The last island we visited was the BIG ISLAND, Hawaii. Our first port of call on Hawaii was Hilo, on the eastern side of the island. Hilo is a cane field town that grew up to be the fourth largest city in the state, although its population is only 42,000. It sprawls along the crescent-shaped edge of Hilo Bay, with Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea as backdrops on a clear day. Its architecture combines old wood buildings with metal roofs and contemporary, lava-walled offices. Following a disastrous tsunami that destroyed the bay front in 1960, the town was rebuilt on higher ground and is now lined with paths and lush green gardens. It is no wonder as Hilo receives almost 140 inches of rain per year.

This was our first visit to Hilo, so we enjoyed touring the highlights of the city and the neighboring volcanos.

The next day was our final port of call, Kona, Hawaii. The island of Hawaii is by far the largest and newest in the chain. It has the most varied environment; from warm beaches, to tropical rain forests, and to the freezing habitats on the high mountain tops of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. There are the cattle ranch lands of Waimea, the active volcano zone of Kilauea, and numerous ecologies in between. The summit of Mauna Kea is the site of many of the largest astronomical observatories and the Parker Ranch is the largest privately owned ranch in the United States.

Again we had to tender into shore, but again the seas were too rough, so we just stayed on board. Two hours after leaving Kona, we cruised by the spot where the lava from the Kilauea Volcano dumps into the ocean. While we could see with our naked eye the steam rise as the lava hit the water, it is unfortunate that the pictures do not do it justice, it was truly an amazing sight!

Almost five days after leaving Kona, we arrived in Ensenada, Mexico for a short, four-hour visit. US Maritime Law requires that any ship of foreign registry that leaves a US port must stop at a foreign port before it returns to a US port ... don't ask me why.