Friday July 17th:
A good group of us got to Oahu a day early to enjoy Waikiki or a luau. I arranged for us all to meet and have dinner this evening at a nice restaurant right across the street from the hotel.
Thursday July 16th:
Barbara came early to spend a day with me on the big island so I took her to the beach and up to the telescope. This was a nice relaxing day for her to get on a better schedule for the cruise.
Friday July 17th:
A good group of us got to Oahu a day early to enjoy Waikiki or a luau. I arranged for us all to meet and have dinner this evening at a nice restaurant right across the street from the hotel.
Saturday July 18th:
Some of us spent the morning in search of the last of the Harry Potter books and we found a borders just down the street in a new mall. We had to check out of the hotel and go check in at the ship this afternoon. After missing the safety drill because we walked to mass at church downtown in Honolulu, we set off. Our group had reserved seating in the big dining hall but we were a small group so we only needed 2 large tables really.
Sunday July 19th:
This was our first day on the cruise, we got to Hilo early this morning but I stayed on the ship since I live on this island and drive to Hilo on occasion. I already know this island very well. Sorry I didn't even take puctires of myself lounging by the pool with a tall drink and my Harry Potter book.
Monday July 20th:
We got to Kahului, Maui this morning and I had signed up for the Molokini Snorkle tour. We saw dolphins on the way, and snorkled near Molokini crater for about 2 hours. It was crowded here and unfortunately they won't let you explore far from your boat. It was nice. We actually did snorkle close to the Maui shore and this was less crowded and I saw turtles.
Tuesday July 21st:
Today a group of us hit the beach, pololo I think was its name. It was nice, and hot. Anthony has pizza delivered while some of us had brought food for a picnic lunch. It was a great day in the water. We had to be back to the ship a bit early since we leave this afternoon for Kona. Sorry no pictures taken this day or night.
Wednesday July 22nd:
Today was a mass day. We did not have a priest with us so we had mass only a few times where we could. I had arranged this with Fr John (visiting from Kenya) at St. Michael's church. It was a lovely service and Matt proposed right in front of the church. The walk along the shore front is wonderful with shops and a nice view of the ship moored in the harbor.
Thursday July 23rd:
This was a long overnight to get to Kauai. This is an island I have been wanting to visit for a while, besides Molokai. Today was the Napali Coast Explorer. We saw more dolphins, a harbor seal, and the beautiful NW coast of Kauai, we snorkled with turtles, and swam in the ocean at a beautiful protected spot. We got back to the ship in time and I had signed up for a luau. This was huge compared to the ones on the Big Island. Many more tourists here I guess. Check out my pics of the fire knife dancer.
Friday July 24th:
We had a short morning here today and I had not signed up for anything today. I took the bus in to the supermarket and did a bit of shopping cause I had caught a cold and was quite sniffly. I relaxed onboard. We went around the N side of Kauai to see the Napali coast but we were farther away. The tour I did the day before was much better, up close and personal. This being our last evening all together, we met and had dinner and drinks after all together in a lounge.
Saturday July 25th:
We got back to Oahu this morning and after getting off the ship went to get a nice lunch and then Juli and I headed for the airport. She was flying back to Hawaii to stay with me for a few days. It was nice to get home.
Sunday July 26th to Wednesday July 29th:
Juli and I went to mass at Annunciation church sunday morning where I sing in the choir. She met all my good friends over breakfast. Tuesday we scheduled a tour of the hospital with one of my choir director who works there. On Monday we did a tour of the Hilo side, starting at Onomea Bay and the Botanical Garden. Then we went to the Hilo Airport and did a helicopter tour of the volcano. We did spend some time on the beach also on Tuesday. It was great to show her around more of the big island.
