27th September
We flew to Hawaii via Tokyo, 6 hours in the airport at Nerita waiting for our flight, there wasn’t people many on the the flight to Nerita, but a full plane from Nerita to Honalulu. A friend of ours, Tim, met us at the airport, and we stayed with him and his wife Carrie for the night, before flying on to the “Big Island” tomorrow. It was great to catch up with them again. (We had previously stayed with them in Germany in 2014).
We flew to Hawaii via Tokyo, 6 hours in the airport at Nerita waiting for our flight, there wasn’t people many on the the flight to Nerita, but a full plane from Nerita to Honalulu. A friend of ours, Tim, met us at the airport, and we stayed with him and his wife Carrie for the night, before flying on to the “Big Island” tomorrow. It was great to catch up with them again. (We had previously stayed with them in Germany in 2014).
The view from Tim and Carries unit in Waikiki
28th Sept - 23rd Oct
Tim dropped us off at the airport, where we flew to the “big Island”, Hawaii. Cameron and Lori have a coffee and macadamia nut farm, as well as a mobile pizza business, and Lyn and I are staying with them for a month as Workaway people to help with their farm. (Great pizza's too!). Cameron took us snorkelling at 2 Step, a nearby bay, where we swam with dolphins,and saw heaps of fish, moray eels, turtles etc, a really great snorkelling spot. The Hawaian Ironman was on while we were there as well, so went down and watched some of that, including the finish. These people are amazing!
Tim dropped us off at the airport, where we flew to the “big Island”, Hawaii. Cameron and Lori have a coffee and macadamia nut farm, as well as a mobile pizza business, and Lyn and I are staying with them for a month as Workaway people to help with their farm. (Great pizza's too!). Cameron took us snorkelling at 2 Step, a nearby bay, where we swam with dolphins,and saw heaps of fish, moray eels, turtles etc, a really great snorkelling spot. The Hawaian Ironman was on while we were there as well, so went down and watched some of that, including the finish. These people are amazing!
The barrage of photographers waiting for the winner to cross the finish line.
At the track. As much as the event organisers wanted me to compete, I didn't think they would wait the 3 weeks I would need to finish the event.
For the last week we hired a car to make it easier to get around and see the touristy things we wanted to see. The bus service is very ordinary, with only 2 busses a day to where we were. Hitch hiking is fairly common on the island, so we did quite a bit of that. Unfortunately we lost our wallet, containing credit cards, license,and a small amount of cash on the day we hired the car, so spent some time cancelling cards etc. and ordering new ones. During our time off we drove around the island, staying in Keaau, near Hilo at an Air BNB for one night. A nice place, and the owner had a few wild pigs that seem to have adopted him,with one pig trusting him enough to walk up to him and allow him to pat it. Did a trip to the mountain and went stargazing at Mauna Kea observatory, using the telescopes they have there, and actually saw the rings around saturn for the first time. Its a free thing open almost every night, and we were lucky with the weather that night. It is fairly high, about 2,800 metres, so usually is up above the clouds. It’s hard to tell what the weather is going to be there, down below it can be pouring rain, and when you drive up through the clouds its clear and fine. We had panned and booked a helicopter ride over the volcano the day before, but that day the weather was really bad, and the flight was cancelled, so we missed out on that. We did do a night snorkel in a bay near the airport with the manta rays, which was very good. The day before we left, another couple from Canada arrived at Cameron and Lori’s to help out, so we shared the house for one night.
With Lori at the markets setting up for another busy day
They are big on lift kits here on the island, this one was nearly high enough to drive to the mainland!
24th Oct- 12th November
From the big island, we flew back to Oahu,where our friend Nikki met us at the airport, then took us back to their house in Kailua, where we are staying until we head to Vegas. Nikki and her husband Dave were terrific hosts, taking us kayaking, riding pushbikes, snorkelling, swimming and sightseeing. As they are both in the Australian Navy, we went onto the Marine Corp base, with access to cheaper shopping. We hired a car for a week when Lyn’s daughter and her boyfriend Trent arrived, so could get around the island easier, and did the Diamond Head walk, Pearl Harbour, then took them snorkelling on a catamaran. A great trip, diving on a reef where there were a lot of turtles, then on the way home we came across a large pod of spinner dolphins, that put on a show for us for a good 10 minutes. Met up with Tim and Carrie again, and watched the friday night fireworks at Waikiki, after a picnic dinner at the beach. There is a great little swimming area, like a lagoon, just off the beach, very popular with families, with a bar nearby, it all makes for a nice relaxing place to lighten your wallet a little. All too soon our time in Hawaii was over, and we were due to fly to Las Vegas for the next stage of the trip.
From the big island, we flew back to Oahu,where our friend Nikki met us at the airport, then took us back to their house in Kailua, where we are staying until we head to Vegas. Nikki and her husband Dave were terrific hosts, taking us kayaking, riding pushbikes, snorkelling, swimming and sightseeing. As they are both in the Australian Navy, we went onto the Marine Corp base, with access to cheaper shopping. We hired a car for a week when Lyn’s daughter and her boyfriend Trent arrived, so could get around the island easier, and did the Diamond Head walk, Pearl Harbour, then took them snorkelling on a catamaran. A great trip, diving on a reef where there were a lot of turtles, then on the way home we came across a large pod of spinner dolphins, that put on a show for us for a good 10 minutes. Met up with Tim and Carrie again, and watched the friday night fireworks at Waikiki, after a picnic dinner at the beach. There is a great little swimming area, like a lagoon, just off the beach, very popular with families, with a bar nearby, it all makes for a nice relaxing place to lighten your wallet a little. All too soon our time in Hawaii was over, and we were due to fly to Las Vegas for the next stage of the trip.
On the deck of the battleship USS Missouri, in Pearl Harbour
A jetty at a small bay we stopped at on the way to North Shore
The Black Sand beach on the way to North Shore
Leaving the memorial
Lyn on the deck of the USS Missouri, where the treaty that ended WW2 was signed
View from the bridge of the USS Missouri, looking over the USS Arizona memorial
Looking back towards Waikiki, from the top of Diamond Head
