Honeymoon Diary #5

Friday 31st July

Busy, busy, busy – this morning we were to join the Pride of Maui on a snorkelling cruise to Molokini crater. We arrived at Ma'alena harbour at 730am to check-in and board the boat which let at 8am. As we ate our breakfast the went through various safety briefings and told us what was available on board. Darren wanted to try SNUBA – it's like SCUBA but the tanks are on a raft instead of on your back. I was very reticent but eventually persuaded by the thought that the trial was cheaper than a SCUBA trial in a swimming pool at home. Plus I might get to see some cool fishes.

Molokini is a small, crescent-shaped crater that is supposed to be one of the best places for snorkelling in Hawai'i. I've never taken too well to breathing through my mouth so I spent some time on the boat getting used to my mask and took the plunge with a boogie-board with a viewing hole when we anchored at our destination. Snorkelling sounds a bit scary to me so I didn't try it! When it came to our SNUBA session I was really nervous. Darren was off investigating but I just couldn't put myself underwater. The instructor took off my weight belt and told me to lie over the raft and try putting my head in that way. It took me a while but towards the end I was able to stay under for a few minutes at a time. And I did see some cool fishes!!! Maybe if we''d have had longer I might have summoned the courage to submerge myself completely but our time was up and we were being guided back to the boat already.

When we returned onto the boat I felt absolutely drained. Over the next half hour a combination of physical tiredness and the movement of the boat started to do funny things to my belly. Consequently I missed out on the barbecue lunch – it looked really good but I quite literally couldn't stomach it. We stopped again at Turtle Town, a bay on Maui. Maybe if I'd have gone back in the water it might have eased my seasickness but I really didn't feel up to it so Darren snorkelled on his own. He said that it was completely different to Molokini – the water was a lot more churned up and nowhere near as clear and he didn't see much. He had debated about paying for another SNUBA session, but decided not to – a decision he regretted when the SNUBA divers came back with stories of seeing turtles and sharks!

I really wasn't well on the way back to Ma'alena and spent most of the journey with my head between my knees trying to not to be sick. The crew caught a couple of big fish – as the second was reeled in I joined the crowd to watch, thinking I felt better. After the excitement died down I realised I wasn't feeling better. Quite typically after actually being sick I DID feel better – maybe I should have just got it out of the way earlier and I'd have enjoyed more of the day!

Back at the hotel we got ready for the one night we had really been looking forward to. One of the number one touristy things to do in Hawai'i is a luau and, although not a traditional luau, the Feast At Lele is highly recommended for it's excellent quality food which is served by waiting staff (as opposed to the majority of similar events which provide a buffet). We took a taxi into Lahaina and strolled through 505 Front Street to the beachfront venue. Then we found our names weren't on the list. So I checked my e-ticket and found that we'd actually booked for Saturday, not Friday! This was particularlyy annoying as we'd already booked to see a show on the Saturday night. We waited around to see if anyone cancelled but at 6.30pm they told us that everyone had arrived and they couldn't accommodate us.

Slightly deflated we decided to eat at one of the accompanying restaurants, I'o which is also supplied by O'o Farm. As we sat enjoying our cocktails and a sashimi taster, a man who we had SNUBA-ed with earlier in the day came to our table for a chat. He was originally from Newmarket but had moved to the US many years ago and joined the US Air Force. We told him how we were nearing the end of our honeymoon. For starter I had crab cake and Darren had a sashimi and pineapple pocket, and as our waiter served us he said that the man who we had chatted to was very generously buying our starters for us!

For main course Darren had the I'o Trio, a combination of pork, beef and fish that seemed a little disjointed and I had fish in a tropical salsa. It wasn't quite the evening we had planned but the meal was excellent and it definitely made it a little more enjoyable to know where some of the ingredients came from.

Saturday 1^st August

Today we wanted to see lava! Proper red flowing lava! We were booked onto a light airplane trip back to the Big Island to view the lava flows from the only angle that we now know you can see it – from the sea. We were only to be disappointed though. At 9am Volcano Air Tours rang to say that the weather was not good and they may have to cancel. They said they'd call back an hour later so we went for breakfast and to try to get a refund on our tickets for Ulalena. There at least we did have some luck – officially we couldn't get a refund but the assistant behind the desk called the show venue and they must have had a waiting list as they agreed to refund the tickets.

When we returned to our room we received the call we didn't want. The weather would mean we wouldn't see any lava so they were cancelling the trip. As it was an expensive tour we were glad they did that rather than take us and fob us off but it was still a real disappointment for us. So we moped for a bit, and then decided that we should use the car instead of being lazy.

We headed north into the West Maui Mountains. We had seen the clouded folds of west Maui's volcano from our hotel, and just a few miles north of our beach resort is one of the wettest places on earth. Iao Valley was a battleground as Kamehameha the Great conquered the Maui in his ultimately successful quest to unite the Hawai'ian islands. One of it's most famous sights is the Iao Needle, a 1200-ft nugget of very hard rock that has been left as the softer rock has eroded away. Darren was impressed but maybe I'd seen too many spectacular things already over the last two weeks as I thought it was a bit boring! There are some really nice footpaths along the streams and rivers though which I found much more picturesque.

As we drove back to Ka'anapali we still had time (and petrol) left so we continued west around the coastal road. This road actually turned out to be more interesting and challenging than the road to Hana. There was progressively more rockfalls on the road and we decided to get back and changed for our night out.

So at the second attempt we went to the Feast at Lele! As we had plenty of time we took the bus into Lahaina this time and stopped at Hard Rock Cafe for a couple of drinks and to collect another shot glass. It was nice to walk down Front Street, the main drag of Lahaina which has lots of good art shops. When we got to 505 we were shown to our seats. If you ever get a chance to go, definitely book online as far in advance as possible – our table was right at the front but not so central as you feel self conscious. All food and drink was included in the price so we started to make our way through the cocktail list. As the sun set the show started. There were four courses, each from a different Pacific island cuisine and each served with entertainment from that island. First up was Hawai'i featuring the traditional hula dance. Next was Aotearoa – New Zealand – which of course included the Haka (something I suspect the British are more familiar with than the Americans!). The sensual movement of Tahiti followed and the show finished with a visit to Samoa and the fire knife dance.

The food indeed was superb. There were too many dishes to list but my favourite was the Tahitian fafa-steamed chicken in coconut milk and Darren's the Hawai'ian Kalua slow-roasted pork. It was all followed by a dessert (which neither of us remember eating, it was a free bar remember!)

As we waited for a taxi, a young couple were also heading to Ka'anapali and offered to share. They were from Kentucky and were also on honeymoon. I hope they didn't mind Darren's drunken babbling too much, but we did save $10 each!

Sunday 2^nd August

Well I there's one thing we learned over our oneymoon it's that the Hawai'ians know how to do food. So it was with some excitement that we made our way down to our hotel's famous Champagne Sunday Brunch. Firstly we were offered champagne that was dutifully topped up every time we took a mouthful. Then to the food. You could literally have both breakfast an lunch in this place! Three walls of the entertainment room had dish upon dish lined up fo you to try. Freshly made omelettes and waffles were the most “breakfast” style items. Then there was seafood an sushi, huge prawns and gorgeous crab claws. Along the back wall was a more “main course” selection – meats, rice, pasta, Polynesian, Chinese, barbecue, too much to even think about trying everything. In the middle along the stage was dessert, including chocolate fountain. Unsurprisingly this is where I spent most of my time!

Fortunately it wasn't ridiculously busy and we were allowed to relax and enjoy the entertainment as we grazed. As well as the house musicians some young girls performed the hula dances, some must have been as young as 5 or 6. It was very cute!

Once we'd had our fill of food and champagne we went for a wander. Firt stop was the hotel watersports hut to book ourselves onto a parasail. Then to the next hotel to the west of ours, the Sheraton. We fancied going to the Black Rock restaurant there for our final meal but when we had a look around we decided it didn't look so great after all. So we walked east along the beach past all the huge resort hotels. I'm not sure if I'd want to stay in one of these or not. The facilities are great and some of the swimming pools looked amazing but I don't think we would spend enough time at any hotel to make it worth the extra expense!

We ended up at the Hyatt which was quite an extraordinarily extraavagent place. We wanted to look at Sonz at Swan Court – indeed there were many swans in the lake along with flamingoes. Apparently the hotel also houses penguins but we didn't see any.

Walking back along the road we realised how far we'd walked to get there! We thounght it would be quicker along than the beach but I think it took us longer to get to the main road through the hotel grounds than our original walk! We quickly changed into beach gear and back to the sea for our parasail.

First we had to wade to an inflatable raft that ferried us to our speedboat. Once out on the waves we were asked which couple wanted to go first – in a rare moment of bravery I volunteered us. We were strapped up and ready to go, out came the pin and up into the air we flew. It was a good choice to do a tandem flight as we could chat about what we could see. Darren's watch measured us at 500ft at the highest. Halfway through the boat slowed to drop us and suddenly sped up which sent us whooshing back up to the sky. As our flight came to an end we were rather unceremoniously dunked in the water before landing back on the boat. Going first turned out to be a great decision because we could then enjoy the speedboat ride while the other two couples on took their turns. When we were all done we were taken back to the raft and on back to the beach.

Before heading up to shower and change before our final meal we relaxed by the hotel pool and cashed in our voucher for a couple of free cocktails that we had won in the raffle on the first day. Ready for the evening, we walked back to the Hyatt and Swan Court which waqs very romantically lit in the night. Our table was looking right out at the artificial waterfall and it felt very peaceful. We treated ourselves to a good bottle of wine from their reknowned wine cellar and, when the waiter finally remembered to bring the menus, placed our order. I went for mussels and a final fish dish, this time opakapaka. Darren opted for escargot in puff pastry and beef marinated in coffee. We finished with a crème brulee to share. The food was superb and the setting was beautiful, a wonderful way to end a honeymoon withh so many memories.

We ambled back to our hotel along the beach, trying to absorb as much of these wonderful islands as we could on our last night. We still had a full day ahead of us though before we headed home...

Monday 3^rd August

Despite all our best intentions we were never going to be packed in time for our 11am checkout. We got up early, had breafast then headed to the Whalers Shopping Village to pick up some presents. Our already over-flowing cases meant we had to try to find the smallest (but no less lovely) gifts possible! We also had to grab some cash to buy the disc of photos taken during our parasail the previous day. Darren got himself an Hawai'ian shirt and we rushed back to the room to stuff the final bits in. Before checking out we put our cases in the car and got back to reception before the midday farewell ceremony.

As part of the Hawai'ian experience the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel gived each guest a kukui nut lei as a parting gift. All of the staff wear them, the most long-standing staff have more white nuts than brown ones. If a guest returns to the hotel they replace one brown nut for a white one. It's a lovely gesture, ut I'm sure I'm not the only guest who felt a bit self-conscious standing there in the lobby while they serenaded us with their song of friendship!

Having said our goodbyes, we had a bit of time to kill before our flight so we headed back into Lahaina for lunch. Cheeseburger In Paradise has an amazing oceanfront location. Our guidebook had said that the food was average but we thought the burgers were superb. Pretty sloppy, especially if you go for guacamole as a garnish – they measure the quality by how many napkins you need to eat them!

It was then on to the airport. Not to catch an aeroplane though. First we had a helicopter to catch! The helicopter tour was to spend an hour taking us around Maui to see some things from a different angle, and some others that can't be seen from the ground. Armed with our life-jackets we waited nervously to board. We were shown to our helicopter with the other passengers, just 6 of us and our pilot, Kirk. As we took off, the music played into our headphones was the Back To The Future them tune – perfect! It was the bizarrest feeling, much smoother than I expected. Someone described a helicopter flight as being like a magic carpet ride, a very good description. For the first few minutes Kirk had to “do his job” and left us to enjoy, but soon started his commentary. He was very funny and very interesting.

Our first destination was Hale'akala which we approached to the strains of The Beatles' Here Comes The Sun. The helicopter trips are always governed by the weather, you never know exactly what you'll be able to see. So Kirk had to find a gap in the clouds to ascend to the top of the volcano. We were lucky – the music turned traditional as we found the break through above the cloud line, then back to the movie theme tunes, this time 2001: A Space Odyssey as we climbed over the volcano rim to look into the crater. Then was the scary bit where we dropped down a few hundred feet very quickly! Back below the cloudline Kirk spied a gorge that is normally covered in cloud but that was clear enough for us to dive into. This was where the manouvrability for the helicopter really showed itself – lying on it's side, looking straight down, spinning round is an awesome experience.

We then headed to the east side of the island, over uninhabitable plains of trees and the tiny villages that are scattered along the west coast. We saw dozens of huge waterfalls and secluded pools that are completely unaccessable by land. We flew past Hana and over the twisty turny road that we'd driven a few days earlier. Then headed inland – the helicopters normally follow the coast round but the cloud was high enough for us to fly over the eastern slopes of the volcano.

Around to the north shore of Maui we flew over the airport and on to West Maui. As I mentioned before, this is one of the wettest places on the planet and consequently is almost always shrouded in cloud. However the weather was kind to us again (I like to think it was making up for raining off our volcano air tour on Friday!). Instead of taking us around the coast we could again head inland, down Waihe'e Valley. Even Kirk was surprised to find the cloud was clear enough to take us all the way to the end of the valley, the Wall Of Tears. Like Iao Valley, there were many battles fought in the valley. The name also comes from the many waterfalls that pour out of the valley wall. It was an absolutely incredible sight.

Our hour was up and we headed back to the heliport. Kirk had been filming a DVD from four cameras mounted on the helicopter and we decided it would be an excellent momento. It also has Kirk's commentary which gave the trip (and the DVD) another dimension. It really was the most amazing end to our holiday-of-a-lifetime.

There was no more time to do any more. We returned our hire car and headed for the airport. The journey home was a long one – we had to wait a few hours between flights in San Francisco (we'd bought access to American Airlines' lunge so at least that was a little more comfortable). We also paid to upgrade to Economy Plus on the flight back to Heathrow. We were glad of the extra legroom but it wasn't a patch on Business Class.

We left with so many memories but also with so many other things we'd like to return for. I don't know if we ever will – it was a long way and I'm always a bit wary of returning to places I've already been to. But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Hawai'i to anyone who was thinking of going. It's so much more than the island paradise you expect it to be.

Honeymoon Diary #4

Wednesday 29th July

The alarm went off at 1.30am. Yup, 1.30am. One of the most amazing sights on Maui is supposed to be the sunrise over Haleakala Crater, so we wanted to up early enough to take the drive up to the top. It's not that far but it's a slow drive up the dormant volcano. It's also one of the steepest roads in the world, ascending 10,000 ft above sea-level in just 38 miles. It was certainly fun in the dark (fortunately I left that drive to Darren!) It didn't take as long as expected though – we arrived at about 3.45am, one of only three cars in the car park. It was worth being that early though as there is virtual no ambient light and the view of the stars is magnificent. It was also good to have the time to reflect before the hordes of cars and tourbuses arrived. It was incredibly cold though!

Darren took a quick nap before the main show but I couldn't sleep and had a nice chat with a couple of American kids. We saw the sky gradually lighten and by the time Darren joined me there were about a thousand people who had joined us. The stars went out, one by one and it got colder just before dawn. At around 5.50am the clouds started to glow and then the sun shone out. It is impossible to put into words what the experience was like.

After the main event we drove up to the highest point on the volcano to get more of a view of the crater. It's difficult to have any perspective on how big it is – it's 8 miles across and would comfortably hold Manhatten island. As we drove down we stopped at he various lookout points to get some different views and stopped again at the bottom at a cafe or breakfast. Then it was off to lunch!

Darren had spotted O'o farm in one of the manny magazines we had picked up. The organic farm was created to provide for two restaurants in Lahaina, a town near the resort we are staying at, and the Feast At Lele, a meal / show that we had booked to attend before leaving. The lunch tours seemed right up our street. The farm is on the lower slopes of Haleakala. There were around 20 people on the tour and we were shown around the farm, the various crops and techniques they had for growing as organically and naturally as possible. We had some very interesting conversations about how organic food rarely means local food when it comes to supermarkets – I think they were quite shocked by how far food gets shipped to the UK! We then helped to pick some salad leaves for our lunch.

As well as the salad the chef had prepared the local Mahi-Mahi fish and some tofu (which even Darren thought was tasty!). There was also some lovely chocolate fondants to finish. The atmosphere was very communal and everyone seemed quite interested in our WWOOFing experiences. Wine was drunk (not so much by me as I was designated driver) and we left around 2.30pm.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Tom Barefoot's Tours, a well-respected activities vendor on the islands. Jake (who is Tom's son, yes Barefoot is his real name) was really helpful – we didn't feel as if we were being sold anything that we didn't want, only the tours that were right for us. We booked a Volcano Air Tour for Saturday morning and a complete island tour in a helicopter before our departure on Monday afternoon.

Another of Darren's spies in a magazine was The Melting Pot, our destination for dinner. It's a chain of restaurants but not one that you get in the UK so we allowed ourselves a visit. It's basically a fondue restaurant. We went for the four-course set menu (I say, “set,” there was still a lot of choice!). First up, cheese fondue – once they fired up the hot plate they came to our table with the raw ingredients and mixed the fondue in front of us, leaving us with a lovely gooey cheese mixture and various breads, raw vegetables and apple chunks to dip. Next was a salad of mozzarella and tomatoes. Then the meat and fish course – a bowl of stock was heated on the table and we were given a plate of all sorts of meat and seafood, along with a few veggies and lots of different sauces. You simply dropped the food in, waited a few minutes, then fished it out and ate. We gradually made it through the whole lot (except the potatoes – we put two in at the beginning and they still weren't cooked when we'd finished everything else!)

Last but not least was the inevitable chocolate fondue. There were all sorts of options, we went for dark chocolate with Disaronno. Again there were lots of different goodies to dip (my favourite was the marshmallow coated in Oreo crumbs). It was a really fun experience – I'm amazed there's nothing similar in the UK!

Thursday 30th July

Today we were to drive the legendary Road To Hana. Despite only being 52 miles long the journey was estimated to take about three hours and, with part of the road due to close at 11.30am for roadworks, we had to leave by 8am to be sure of making it all the way. There are around 620 turns and 46 one-lane bridges along the road which nestles between the coast and the rainforest. There was some nice scenary and waterfalls along the way but it wasn't as breath-taking as I expected. Some recommend taking a guided tour rather than driving it yourself but I found the driving much more fun than the viewing!

We stopped just inside Hana at a tiny museum which had a lot of personal accounts of the tsunamis that have hit the east coast of Maui over the last century, as well as an example of a traditional Hawai'ian village. We then went back on ourselves to grab some BBQ chicken from a roadside stall (there are loads of them) and took it to Hana Bay itself. Most say that the destination is a disappointment after the journey. It is small, never having really recovered from the last tidal wave in 1946. The bay itself is a black sand beach and, despite the number of people who travel towards it, was very quiet.

After our lunch we continued a little further along the road. Inspired by the band Gomez we wanted to see Hamoa Beach. It's a lovely little beach, shaded by lots of trees but with quite a strong current. We stopped to lie on the grey sand or a while and I couldn't resist a play in the high waves. I didn't last long though – after five minutes I was exhausted and returned to our spot to dry off!

We were thinking of continuing to the waterfalls of Oheo Gulch but it was already past 3pm and we were still quite tired from the previous day so we decided to head back once the road re-opened at 3.30pm. Darren clipped the car on a side-barrier (good thing it was there otherwise we'd have been down the cliff!) but the journey back was otherwise fairly uneventful. Once back at the hotel we ate at the Tiki Terrace, the hotel restaurant and made for an early night.

Honeymoon Diary #3

Friday 24th July

We had a really early start today. Our tour to the Big Island was picking us up at 5am (although the bus didn't turn up until 5.30am). Once at Honolulu Airport we were shown to our check-in desk where we got our boarding passes. I lost my sunscreen for good this time – I hadn't thought about airport security and the bottle was too big. Fortunately we didn't really need it as most of our day was to be spent at the misty top of a volcano.

After we landed we came through the tiny airport at Hilo to be greeted by our driver and guide for the day. He added a very personal angle to the tour, telling us about his childhood in the town and about the tsunami that struck the town in 1960. I half expected him to start telling us where his aunts and uncles lived! Once out of the town our first stop was Rainbow Falls. Probably not the most exciting waterfall in Hawai'i but probably the easiest one for tourbuses to stop at. We had 15 minutes to take a few snaps and then headed off to the Mauna Loa Macademia Nut Factory.
Macademia nuts are everywhere in Hawai'i. I don't think we've seen a restaurant menu yet that doesn't mention them somewhere. When the driver told us that there we free samples in the gift shop that was where everyone headed first! The samples certainly worked - we bought four packs in various flavours and got a free cool bag. We then had a quick walk around the outside of the factory. You can walk down the entire production line and view what's going on through large windows. There wasn't much to see in the early stages but seeing how they encase the nuts in chocolate (and it's very good chocolate) was interesting.

Finally we were off up the volcano! The Big Island of Hawai'i is constantly growing and has the most active volcano on earth, Kilauea, which is spewing lava into the sea and creating new land. It has two bigger volcanoe, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea – indeed Mauna Loa is the most massive mountain on earth and if you counted the height from the sea floor it is bigger than Mount Everest. We stopped at the Visitor Centre for our first view of the steaming caldera of Kilauea. This was also our lunch stop – a bit early at 11am but I suppose we had been up a long time.

After lunch we drove round Crater Rim Drive past many steam vents (which I thought we were meant to stop at but the driver didn't seem too enthusiastic about them. Definitely a problem with going on a large guided tour). We stopped at the Jaggar Museum. The road is currently closed from this point due to dangerously high quantities of sulphur in the air, so this is the closest overlook of Halema'uma'u Crater. We could smell the sulphur and it was quite awe-inspiring to see the size and scale of both the crater and the caldera. The museum was also interesting, showing how the island chain was formed, the different types of lava and the damage caused by the most recent eruptions.

Back on Crater Rim Drive and past the visitor centre is Thurston Lava Tube. Created 500 years ago, it's a cold, dark, wet walk through quite an amazing feat of nature. Next on the tour was a visit to an orchid nursery. Orchids are another thing you see everywhere in Hawai'i – the leis, the flowers in the hair, decorating food, cocktails, everywhere! The nursery had a plant said to be worth $20,000 – it was perfectly symmetrical apparently. We also thought it was pretty ugly!

Our final stop was advertised as a, “journey to the End of the Road where the lava has most recently flowed into the sea.” It turns out that coaches are not actually allowed down to the end of the road so we actually went to the end of the next road along. Here we walked along a quarter of a mile trail to a black sand beach. You could see the steam from where the lava was meeting the water but it was too far away and there was no chance of seeing any red lava flow. The landscape was kind of eerie though and a surprisingly large number of coconut trees had started to grow on the lava field.

Back at tiny Hilo airport (half of it outside!) we checked-in and passed security without any problems. As we waited to board our plane we were treated to a live musical and hula performance. The hula dance is really expressive and the song was in English which meant I could easily interpret the dance. It was a wonderfully relaxed end to a busy day.

When we returned to our hotel we stopped in Duke's for dinner – I had some really good fish encrusted in macademia nuts and Darren had tuna. Then it was off to bed for some much needed sleep.

Saturday 25th July

We wanted to take a leisurely look around Honolulu. After spending an hour in an internet cafe trying to fix my laptop we took a bus to the Aloha Tower. We browsed around the shops in the mall and stopped for a beer at Gordon Biersch, a brew-pub chain in Hawai'i. We thought we'd have a bite to eat as well, choosing a pork sandwich each. As ever the American portions were huge though!

It's hard to believe in high-rise Waikiki that the 184-ft Aloha Tower was the tallest building in Honolulu when it was open in 1926. We took the free lift up to the top - not an amazing view but it was fun to watch the planes taking off from the airport.

Time seemed to run away from us. It was already 3pm and we hadn't actually got to the historic buildings that I wanted to see. So we walked up to 'Iolani Palace – you can only enter it on a guided tour anyway. This is where Queen Lili'uokalani, the last monarch of Hawai'i ruled from and was then imprisoned under house arrest when the monarchy was overthrown in 1893. The building I really wanted to get to was the State Art Museum. It closes at 4pm so we had just half and hour to have a quick look around. I'm glad we did as we had the gallery to ourselves and saw some really evocative pieces by Hawai'ian and Hawai'i-based artists.

We took the bus back to Waikiki and jumped out on the way to hire a car for the following day. We also went to Hard Rock Cafe for a quick drink and to collect our Honolulu shot glass. Our hotel had an art gallery / shop that we had viewed a couple of times since we arrived and we nipped in again. We've wanted to own an original piece of art for some time and this seemed like the ideal opportunity. We were particularly taken by the work of Steve Barton who uses wavy canvases for his Hawai'ian land and sea-scapes. We sat with Pink Sunset (I think that's what it was called) for a long time in their viewing room before agreeing to take the plunge. I'm not telling how much it cost, but as we had received some money from Darren's parents we agreed that it would be paid for by them (so thank you both!). Breathless but excited, we went to bed.

Sunday 26th July

Inspired by our Lost tour earlier in the week (and still a little annoyed that we couldn't take the full day tour) we hired a car and decided to investigate the North Shore by ourselves. At such short notice we had to go for a more expensive option, so for just one day we were the proud “owners” of a red Mini convertible.

After a few arguments on how to get out of Honolulu (the map wasn't very useful and the roadsigns even less so) we found Highway 2 and were on our way. We headed straight for the west end of the shore. We had a quick drive around Dillinger Airfield where the main part of the Lost plane fuselage used to be stored but we couldn't see anything. Next stop, Camp Erdman, the YMCA camp used as the Dharma village where we took a few snaps, then to Mokule'ia Beach. This was used for a lot of the beach scenes in the first series and it did have a sense of familiarity about it! We spent an hour soaking up a little sun (a little too much as we later found out - the new spray on suncream I bought was pretty hard to apply in the wind and we both ended up with rather unattractive red patches...)

We then headed east to Waimea Falls, another Lost location. We had a bite to eat in the cafe and then set of through the botanic gardens to the 60-ft waterfall. We both had a dip in the pool which was very cold and pretty uncomfortable underfoot – really difficult to get in and out! We had planned to continue east to Sunset Beach and Turtle Bay but we wanted to get the car back before 5.30pm so we decided to head back to Honolulu.

As we approached Honolulu we had an hour left with the car so we took a detour to the Punchbowl Crater. Yet another of Hawai'i's volcanic craters, this one has become a memorial site for those who have been lost in combat but whose bodies have never been found. As well the large monuments to the dead from the Pearl Harbour attack are thousands of marble stones representing many others missing in action, presumed dead. Despite being so close to the city it is incredibly peaceful and we left in reflective mood.

Back into the Honolulu / Waikiki traffic, the mood became frantic, especially when we hurriedly had to work out the procedure of a US gas station. We just got the car back on time and wandered back to the hotel to shower and change for our last meal in Oahu.

This one was on Mum! We originally planned to eat at Benares, a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant, when we stayed in London on the night after the wedding, but decided that spicy food+alcohol+an early start+a long flight was probably not a good combination. As my mum gave us some money towards that we decided to spend it on the closest thing possible in Waikiki. Nobu Matsuhisa has a Michelin-starred restaurant in London which is on our wishlist, and also has an outlets around the world including Waikiki (no stars yet, I'm not sure the judges get out this far!) We went for the Omakase tasting menu – I think it was partly created on the spot so I don't have it written down and I'm struggling to remember what we had! The meal consisted of two cold dishes, two hot dishes, a sushi plate and dessert. First course was crab in a miso wasabi soup – far too hot for me. I also remember an excellent Japanese snapper dish, some Caliornian lamb (which is quite exclusive apparently) and the nigiri sushi was really good. There wasn't really the same “wow” factor that I had at Sansei though until dessert, a gorgeous chocolate and orange creation. Maybe too much of it was just a bit too spicy for me. The cocktails were superb though (which may explain why I can't remember all the courses...)

Monday 27th July

Today was our last day on Oahu and the first on Maui. But not as tremendously exciting as that might sound! After our last buffet breakfast in Duke's, Darren nipped over to an Internet cafe to get the last files together to fix my laptop and I did a spot of souvenir shopping. We packed and then got the taxi to the airport for our 1.30pm flight. The terminal was tiny and we went through security in double quick time! There was just a cocktail bar in the terminal so we had a cheeky drink before walking towards the gate.

The flight got delayed until 2.30pm. Then 3.30pm. We saw our luggage being loaded onto a plane but were then told that it wasn't OUR plane and we had to wait! They must have had a few spaces though because we then got called onto it, a shuttle that stopped at Moloka'i before jumping on to Kahului airport on Maui. I had a lovely chat with a lady who had just moved to Moloka'i as we sat at the back of the tiny plane (I think it held around 30-40 people). It was quite a bumpy experience! We got to see the massive cliffs of Moloka'i as we skirted around the island along with a view of the longest white sand beach in the USA where part of Pirates of the Caribbean 3 were filmed.

Three hours later than planned we landed at Kahalui and our luggage made it as well! We ventured to the car hire desks and miraculously managed to not be persuaded ino hiring the Mustang or the Jeep, instead going for a mid-size, very ugly Chevrolet. The drive to our hotel took about 45 minutes taking in some lovely scenery. Ka'anipali Beach Hotel is not as plush as the Outrigger in Waikiki but it is very charming and incredibly friendly. It has been named as Hawai'i's Most Hawai'ian Hotel and strives to provide it's visitors with the most authentic experience possible. The low-rise property is in a horseshoe shape around the pool and bar area and our room is towards the back which gives us a bit of a view of the ocean through the palm trees. It's very relaxing and peaceful, especially compared to the hustle of Waikiki. After a quick glass of our complementary champagne we headed to the bar for a pizza (an Hawai'ian, naturally) and a cocktail. The bar also has musicians and a hula show every night (which we can see and hear from our balcony!)

We returned to our room to find a couple of problems – the remote control didn't work and the air conditioning was leaking. I went to reception to report them and they promptly sent someone up for us. The air-con wasn't too dfficult a job but the TV is more complicated than replacing the batteries – we're waiting for someone else to come and reset the box for us! Once again I couldn't keep my eyes open past 9.30pm – besides, the bed is just too comfy...

Tuesday 28th July

We joined our hosts for our Welcoming Breakfast at 8am. The Ka'anipali Beach Hotel definitely has more of a feel of a European beach hotel. They explained more about the ethos of the hotel and then told us about some of the trips and shows we could do. We booked a snorkel boat trip to the Molokini crater on Friday and the Ulalena show on Saturday night. We also wanted to book a helicopter flight and a small plane flight over the Big Island lava flows, but decided not to go through the hotel for these.

After breakfast we took a wander down the beach to Whalers Shopping Village. As it was lunchtime (already!) we stopped at Leilani's – I had a chicken cashew stir-fry and Darren had the local version of fish and chips (no mushy peas though!). After a good nosey around the shops we returned to our room to relax and unpack. At 8.30pm we realised we ought to get something to eat but we wanted to be in bed early – we had a VERY early start the next morning. Unfortunately the Tiki Grill at the hotel stopped serving at 8pm so we ended up walking back down to Whalers and conceding defeat to the American might of McDonalds (yes, it tastes the same over here). At 9.30pm, much later than we planned, we got to bed.

Honeymoon Diary #2

Wednesday 22nd July

4.30am was my waking up time. When we decided it was a reasonable time for breakfast we decided to try Duke's Canoe Club for the buffet. It was fantastic - no soggy buffet here, everything was nice and fresh and the crispy bacon was to die for. Our plan was to visit Pearl Harbour today. We eventually found a bus stop and when the bus eventually turned up found we needed change for our tickets. Luckily he said there was another bus following ("and you'll get a seat on that one") so we grabbed some water to change down a big note and climbed aboard the next bus. The journey was about an hour long. When we got to the site, the first thing I had to do was check-in my bag for security reasons (should I sue them for getting sunburnt because they took my suncream away?). We queued for our allotted time to visit the USS Arizona Memorial site (which is free) and then bought tickets for the USS Bowfin and USS Missouri.

We had three hours before we could visit the Arizona so we took the shuttle to the Missouri first. We chose a guided tour which was excellent. Our guide served in the American Air Force and added a real personal air to the majesty of the huge ship. The USS Missouri was the last battleship in active service and could still be turned around for duty within 3 months if needed. There were lots of big statistics. I think the one that impressed me the most was the accuracy of her weapons - the 16" shells have a range of 23 miles and are still accurate to within about 6 foot. It's technology pre-dates modern computers. Indeed when the ship was refitted in the 1980's they tried installing digital computers but took them out again as they weren't as accurate or as reliable as the analogue computers (you really don't want to be facing the "blue screen of death" in a war!)

He showed us the place where a Japanese kamikaze plane hit the ship during World War II. Miraculously the only person killed was the Japanese pilot. Despite the bitterness between the two nations, despite the fact that this man had tried to destroy the ship and despite the fact that the captain's brother had been killed in battle two months earlier, the captain insisted on giving the pilot a proper burial at sea and set his men to work at sewing a Japanese flag to cover his coffin.

The final stop on our tour was the spot where WWII ended, where the Japanese signed their surrender. After the tour ended we were free to look around the open areas of the ship, especially the living quarters and communal areas which was really interesting. There was a real sense of the camaraderie that must exist when you live in such situations and the respect shown for all those who have served on both this ship and throughout the armed forces is contagious.

We took the shuttle bus back to the main site in time for our 2.30pm visit to the memorial. First we were shown a video of that fateful day in 1941 where the harbour, along with various other aircraft bases on the island were the target of the attack that brought the US into World War II. Many ships were sunk that day but the Arizona is one of the few that remains in the harbour and also where the highest loss of life occurred, 1177 died as they slept that night. After the film we were shown to a boat to take us to the memorial site. A white arch covers the site where the Arizona lies and parts of the boat still show above the water line and oil seeps from it's hull. It's strange to imagine that you are standing over a burial site. We spent a few moments looking at the names and took the next ferry back 15 minutes later.

Our last point of call for the day was the USS Bowfin, a submarine that you can walk around with a free audio tour (well I don't think you could get many tour groups down there!) As it was getting late it was nice and quiet, but it still felt claustrophobic as you walked through. The audio tour included input from men who had served on the Bowfin which made it a very interesting insight into life in such a confined space.

We had a quick look around the huge missiles that were on show before we took the bus back to our hotel. Our choice of restaurant for the evening was Ciao Mein, an intriguing mix of Chinese and Italian food. There were only a few dishes which mixed the two cuisines and we tried the Salmon alla Siciliana in a hot bean sauce as well as the more Italian scallops in a creamy sauce with pasta. Again we struggled to keep awake after our meal and went straight to bed!

Thursday 23rd July

Today we were taking our first tour - the Lost tour. We really wanted to do the full 9-10 hour tour but we found we should of booked it before we left and had to be content with the half-day one instead. We were joined in our Hummer by two young Canadians and our driver (whose name escapes me!). As we made our way out of town and into the forest it started to rain. Unfortunately it meant that there was no point in getting out at the Pali Lookout as we would have got drenched and not seen a thing! On our way to the next stop we caught a few glimpses from a few other Lost scenes - the fuselage of the plane covered in blue tarpaulin behind a fence, there was the tree that Eko got thrown against, the bamboo where Jack landed in the first episode and the banyan tree that Kate hid in.

The rain cleared before our next proper stop and we saw some real pieces of Lost history - the pier where the submarine was stationed and the school that Sayid was helping to build after he returned from the island (which still has all the artwork painted on from filming). We then went off-road into Kuhio Ranch and saw the old war bunker that was used as the outside of the Tempest station, the frame that held the atomic bomb "Jughead" (it's still there, maybe they plan to re-use it...) and visited Hurley's golf course. Also around this area were the log that Sam Neill hid behind in Jurassic Park to escape the T-Rex and Godzilla's footprints. Our driver had snapshots and video clips so we could put everything into perspective and took some great photos of us in poses from the series and the films. Apart from stepping in the footsteps of the stars it is breath-taking scenery in it's own right and it was a great opportunity to get out of the city and see it.

On our way back we saw where Locke fell out of the window and broke his back, the Hawaiian Convention Center which has posed as Sydney Airport and the church that was used as the Lampost station and we were back at the hotel. After a snack in Duke's we decided to tackle Diamond Head.

Diamond Head is a massive crater that overlooks Waikiki. It was a very hot and exhausting hike up to the top in the afternoon sun which took about an hour. I was glad I brought my hiking boots - it's not overly rough but it's no pavement either and I don't know how people manage it in flip-flops! The view from the top is stunning. We drank it in and recovered our energy before heading back down (much easier!) At the bottom we rewarded ourselves with a Shave Ice - an Hawaiian speciality that's a bit like a compacted Slush Puppy that you eat with a spoon and a straw.

After we got the bus back to the hotel we both took much needed showers and went to Chuck's Steak House in the hotel for dinner. We both opted for a surf and turf, mine with breadcrumbed prawns and a jacket potato and Darren's with scallops in a garlic and cream sauce and fries. The steak was cooked to absolute perfection - a classic American meal to finish a day of classic American sights.

Honeymoon Diary #1

Monday 20th July

I couldn’t sleep. I’d been awake since 4am. I’d been running our fantastic wedding through my head and was starting to dwell on the little niggly bits that weren’t quite so perfect so I picked up a magazine. Eventually the 6am alarm went and we could get up and get on with things. Breakfast in our Paddington hotel was good and we made it on to Heathrow without any drama. After a little bit of shopping (8-hour cream for her, stupidly expensive sunglasses for him). We walked to our gate. We sat and waited and then the announcement came: “We are looking for three people who are prepared to divert to Los Angeles in return for an upgrade to Business Class.” It took no more than a nod from me and Darren was already at the service desk. As long as there was a connection to Honolulu, we would take it. After 15 nervy minutes all the paperwork was sorted and we were being led to the gate for the L.A. flight.

Business Class was an emotional experience! The first thing we were offered was champagne (it would be rude not to). The seats adjusted to almost flat and we were also furnished with blankets, pillows and toiletries. And the food! Tablecloths, real cutlery, china plates. Starter was asparagus and salad, scarily similar to our wedding starter. Main course was a filet mignon that you couldn’t complain about if you’d had it in a top restaurant. Desert was a passion fruit mousse cake that tasted exactly like a Solero! And the wine simply kept coming. After dinner we were left to rest, watch movies on our personal screens and we both tried to get as much sleep as possible. An hour before landing was afternoon tea - a selection of sandwiches followed by scone, jam and clotted cream. Travelling back in Economy is going to be VERY hard after that experience!!!

Indeed flying on to Honolulu in economy wasn’t easy! Our luggage made it as well despite the detour and we actually landed an hour earlier than we were originally scheduled to at 7.20pm. We got a taxi to our hotel, the Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach and checked in. We were offered a room upgrade for $200 a night but that was far to much – I think we’d rather save our money for a flight upgrade! We didn’t need to anyway – our Ocean View room is as close to the beach as possible and on the 10th floor so we have a pretty amazing view already.

After a little unpacking, a freshen up and change out of the clothes we had been wearing for the last 24 hours we went to Duke’s Bar in the hotel for a bite to eat. I had to return to my room for ID – they don’t serve anyone who looks under 30 here (so at 31 I guess I should feel flattered!). On the recommendation of Scott, our wedding photographer, Darren had the Mahi Mahi burger, a fish burger that he said was superb, and I went for the mango BBQ and bacon cheeseburger which was also excellent. When we returned to or room we found the hotel had left us a celebratory bottle of Champagne. After one glass we allowed ourselves to go to bed at 10pm, 36 hours after our day had started!


Tuesday 21st July

Darren was up and out on the balcony at 5.30am hoping to see a sunrise, but despite our window being almost east-facing there are far too many other tall buildings to see anything.. Still it was nice to enjoy another glass of champagne on the balcony while it got progressively lighter and Darren opened his birthday cards. At about 7am we chose the Hula Grilll for breakfast. Two courses no less! To start I had some amazing fresh pineapple and Darren had a very warm nutty muffin. Then Darren had and omelette and I had chocolate chip pancakes. Darren’s omelette with fried potatoes was impressive enough. However my pancakes – well I expected a few of those little discs you get at home. The Americans really don’t do food by halves – they were the size of dinner plates, three of them, covered in melting choc chips and foamed milk. Suffice to say I couldn’t finish it!!!

Our plan for the day was to do some investigation. After finishing our unpacking we took a stroll all the way along Waikiki beach. We made it just past the Natatorium and decided to head back along the main strip, Kalakaua Avenue. Firstly we stopped in the park and enjoyed the breeze as we admired the Diamond Head, a huge mass of volcanic rock that we plan to climb at some point! On the way back to the hotel we grabbed some leaflets for trips, then at the hotel started to make plans. We’re not really a “laze on the beach” couple. Besides, there’s far too much to do and see and who knows if we’ll ever make it back here!

We booked two trips over the phone from our room and also reserved our table for Darren’s birthday meal at Sansei, a highly recommended Japanese restaurant in the Marriott hotel. Then it was time to hit the beach. Well we had to do it at some point! It was very crowded – it’s not very big and is very popular – but we found a small spot right in front of our hotel (our’s is one of the few that actually sits on the beach). After smearing on sun cream (and sand!) I lay for a few minutes reading and then decided to cool off in the water. It’s not Jacuzzi hot but it was perfect for cooling down. And the current, even in these relatively safe waters is surprisingly strong – you have to keep aware of where you are. It was nice to dry off in the sun and it was Darren’s turn for a dip.

After another hour’s sun-worshipping we returned to the room to shower and change for the evening. We went down to Duke’s for a drink and in hope of seeing Hawaii’s view of the solar eclipse, but the sun was still too high and too strong to look at and see the small chunk cut out of it. At the table even Darren needed ID for a drink! Now that IS a great 39th birthday present! Almost as good was the free drink they gave him . Darren had two drinks but I was already feeling quite tired so I opted for water as my second drink. Then it was on to Sansei.

We had heard about Sansei’s Omakase Tasting Menu and it sounded like just our kind of thing. We also chose a sampler or “flight” of three white wines to accompany the meal. First dish was a very good bowl of miso soup. The next three dishes were served together. Edamame beans – Japanese peas served in their pods. A spicy crab sushi roll served with sweet chili sauce. And a Japanese salad with octopus and salmon and tuna sashimi. The sashimi was very good but the rest was simply OK – we certainly weren’t blown away by the food at this point. This all changed with the next three courses though. Shrimp fish cakes in crispy noodles in a ginger, lime and chilli butter sauce and coriander pesto. The most amazing and soft calamari fried with a sweet and spicy sauce, served in a giant wonton. And most breath-taking of all, tuna sashimi wrapped in spinach leaves and panko crumbs, then flash fried and served in a subtle soy wasabi butter sauce. So crunchy on the outside but so soft on the inside.

There were two more courses to follow: Japanese butterfish (I’m guessing so called because it simply melts in the mouth) in sake and sweet miso and lobster, crab and shrimp ravioli in a truffle butter sauce that was divine. I felt full but these two courses managed to be both rich and light enough to finish. At this point I think jetlag kicked in. I had to prop my eyes open with matchsticks to stay awake long enough for the bill to arrive. When we got to our room we both crashed out completely!