November 27, Hilo

November 27, Hilo Hawaii

The coastal town of Hilo is the largest settlement on the island of Hawaii and overlooks Hilo Bay. Mauna Loa, considered an active volcano, and Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano, are located nearby. Hilo is home to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation, one of the world’s leading producers of macadamia nuts. Hilo is the wettest city in the United States and one of the wettest in the world with an average yearly rainfall of 127.7 inches.

Hilo’s expansion was a direct result of sugar plantations which drew a large Asian population. Because of its location it is particularly vulnerable to tsunamis. In April 1946 a tsunami hit Hilo killing 160 people. As a result, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center was established to track these killer waves and provide ample warning. In May 1960 another tsunami claimed 61 lives allegedly due to people’s failure to heed the warning sirens issued by the Center.

I had set up a private tour here and had six other people joining Sharon and I, for a tour to the Volcano National Park and other stops. The tour was excellent, with stops at four different locations around the crater rim, which provided great views of the volcano. Our last stop at the crater was at Volcano House for lunch, which also provided our last look at the crater before returning toward Hilo.

On the way back, we stopped at an orchid farm where we saw many different orchids in bloom that we hadn’t seen elsewhere, then a stop at Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Company where we were able to sample all kinds of nuts both plain and with various toppings. From there we made a stop at Rainbow Falls which while not a very tall falls, is very nice to see, then a quick stop at a local farmers market for apple bananas (a banana that has the flavor of an apple), and then back to the ship.

Even though we did have some rain throughout the day, the tour was fantastic. Our guide Lori was excellent and obviously very proud to be Hawaiian and share her knowledge and history. I can now understand why people say that if you have never been to Hawaii, a volcano tour is a must. I only wish we had more time so that we could have booked a walking tour to the actual floor of the crater, or even an evening tour to see actual lava flow. But what there is to see is magnificent and well worth visiting.

All in all it was a wonderful cruise, albeit a little longer than we personally really care for. But to see the pacific islands, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii all in one trip made it all worthwhile. The food onboard ranged from OK to great, the entertainment was OK (our personal opinion), the staff overall were outstanding. We had great service in the dining room even though our servers really had too many tables, and our room stewards were fabulous. HAL has finally gone back to a true buffet in the Lido which we really enjoyed. It’s nice to walk up and say I want that meat/fish, those vegetables, or non at all. The Canaletto was nice, but with a set menu that never changes we only ate there twice. We would give it a four star cruise!!

November 26, Kona

November 26, Kona Hawaii

Kona is the center of commerce and of the tourist industry on West Hawaii, and is famous in the sports world as the site of the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon. Kona was established by King Kamehameha I, originally the chief of Kona, to be his seat of government and the capital of the newly unified Kingdom of Hawaii. The capital was later moved to Lahaina and then to Honolulu. Until the late 1900’s, Kona was a small fishing village, and more recently a real estate and construction boom has been fueled by tourism and investment.

We didn’t have any plans for Kona and had planned on just walking around on our own. Due to the port shifts, today is Thanksgiving and we had no idea what if anything would be open. To our surprise shuttles awaited us on the pier for Walmart, Kmart, and Hilo Hatties. We decided to hop on the Walmart shuttle as Sharon was having scrapbook withdrawals. She managed to find four magazines pertaining to scrapbooking and stamping which made her quite happy, and we did pick up a few other odds and ends.

Arriving back at the pier area we walked along the main road and window shopped at the few stores that were open. Eventually we found a delightful Mexican restaurant where we had a wonderful lunch and drank a couple of local brews. By that time it was getting close to all aboard time so it was back to the ship and the end of a pretty nice stay.

Tomorrow is our last port of call before going home, Hilo on the other side of the island.

November 25, Honolulu

November 25, Honolulu

Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, is located on the island of Oahu and is the largest city in Hawaii, and the major port and economic center of the state. The name comes from the Hawaiian language and means “sheltered harbor”. Old Hawaiian culture is captured in the grand Iolani Palace, America’s only royal palace, which served as the last seat of the Hawaiian monarchy to King Kalakaua and his successor Queen Liliuokalani.

Originally we were scheduled to be here on Thanksgiving Day, but because the Pearl Harbor area was going to be closed, Holland America switched port days with Kona. We had purchased hop-on hop-off tickets for their trolley, in order to give us a good overview of the city and also to provide transportation out to Diamond Head Crater. The trolley system is actually composed of four different routes; two routes (the pink and yellow) are primarily for shopping areas. The red route covers the city area and most tourist attractions, while the blue route goes out along Waikiki Beach, past Diamond Head to the Sea Life Park.

The red line takes about an hour to make a complete circuit, while the blue line takes almost three hours. The red line can be boarded just outside the port terminal building, and free shuttles to Walmart, K-mart, and Hilo Hatties are also available. The blue line takes you up into the center of Diamond Head crater, and then on the way back, makes a stop at Diamond Head Lookout where fantastic pictures can be taken looking back toward Waikiki Beach and Honolulu. If your time is limited and you have never been here, the trolley is an inexpensive way to see a lot of the city and surrounding area.

Tomorrow we spend Thanksgiving Day in Kona.

Novermber 20, Apia Samoa

November 20, Apia Samoa

Apia, on the island of Upolu, is the capital of Samoa and the only place that you could call a city and mean it. For all of its modern details, it still retains the picturesque charm of its history. From the center of town, Apia’s neat villages spread west along the level coastal area and climb up the gentle slopes towards the hills and valleys. The clock tower in the center of town is a memorial to WWI casualties. Several churches are scattered around with the largest of them being the Catholic Church on the city waterfront. The Anglican Church, although smaller, has the most beautiful stained glass windows.

We had originally planned to go on a tour with our Cruise Critic friends, but Sharon woke up with a very sore hip and thigh which we assumed was from a fall that she took a couple of days ago. She quickly found out that trying to climb stairs was extremely difficult, so we decided to opt out of the tour to give her an extra day to heal before Hawaii.

Because of that and the fact that the temperature upon arriving in Apia was already 84 and climbing, I decided that I would take a short walk into town, get a few pictures and call it a day.

I left the ship around 7:45am and after fighting my way through the taxi drivers at the gate, started walking toward the downtown area. It was less than a mile walk, and I stopped along the way to take some pictures of the many gorgeous flowers I saw, and the Anglican Church which I thought to be quite pretty. There wasn’t much open yet which I had expected, but I noted that while some of the buildings were slightly rundown in appearance, the streets and general look of the town was quite clean and neat.

One of the unique things in Apia is the daily parade of the Police Band. At 8:30am every morning they leave the central police station, and march down the road to an area near the main Tourist Information Center while traffic backs up behind them. It’s quite an interesting sight to see.

I returned to the ship around 9:30am very hot and tired from the heat to relax and enjoy the rest of the day onboard. Now it’s four days at sea before arriving in Honolulu the day before Thanksgiving.

November 19, Nuku' Alofa Tonga

November 19, Nuku’ Alofa, Tonga

The Kingdom of Tonga, although protected by Western Powers, has never been ruled by them. This is evident on the island as traditional Polynesian culture continues to be the way of life. Tongatapu, the largest of the 170 islands that make up Tonga holds the capital city of Nuku’ Alofa. Although Tonga is the poorest of all the Polynesian islands with an average income of about $5100 per year, its rich culture, history, and beauty make up for its economic shortcomings. The fertile soil of the island makes it a haven for the lush tropical species of the South Pacific, and once outside the city you will notice large areas of crops including mango, banana, sweet potatoes, and many other vegatables.

On our tour today we visited the Royal Palace which is the official residence of King George the IV, the current ruling monarchy, the original Royal Tombs which were the burial place tor Tongan Royalty since 1893, the new Tombs, the National Exhibition Center which includes historic artifacts, art, and cultural handicrafts, a drive by the flying foxes (fruit bats), and the Ha’amonga Trilithon archway. The archway was built in 1200AD from lintels, each of which weighs as much as 35 tons, and its 16 feet high and 19 feet wide. According to tradition, it was built as a passageway to the Royal Compound some 800 years ago. As the wheel did not come to the island until much later, scientists have not been able to figure out just how the ancients managed to build it.

A decent tour that included lunch and reasonably priced, we enjoyed it. Upon leaving the island we will pass the international dateline once again and tomorrow will be November 19 once again. On the 20th we arrive at our next port, Apia, Western Samoa where we have another private tour scheduled.

November 16, Bay of Islands NZ

November 16, Bay of Islands NZ

In 1769 Captain Cook sailed into the bay for the first time, and because of the more than 140 small islands and crags in the bay, named it Bay of Islands. Cook returned several times and soon a new British colony was established. The territory was ruled from Australia. Although the new territory had gained a reputation for its bloodthirsty headhunters, word of lucrative whaling and sealing opportunities circulated throughout the South Pacific region. The move for annexation by the British crown began in 1839 when James Busby, the official New Zealand “British Resident,” and Captain William Hobson advised that the time was ripe for such a move. The historic town of Russell contains the Mission House, the oldest wooden structure still standing in New Zealand, and the Stone Store, the oldest stone building dating back to 1832. An interesting study in 2006 concluded that the Bay of Islands has the second bluest sky in the world, after Rio de Janeiro.

We did not book any tours here, as we figured that we would need to break even though we have two days at sea when we leave. As it turned out, the day dawned with overcast skies, and even though the temperatures were in the low 60’s, a brisk wind made it seem colder. We took our time getting around and caught a tender to the pier around 10am. From there it was a 5 minute ride on a shuttle bus to get into the town.

We went to the post office and mailed off some post cards, checked out the local craft market, walked about a half mile to the edge of town and bought a couple of bottles of wine. From there it was back toward the center, onto the shuttle bus and was back on board by noon.

There really isn’t much here, and in my personal opinion, a stop that could be eliminated and perhaps somewhere else substituted. There is a display at the treaty grounds that could have been interesting to see, but they charge $20 per person to see it and as this was our last NZ port we didn’t have the cash to go, in addition to feeling that the price was a bit steep.

But, it was a good day for relaxing, and with two sea days coming up we should be in fine shape for Tonga and Samoa, our next ports of call.

November 15, Auckland NZ

November 15, Auckland NZ

Auckland, the largest city in NZ, serves as the point of entry or departure for most international visitors. Know as the City of Sails, it was capital until 1865 when Wellington was chosen because of its more central geographic location. The city is built on a cluster of extinct volcanoes, and its fertile landscape blends seamlessly with the modern metropolitan skyline. The nickname is most appropriate as there are over 70,000 sailing craft and private powerboats in the region, or an average of one boat for every four households!

We were on our own today, and I had purchased hop-on hop-off tickets in advance. As the bus didn’t start until 9am, we waited until around 8:30 before leaving the ship. After walking through the NZ security we went down the pier and found the bus. Our first stop was the Parnell Rose Gardens. What a beautiful garden. With well over a hundred different rose bushes all in bloom it was an explosion of color. There were varieties of roses that we had never seen before, and naturally quite a few pictures were taken.

Our next stop was at Eden Garden, which has been described as Auckland’s best kept garden secret. In 1964 some volunteers began their efforts to transform an abandoned quarry burrowed into the rock of the extinct volcano. Today, this garden features one of the largest collections of camellias in the Southern Hemisphere.

Back on the bus and we were off to the Auckland Zoo. A small but beautiful zoo, it was well kept up, nicely laid out, and we were able to finally see a live kiwi bird! The way it’s laid out we were able to get quite close to most of the birds and animals and came away with some great photos.

Leaving the zoo, we stopped off at the historic Victoria Park Market. It’s advertised as having over 65 shops to browse around that include arts and crafts, clothing, curios, etc., however we were quite disappointed there. I doubt there were that many shops. And it was not the cleanest area as well.

Walking around the corner we saw a hotel and pub so we stopped in and had a beer and snack as we were getting a bit hungry. After leaving we saw a nice wine store and stopped in and purchased four bottles of NZ wine, and then it was back to the ship, the spa to relax, and to bed.

Tomorrow we will be in Bay of Islands NZ where once again we will be on our own.

November 14, Tauranga NZ

November 14, Tauranga NZ

Tauranga is located in the western part of the Bay of Plenty, and extends from Katikati and Waihi Beach to Papamoa and Te Puke on the coast and south to the Kaimai ranges. Captain Cook sailed into the Bay of Plenty in October 1769, giving it its name, because of the number of thriving settlements of friendly Maori he encountered there. Tauranga is the principal city of the Bay of Plenty, and enjoys one of the highest proportions of sunny days in New Zealand. One of the largest ports in New Zealand, it exports produce from the rich surrounding region, along with logs, woodchips, and timber products. The kiwifruit is also grown in this region.

We were on a cruise critic tour again today, which was supposed to start at 8am with 21 of us going. We were told that the bus should be there between 7:30-7:45 so we were waiting on the pier by 7:40a. The bus finally showed up shortly after 8:30am (not a good way to start off the day in our opinion). By the time we got onto the bus, made a stop inside the dock area, we finally went off on the first leg of the tour around 9am. From the dock we made a short trip around the outskirts of Tauranga and then headed out of town, for a stop at a kiwifruit farm. We spent about 30 minutes there and then left for Rotorua and the Maori living thermal village of Whakarewarewa. Built on a geothermal plain, with geysers and heated mud pools, it is a re-creation of a typical Maori village. While interesting we were somewhat disappointed.

From the village we went into the town or Rotorua for lunch and a buffet type restaurant where we had a pretty nice lunch. After lunch we made a quick trip down through the center of Rotorua and then off again on a long ride to an area owned by the Gideons. While beautiful from a nature standpoint with a wonderful waterfall on the property, it also was somewhat disappointing. Perhaps if we had a better understanding of the Maori culture some of the tour may have made more sense to us.

But, given the amount of money we paid for the tour, and the lateness of the operator in the morning, we were not pleased overall and probably would not book a tour with the company again if we ever came back to the area.

But this is only one tour of the many we have taken and it certainly will not spoil our enjoyment of the cruise. We have been blessed with fantastic weather up to now and have had wonderful port visits.

Next stop, Auckland NZ arriving at 7am and not leaving until 8pm, another very long day!

November 13, Napier NZ

November 13, Napier NZ

Napier is a popular tourist city and has one of the most photographed tourist attractions in the country, a statue on Marine Parade called Pania of the Reef. This attraction is regarded in the same way by the locals as the Little Mermaid statue is regarded in Copenhagen. The area attracts thousands of tourists every February for the Art Deco event celebrating Napier’s Art Deco heritage and history.

One of Napier’s most significant events occurred on February 3, 1931 when the city was leveled by an earthquake, killing 258 people. The town was destroyed and rebuilt in the popular Art Deco style of the time. The Art Deco building have been recognized as architecturally unique, and since the 1990s have been protected and restored. Napier and South Beach Miami are considered the two best preserved Art Deco towns in the world and Napier has been nominated as a World Heritage Site.

We arrived in Napier at 7am, and were scheduled to leave at 2pm. Because of the short time frame we had signed onto a private tour set up by one of our fellow cruise critic members. We toured the city center first thing which was really nice as there wasn’t much traffic yet, so we got great views of the various buildings. You really felt like you were transported back to the 1930s looking at them. You can see the obvious effort that has gone into restoring these magnificent buildings.

From the downtown area we toured through the suburbs of Hastings and Havelock then went up to the top of Te Mata Peak, the highest point of the area. We had a bright sunny and clear day and could see for miles in all directions. Then it was off to one of Hawks Bay local wineries for a tasting. New Zealand wines are considered some of the best in the world, and Hawks Bay has some of the best.

As our time was running out, we headed back toward the port and saw a couple of other buildings that we hadn’t seen before, then it was back onboard for our sail away to the port of Tauranga.

November 12, Wellington NZ

November 12, Wellington NZ

In 1865, Wellington became the capital of New Zealand, replacing Auckland, where William Hobson had established his capital in 1841. Parliament first sat on July 7, 1862, but the city did not become the official capital for some time. In November 1863 the Premier Alfred Domett moved a resolution before Parliament that “it has become necessary that the seat of government should be transferred to some suitable locality in Cook Striat.” Commissioners from Australia (chosen for their neutral status) pronounced the opinion that Wellington was suitable because of its harbor and central location. Wellington is the southernmost national capital city in the world.

We were on our own today and decided that we would take in the Botanic Gardens and the Karori Sanctuary (now called Zealandia) with another couple that we knew from the Voyage of the Vikings. After riding the ships shuttle bus into the center of Wellington, we it was a short walk to the Wellington Cable Car that would take us to the top of the hillside.

In the late 1800’s the hills around the city were mostly scrubland and farms. The Upland Estate Co. was formed in 1898 to turn the hills directly above the city into a new suburb. A tramway was chosen for a quick and direct link between the suburb and the city. Construction of the James Fulton designed cable car started in 1901. It opened in 1902 and by 1912 a million rides were taken a year. From the top, it was about a 20-25 minute walk downhill to the sanctuary.

Zealandia is New Zealands award-winning conservation attraction. Home to some of the rarest and extraordinary wildlife, it is protected by a predator-proof fence that encloses over 225 square miles or regenerating forest. Before the fence, only 12 species of native bird were resident in this valley. Planned releases, plus some welcome arrivals who found their way on their own, have so far boosted native bird and reptile species to over 30 with more releases planned for the future.

We had booked a one hour guided tour online and we very fortunate to have as our guide a local birder named Ron. And what a wonderful tour it was. We saw many of the rare birds that inhabit the sanctuary thanks to his knowledge of bird songs and habits. We spent a little over 4 hours there and didn’t come close to seeing what the sanctuary offered. We highly recommend spending some time here if you ever get to Wellington.

After leaving the sanctuary, we hopped on a bus that dropped us at the main gate of the Botanic Gardens. The garden was established in 1868 and managed by the New Zealand Institute, which planted the major conifer species that can be seen today. Wellington City Council has managed the garden since 1891, developing the Lady Norwood Rose Garden (1950), the Begonia House (1960), and the Tree house Visitor Center (1991). The garden today covers over 23 acres and displays native forest, exotic trees, plant collections, and stunning seasonal floral displays. It is the first public garden in the country to be classified as an historic area by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

After walking through the gardens (uphill, ACK!!), we finally found ourselves at the cable car which we took back down the hill to the center of town. A quick search around the area an Irish Pub was spotted where a pint of Guiness was drank with great gusto!

A fantastic day it was and it was with some regret we boarded the ship and departed on our way to Napier.