Gallivanting Grandma

September 29, 2018

We awoke to a heavy tropical rain on our glass door with limited visibility.  The Golden Princess slowed to a crawl as we approached land.  I saw a tall black rock jutting our from the sea ahead.  We had arrived at the town of Nawiliwili on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.  This was “The Garden Island” of Hawaii.

We were scheduled for an excursion to the Waimea Canyon early in the morning.  The excursion was our excuse to ride a bus across the island so we could see more of this lesser known and infrequently visited island.  The driver doubled as a guide and informed us that the interior mountain receives more than 400 inches of rain per year.  He claimed that the western coast gets a mere 10 inches of rain annually.

It became obvious why Kauai is called The Garden Island.  The landscape was very green with lush tropical foliage and flowering trees everywhere.  Rocks at the seashore were black volcanic stones.

Our first stop was a “lava-tube blow hole” known as Spouting Horn.  When the tide is right, waves surge through a submerged air “tube” in the lava and erupt in a geyser of sea water.  Ancient Hawaiians believed the loud groan emitted by the sea water was the voice of the angry goddess Kaikapu.  A legend tells us that the coast was guarded by a large lizard who ate anyone who tired to swim or fish there.

The bus climbed a mountain to 3400 feet above sea level so we could see Waimea Canyon.  It is the largest canyon in the Pacific and is called “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific.”  The opposite side of the colorful crevice was visible when I arrived at the viewing platform.  As I stood there taking pictures, I watched as a thick fog blew in from the right and completely concealed the canyon.  It was amazing to watch the entire canyon disappear in the fog!

The bus returned to the ship at 2:00 o’clock which gave us enough time to get ready for the “Sail-Away” at 4:30.  We went up to the 15th deck and watched as the Golden Princess applied its thrusters and slowly pushed away from the dock.  The lines were brought aboard and the crew turned the bow toward the sea.

The ship followed the buoys out of the harbor and gained speed as we cruised out into the vast Pacific Ocean.  Papeete on the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia is our next port.  We will be on the ship for 5 days and 6 nights before reaching land.  This is a real adventure!!

September 23, 2018  Day One of our Pacific Adventure!

After a lot of planning, over-preparation, and a bit of anxiety, we flew out to Los Angeles to board the Golden Princess ship to cruise across the Pacific Ocean.  Our ultimate destination was the island continent of Australia.  On the way we would be stopping at Honolulu Oahu Hawaii, Kauaii Hawaii, Papeete Tahiti French Polynesia, Mo’orea French Polynesia, Pago Pago American Samoa, Auckland and several other ports in New Zealand.

This truly crazy plan was designed to be carried out in three phases just to avoid two long grueling 21-plus hour flights from JFK to Auckland or Sydney and return.  So, here we are on a huge ship cruising southwest across the Pacific for 20 days to arrive in Auckland,New Zealand on October 14.

By the way, that’s NOT Jeff stretched out near the aft pool in the photo above!  Our Home-Away-From-Home for twenty days is a comfortable “balcony mini-suite” on the 9th floor – Dolphin Deck – of the M.S. Golden Princess.  After we boarded, we explored the ship, scoped out several comfortable corners, and settled in for our first long cruise of 4-days and 5-nights at sea.  On the first night out of Los Angeles, the sea was a bit rough.  However, for the rest of the journey to Honolulu, the Pacific Ocean lived up to its “pacifico” reputation.  There were light breezes and gentle rolling waves under clear skies all the way to Hawaii.

September 28:  We arrived early in Honolulu harbor as the sun rose behind the city towers and the extinct volcano called Diamond Head.  It was a magnificent entrance.

The Golden Princess slowly entered the narrow channel and quietly slid alongside the dock. After the ship was secured, 2700 passengers disembarked and were dispersed into the warm humid capital.  A gentle misty rain fell as we walked down the street among modern government buildings.  We both had never been to Hawaii so we were curious about our 50th state.  A few blocks from the pier,  we reached the historic district and found the famous statue of the last reigning king of the Hawaiian islands: King Kamehameha.

The temperature was in the high 80s and the air was saturated with humidity, but the king welcomed us to his beautiful island.  Just across the street was Iolani Palace which was the royal residence of the Kalakaua Dynasty from 1874 – 1893.  Thankfully, the entire building was well air-conditioned so we could take a break from the heat and learn a little about Hawaiian history.  We took a guided tour of the palace which was very informative.

Honolulu is the capital of the state of Hawaii and is located on the island of Oahu.  Everywhere we looked there were palm trees, bright green grass, and a variety of tropical birds.  We found a bus stop and after a few minutes, hopped on a very cold air-conditioned bus to the impressive Ala Moana Shopping Center in the middle of town.  The fare was $2.75 each one-way or $5.50 for an all day pass.

We walked through the mall toward the main street along the beach.  Eventually, we had lunch at a beachside restaurant then continued along the sand toward Waikiki Beach.  A breeze blew off the light blue water and we felt a bit cooler as we explored. We walked out to the end of a jetty to have a great view of the famous beach.  Crabs crawled across the black rocks near the breakwater and we saw a large sea turtle poke his head up through the water.  It was a gloriously gorgeous day.

Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head:

We took another public bus back to the pier and boarded the Golden Princess for a relaxing evening.  The ship left Honolulu and continued northwest toward the Hawaiian Island of Kauai – pronounced “ka-va-ee.”  This was to be our next port-of-call tomorrow.