CRUISING THE SPECTACULAR HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

Pride of America

This is part three of my mega holiday with my daughter Louise and I thought I would do a separate blog about our fabulous cruise around the Hawaiian Islands.  Having spent five days in Vegas and three days in Honolulu (see previous blogs), we set sail on board Norwegian Cruise Line's the Pride of America for the beautiful islands.

While I am not a particularly seasoned cruiser - this is only my third cruise - it was a first for my daughter, and we both absolutely loved it! The huge ship is a 80,439 ton, 15 deck vessel which normally carries some 2,186 passengers with around 920 crew but post-pandemic, the passenger list was less than capacity due to staff shortages, and some of the restaurants were closed.  However, we found the cafeteria style Aloha Cafe restaurant was far better than some of my previous cruises, offering a wide choice of international food.  In fact, our only two visits to other eateries on board (the beautifully decorated Skyline and the funky Cadillac diner) were decidedly ordinary, though all the staff on the ship were always wonderfully helpful, cheerful and polite. 

Maui

Day one was cruising and allowed us to find our sea legs, and for day two we had booked an excursion to the crater at Mount Haleakalā , on the beautiful island of Maui to see the sun set. Our trip instructions had told us to take a sweater as it could be chilly, but in all honesty, it would have been more appropriate to take an overcoat, boots, scarves, gloves and a woolly hat - it was freezing!  Those obviously in the know had also taken blankets with them!

But of course, 10,000 above sea level was bound to be cold but the view was well worth shivering for - it was spectacular!  Our bus took us way above the clouds into the Haleakalā National Park.The park is a rich, 34,000-acre tapestry of biodiversity that begins at the summit of Haleakalā at 10,023ft., and cascades down to the Kīpahulu District’s black volcanic sands. More than 24,000 acres of wilderness area provides exploration opportunities, ranging from high altitude cinder lands to lush coastal rainforest. Such a fabulous start to our Island adventure!

Day two saw us on a catamaran as we sailed the Pacific, stopping first off the coast of Lanai Island for snorkelling. The trip was a the cruise ship excursion with the conservation company The Pacific Whale Foundation and PacWhale eco-adventures, and they made sure that we understood not to touch the fish - and especially not the turtles if we saw any beneath us as we swam above. The colours of the fish were exquisite - so bright and very "Finding Nemo"! Unfortunately after 10 or 15 minutes, I began to feel quite queasy, so came back on board to enjoy the sunshine.  We sailed onto a second beach area where I stayed on the catamaran, but apparently everyone managed to see those elusive turtles swimming beneath the waves.

After lunch - which I declined - we had an afternoon sail along the Maui coastline, with its modern hotels lining the beach.  We were delighted to be joined by a pod of dolphins, swimming and diving right next to the catamaran.  What an absolute treat! Our coach picked us up at the harbour but I would have liked to have stopped at he Fleetwood Mac bar and restaurant on Front Street, though sadly we had to return to the ship all together, though we did pass by it (Hubby is a huge fan).

On deck

Day three saw us chilling on the ship, while our fellow travellers went off to explore Hilo, on the Big Island, famous for rainforests and waterfalls, but since we had booked a  rainforest hike and swim for later in the week, we took the opportunity to relax on board and check out the shops and activities - settling on the pool deck with a delicious mocktail.

The Big Island (Hawaii)

Day four was one of my favourite days as we dropped anchor in Kona on the Big Island - where the coffee grows. This was a history tour - but with the obligatory tourist shop stop to sample the different flavoured coffees! Then it was onto St Benedict Painted Church.  I've said I love stories and this one goes like this.... Father John Velghe left his native Europe to travel to a new parish in South America, but stopped along the way in Hawaii.  He was persuaded in 1899 that he was needed there instead of South America, and that there was a church with an active congregation needing a priest.  When he eventually saw the church it was completely derelict, and there were no worshippers.

Undaunted, he took the church apart bit by bit and with the help of a donkey, he carried the church up the hill to where he felt he was needed.  It took him - and the donkey - three years until the church was built.  At that time most Hawaiians did not read -  Hawaiian was not a language that was written down at that time anyway - so the priest told his stories from the bible in pictures.  An untrained artist, he used house paint that was given to him - in the only colours available - yellows, browns, greens and blues, creating beautifully painted frescoes on the walls and ceiling of the church.

Those original frescoes still adorn the church today - in perfect condition with one exception.  Despite the face that there are three frescoes on the same wall, the only one which is faded is the one depicting the devil and hell.  There is no direct sunlight on the frescoes, and the paintings are just inches apart. Some divine retribution perhaps????

The graveyard is interesting here too - since the landscape is built on hundreds of volcano eruptions over the centuries, digging graves is a difficult process so some are lined with lava rocks, but many original bones are still to be found scattered beneath sacred sites around the islands.

Our day trip also took in the Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park, known as the "place of Refuge" where locals fled to when they had broken the law.  Now a small fishing village, the bay is noted for snorkelling, reef diving and dolphin and whale spotting. It is such a pretty spot, with palm trees fringing the beach and rocks, and wild goats foraging for food among the lush vegetation. Last year the National Parks Service and partners removed more than 450 goats to protect the cultural and natural resources.  They were given to locals who had applied for permits and could provide transport to take them safely away.

The guardians pictured above and below and which mark the beach are the ki'i - images or statutes in the image of the many gods who protected the inhabitants.  They are usually carved from wood, stone, or even sea urchin spines.  Those standing at the bay were created in the 1960s when the site was renovated, with much of the work done by the descendants of the original carvers.  For more detail about the site and the statues, see here.

We finished the day with a wander around the port where the ship had docked.  There were some gorgeous little shops and even a farmers market, which had goods identical to those being sold on the ship, but much cheaper.  I could have spent lots of money, but as I have previously said, our baggage on the way out was already overweight!

We discovered Dole Whips - a frozen dairy-free dessert made of pineapple juice, frozen pineapple chunks, vanilla ice cream, lemon juice, salt and sugar which was amazing.  It was a recipe from the Dole company, formerly the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, which is actually now headquartered in Ireland, and which is the world's largest producer of fruit and vegetables.

The beautiful house pictured above is Hulihee Palace, standing on the beach in Kailua.The Palace was originally built out of lava rock during the Kingdom of Hawai‘i, on land known as Kalāke‘e, a former residence of Kamehameha the Great. The Palace itself was first home to High Chief John Adams Kuakini, brother of Ka‘ahumanu the favorite wife of Kamehameha, and later home to more members of Hawaiian royalty than any other residence in Hawai‘i. Hulihe‘e Palace consists of six large graciously appointed rooms, two large inviting oceanfront lanai and lovely grounds. After falling into disrepair, it was eventually restored by the Daughters of Hawaii in 1927, for use as a museum. (if you look carefully at the left of the picture, you can just see the Pride of America ship anchored at sea).

KAUA'I (THE GARDEN ISLAND)

Day Five was probably not my favourite day, but I'm glad I went!  To explain, since the accident when I fractured my spine, I struggle to walk uphill.  But my daughter wanted to trek through the rain forest to see a couple of waterfalls and swim beneath the cascading water, so we booked the ship's excursion - there were probably only about eight of us - which took us downhill through the forest, while our knowledgeable guide pointed out the flora and fauna - what was edible and what was poisonous.  We had had to sign a waiver before we started, which hadn't filled me with confidence from the start.

We rested at the first small waterfall, carrying further down the hill until the small waterfall cascaded into a pool.  Obviously not one of those waterfalls several feet high, but still enough pressure to knock you off your feet.  We were invited to climb the rocks and walk behind it, but that was a stretch too far for me, so we contented ourselves with a cooling dip in the pool beneath the water. No pictures of us bathing - they're not very flattering!!! Oh and the water was cleaner than it looked! 

The trek back up the hill - even with a stick - was excruciating, but with frequent rest stops, I made it in one piece.  The afternoon was spent resting  on the Kalapaki Beach, a short walk from Nawiliwili Harbour, which is the main port on Kaua'I.  Unfortunately it was the only beach we managed to rest  on during our action-packed cruise - Hawaii has the most beautiful soft, sandy beaches, but this was not a particularly restful holiday. Nawiliwili itself has an average of 50" of rainfall a year, but fortunately, it was a beautiful sunny day during our visit, though the nearby Mount Wailaeale is one of the wettest places on earth, hence the lush green forests and spectacular waterfalls.

Our final day on board ship, however, was relaxing as we set sail back to Honolulu, but I've saved the best until last.  I hate the term "awesome" for something which is helpful or useful, but our final cruise took us along the 17 mile NaPili coastline, which was just unbelievably awesome!  Nature has created such stunning scenery from those devastating prehistoric volcanoes.  The coastline features towering peaks fringed by pale sand beaches which are all but inaccessible except by sea. My first sight of these majestic cliffs did actually leave me speechless.  Such a beautiful end to our magical voyage - and for once, our photos really don't do it justice.

Sadly, this brought our cruise to an end. And I do mean, sadly, because I can honestly say it truly is paradise.  We barely scratched the surface or immersed ourselves in the rich historic culture, but it is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.  I would love to go back some day but I know that's not going to happen since it is so far away from the UK and incredibly expensive to both get there and also once you're there. But I'm grateful I have managed to experience even a little of it.

Next time, we will finish our bucket list holiday in Los Angeles, so please join us again!