

We took a scenic bus trip to the beautiful town of Lahaina. Stores of well-known brands such as Patagonia and Lush and waterfront restaurants stretched along the main street from the Banyan tree to the small outlet mall. We had lunch at Lahaina Fish Co, just a few doors down from Kimo's Restaurant. I had the MahiMahi fish plate - cajun seared over brown rice topped with tropical salsa and balsamic drizzle.

Banyan Tree, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

 

View from the Lahaina coastal walkway - puppies playing fetch

Walkway along the volcanic coast, Lahaina, Maui, HI

 Locals crammed into the back of their ute, Lahaina, Maui, HI

 

Hawaii, The Big Island

It was a bleak morning the day we arrived at the Port of Hilo. Thick cloud blanketed the hills and together with the lava landscape the atmosphere was dark and eerie. We were soon to learn about Pele, the goddess of Hawaii's volcanoes.

The view from the ship's balcony, arriving at the Port of Hilo, The Big Island, HI

Lava rocks along the coastline, Hilo, Hawaii

 

The work of Pele - A lava mound with the imprint of a tree inside

 

Walking on lava - Hilo, Big Island, HI

After the lava tree mounds we visited a lava beach - nothing like the golden beaches of Queensland, Australia - they were lava grey and very pebbly (it couldn't be called sand by any stretch). But the sun did finally shine as we arrived at this beach and it was very tempting to take a couple of the smaller pebbles for keepsakes. Our guide convinced us that it would not be wise to do so; it would likely make Pele angry. She recounted stories of the bad luck that fell on such hapless visitors who dared to remove what Pele had created. I have a little anecdote of my own to add to the Pele stories: we took the lead on this trek to the beach because a young boy had been stung by a bee and needed the guide's assistance. As we arrived at the edge of the ocean I spotted what I thought was a shiny piece of blue paper...the only made-made object on the beach. It was a very light-weight poncho still in it's packaging. I felt the warmth of Pele shining on me and accepted it as a gift.  I was very glad that I didn't disappoint her by taking a tiny pebble as a souvenir.

On our night cruise to Kona, we were treated to the spectacular coastal scene of intense heat and steam caused by hot lava mixing with the sea water - Kilaeua.  Pele was putting on a show for us. We were too far away from the site for a decent photo but there is a picture in my pinterest folder, Take me there.

Since it was cold and rainy for most of the time we were docked at Hilo, we were heartened to learn that our next stop, Kona, was sure to be sunny and warm. We were also excited by the fact that tenders (small orange boats carried on our ship) would be ferrying us across to the shore because there was no place to dock a cruise ship at Kona harbor.

 

Sunrise - arriving Kona, Big Island, HI

Tender boats ready to serve

View of Kona through the front window of the tender

View from Kona foreshores - searching for a cup of Kona coffee

Pride of America anchored and waiting for our return

Kauai

The sound of a rooster greeted us as we docked at the port of Nawiliwili (near Lihue), Kauai. It kept crowing. Later we realised that there was more than one rooster. In fact there were many chickens and roosters free ranging across the island; they had escaped during a hurricane. We also learned that the underground sport of cock fighting was alive and well on Kauai.

Kauai had several attractions for us. There was a beautiful beach in walking distance from the port with a Duke's barefoot bar close by. There was a well-stocked yarn shop called Twisted Turtles across the road from Dukes in Lihue. While there were plenty of natural wonders to explore on Kauai we chose the Wailua river boat ride to the Wailua Falls and Fern Grotto. Next cruise we'll do the Waimea Canyon.

Wailua River cruise

Ginger plant with pink flowers, Wailua River State Park, Kauai

  

Fern Grotto (Cave), Wailua River State Park, Kauai

  

At the viewing deck - Fern Grotto, Wailua River State Park, Kauai

 

The beach at Lihue, Kauai - sailboards, canoes, volley ball

The view from Dukes Barefoot Bar, Lihue, Kauai

  

Leaving Nawiliwili Port, Kauai

 

Flashing my new Kauai T-shirt - Deck 11, Aft, Aloha Lanai Bar

 Honolulu

On the way back to Honolulu we did a detour to the majestic Na Pali Coast. We viewed it from the Gold Rush Saloon, Deck 11, mid,  as we toasted the Pride of America for taking us on a most amazing journey. We were sad the cruise would soon be over but we were excited about spending a few more days in Waikiki before heading home to Brisbane, Australia.

Just one more magnificent sunset on Waikiki Beach, Oahu, HI

Exercise after a long flight

International flights to Brisbane get in early in the morning and you cannot check into your city hotel until after lunchtime. Leave your luggage at the hotel and go for a walk or a jog along the Brisbane River walkways. This photo was taken around 6.30am this morning on the floating walkway - the Story Bridge is in the backgound. It's summer time in Brisbane December through to February and the UV rays are extreme from about 7.30am onwards so remember to wear a hat and slap on the sunscreen.

Frangipani flower with six petals

My frangipani flower has six petals, not five like all the other frangipanis in southeast Queensland. This has to be as lucky as finding a four-leaf clover in Ireland.

The frangipani remains my favourite flower. It doesn't stay on the tree for very long before it floats to the ground where it becomes accessible to the passerby. It's not unusual to see a frangipani adorning the hair of officer workers in the city of Brisbane....it's the perfect natural hair accessory.

Southwest sampler

I've finally hugged a Joshua tree - Ever since I saw the tree on the U2 Album I've been fascinated with these desert trees. On our way back from Australia to Georgia USA this March we did a ten day road trip to sample the south west of USA. We headed out on Highway 10 from LA to Palm Springs and spent the first night at Indio. The following morning we drove through Joshua Tree National Park then onto Arizona. We got our first glimpse of the Colorado River at Parker. We stayed a night at Lake Havasu City before moving on to Las Vegas, Nevada. From there we went to Zion National Park in Utah then back down to Arizona for the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We traveled through dusty desert Navajo country. After one night in the Grand Canyon we went down to the beautiful red rock city of Sedona. From there we went to Gila Bend before heading to San Diego, California on Highway 8. Scenic highway 101 took us to coastal Carlsbad where spent 2 nights to recover before flying back home to Georgia.

It was a fabulous trip. Majestic landforms, powerful rivers, beautiful native American arts and crafts, scrumptious food, diversity of landscapes and a host of recreational activities. But there are two important sad points to note: the poverty of life on Indian reservations and the plight of illegal immigrants as they attempt to cross the border through the harsh unrelenting desert.

Winter in Brisbane

Story Bridge on the Brisbane River - I have just spent three months in Brisbane....the winter months, though you would never guess it by the flora and the daily temperatures. Some days were 25 degrees celsius or 77 degrees farenheit. I liked to watch the sunset from the front deck of the City Cat. I took this picture of the Story Bridge on one of my return journey's. You can see the Holman Street ferry stop...the stop you need for the Brisbane Jazz Club.

People like to climb the Story Bridge these days...it's become a tourist activity just like climbing Sydney Harbour bridge. I'm happy to admire it from the river or the floating riverwalk that takes you into the CBD.

There's great pubs and cafes to be enjoyed along the City Cat route. There's the Story Bridge Hotel nestled under the bridge not far from the Holman Street stop, the Watt Bar adjacent to the Powerhouse Performing Arts Complex and the Merthyr Street bowls club near the New Farm stop. The Merthyr Street bowls club offers combined barefoot bowling and barbecue specials. The Mowbray Park stop offers the Shafston Hotel and Spoon Cafe. Riverside (the stop I was at when I took this photo) has a multitude of wonderful places to eat and to socialise....it's right on the edge of the CBD.

Looking forward to returning to Brisbane.

Savannah, GA - east coast getaway

Savannah, Georgia USA - is one of my favourite coastal getaways. Only about 430 miles return trip from Athens Georgia, Savannah offers a landscape of islands, rivers, lowcountry marshlands and spanish moss. Lots of excellent seafood restaurants are situated along Riverwalk. It's a happening waterfront street with tourists strolling along cobblestone pathways and large ships being escorted by tugs to the port upstream. The Savannah river looks pretty at dusk.


Savannah River at dusk, May 2005

We had lunch at Tubby's Tankhouse at Thunderbolt. Delicious grilled Mahi Mahi fish served to us on the deck. It was no ordinary deck....it was really a tree house because it was built high above the ground and surrounded a big tree that was covered in spanish moss.

In the evening we had a light supper at Tubby's on Riverwalk. We liked how it was open air and you could see the street scene while sipping yummy cocktails.

We keep returning to Savannah. The beautiful tree-lined squares and the historical homes and gardens make Savannah a unique destination on the east coast of USA.