HAWAII

Tuesday 21^st July 2009 - It was a stretch class for Alice and I at 7am followed by 30 minutes at the gym using various apparatus. The boys did their usual miles on the treadmill – Mason did 3.5 this morning. Breakfast then 9am I went with Glen to a computer class – mainly question and answer – the guy taking the classes is good so may just decide to do his photo editing classes after San Francisco. Mason went to a talk on Honolulu then to a “nutrition lecture”!!!!! Choir practice again – our last one before a small performance on Friday. Chilled out this afternoon and read a book as well as had a nana nap. After dinner listened to some music then had a hot tub and to bed. A busy day tomorrow – we dock at 7am and have to attend customs and immigration at 8am – then off to pick up the rental car for a trip around the island. We have a full day in Honolulu leaving at 11pm. I realised last night that the date of my blog entries is still showing NZ time but think I will leave it or I’ll be forever changing it. We are currently a day plus two hours ahead of NZ time.

Wednesday 22^nd July 2009- Arrived in Honolulu this morning at 7am. We had to attend USA immigration at 8am so up and packed a backpack and went up to breakfast then stood in a queue that was about a mile long – got through in ¾ of an hour and we were off. We had booked a rental car before we left NZ and walked to the address we had to pick it up to find that they had closed down. Got hold of them (Hertz) by phone to be told the car was at one of the Hotels ready and waiting. The car was a Ford Escape, nice and big, and really reasonable cost for the day, we thought. After picking it up we were off around the island and what a fantastic day we had – got lost a few times – got some really good photos – it was such a scenic tour. Stopped for shrimps at a place where they farmed them and were they big – we had them done in butter and garlic, yum. Arrived back in Honolulu at 6pm and the boys dropped Alice and I off in town to have a look at the shops. Did a bit of damage while the boys refilled the wine bottles!!!! Honolulu has certainly grown since we were here in 1980. Mason did a great job of driving but is very tired tonight. We dropped the car off at 9pm and it was back to the ship for tea at the buffet. After that it was dancing on the deck as the ship left Honolulu for Maui where we will be tomorrow.

Thursday 23^rd July 2009 - This morning we anchored off Lahaina, on the island of Maui at 8am. We had to get ashore by ship’s tender so by the time we had breakfast – Mason actually brought it to me in bed – packed a backpack and got going, it was 10.30am before we left the ship. We had intended going to the beach for the day however got involved in looking around the town and doing some shopping while the boys had a few beers in the local AND Glen got propositioned by a woman (see photo). She is the one just behind Glen who now has her back to him and is trying her luck with someone else since Alice and I had arrived! Had something to eat and then decided it was too risky to try to get to the beach and back – would hate to be left behind and the ship waits for no-one so we came back to the ship around 4pm. Dressed for dinner, then afterwards I organised for one of my photos to go in the photo competition they are running – on instructions from the teacher of the class I attended. Don’t expect to win. The show tonight was a ventriloquist and it was so funny – he called onto the stage one of the guys we have got to know quite well and used him as the dummy. We all nearly laughed till we cried! We left the Hawaiian islands at 6pm and are bound for San Francisco. Have four days at sea and over these days will put our clocks forward by three hours. Tomorrow the exercise starts again!