Had a beaut day in tn the Bay of Islands, we were anchored quite a way off shore and were tendered into Waitagi Wharf which took about 20 minutes. The weather was still a chilly 12 degrees but sun was shining - was very pleasant walking around the area. Took a local ferry across to Russell - where the first licensed hotel in New Zealand is situated - Duke of Marlborough - had a yummy lunch of fish and chips and a nice bottle of local Syrah. Could have sat over lunch for another hour or two, Rae and Jim joined us for the day - a great time had by all. Russell is a very quaint little village - can see why so many people come to this area for holidays etc - the whole ... read more

Arrived in Suva at 7.00a.m. - had a leisurely breakfast and decided to just walk around the town itself - after all the amazing places we have been Suva was a little uninspiring - but the weather was a lovely breezy 24 so perfect for a long walk. Walked about 7kms along the beachfront past Albert Park, their big sporting ground, Thurston Gardens which is a very nice botanical park lush with flowering plants, shady trees and lily ponds. Overlooking these gardens is the Government Houses which is a very grand looking mansion - over the top when you see the basic homes people have to live in around the place - sadly lacking TLC, many beggars and the beaches close to town were strewn with endless rubbish, plastic bags and bottles. People very friendly and ... read more

Kauai today - 8.00a.m. docking in Nawiliwili- had a nice walk around the local area in the morning an then hired a 6 seater plane (Australian made airvan) with Bruce the pilot and did another wonderful scenic trip around the island. This island is really like a nature island and in stark contrast to our trip out of Hilo on the big island, very lush countryside and the most amazing canyons - flying around really does give you a good view of the whole island - flew costal for part and then up Waimea Canyon, the Wailua River and along the Na Pali Coast. Looks like some really nice resorts around the coast. The colours with the sun shining on the rocks and undergrowth was just lovely. The opposite side of the island gets 450 inches ... read more

Have had four days at sea before arriving in Hilo, (on the big island of Hawaii), has gone very quickly, weather started off coolish out of LA but has been 23-24 each day since. Ship had a passenger talent show yesterday arvo, was fantastic, there are some very talented people onboard, standing room only in the theatre, variety of singing, dancing, piano, guitar, even the captains daughter sang. Went to a few port lectures, we have this guy called Hutch onboard who gives a lecture on every upcoming port, which is so useful, usually goes for about an hour, gives a bit of history and then practical stuff like what the port is like, how far from city centre, taxis, shopping, what to see, and of course encourages to book tours with Princess but we still ... read more

Docked 5a.m. in Puntarenas, we dock at some weird times - at the end of a very long pier - overlooking dark sandy beaches - bit like Seminyak. Teamed up with Jim and Rae and hired a driver (Phillips) to take us to see some sights for a few hours - worked out very reasonable between 4 of us - $150.00 for six hours. We drove into San Jose, the capital, through lovely, green, lush countryside - we laughed a lot Phillips was a very funny man, spoke very good English but a heavy accent. Costa Rica is very big on education - 90 percent literacy rate here - not like other Central Amercian Countries - disbanded army and put money into education. In San Jose took a walking tour of Metropolitan Cathedral, National Theatre, also ... read more