WhaleSong

We booked a boat once called Whalesong but it cancelled on us due to heavy weather. Today we got on board Gemini for a two hour cruise.  This was non stop whale action. They are saying that the whale interactions are increasing each year and that at the moment the whale fornication is off the scale.  Hooray!  I have taken some video but it is like filming a bobbing cork from a bobbing cork.  The breeding season is happening now during January and February then its back to the feeding grounds in Alaska.

Tail Slapper

Up ya Spout

We had another round of snorkelling off Black Rock.  There is a lot of wave action here. There were colourful fish and some corals. The most striking thing is the movement of the sand on the bottom when the swells hit. The beaches here are steep which means the shore break is hard hitting.  This is tricky for getting in and out with snorkel gear. This was all before lunch. We spent the rest of the day by the pool. We used the slides, the pools, the bar and the bird cage. 

get out bikini photo bomber

Food Vans

We returned to the Food Van park which is the best kept secret of this little Maui neck of the woods. Last night we tried the Hula Grill as they do not take reservations but were told the wait was an hour and fifteen minutes. This was at 6pm. We squeezed in at the Monkey Pod.  Tonight's was the best meal we have had so far on the trip. We had a half smoked chicken with rice delivered to our table in a bamboo container. It was the best and there is no queue to be served and empty tables as well.

Van Food

Who's getting wet?

Turtle Town

Yesterday we swam with the turtles and today we sun baked with them. Before that we tried the Outlet stores of Maui.  Don't bother.  Prices were still high. Stores like Hilfiger and Roxy with swimmers for US$80 or AUD$120.  We bought swimmers for 1 Euro last year.  BTW the Pandora store closed three weeks ago. There goes my 40th anniversary idea.  No Phasement.  I am always comparing this trip with Europe.  There is not much here that the Europeans don't do better.  What they do better here is the natural stuff like whales, turtles and beaches.  We went to Ho'okipa Beach. There were 40 turtles there doing their thing. Some were sleeping. Some reminded me of an Alien movie they were so entwined.

Danger Shelf

Turtle Sleep Over

Whale Town

This is also turtle town after our snorkel with the turtles today. We brought our snorkel gear with us and we were going to make sure we used it.  We found a reef that was right on the shore with many coloured fish and turtles. The biggest splash around here has to be the whales. We were just sitting at the lights as you do and there is a whale tail slam then the lights change and you move off.  There must be hundreds of whales here.  Spout counting became a thing. Who can count the most number of whales spouting in 30 seconds. It was never under 10 whales.  It makes you think that the world isn't coming to an end afterall.

Don't feed the birds

Hawaii sunset 

Spotting the Spouting

Westin Maui

We have made a significant jump in standards here. The Westin Maui is very upmarket and newly renovated to boot compared to the rather tired Big Island Naniloa we just left.  We have been treated to a whale show off our balcony deck where numerous whales have congregated just off shore.  It is a sprawling hotel with 6 or 7 pools, complete with waterfalls and flamingoes. We ate at the food trucks just now which seem to be a permanent feature. Next door is the traders village where we will visit the Pandora store tomorrow.  I have been trying to come to terms with phone photos which is such a come down from using a real camera.  So the attached will have to do.

Food Vannin

In the pink

Big 40

This is the official 40th day and we made it a bit of  rest day after three fairly touristy packed days.  We went for a walk thru the parkland here in a Japanese garden.  There are a lot of Japanese here for a place they bombed. Don't mention the War. We did some shopping at WalMart and I now have three new pairs of shorts. Lunch was in the old town (a bit rundown). Jackie Reys place was an old bank and the best building in town. We had a steak sandwich (half each) and laid around on the black sand til 4:30pm.  The worst no phasement moment was when I got my camera wet and is now useless.

Jackie Rey's

Kilauea

This volcano causes a lot of trouble.  We drove to the top of it which is not that high, only 4045 ft compared to the behemoth neighbours Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea both over 13,000 ft.  We walked around the Caldera rim for a while and thru some steam and gas fields.  2018's drama resulted in a huge subsidence in this area.  We found another ancient General Store that had sandwiches and champagne.  The drive down to Punalu'u black sand was fast and slick like a lava flow.  This beach was rumoured to have turtles but there were none to be seen.  Debbie says because it is Australia Day today in Australia we can have two 40th anniversaries.

Too big to photograph

Coconuts and Lily Pads

A Red Hooded ?

WaterFalls & DriftWood

After the Lava Tunnel we checked out some Waterfalls, starting with the Rainbow Falls which fall over the lip of the same Lava Tube but way down stream. Then we made our way to the Ataka Falls. We had to pay $5 to park which was the first fee so far. All the Hawaii car parks are small. We have had to wait for a spot at at least three times. Our last stop was at Honoli'l beach which is a black sand beach strewn with flotsam.  This beach is ideal for making sculptures. We did this in NZ a few years back and this one has plenty of resources.  The wood is smoothed into many curved creations.

Akaka Falls

Driftwood

I made this

and this

Lava Tubes

There are secret spots if you look hard. Yesterday's was the hot pool that survived the lava flow down at the Ex boat harbour.  Today we went to the lava tubes only 15 min from our hotel.  It looks like a scene out of the Alien movie. Smoothed curving mantles along hundreds of metres of tunnel until you get to the part where the roof has fallen in. Chaotic walking in the dark, except I brought torches for the occasion.  That was this morning. We are going off for bar food now I'll continue this later.  These are some of Debbie's Google share phone photos.

Entrance

Tunnel View

Smoothie

Luna Lava

2018 and 2019 saw a Kilaeua lava lake drain down into some old fissures. Today we saw where the lava had found its way to the sea.  Last year we saw an eruption from the deck of our ship and it was the reddest red you can ever see. Today we were on a beach which was the blackest black you could ever see.  A number of times we ignored dead end signs just so we could see what was at the end.  The black sand beach was created very quickly like with in a year. It used to be a thriving boat marina.  The picnic tables have been consumed and buried under tons of black not to mention  the houses. There is a declared volcanic zone where you can get cheap land for a reason but you take your chances.

Black and White

Crash

Hot Barbecue

Grand Naniloa

This is an older hotel in the Hilton group.  We are on the 9th floor with a balcony view across to downtown Hilo on the Big Island.  This place is crawling with old lava.  We had a pizza at the bar with the Australian Open on the TV.  We bought two drinks and tipped an extra $8.00 to the barman who thought it was the right amount.  Not wanting to contribute to the poor reputation of Australians and their tipping. We have found Uncle Bill's general store which has everything you might want without the prices of the big hotel.

No Phasements

We are having a no phasement day rather than a no phasement moment.  The Jetstar flight has one advantage when you have to purchase everything as you go. When you push the button to summon the waiter they run because there is a potential sale. We were being clever getting an earlier flight to Hilo but the TSA wanted to search our bags.  They did a thorough job as they kept them behind meaning we had no bags when we arrived on Hilo. As it turns out the hotel here does not have an early bookin so we are still waiting.  We have been waiting 5 hours so far to get into our room.  It was snowing here yesterday during a storm.  Hopefully there are no more of those. The snow is still visible at 13,000 ft.

Mauna Kea

Internet in flight

fish feast

Hawaii Omen

Just filling in some airport waiting time. I can't believe we were following a car thru Geelong with an Hawaiian number plate. After some network hijinks we have connected to the Airport WiFi. The number plate was elaborate and bordered with two  mermaids.  I reckon they were heading to the airport.  Not sure if the car was travelling!! (to Hawaii).

Mermaid Cruiser

Ruby Tuesday

We have opened a 40th Wedding Anniversary present from Mum & Dad which is a striking vase with a two colour ruby effect.  They are approaching their 65th and I have the paperwork for another round of Royal decrees and Ministerial letters.  I was hoping to get onto that before we left but this small two week trip seems to be requiring more preparation than any other.

West comes East

We took the visitors on a tour of the Bellarine, including the Dell and some old haunts like Ocean Grove and Queenscliff. The Sun came out in time to see the very large rays that were circling the yacht basin in Queenscliff.  We have done some packing now as well so are in good shape for tomorrow.

Ray

Travel Mode

We have been running around on last minute stuff before take off even though we have another whole day. But we have West Australian guests any arriving any minute.  Our Woolworths SIM cards expired and now they do not sell them in-store any more! So we had to try the Post Office variety. Hopefully they work just as well.  Then there was the travel cards from CommBank. For some reason they cancelled them and placed our money in unclaimed funds.  We had at least five currencies on there and who knows how much we lost when they put it back to AUD.  I don't have to buy an Hawaiian shirt when I get there I already have one. There's the door bell.

Hawaiian 

Asher Rides Thru

The birthdays continued after a reasonable night's sleep. We drove around looking for gladioli and pastry sheets and arrived for a long day of cake and sausage roll eating which followed the long day before's cake and sausage roll eating. Asher arrived all kitted out in her bicycle gear and for the next two hours it was Asher time rather than Nana time.  Photo frames got moved, the vacuum cleaner was unblocked and the gluten free cake was eaten. And we made it back at 6:00 pm.

Helmet Head

Riding is good for me

88 the cake was 8

Senior Franster

It was a good turnout to the Klyes for Franster's 60th.  There was a lot of connecting the dots with people she talks about like a sister living in Sydney. Vice Versa people were coming up to us wondering how we fitted in. After  talking while  someone said "Are you the VFL party people?"  So for him it clicked that we were the one's that did a Grand Final day celebration.

Picnic Covers

How to keep birds from eating your strawberries? It has taken us a while to get some.  I hit on the idea of using cake covers that keep out the flies on the picnic table.  We have anchored them to the ground like ready made strawberry nets.  Across the road there has been a fire risk from a large pile of brush cuttings left behind last year.  There has been some action with a mobile wood chipper reducing the pile to chips. 

Backyard Picnic

Chip Maker

The Body

After reading this book the main comment I would make about medical advancement is two steps forward and always one step back.  I was constantly on the lookout for references to the Prostate. Finally in the second last chapter titled Good Medicine and Bad, there it was, a whole page on the prostate. There was also a quote from the guy who invented the PSA test as an indicator of the cancer. "The test is hardly more effective than a coin toss" says Professor Richard J Ablin. In America $3 billion is spent per year on the test. "I never dreamed that my discovery four decades ago would lead to such a profit driven disaster".

Aftermath Inspection

I got on the bike for my 1hr circuit mainly to observe if there was any damage around the place.  Our drains all worked well and I don't allow anything to grow in the street gutters and they were running bumper. I saw one guy belatedly digging dirt away from his street gutter bridge which was blocked. So I think the street flow diverted into his front yard.  Our beach took the brunt again and the council will have to do more remedial works to cover the bedrock.  Otherwise the beach has been nicely evened out. I picked up a can, a doggy bag of crap, half a shoe and around ten papers.

last nights post storm smoke out

This mornings beach flood way again

a new delta

Hail and Smoke

Sounds like a TV show but at last the smoke might get swept away with a storm just now which has brought hail as well.  Our gutters are running high but ok and the veggie patch is getting a good dousing. There has been some action there with our first cucumber being picked yesterday and there is a strawberry plant which must have 20 strawberries on it.  I have added an update with this video. I can't believe after all this that the smoke is still here. We have been on the phone to Melbourne and they have blue skies. There is a huge brown halo spreading out from our beach. Dirt Moves.