Apia, Samoa and Auckland

On October 2, after losing October 1 at the dateline, we arrived at Apia in Samoa. We were welcomed into port by beautiful singing and dancing.

 We probably should have hired a taxi or taken a tour here but instead we walked into town. It was very hot so it wasn't such a good decision.

 We ended up very hot and bothered at Aggie Grey's hotel and were relieved to cool down with a few drinks and then had a few hours on the internet, which was good.

 Aggie Grey's is a lovely hotel which is very well known. The gardens were lovely and it was very pleasant to sit and relax after our hot walk.

That evening we headed off to Auckland.

 We had a lovely day in Auckland on 6 October. We caught the local bus and did some shopping and then headed to the Museum. It was a lovely museum and war memorial.

 There was a photographic exhibition which was very interesting.

Here are some photos of some of the pictures.

 It was lovely to see all the other displays too.

 This section had a fabulous tree house that the kids could climb and lots of gorgeous old toys etc.

 The workmanship in the maori houses was amazing.

 There was also a small display about Anne Frank which was interesting.

We then sailed away that evening and were to go to the Bay of Islands on the next day but a severe low was over New Zealand so we sailed much further north to miss the bad weather. It was a very good idea! After 3 days at sea we ended up back in Sydney.
It was a really lovely holiday. We were so fortunate to have some lovely dinner companions too. Jenny and Jim and Jennifer and Gary made our time very special. We also attempted trivia each sea day too but never won! We did try hard though. Here we are after dinner one evening.

 One night they had a special celebration with a champagne waterfall and lots of balloons!

So it is back to reality now at home! Will share what I stitched while away and how the little boys have grown and changed soon.

Tahiti

Our next ports of call were in Tahiti after 5 relaxing days at sea. We visited Papeete first on September 27,  and had a lovely wander around the town.

 The markets were very colourful with lots of hand made goodies, fresh fruit and vegies and flowers.

 This park was so lush and tropical.

 The locals were very friendly.

 We took a bus tour which took us to this black sand beach which is also where there is a monument to remember Captain Cook and when he came to view the transit of Venus.

 These rapids and the waterfall were spectacular.

 We also went to a blow hole but it wasn't anything like the one in Kiama on the south coast of NSW. We then headed to Bora Bora overnight. These gorgeous photos were taken from the ship.

 We took a local bus to this gorgeous beach and enjoyed a lovely swim.

 We then walked all the way to Bloody Mary's to catch the bus back. It was a lot further than expected.

 Bloody Mary's is a bar and restaurant that is very famous and many celebrities have been here. The board on the right of the entry lists some of the special guests.

 We then headed back to the ship and sailed away to our next stop which was Samoa.

Honolulu and Hilo

We arrived in Honolulu on September 20 and had a very special day there. Even as we waited for the Hop on/Hop off bus there were some locals feeding the fish! 

 We decided to get the bus to Pearl Harbour which was a very special place to visit. The Memorial is very moving and before you head out to the Arizona Memorial there were some museums to see and a movie. It was a terrible tragedy and so many lives were lost.

 You take this boat out to the memorial.

The Memorial is over but not touching the sunken ship which is the resting place of so many.

We then headed back to town and enjoyed a little shopping at the huge centre called Ala Moana and then headed to Waikiki beach. 

 We ended up staying out a little later and here we are heading back on the bus to the ship.

 The next day was spent in Hilo on the big island. We took a tour here and had a great afternoon seeing some wonderful sights.

 We went to the Rainbow falls.

 It was nice to see the sights even from the bus.

 It was wonderful to see this active volcano and to see the steam rising.

Here I am in the very warm steam from one of the vents.

 We also walked through a lava tunnel which was fascinating.

At the end of the afternoon some of us continued on to see these lovely black sand beaches and the fresh water lagoons so close to the ocean.