We embarked the ms Amsterdam for our Hawaiian cruise on March 22nd in San Diego.

After four and a half days of cruising we dropped anchor off shore near Lahaina, Maui. The seas were so rough that the tender service was curtailed several times throughout the day, so we decided not to go ashore.

Modern Hawaiian history has its roots deeply embedded in Lahaina. Kamehameha the Great established a residence here after he conquered Maui in a bloody battle in the Iao Valley. In the mid 1800's, whalers came by the thousands to winter in the little port. Humpback whales migrating to their Hawaiian breeding waters from the Aleutians still make whale-watching a popular winter pastime. Maui is the home of the 10,023-foot volcano Haleakala, whose crater has long been dormant - although it is not extinct.

The next morning we arrived in Honolulu where 75% of Hawaii's population calls home. Honolulu is perfectly located on serene Mammala Bay. The Diamond Head Crater and the cliffs at the extreme southern end of Waikiki give natural shelter to the harbor. The name Honolulu is derived from this geography - Hono means "bay" and lulu is "sheltered" in the Hawaiian language.

During the day we took a very informative 8-hour island circle tour. That evening we had dinner with a friend of Barbara's whom she has known since kindergarten.

Our next port of call was Nawiliwili Harbor on the Garden Island of Kauai. Kauai is the oldest inhabited island of the seven major islands of the Hawaiian Archipelago. After seven million years, nature has had plenty of time to sculpt this island into a real beauty with lush flora, dramatic canyons, and spectacular beaches. Hollywood has come to Kauai many times to film "paradise". In the hills and valleys of the island are said to be the homes of the "menehune", leprechaun-like creatures who are never seen, but are believed to perform great works overnight.

A few weeks before we arrived, Kauai suffered from torrential rainfalls that caused an earthen dam to break and also washed out many of the roads around the island. As a result all of our shore excursions had to be cancelled.