and so it begins.....RTW16

[Emma Chisit]

I am looking forward to Nuku Hiva!

 

Wow. Beautiful Nuku Hiva photos on the blog....Now, I wasn't envious of you continuing on after we left (seems so long ago) in Singapore....

Until today.....:D

[cathi]

We miss you too Deanna!!!

[cbb]

Wednesday, June 1, 2016 Day 151

 

Grief is spreading through the ship since we now realize that we only have 1 more month with each other and the staff and crew. Our joke is wondering how many grief counselors will be brought on board in Los Angeles to care for us until we reach Miami.

 

None of us expected that when we boarded we would bond with each other as we have done. We genuinely care about each other....well... most of us care! We're already talking about a land reunion!

 

Today is Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands and we will be out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with our nearest neighbors, the Galapagos, approximately 3400 nautical miles away.

 

I read that if we were on a ship half-way between Nuku Hiva and the Galapagos we would be as far from dry land as we could be anywhere else on Earth. Amazing, isn't it?

 

Nuku Hiva is known as "Mystic Island" and I can well understand that label. It is an isolated place of spectacular beauty with mountains spiking into the air, often covered in wispy clouds, with lush vegetation, and waterfalls so high that the water ends in mist.

 

Do not come here if you are expecting luxury, or a beach experience, but if you want to see spectacular scenery in shades of green that you've probably never seen before, this is the place.

 

We anchored in Taiohae Bay which is stunning just sailing in and when you are at anchor the ship gently rotates giving you lovely views that are ever changing.

 

We were told to expect a tender ride to Taiohae of approximately 15 minutes and I'd say that was accurate.

 

The town of Taiohae is located 0.6 (1k) from the pier and has a post office which is easily identified by the flags on poles in front, a church, a bank/ATM, and a few shops as well as a couple of cafes right where the tenders dock.

 

We wanted to see more of the island so we went on a shore excursion titled "Taipivai Valley" as did approximately 50 others in the morning and the same number in the afternoon.

 

If you decide to do this excursion, don't wait to book it, because there are only a few trucks on the island. If you wait too long, you won't have a seat--either shorex or private tour. This is the only excursion offered by O and all ride in the drivers' private vehicles.

 

We had received our numbers in the Lounge before boarding our tenders so we knew which truck to find when we arrived at the pier and our beloved Luke from Destination Services walked us all to where the trucks were parked admonishing us that there were to be only 4 passengers per truck.

 

If you get car sick ask to ride in the front with the driver. One of you is going to anyway so it might as well be the one who gets motion sick easily....guess where Mr. Wonderful rode!!

 

Off we went in our caravan of trucks, which were modern, safe, comfortable and mostly Toyotas. We didn't use the a/c as we four agreed that it was "windows down" for this tour!

 

Our first stop was to the fore-mentioned church in town. It is the Notre Dame Cathedral but is unlike most cathedrals you've ever been in. It was first built in the 19th century and part of the original wall made from local stones is still there but this structure dates from 1977.

 

Nuku Hiva is renowned for its woodcarvers and the Cathedral's Stations of the Cross were all hand-carved, as was the crucifix. Go look up and see the wooden stakes sticking out from the His hands and feet. I'll never forget the face of Christ on that Cross.

 

If you look at the Stations carefully, as well as other carved Biblical scenes hanging on the walls, you will see not olive trees, but breadfruit trees. Instead of swords there are native spears. The artists have adapted the teachings of the Bible to their lives.

 

When you approach the Cathedral you see massive statues that have been carved on either side of the doors and of course the doors are also wooden. What is so cool is that the doors are huge sliding doors and when pushed back, the statutes now frame the opening.

 

The altar is an enormous but simple slab of stone, the pulpit has hand carvings as well. And then the ceiling....again all covered in wood but it is not a simple flat or even vaulted ceiling, but one of angles and the light comes in bouncing on all that wood which makes lovely shadows.

 

How wonderful it must be to attend services there. As you can tell, I was blown away by the Cathedral.

 

We re-boarded our trucks and drove only a short distance from the Cathedral to the Bay. There we saw where ancient people had worshiped. This site was rebuilt in 1988 and statues of the ancient gods have been carved by local artists so that we would see it as it would have been.

 

From there we headed up into the mountains towards Taipival Valley. The mountains are volcanic but are dormant and at one time one of the craters had collapsed into the sea which created the bay where our ship was anchored.

 

Mr. Wonderful had absolutely no problems with the ride even though the road was a series of switchbacks.

 

We stopped for a photo opp on the other side so that we could see down into the gorgeous valley and glimpses of inlets of the sea as well. Sometimes I spotted a roof but the jungles were so dense that there could have been 20 roofs in there and I wouldn't have seen them.

 

According to my research, this valley is one of the richest archaeological sites in all of the Marquesas. In 1842 it was also the home of the author and sailor Herman Melville for approximately three weeks after he deserted his ship and hid in this valley. He was captured by the locals and this experience was the inspiration for Typee and its sequel, Omoo.

 

The ancient people were Polynesians who came from Samoa beginning about 1025AD* and went on to sail to Hawaii and Easter Island...all part of the great Polynesian Triangle. (*some believe that the ancient ones came 150BC but carbon dating is not proving that date but the later one)

 

Anthropologists say the Marquesan music, dancing, and language is more like Samoan and Hawaiian than Tahitian.

 

About 9000 live in all of the Marquesas today. The Spanish were the first to arrive in 1595, and the population was much higher then. English Captain Cook arrived in 1774 and he estimated that 100,000 lived in the islands. Disease, a brief Chilean slave trade, and better jobs elsewhere had the population in 1926 at 2,225.

 

The population has risen because of a high birthrate and less people seeking jobs elsewhere.

 

We arrived at another rebuilt archaeological site (bathrooms-bring your TP) which were all open air with thatched roofs. There is evidence that here the early people performed human sacrifices.

 

Off to Taipivai,a small settlement at the end of the road and at water's edge was an open air building with fresh fruit and banana fritters for us and where local vendors had set up their wares. Many of the necklaces and bracelets were gorgeous and were a combination of natural products and carved wood.

 

I wanted to buy earrings but did not since Americans are not allowed to bring seeds into the US. I didn't want Customs to confiscate my earrings and throw me in federal prison for smuggling so I abstained.

 

Every vendor I saw had at least 2 prices listed on their crafts: Euros and CFP francs. Take 2 zeros off that CFP price and that will give you U$ and they will accept U$. Haggling is not done.

 

We spent some time there taking pictures of the lovely little bay and then back in the truck for our climb out of the valley.

 

One of my seatmates, our friend Bill, kept us entertained by pointing out the farm animals he saw. We did see horses and apparently many of them are descendants of the ones brought from Chile in the 19th century.

 

Around every curve in the road was something spectacular to see, mist over a mountain, a waterfall, a beautiful tree in flower (Hu'ua trees a local said) which looked like a yellow hibiscus flower that turned red when it was time to drop from the tree.

 

As we crested the mountains our caravan of trucks stopped at a wide spot in the road to view Taiohae Bay and our Insignia. The bay seemed almost fjorded from that view and we could see the perfectly shaped crescent bay of black sand.

 

We left the trucks at the pier and went to investigate the beach we had read about. Go to the Post Office and across the street (on the right with the PO on your left) you will see a small road/path that leads to the beach. Walk down it to the water and turn left.

 

Evidently it was high tide since there was no beach. The floor was covered in large smooth stones. Further down the beach some people were in the water but I thought it was murky.

 

We sailed away around 5 and with the dramatic mountains behind us, green all around us in a beautiful blue bay and calm waters in front it was just another one of the amazing moments of this adventure.

[cbb]

D-

 

Cathi is right....we do miss you. Wish you were sailing in to Miami with us--and your guy could have been taking amazing pictures.

[Emma Chisit]

Aww…thanks C & C….Miss you all too.

And (I don’t think Wayne has used this quote yet), but with all the sea days coming up in your future, something to keep in mind…

 

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward. (Spanish proverb).

[2552phxcrzr]

Aww…thanks C & C….Miss you all too.

And (I don’t think Wayne has used this quote yet), but with all the sea days coming up in your future, something to keep in mind…

 

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward. (Spanish proverb).

 

That's a great quote ... and one that I have used in my journal often for days at sea.

[Floridiana]

A wonderful description of Nuku Hiva.

[2552phxcrzr]

Cynthia ... you mention tendering in Nuku Hiva. The O schedule for 2017 shows us docking. Did you notice anywhere where the ship might actually dock?

 

Erin

Edited June 3, 2016 by h2so4

[Floridiana]

There is a dock in the harbor. It is used by the Aranui and other freighters. Might be a question of availability, cost (?) and length of ship. We were in Nuku Hiva twice on the same Aranui trip and were anchored the second time during Bastille Day when nobody shore side worked - except the restaurant owners and the dancers.

[2552phxcrzr]

There is a dock in the harbor. It is used by the Aranui and other freighters. Might be a question of availability, cost (?) and length of ship. We were in Nuku Hiva twice on the same Aranui trip and were anchored the second time during Bastille Day when nobody shore side worked - except the restaurant owners and the dancers.

 

Thanks ... we'll be flexible. Looks like O is at least planning to dock if they can.

[canuck.qc]

Cynthia,

We also will be grieving a month from now:(:(:( We so enjoy your journal.

Your description of Nuku Hiva is as I remember, the island is beautiful. I have a photo of the Marina in Taiohae Bay.

Thanks

L

[cbb]

canuck.qc......

 

what a lovely compliment. Thank you! c

[Floridiana]

I'll miss you, too. :) But now off to Hawaii!

[Floridiana]

Seriously, I don't like it when this thread moves too far down.

[cbb]

Monday, June 6, 2016 (DDay) Hilo, Hawaii Day 156

 

Good Evening,

 

After 4 lovely days at sea, we were promised a view of an active volcano's lava dumping into the sea so many of us were up on 10 between 3-4am last night. Strange to see so many people in bathrobes up there and a couple of people napped on the putting green while waiting. Too many clouds to see anything so back to bed at 3:45.

 

We arrived in Hilo, Hawaii this morning a little before 8 and were quickly cleared by US officials (and boy, does typing "US" feel weird after all these months).

 

We all had to have a face-to-face with US Immigration which took about 1 minute for us. O rep handed us our passport, US official looked at it, said "Welcome back" (i got tears in my eyes...how dumb is that!) and we walked a few steps to hand the passports back to another O rep.

 

We were handed a small piece of paper that said "you have now cleared US Customs & Immigration," were asked to show the card at the gangway when when we left this morning, and then were free to leave the ship.

 

Only problem was... it was pouring rain. Out came the ponchos and off we went.

 

And then faced a problem that we hadn't faced in all of the previous ports around the world....a promised shuttle from port into town did not exist.

 

Crystal ship was in port and they had a shuttle, but we didn't. Our Destination Services rep said he knew nothing of any problems until we arrived. Turns out the shuttle blew an engine and was getting fixed but no replacement would be coming.

 

So picture people who had a disrupted night, have already gone through Customs (which was no big deal) then slopped for quite a distance through the rain, being stopped by port security every time a truck wanted to drive through, only to arrive finally at the shuttle stop and ....no shuttle.

 

There was a free shuttle to Walmart and the person who came up with that idea probably has a great management job by now because it was heavily used.

 

Why Walmart, you ask? The RTW people needed to resupply: some got snacks, some got more sun screen, some got things like aspirin and bandaids, and some of us got more suitcases!

 

We had to, not because of all the stuff we've bought, but because Luggage Free, or someone who handled it, blew out a zipper on one of our suitcases so we had to replace it before we reached Miami.

 

We returned to the ship with our new suitcase and graham crackers (I got the jones for graham crackers....go figure!) and then went back out.

 

We grabbed a cab into town for $12 and walked around. It rained off and on and we did a little DIY historical walking tour, but must admit there wasn't a lot of history to see.

 

We did enjoy looking at some of the older buildings' architectural styles still around and pretty quickly determined that just one street off the main shopping area introduced us to a pretty laid back and sometimes funky little town.

 

We found the farmers market which was really nice and I found some lovely tropical flowers for $5 that brighten the room, particularly since the clouds never really went away. Our room attendant loves them!

 

It felt strange using U$, seeing which side of the road everyone drove on and that everyone spoke English!

 

Hilo isn't glitzy, there are few high-rises, the port is very industrial, but the people are very lovely and of course Hilo is very green and tropical. It was raining too hard to investigate the beach across the street from the shopping area.

 

Our weather has been extraordinary on this cruise. It rained on us one day in Brazil, one day in Shanghai, and in Tauronga and that has been it.

 

Arriving back into the States makes us realize even more that this great adventure is almost over....24 days left and it just doesn't seem possible.

 

We are all kind of subdued tonight and I don't think it is all weather related..... good night.

[no fuss travel]

I think we all be subdued once the next 24 days are over. We have all been living your cruise through you and have enjoyed the voyage very much. I know that my spouse's limit for being away is 35 days at most, so the RTW will never happen for us. Thank you for bringing back so many wonderful memories of places we have visited.

[2552phxcrzr]

Getting subdued towards the end of long periods of travel is to be expected ... there is only so much one's brain can process. It's one of the reasons why we tend to not plan much during the last few days of travel ... go with the flow. That said, it's nice to be on this voyage with you virtually ... and we continue to look forward to the last bit that is left.

[cbb]

Tuesday, June 7, 2016 Day 157

 

Today we docked in Honolulu right at the Aloha Tower at 8am and were to remain there until 11:30pm. The weather was absolutely glorious.

 

We've been here before but O offered an excursion we couldn't resist and I'm so glad we went on this one as it had one of the best guides of our whole cruise. I can only think of 2-3 others who were as good or better than Olav who has been conducting tours for years.

 

Our excursion was listed as 7.5 hours and he was careful to watch the time since some of us had to get back to the ship in time to change clothes and board a bus for our last RTW Event, an evening on the USS Missouri.

 

This shorex was entitled VIP Pearl Harbor & Military Bases Tour and for anyone who wants to take this who is not an American citizen, you are going to be disappointed. "Due to strict government regulations only US citizens are allowed to participate in this tour."

 

We also had to doublecheck with Destination Services that all of our personal information found in our passport was correct and gender and ethnicity was also required. Since I'm a typical American Heinz 57 woman I'm not sure what ethnicity they chose....mutt, maybe!?

 

The itinerary listed the USS Arizona Memorial first, but our guide said that it is regularly too crowded first thing in the morning; he suggests that anyone wanting to get to the Arizona try to be there for their first ferry very early in the morning.

 

So....our first stop was driving through the Punchbowl National Cemetery. Buses are no longer allowed to off-load their passengers and indeed a "drive-by" is all that is allowed.

 

Of course, it is hallowed ground and our guide told us that a funeral must be going to occur that day, since the flag was flying at half-mast. After the funeral is over, the flag will again be raised to the top of the flagpole.

 

We continued on to Schofield Army Barracks, and had opportunities to take lots of pictures. Olav was very careful to tell us exactly where we could and could not take pictures every place we went. If active military was involved then no photography in that location....even including some housing.

 

He interspersed his narrative by showing us parts of famous WWII movies and then pointed out where those scenes were filmed. We saw many places where "Tora Tora Tora," "Pearl Harbor," "From Here to Eternity," and others were shot.

 

It was great to see Burt Lancaster on screen run across an area and then see it in front of me at Schofield Barracks!

 

From there we saw the Pineapple Pentagon and Wheeler Army Airfield, the WWII fighter command post where photography was again limited.

 

He pointed out the flight path of where the Japanese planes came in over the mountains and where they strafed the fields with the US planes lined up tip to tip to protect them from sabotage.

 

From there we drove to Fort Shafter to enjoy lunch on the base...Mexican that day!

 

After lunch it was off to Pearl Harbor's Visitor Center where we learned that the Navy had deemed the winds too high for the ferries to operate safely to the USS Arizona so we went through the exhibit halls, walked on our own through the Remembrance Circle, saw the Bowfin and watched the movie that explained the story of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

 

It was really an extraordinary excursion, made even better by the stories of people he had taken on his tours that had been at Pearl on Dec 7, 1941 as well as his own research. The film clips were great additions.

 

Rarely did he stray into his personal opinion about events, for which I'm grateful.

 

I do not belong to the school of "what if" or "if only". What happened, happened and we shouldn't waste time second-guessing something that has already occurred but instead learn from mistakes made and vow, "never again."

 

Later that evening we attended the Event on the USS Missouri which was wonderful. I was thrilled to stand on the deck where the surrender papers were signed in Tokyo by representatives of all of the participants in the Pacific Theater.

 

There is a plaque sunk into the deck at the spot where the papers were signed as well as photographs of the surrender ceremony and replicas of those papers signed. The plaque includes the coordinates of Tokyo Bay.

 

From the starboard side, you could look over the side and see the USS Arizona Memorial in front of the Missouri....and realize that you were at the beginning and the ending of WWII.

 

It appeared at one point that the clouds over the mountains were coming our way accompanied by rain, but the evening remained moisture free....from the clouds.

 

We then went to the stern where young men dressed as sailors and young women in 1940s clothing walked around offering hors d'oeuvre and where a bar was set up. A trio of young women dressed in '40s fashions sang as the Andrew Sisters would have with a great band behind them.

 

All of us were ready to party and to just be with each other as a group for really the last time, I guess. Captain Flokos and General Manager Victor Conceicao attended in casual clothing.

 

Many of us wore our very best tropical fashions and some of us even wore flowers in our hair. We were all given leis by darling little girls upon our arrival so everyone smelled really lovely!

 

Victor had just returned that day from vacation so he greeted the RTWers and we welcomed him back home. Later I saw both of them enjoying the music....but they did not jitterbug!

 

Many people were dancing and singing along , but towards the end we just went around hugging each other, teary-eyed.

 

It was a lovely evening aboard a wonderful and historical ship and a great ending to our day.

Edited June 9, 2016 by cbb

[Emma Chisit]

Many people were dancing and singing along , but towards the end we just went around hugging each other, teary-eyed.

 

Ah….travels coming to and end….it’s sad, but you have to end one journey before you can begin another….

 

Now, I didn’t mention this at the time on our wonderful Roll Call, but Oceania never managed to get the Cruise Vacation Guide booklet to us in Australia before the cruise. When it was finally sent to our TA we told her to keep it until we next saw her. Which happened to be today as we have some travel plans in the works…

It even has the official printed luggage tags tucked inside.

So, I’m wondering, does this mean maybe we can start all over again? :D

[Mura]

An excellent thought, Emma. It's worth a try!

 

Good luck .... :D

 

Mura

[cbb]

D-

 

I think I'm going to be able to finish the cruise....you said you didn't want to cruise anymore for a while...now you want to start over!!?

 

You should get on in LA and finish with us! Say "hi" to your D..... c

[Emma Chisit]

D-

 

I think I'm going to be able to finish the cruise....you said you didn't want to cruise anymore for a while...now you want to start over!!? You should get on in LA and finish with us! Say "hi" to your D..... c

 

Well about that "not cruising any more" thing.....Remember when I said that Nuku Hiva looked entrancing? Well, I checked out the Paul Gauguin website and they have two interesting repositioning cruises next year, one thing led to another and we booked on one. We were never really interested in their FP cruises because, although FP is gorgeous, we already live in a sub-tropical paradise. However, this cruise goes from Fiji to Bali with interesting port calls in several Papua New Guinea ports as well as Guadalcanal, Espiritu Santo, and a few Indonesian ports. A big attraction for us is Port Moresby, not a major cruise destination but PNG is where we started married life in the sixties. And this is a cruise where the flights at beginning and end are not long. Hope the ship will not encounter rough seas as it ventures away from its French Polynesian territory...

(D says Hi too and good to see you have updated your photo blog.)

Yes, the ports after LA do indeed also look entrancing but alas not do-able. Even with the luggage tags, someone else in "our" cabin might get a shock!

[cbb]

Wednesday June 8, 2016 Day 158

Erring on the side of safety, we chose a shorex for Lahaina, Maui yesterday.

 

I wanted to sail and snorkel sometime while we were in Hawaii and this would be a good port to do this. We chose one called "Trilogy West Maui Snorkel Sail"-- a 4 hour sail.

 

We figured that whatever company O used for a shorex had to meet stringent safety requirements and had to take it easy if there were winds present....which there were later in the morning...no speed allowed!

 

The Trilogy West people have more than one or two catamarans; our captain told us that they had 10 boats in their fleet and were a local company. I pass this info on so that if you want to do DIY/private tours you'll have the name of one company.

 

I liked what I saw. The ships were clean, modern, and very well cared for. The crew were young healthy men perfectly capable of diving in to save anyone for whatever reason. They were very ecologically conscious...for which I was grateful.

 

They did not sail far from the dock where we had tendered in before the Captain shut down everything and went through the safety drill and other items of business that we needed to know.

 

One of the crew then brought around pineapple juice or water as well as trays of sliced oranges and pineapple and of course, they were wonderful.

 

Also offered were trays of banana bread which was very good! The fruit and banana bread were then left in the galley and they were gone by lunch time! Everything tastes better at sea!

 

One of the older ladies asked the guys if their girlfriends baked the banana bread...the indignant reply was "I can bake!"....and yes, he can!

 

We sailed for about 45 minutes until we anchored offshore in a fairly sheltered bend in the coast and just looking over the railings we could see sponges and coral and turtles...we had arrived at a great spot.

 

Again, he went over all of the safety things we needed to know, including the requirement to wear some sort of flotation device. Two types were offered; one was a type of overhead life jacket for the advanced snorklers and for the others a banana colored thick belt.

 

The Captain said that 40 of us were on board and that there were 88 life jackets so in case of an incident at sea we could each have 2 jackets!

 

One of the snorklers was refused entry into the water until he donned his flotation device and when he said "oh really" in a fairly patronizing voice the reply was "I'm the Captain, and on my ship you will wear flotation or you don't snorkel." He snorkeled!

 

The visibility was excellent, the sponges and coral looked wonderfully healthy, and I saw about 6 types of fish where we were anchored. A word about anchoring; one of the crew donned mask and fins and hand carried the anchor line to the concrete pad, tied up, and surfaced--one breath! Remarkable!!

 

I saw black durgon, sergeant majors, and others I need to identify. The black durgon against the colored sponges and coral was beautiful and sometimes I'd see orange sea stars nestled into crevices of the coral...gorgeous!

 

After snorkeling, and back on board we were offered trays of wraps including tuna, veggie, turkey, and chicken salad as well as a variety of drinks, including local beer. Several people had seconds on both!

 

Then one of the crew pulled up the tethering ropes, the sails were unwrapped, and off we sailed. Eventually the motors were turned off and we just glided through the water and enjoyed the sea and the sun.

 

I didn't find out the name of the musical group whose music we listened to, but just from the lyrics I assumed it was a Hawaiian band. If it was, that is very cool of Trilogy West to support local music.

 

You do need to know that if the ship heads into water that is showing a little chop that the ride could be too much for motion-sensitive people. Mr. Wonderful did. not. do. well. on this excursion, but he lived!

 

Hawaii is so beautiful and so many of us of a 'certain age' need to get out of their comfort zone and try something new.

 

I have snorkeled many times before but never in Maui and I had vowed, sitting in the comfort of my chair at home, that I would sail and snorkel. I have gotten to fulfill my vow now 4 times with one more to come in Mexico.

 

I'm so glad we decided to get on a catamaran, to sail out of port and to see the islands, the magnificent islands of Hawaii, from the sea.

 

Even if you don't snorkel, just being on the water and seeing the scenery not from a bus or a car or from a sidewalk is so worth it. Go to sea!

[cbb]

Thursday, June 9, 2016 Day 159

 

We've been to Hawaii before but somehow never to Kauai, which of course, was a huge mistake!!

 

We opted for a shorex so that someone else could do the driving and we could gain some information. We are going on NCL for a family reunion this winter and need to do some planning before we come again.

 

This shorex is entitled "Discover Kauai" and lasts 6 hours with lunch....having lunch is always a good thing.

 

Steve of "Kauai North Shore Limo" took 9 of us in a very clean a/c van throughout the coast and he was excellent. He gave us some details about Hawaiian history, knew several of the birds and trees, and great information on the Nepali Coastal area.

 

Unfortunately, it is on the opposite side of the island from the pier so it will be about 20 miles from the ship--this is not someplace you can walk to. I saw no local buses in the port area so grab a shorex or a rental car.

 

We first went to the Wailau River Marina, (bathrooms are there) and embarked on a wooden river boat to cruise up the Wailua River, passing many kayakers, on our way to the Fern Grotto.

 

There were a few steps to get down to the boat dock and then into the boat so you must be agile enough to do that. The river is beautiful and the jungle on both sides lush and green.

 

Once at the next dock we climbed up an incline, passing bathrooms which many used, to the Fern Grotto. The local guide, dressed in beautiful native designs and standing on a very wide platform, told us that years before visitors could climb into the Grotto but that in the early 2000s, rock slides began and it was deemed unsafe to enter.

 

The guide also told us that it was a favorite place for people to come from around the world to get married but that locals flew to Vegas to get married....it got an appreciative laugh from everyone!

 

Then he and his colleagues, also beautifully dressed, began singing traditional songs...and he was amazing. He had a falsetto that Frankie Valli could only hope to have! One of the women began to dance and she was lovely...I think she must have done this a time or two before.

 

They sang a traditional love song and at the end we were told to kiss our loved one, and we obliged.

 

As we left the Grotto the musicians followed us and got into our boat which was filled with all O passengers who had begun various shorex at the river--I thought that was very efficiently done.

 

We all then went our separate ways and our group of 9 then drove to Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge. There we saw hundreds of white birds sitting on green & black lava cliffs, with the surf pounding under them and many different types of birds soaring overhead...absolutely stunning.

 

Also at the Refuge was the Kilauea Lighthouse and if you are patient you might be able to take photos without other people in front of it! (Hint: go around to the back or to one side...you'll be able to get a photo without tourists in your picture!)

 

This is a lovely place to visit and I encourage anyone in the area to go--you wil definitely be rewarded by beautiful scenery.

 

This is also a bird sanctuary so if you are a birder you will love it. Several of the birds lay their eggs in the ground and the information plaques are very educational.

 

Some of the birds I spotted were frigatebirds, red footed boobies, the ever-present sea gulls, and white-tailed and red-tailed tropic birds.

 

The we drove to Anini Beach and had time for a sandwich lunch. It was turkey and cheese sandwiches with fresh tomatoes and lettuce.

 

Before you grimace, remember that many of the 9 were RTW and something as simple as this sandwich with potato chips and drinks were greatly appreciated....sometimes it is the simple things you realize you miss the most being away from home for 6 months.

 

Anini Beach had some locals there and is a great beach for families. There were older people sitting in chairs in the water, and little kids learning to put their heads under water and being cheered by the family.

 

The beach is very well protected and one can walk quite a way without getting their knees wet!

 

Our guide went over to some locals at a picnic table, returned ,and reported that they were having a lunch item that used Spam....so we all thought that was pretty cool since we had heard about the popularity of Spam! Steve assured us that it wasn't a stereotype...Spam was a staple in most kitchens in Hawaii.

 

All too soon our beach visit was over, but Steve drove through neighborhoods showing us small houses that he knew were on sale for $700,000+, but they were very close to the beach and we know real estate is all about location, location, location.

 

We then drove to the Hanalei area, walked down the pier, walked the beach and I collected small pieces of driftwood; I later turned them in to Reception so that they could be fumigated as we have been asked to do. Anything made of wood or other natural materials should be fumigated so that one doesn't take home hitchhikers! (like bugs and spiders, or their eggs)

 

We began our return to the pier by way of Opaekaa Falls for a photo opp and probably joined some people from NCL's Pride Of America which was in Nawiliwili at the same time we were. It seems like such a big ship along side our Insignia; I'll get lost when I board this winter!

 

Kauai, especially the Napali Coast, is everything you've ever dreamed a tropical setting should be. The Ha'au tree was in bloom which was lovely and had been in bloom in Nuka Hiva.

 

The ancients brought the seeds of this tree with them and planted them everywhere they landed; the seeds must have loved Nuka Hiva and Hawaii because they are everywhere! History even appears in blooming trees!

 

Also in bloom was the African Tulip Tree which has an enormous canopy filled with gorgeous bright orangey-red big blooms, the Monkey Pod tree which has puffy pink and white blooms and the Royal Poincianna which is another huge canopied tree with ferny leaves and bright red clusters of flowers.

 

Everywhere you looked was shades of green; emerald mountains, chartreuse trees, lime green cliffs, all against a bright blue sky, puffy white clouds, and all the shades of blue that the Pacific can throw up against black rocks.....just....wow!

[Floridiana]

Beautiful Hawaii!:)