8. Helicopters in Kauai and whales in Maui.

After four port days I now have time to do some catching up! We have now left the Hawaiian Islands and are heading southwest towards Samoa. Our position is 17N, 158W , so edging ever nearer both the equator and the international date line, and we have travelled some 2,900 nautical miles since leaving Los Angeles.

After the bustle of Honolulu we stopped at Kauai, sometimes referred to as the garden island. It's easy to see why. Before leaving home my research had strongly suggested that the best way to see Kauai is by helicopter, so that is what we did. We treated ourselves to an hour's flight and every minute was a joy.

But it almost didn't happen. As we were about to board the helicopter it suddenly became unserviceable and so we had to switch both machine and pilot. The six seater Eco Star with Beth at the controls took off and started by flying over the harbour and Star Princess. We continued over the centre of the island and Waimera canyon, second only in length and depth to the Grand Canyon and watched as the geography changed from bare red rock laced with high waterfalls to thick green jungle. The interior is virtually impenetrable due to both the abundance of lush vegetation and the steep sided volcanic mountains. If I say that movies such as Jurassic Park were filmed here, you get the idea.

Onward we flew to the north shore where cliffs hundreds of feet high meet the ocean.  Occasionally there were flatter, more accessible areas where small settlements or vacation resorts had grown up. Beth told us that the waves rolling up onto the beach were about 12 feet, normal for the time of year although from our vantage point they looked no more than little rivulets.

Heading southwards we then flew into the crater of an extinct volcano before returning back to the airport. It had been the most exhilarating flight and a photographers dream.

Following all that excitement it was time for something a little more down to earth for the afternoon. As it happens there is a lovely beach and safe swimming just a short walk from the port so we put on swimming gear and ventured in. The water temperature was about 23C , so not too difficult to get in...and of course easy to dry off afterwards in the warm sunshine.

On the way back to the ship we stopped for shave ice, an Hawaiian speciality. A layer of icecream is covered in ice and various syrup flavourings, rather like a slush puppy. Very refreshing it is too!

Overnight we sailed from Kauai to Maui, which tends to be rather more of a tourist island. However, it's also a stopping point for thousands of humpback whales which migrate here every year to give birth. April is rather towards the end of their migration season but we had heard that there were still a few stragglers around so we jumped aboard a whale watching boat.

We weren't disappointed. We got to see dozens of the whales, the vast majority some distance off but one or two much closer up, flapping pectoral fins or tail flukes slipping majestically below the waves. As it was breeding season many of the females had their calfs with them, gently nudging them to the surface, teaching them how to breathe and dive.

Once back on dry land we spent some time looking around the port town of Lahaina. Although it must welcome millions of visitors a year, the gift stores were more artisan than touristy, and for obvious reasons every major surfwear company had a presence along the main street.

The only downside to Lahaina was that it was a tender port and as a result it took us well over an hour to get back aboard the ship. But having said that, what comes around goes around because as we were sailing away from the Island we spotted some dolphins. Not spotted from the upper deck, but from our stateroom which is near the front of the ship and low down....thus we watched them riding the bow wave from the comfort of our cabin, leaving and diving just a few feet away. Magical.