Hilo, Honolulu, Maui, Kona, Kauai.....

On Hilo we went to the Botanical Garden, where we looked at orchids until the downpour started. We'd have been completely soaked instead of slightly soaked if a fellow cruiser hadn't offered us her poncho. She'd been wise enough to take one of the free umbrellas at the start of the walk, but Jerry had said it wasn't going to rain and I'd said that even if it did we weren't made of sugar, were we?
It was the kind of warm rain that makes me miss the tropics.







The next day was the big island, where we didn't go on an excursion. Instead we found ourselves at the Honolulu Zoo, along with dozens of groups of cute, well-behaved kids in matching tee shirts, all on field trips. They were as much fun to watch as the animals.
For the benefit of crossword puzzle addicts, the unimpressive bird is a nene, Hawaiian goose.
And there is Jerry on the beach at Waikiki (note: it's a good idea to remember to bring bathing suits to a beach if you plan on swimming).


And on to Maui, where we met up with Rob's folks, Steve and Jack, and had a wonderful time with them. After all of the people we met on the cruise it was especially good to spend some time with family.



We'd signed up for an excursion in a glass-bottomed boat in Kona, with a promise of whales and dolphins (and lunch). It wasn't until we were out in the boat that they admitted that the Big Tsunami of 2010 had stirred up the bottom enough that there weren't many fish to be seen. Or any, actually. Or whales (one tail flip at a distance). Or dolphins. And the lunch was mediocre. But that was literally the only disappointment of the trip, and as you can see, Jerry knows just what will make me feel better.


The final day was at Kauai, where we did remember our bathing suits and spent a great morning at the beach, getting tumbled around by the waves even if we didn't quite feel brave (or rich) enough to try surfing.

It's a rough life, but someone's got to do it.