Retrospective

Planning this trip to take place near the middle of Allan's seven weeks in France and Spain was a brilliant way to break up the time on my own. It gave me something to look forward after Allan left and the end was in sight when I got back.

So grateful to Nicola for accompanying me. We hadn't travelled together before, but I think we were pretty compatible!

I do love Melbourne - it is so pretty with its old buildings, and wide streets.  It had changed quite a bit since I was last there in 2018 - signs of the economic downturn, especially in Bourke St Mall, where there were a number of empty shops.

Nicola has much more energy than me, and I didn't want to hold her back but that was easily managed. We would come back to the apartment mid to late afternoon, and I would have a rest, and Nicola would go out for another wander (or postcard hunt).

If we were out and about, we would find seat with a view and sit in the sun and natter for an hour while my batteries recharged!

On the other hand, I was a slightly better navigator than her, so we generally got to where we were going without too much bother.  Two exceptions - we lost each other in Myers when we arranged to meet at the cafe, only to find that there were two cafes on different floors, and I didn't have roaming on my phone so we escalated up and down until our searches coincided.  The other was when Nicola was out on her own and got on a tram that was going in the opposite direction to that she had planned but she did manage to get back albeit in rush hour tram traffic.

The Victoria State Government had made all public transport free until the end of May to mitigate the hardship caused by the petrol price increases. It did increase the patronage so some of the trams were absolutely packed, but it was great to be able to get out to Geelong without even having to get a ticket.

My highlights were:

The vibe of Melbourne (love it!)

The day trip to Geelong (exquisite!)

Wandering the main street of St Kilda (replacing the calories we burned with those we ate and doggie bagged)

The nights out - two great shows and a good movie. Feels grown up to be out on the town in the dark!

The company - loved our chats, our laughter and our experiences.  We were pretty compatible in our decision making as in what to do next so our programme for the week just fell into place.

One last comment - our accomodation was brilliantly located - tram stop at the door and train station just a few minutes away. We had two bedrooms, each with glorious views from floor 54, and good lounge and kitchen space, so the living was easy.

13 May 2026 - The End is Near 😔

Sadly, our sojourn in Melbourne is nearly over. Packing our suitcases was a bit more of a mission than it was on the incoming journey, but we managed to squeeze everything in and comply with Jetstar's draconian weight limits (the baggage, not us!)

We had checked in online so just had to get our bag labels and get the bags on to the conveyor belt.  First choose the correct machine...then (in my case) try to get the label onto the suitcase without scrunching the barcode.  Then figure out how to make the bag move on from the first conveyor to the one that would take it to the plane. There was the occasional huff and puff from the Jetstar staff who had to come to the aid of two dazed and confused Kiwi chicks!

We didn't fly until 11.20 am so we had a leisurely wander before boarding.

Throughout my four flights (WLG-CHC-MEL-CHC-WLG), there was barely a bump in the sky, which was very pleasant.

When we got closer to the South Island, I could see some snow capped mountains and three lakes, so we worked out that we had travelled further south than expected and the lakes were Hawea, Wanaka and maybe Pukaki.  Nicola hadn't flown that far south on a Christchurch bound flight either so it was quite a treat for us both. NZ is beautiful!

Mark was there to pick us up and wrangle our bags, and I flew back to Wellington the next morning.

A great break!

12 May 2026 - Docklands and Dinner

Sadly, our last full day.  Its been a great week.

The last place we wanted to explore was Docklands - this the port area that has been being developed over recent years with shopping, dining, apartments and high rise buildings and a lovely waterfront. We were blessed with gorgeous weather, so after a cursory glance around the shops, we just sat in the sun and chatted and solved the world's problems.  It was a nice respite and a leisurely wander. 

Back into the squashy tin can of a tram, (and from memory) we went back to the apartment and ate left over bread rolls for a late lunch.

Nicola went out for a further wander (without her bodyguard - me!) and got properly lost for the first time. She got on a tram to get back but unfortunately it was going in the opposite direction, so she had get off and wait for another squishy ride, but did make it back in one piece.

We were of to the famed Hardware Lane where Allan and I always eat when we visit Melbourne. It was a lovely mild evening which was good since all the eating is outdoors.  The street consists of a couple of blocks of eateries with the menu on display and a host encouraging punters to pick them.  When we have been, they have worked very hard to entice people with freebies like a free entree or a glass of wine, with Allan being our key negotiator as you would expect.  I resolved to do what he would have done, so we to dithered over the menu so the host would have time to offer an inducement! None was forthcoming so I boldly asked if there were any enticements on offer, only to be told that all of the businesses had got together after Covid and decided to stop offering temptations - oops! I was a bit disappointed, if only because it was always so entertaining to watching these interchanges between host and punter - and host and next door host who sometimes appeared close to coming to blows. 

The meals were great by the way!

I did keep and eye on him to make sure that he had been telling the truth - he had!

Nevertheless, both of us really enjoyed our meals and the occasion. 

11 May 2026 - the day we went to Bangor (and all for under a Pound!)

We got away on the 9.10am train which was a good effort. We did get chucked off moments after we sat down because the train 'wasn't boarding yet'. Just got to the exit doors, when the train 'was boarding now' so we were back on our seats in 15 seconds flat.

The weather was glorious, not a cloud in the sky and the train comfortable and a smooth ride.

It was just over an hour until we were at Geelong's main station - when Allan and I went in 2018. I think we must have got off the train at the wrong station (G North or G South) - this was a much shorter and pleasant wander down to the waterfront.  

What a magnificent sight. There was barely a ripple on the sea and the waterfront area had been developed a lot from last time. Along with the famed Bollards, the grounds were beautiful and the ambience just lovely.  There was a little train (with wheels) which we rode to the far end where there was a Ferris Wheel, a swimming pool and seawater lagoon. 

 Along the way, we spotted a lovely looking, but very busy restaurant and decided to make lunch our main meal of the day.  I ordered barrimundi with fries and salad. Unaccustomed as I am to complaining, I pointed out that my fries were stone cold, so I was delivered a large bowl of very fresh and very tasty fries, all before Nicola's steak had been delivered.  I tried a Muscato wine with my meal - a lovely drop, especially if you like a sweeter wine as I do.

A little napping may have happened on the train ride home.

All in all a fabulous day out.

10 May 2026 - and now for some sightseeing

 Another free tram ride - to St Kilda this time.  Allan and I always head out there when we are in Melbourne.

The weather was still a bit gloomy and leaning towards showery so we skipped the Market and went straight for a wander along Ackroyd St.

Interestingly, the weather forecast has several times predicted '0% chance of NO rain' - seems a bit back to front to me!

I took Nicola to Allan's favourite bookstore out there.  A lovely store for browsing but not many of us still buy paper books these days.

The St Kilda cake shops persist but many have changed from Greek and Continental ownership to Asian ownership.  Not much change to the offering except real cream has been replaced by mock cream which is a bit disappointing.

We departed with 5 cakes between us - 1 and a half in our tummies and 3 and a half for 'later'.  The leftovers were spread over 3 nights so we didn't feel too guilty.

Then we had an oops moment when we accidentally bought tickets to another show! We saw that 'The Book of Mormon' was on so we grabbed tickets. Again, an entertaining show and an excellent performance and great staging. The storyline was interesting with a bit of language and a bit of questionable content, but overall a good night out.

Might have a night in tomorrow night!

 

9 May 2026 - just a little bit more shopping

Shopping is only an incidental part of our holiday (yeah right!) but we hit the outlet shops at Southern Cross station.  Just a short walk out the back door of the apartment and across the road.

Neither of us bought heaps but some decisions take longer than others.  Discovered a Sketchers shop and there were literally thousands of pairs - I got a pair that I was happy with after trying on a fair number. Just a little hesitant to wear them here while I am walking lots in case I get blisters.  They have an interesting firm back heel which allows you to slip them on with no hands.  Will christen them back at the Village.

We were tempted by a movie - the Devil Wears Prada - Two. Don't remember loving number one, but this one was a riotous romp. A very comfortable cinema and a nice Red Wine and Cider between us. The movie was good fun.

Dinner was at an 'English' pub, the Elephant and Wheelbarrow. It was warm enough to eat outside and we both got a Seniors' Roast of the Day - nice that we older Kiwis are appreciated.

A couple of loopy people at the tram stop but no direct threat to any of the 50 odd people waiting.

The tram network is phenomenal - we seldom have to wait more than 3 or 4 minutes for any journey. I would say that nearly every tram is running at 150% of capacity, but entry and exit are totally manageable and its not often that we don't get a seat. The free ride certainly boosts patronage - would be good if our government made it available during the fuel crisis (not withstanding the fact that most transport is free for me in NZ already!  

8 May 2026 - The holiday starts here

 After a pretty good sleep, our body clocks were reasonably aligned with the rest of Melbourne so we were off to the Queen Victoria Market.  Did a quick scoot around, succumbing only to new phone covers for both of us, but if we are being honest, we were there for the hot donuts, and they didn't disappoint.  We queued with fireys and policemen who obviously enjoy the treat too.  For the whole time we were there, there would have been around 30 people in the queue.

We had awoken to what we thought was a pea soup of fog. Nothing at all was visible - no buildings or lights, just a white wall of nothingness.  Some hours later, we realised that it wasn't fog - we were just living in the low clouds because we were so high up (floor 54 of 65).

We wandered down Bourke St looking for lunch - the area has lost some of its large format stores, but still had a nice vibe.

We found a pizza/pasta place which we enjoyed.  Figured we could have a light dinner before the show that Nicola had booked from NZ.

The show was 'Waitress', which had apparently been a huge hit on Broadway and the Westend, but I had never heard of it.

Both of us loved it - a heart warming story, lots of humour and a great cast. We came out buzzing and I would definitely see it again in a heartbeat.

Our accommodation is at the bottom end of Collins St so it is a straight hoon down the hill from the top end.  My goodness, the crowds that squashed in to that tram - talk about mashed potatoes! In fact, nearly every tram we have taken so far (and there have been plenty) has been like a sardine can, mostly  (we think) due to the free rides, No complaints about that!

7 May 2026 - Christchurch to Melbourne

Cross Tasman flights from Christchurch leave at the much more civilised hour of  8.20 am compared with the 6 am departures at Wellington.

Got safely through security - easy peasy with no longer any need to pass liquids and laptops through separately, or to remove watches and other items.  I needed a patdown as the Xray highlighted around my left shoulder area - never mind my titanium hips and knee.  Don't know what set it off - an underwire maybe?

That was so much fun that we took a wrong turning while looking for our gate and ended up back in the  domestic terminal and had to do security all over again.  No Xray issues this time. Allan achieved a similar feat at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, but his wrong turning was into the departures security area.  I believe it was a bit harder for him to extricate himself from that spot!

We were on Jetstar with a meal ordered.  The flight was extremely smooth even though there was a lot of cloud below us. A packed flight.

We landed in 6 degrees - coldest day of the year to date here - a bit of a surprise! 

Ubered to our accommodation hoping for an early check-in,  We were able to do so with a bit of a juggle - we are on floor 54 of 65 so good views - we are in a 2 bedroom corner apartment with a tram stop at the door, so couldn't ask for more.

It was well past lunch time on our body clock so we found a food court across the road and the nattering began in earnest!

We found a Woolworths Metro so we could stock up on supplies - a bit horrified at the prices there,  Seemed higher than NZ even without the AUD conversion, 

The trade off is that the trams and trains state wide are free until the end of the month to offset the high fuel prices. So we will get our trip out to Geelong will be a free ride.

A good sleep was had by all.

Haven't taken many photos but I don't know how to insert them so they may have to be retrospectively loaded when my tech expert gets home!

6 May 2026 - Wellington to Christchurch

Travelling solo this time!

Allan is in Spain walking the Camino, so I am off for a wee break in Melbourne with my dear friend Nicola. First time departing from the Apartment in Lower Hutt, so I took the opportunity to drive back to Churton Park, and do a school pickup and then land on Michelle for the night.

She drove me into town and then I got on the Airport bus - pretty easy really and lots of time so had a pleasant coffee break before boarding my delayed flight to ChCh.

Had a long chat about the virtues of retirement village living with my older, widowed seat mate who was contemplating a move herself. I told her I was going to Melbourne for a girls' week. She saw Nicola waving enthusiastically at the arrivals gate and said to me ' You ARE going to have fun, aren't you?!'. That's the plan!

A lovely dinner and catch up before we hit the sack in preparation for an early wake up. 

Last walks

[A] Our flight home didn’t leave until 6:00pm, so we got a chance to see a bit more of Melbourne.

I got up early for an ‘Arcades and Lanes’ walk, following a route described in a brochure we’d picked from the Visitor Centre.  Similar sort of idea to the walking tour we’d done in Sydney a couple of years ago.  Transpires that early Sunday morning probably wasn’t an ideal time to do this walk – several of the arcades were locked, so I had to detour around them.

And the bustling, vibrant laneways were all-but empty.

Anyway, all good, it was still an enjoyable walk.

After checking out of the hotel, we headed for Fitzroy Gardens, somewhere we’d never managed to get to in all our previous visits to Melbourne.  Reminiscent of an old-style London park, with plenty of trees, lawns and pathways.  All covered with autumn leaves!

We spent a bit of time at James Cook’s Cottage, the oldest building in Australia, although to be fair it was shipped from England in 1934 and then reconstructed here!

It was very pleasant wandering through the gardens, coming across plenty of leaves blowing in the wind, a Conservatory…

… a model Tudor village, sculptures, fountains, and a fairy tree.

We enjoyed our brief sojourn back in Melbourne, although we both felt as though we could have done with a few more days there – it felt as though we were packing quite a bit into every day.  Always more things to do and places to go!

[S] We often forget to write the final post of our holidays – we get back in to the hurly-burly after a long flight and the holiday memories fade quite quickly, sadly.

The last day was very pleasant out in the fresh air – we had a lovely Devonshire tea looking out at the beautiful grounds of the Fitzroy Gardens.  A bit of a change to land at Wellington Airport with a temp of 4 degrees and 100 km winds – welcome home to Wellington!

It was a lovely break though, and Melbourne is still one of my favourite cities in the world after Wellington.  We really know it well so it sort-of feels like home, but we always find new things to do – the perfect mix really. 

Woolly Geelong

[S] We’ve had a lovely day out at Geelong. The train trip was just one hour through mostly flat sheep country – the sky was blue although the air was pretty crisp.

Mum and I had passed through Geelong on our Great Ocean Road bus trip, but that gave no hint of what we saw today. I hadn’t even realised that it was on the coast, but the waterfront has been developed beautifully.

[A] Walked past the wonky Police Station wall on the way from the railway station.

[S] Our first stop was a Wool Museum which told the story of the early sheep farmers and the process of getting the wool off the sheep and into fabric, yarn, carpet and socks. The history was told interactively with hands-on displays and stories told by those who lived it – that’s the way I like my history.

[A] Also had a cool woolly spider-web art display.

[S] There was an enormous carpet loom that was over 100 years old and still in working order – we saw it in action and it was very impressive. Quite amazing that a machine that technologically complex could be designed that long ago. I gather that carpets are only made on looms in India and Portugal now.

After that we wandered down to the waterfront and a café Allan had seen online. It was very pleasant eating nice food whilst watching the world go by.

Then we hit the promenade.  Geelong is famous for its bollards – clusters of poles painted to a theme – quite funky! There was an indoor Carousel, creative parks and dead calm blue sea. Not a bad way to spend our last full day in Melbourne.

Free trams

[S] Allan's been at his conference from 7am until 8pm today, so what’s a girl to do?  Say no more.

I think I mentioned that the trams are now free - this means that…

1. Everyone takes them, even if they are only going a block or two
2. They are packed to the gunnels and consequently you are up very close and personal with complete strangers
3. We haven't been on a train on this trip where we would normally interchange trams and trains but they’ve offset the free trams by increasing the price of all other travel so why would you?

They are putting a new train line under Swanston St – they have ripped up the park just along from Federation Square and they have dug down and concreted the ground and walls.

At street level, they’ve painted a picture of a train with window you can look through to see the project. Quite cool. I imagine that they will reinstate the park once they have finished.

It is such a pretty city and the sun has finally come out. Shame this is such a short trip!

A beautiful day

[S] Just back from the show, Beautiful, about the life of Carole King.  It was fantastic – great music and fantastic staging.  All the cast were great and we just loved the show. Unfortunately, the last tram had already departed on our route so it was a loooong walk back and a bit much for my dodgy hip.

It’s been a good day all round really.  Nipped into the Queen Victoria Markets since they were so close and whiled away a couple of hours.  Had to yield to the temptation of the famed Donut Truck.

Then we trammed out to St Kilda to the famed cake shop and the famed book shop.  It was another greyish day so we didn’t see the beach at its best, but it wasn’t windy or cold, so all good.

[A] I jumped off the tram on the way back from St Kilda to visit the Shrine of Remembrance (war memorial).  Looks a bit parthenony...

At 11am on 11 November each year (Armistice Day marking the end of World War I), a hole in the roof allows the sun to shine through and illuminate the word 'LOVE' on the marble Stone of Remembrance.  I waited for the brief ceremony using a prerecorded message and artificial lighting that plays regularly during the rest of the year.  Well worth the visit.

[S] Last stop before the show was the famed Hardware Lane for dinner.  We always love going there for the entertainment value of the hosts doing all they can to entice the punters in to their restaurants.  No-one should ever pay full price here!  For us tonight it was a free glass of wine each and entrée or dessert for $7.  Lots of fun and the food was good too.

I love the vibe of Melbourne – the old architecture is beautiful, but so are the modern buildings.  It is so easy to get around and the people are really friendly.  Can’t ask for much more really!

We’re back!

[S] It has been four years since we were last in Melbourne and it still feels like one of my favourite places.

It was a very early alarm that woke us at 3.15 am this morning for our 6 am flight.  We were pleased to see that the violent winds and thunder and lightening of the night before had passed, although there were still plenty of ‘lumps and bumps’ as the pilot described it, to keep us alert.

We landed at 8.15 am local time - we’ve taken to lingering at the airport until the peak traffic abates, so we grabbed a coffee and some tourist brochures and sorted out local transport cards and data and roaming for our phones before a leisurely trip into the city.

We are staying in a different location from usual - we’re outside the ‘square’ by about a block, near the QV markets and the beautiful Flagstaff Gardens.  The free trams are just a five minute walk away, the accommodation is really nice, and we even have a pool and a gym.  I might be persuaded to do some lengths in the morning!

First job of the day was to try to get tickets to the show ‘Beautiful’ which is based on the life and music of Carole King.  We were pretty keen to see it so it was good to get tickets, since we had tried and failed online before we came.  Then we saw that ‘The Wizard of Oz’ had just opened so we tried to get tickets for that too.  There was a matinee on today with what seemed like thousands of college groups attending and the box office was so preoccupied with getting them in and having the show start on time that they wouldn’t sell us tickets, so will have to go back when they are less busy if we are going to squeeze it in.

I was amazed that I could remember where the theatres were after all this time – Melbourne is so easy to navigate.

[A] Found The Book Grocer on Bourke Street - $20 for three books was too good to pass up.  I'm pretty sure they weren't there last time we were here - there are obviously quite a number of them around now, and we certainly haven't noticed any before. 

[S] We’ve decided to take a day trip on the train and visit Geelong – the weather looks good on Saturday so we’ll aim for that.  Allan’s conference is on Friday so that’s shopping day!

Ate too many chippies with our pre-dinner drink (and kept falling asleep!) so just popped down to Nandos for a quick dinner.

St Kilda day tomorrow!

Cheesecake accident

[S] Sadly, our final day in Hawaii.  Our bus driver on the tour to Pearl Harbour taught us that the ‘w’ in Hawaii should be pronounced as a ‘v’ – who knew?

It was our hottest day yet and not a lot of shade out there.  We watched a very sobering movie with live footage of the devastation at Pearl Harbour that took place on 7 December 1941.  We had clear instructions that we were not allowed to have our cellphones out, and there was to be absolutely no talking during the movie so it was a bit eerie, even without the content of the movie.  Then we were off on a navy vessel to the Arizona Memorial – again quite poignant.  When Mum and I were here in 1988, we sailed past the Memorial but did not go on to it, so I was pleased that we could do so today.

[A] Plenty of US armed services toys to view...

[S] Our last experience at Pearl Harbour was a virtual tour of the decks of the Arizona and of the bombing timeline.  We wore virtual reality goggles and we must have looked a bit dorky moving our heads around to direct the view we saw, but it was a different and interesting experience for us.

I headed off for another swim, but Allan could not be persuaded so just watched from the shore.  To be fair, after his goosebump experience yesterday he came down with a raging [A: mildly elevated] temperature so I guess that explains why he was so cold when he was in the water.  He is better today although still coughing a bit.

We accidentally went back to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner tonight – same excellent quality of food, but we did moderate ourselves by sharing a single slice of cheesecake this time.  [A: The moderation was an especially good idea since we had had a late lunch that included a most delicious slice of Ted's Chocolate Haupia Pie - introduced to us by Cousin Isaac on our Monday tour around the island]

We had heard that the Hilton Hawaiian Village let off fireworks every Friday night and that they would be visible from anywhere along the beach so we thought that would be a good way to end the holiday.  Alas and alack, they were obscured by a tall building so we could hear them and see the glow from them but that was it.  A bit of an anti-climax, but never mind.

[A] Saw a tree though!

[S] We have a 4.30am wake up tomorrow for a 5.30 shuttle so it might be a long day!

Warm as a bath

[S] The sun and blue sky turned up today – yay!  After nearly a week it was great to see what we expected to see from Day 1.  We made it to the beach this morning.  To be fair, it was a tiny bit chilly on the hot skin to get in, but once I was in, it was ‘like a bath’ as I always tell Allan.  He is not a water baby as most of you will know, but I think that he is probably the first person ever on Waikiki to have had goose bumps for the whole duration of his swim, when the air temp was 28 degrees!  To be fair, he has developed a bit of a cold/cough so maybe that contributed a bit.

[A] A conversation:
S: If the water turns out to be as warm as a bath, will you admit it?
A: Yes; if the water turns out not be as warm as a bath, will you admit it?
S: Yes

Apart from the water being cold, wet, salty, and full of floaties, the swim was perfect.  The company certainly was!

[S] We took the rest of the day quite easy, just enjoying the balmy weather and a little bit more shopping.

We ate from a food truck across the road from our hotel and then for a sunset stroll down at the beach.  Lots of people out and some live entertainment so a lovely way to finish the day.

Punchbowl

[S] Today we took a bus to the Punchbowl – or the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.  It is one of those huge American cemeteries that have thousands of graves or ashes interred.  Mum and I went there 30 years ago on a little tour we did - I remember it because the brakes on the tour van failed coming down the hill and they had to send a replacement bus.

The Punchbowl is located in the crater of a volcano and the bus made heavy work of the very steep hill, and certainly my arthritic hips were challenged by the walk from the bus stop to the top of the hill!

I always find these big cemeteries quite moving places, and this was no exception.

There were spectacular views from Pearl Harbour right around to Diamond Head.

Dinner tonight was at the Cheesecake Factory which is an American chain.  It was huge – I reckon they must have been able to seat around 300 at a time, and there were queues when we arrived and even bigger ones when we left.  The meals were huge and spectacular.  We both really enjoyed our mains and the cheesecakes were amazing – I have half of mine in the fridge for tomorrow – Allan ate all of his, but he is waddling a bit now!

So 13,000 steps up and around the hills versus a big dinner – I wonder which will have the greater impact on the scales?

Army Museum

[S] After a leisurely breakfast, we wandered [A: by bus!] down to the US Army Museum at Fort DeRussy, which is right on the waterfront in downtown Waikiki.  This was a smallish exhibition of photos and items from Pearl Harbour and the Korean and Vietnam wars. It was an interesting insight and an easy way to pass a morning. We’ve booked a trip to Pearl Harbour for Friday so good to learn a bit of background info.

We sat in the sun under a palm tree (as you do) for a while...

... and then wandered through the Hilton Hawaii Village, which is a five-tower hotel which must house many thousands of guests at a time, and which has every amenity you could wish for and plenty of shops.  The grounds were beautiful – very lush and tropical.  We even found the ice cream shop which Mum and I went to 30 years ago, so lunch was a single cone for me and a double for Allan.

The rest of the day was devoted to book shops – one of the things Allan likes to do on overseas holidays is to check out what is in stock in local book shops – he bought a few!

I was given my first ‘senior’ discount today.  I was at the checkout when the operator politely asked if I was over 55 and gave me a 10% discount on my purchases when I said yes.  Can’t be bad!

Cousin Isaac

[S] We needed to be out the door by 7.10 am this morning for our trip around the island.  Breakfast doesn’t open until 7 am so we guzzled some juice and pastries and took a cuppa to go before we went around the corner for our pick-up by ‘Cousin Isaac’ – our big cuddly tour guide.  He was very funny and had lots of interesting knowledge.  We had four each of Australians and Canadians plus us on the bus. Isaac was definitely a bit of a foodie so we had some bonus stops to his favourite haunts.

 
The first part of the tour involved peeking at the homes of the rich and famous along the north coast and then lots of beach stops.

[A] First up was Halona Cove, site of the famous beach scene from ‘From Here to Eternity’ (for those old enough to remember) and of course more recently ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.

Most of the morning our drive was overshadowed by dark clouds and rain covering the western mountain range that ran parallel to the road.

[S] We saw some amazing surf that was a bit frightening in some ways.

[A] Including the Banzai Pipeline…

[A] … and Waimea Bay.

[S] At the last beach stop, the surf was marginally less, but it wasn’t good enough for us to have the planned swim with turtles.  Instead Isaac took us to an old sugar mill which now makes coffee and chocolate.  He showed us a cacao bean which was the makings of two blocks of chocolate – interesting to see how it all started.

Of course there were samples!

A few other stops and then we were at the Dole pineapple factory – it was the only low point of the trip – a bit over-crowded and over-commercialised. Other than that, a really fun day.

Forgot to mention that we went to a hotel restaurant for dinner last night – a varied menu and we were happy with our food choices.  Their piece de resistance was a 5lb (2.5 kg) pancake stack where the challenge was if you could finish it within 90 minutes, you got your $25 back.  We saw one go out to a customer but I am not sure if they got through it.  A bit of fun!