On the Crown: 28 Days in the S. Pacific and it Wasn't Bora Boraing

[SailorJack]

Hi Sailor Jack! Great pictures and hope to see more!

Can't wait until it our turn for this fantastic cruise!

 

Just Mike aka RetiredNTraveling

 

Wish I was going with you! We may wind up doing this cruise again, but not next year. Bon Voyage.

 

Jack

[SailorJack]

Our next stop was at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. These two photos are of the caldera.

 

 

 

[SailorJack]

Every tour we take usually has what we call "The Rug Factory." It may be a stop where they sell rugs (that's how we arrived at the name), or a rum distillery, or a glass blowing factory, or a jewelry factory etc. You know, the place they take you to buy stuff where they get a commission. On our tour it was a nursery. We didn't buy anything, but I thought these shots might brighten up your day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RetiredNTraveling]

Every tour we take usually has what we call "The Rug Factory." It may be a stop where they sell rugs (that's how we arrived at the name), or a rum distillery, or a glass blowing factory, or a jewelry factory etc. You know, the place they take you to buy stuff where they get a commission. On our tour it was a nursery. We didn't buy anything, but I thought these shots might brighten up your day.

 

Ok Sailor Jack! Now you have gone and done it! I showed the beautiful pictures to my DW and her response was,

"Are we going on that tour?"

So what is it actually called? Where can I find info on it?

 

Thanks,

Mike

Edited December 13, 2014 by RetiredNTraveling

[hpeabody]

Ok Sailor Jack! Now you have gone and done it! I showed the beautiful pictures to my DW and her response was,

"Are we going on that tour?"

So what is it actually called? Where can I find info on it?

 

Thanks,

Mike

 

Not Sailor Jack, But ...

I was also on this cruise :). I think this the same place I visited on my tour. It could be the Akatsuka Orchid Garden. http://www.akatsukaorchid.com/ I had pre-booked (Cruise Critic Roll Call group) a tour with Ricky's Tours Hilo http://www.rickystourshawaii.com/our-tour.html. Ricky's delivered exactly what they claim, No issues there at all. I suspect that this is a common stop for many tours.

[hpeabody]

Loving the photos, can't wait for more.

[RetiredNTraveling]

Not Sailor Jack, But ...

I was also on this cruise :). I think this the same place I visited on my tour. It could be the Akatsuka Orchid Garden. http://www.akatsukaorchid.com/ I had pre-booked (Cruise Critic Roll Call group) a tour with Ricky's Tours Hilo http://www.rickystourshawaii.com/our-tour.html. Ricky's delivered exactly what they claim, No issues there at all. I suspect that this is a common stop for many tours.

 

Thanks! We have Ricky's Hilo Tour scheduled but was unaware of this additional information. Great news!

Mike

[SailorJack]

Ok Sailor Jack! Now you have gone and done it! I showed the beautiful pictures to my DW and her response was,

"Are we going on that tour?"

So what is it actually called? Where can I find info on it?

 

Thanks,

Mike

 

Hpeabody was correct, it was the Akatsuka Gardens Orchid Showroom and Gift Shop. The stop was a very popular one and there were several tour vans there when we visited. A couple more shots of the Showroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SailorJack]

Not Sailor Jack, But ...

I was also on this cruise :). I think this the same place I visited on my tour. It could be the Akatsuka Orchid Garden. http://www.akatsukaorchid.com/ I had pre-booked (Cruise Critic Roll Call group) a tour with Ricky's Tours Hilo http://www.rickystourshawaii.com/our-tour.html. Ricky's delivered exactly what they claim, No issues there at all. I suspect that this is a common stop for many tours.

 

While we didn't take Ricky's tour, I heard from several people that they thought it was very good. Question - did his tour go to the Thurston Lava Tube?

[hpeabody]

While we didn't take Ricky's tour, I heard from several people that they thought it was very good. Question - did his tour go to the Thurston Lava Tube?

 

Yes we did go through the Thurston Lava Tube. We (and likely everyone else) did miss the main "old" lava flow area because of the activity going on that closed the main road to get out there :( I was so looking forward to that part.

[SailorJack]

Yes we did go through the Thurston Lava Tube. We (and likely everyone else) did miss the main "old" lava flow area because of the activity going on that closed the main road to get out there :( I was so looking forward to that part.

 

I was going through my Tube photos and recalled someone telling me that their tour did not see it. Glad to see it was your tour!

[SailorJack]

This is one of the Lava Tube's inside the park.

 

 

The entrance to the tube.

 

 

 

 

Deep within it.

 

 

 

 

And finally climbing up out of it.

 

 

[SailorJack]

After the park we went to another "rug factory" - this time a Macadamia Nut Farm (no comments please!) It was actually a fun visit as they dispensed lots of different types of chocolate covered macadamias - it was almost like a lunch.

 

 

 

The walk down to Akaka Falls is through a very lush tropical forest. You can see the paved walkway off to the left.

 

 

Several small streams and brooks cross under the pathway on the way to the falls.

 

 

 

Akaka Falls

 

 

[cnd crsr]

Sailor Jack, your pictures are fantastic. Next time we are in Hawaii, we will have to go to the Lava Caves - it looks like a very interesting place to explore. Last time we did the helicopter ride over the park.

[SailorJack]

Sailor Jack, your pictures are fantastic. Next time we are in Hawaii, we will have to go to the Lava Caves - it looks like a very interesting place to explore. Last time we did the helicopter ride over the park.

 

Looks like we will be switching!:D Next time in Hawaii Jill wants to do the helicopter ride. Which company did you use and did you enjoy it?

 

Jack

[cnd crsr]

The helicopter company was Blue Hawaii. They were excellent, as well as the park, he flew us over the water and we spotted several pods of whales. We highly recommend them. Book privately, much better price that going through Princess.

[KruzeKrazy!]

When we visited Hawaii, though not on a cruise :-( , we also did Blue Hawaii and thought both them and our helicopter tour were excellent.

 

I haven't checked but I would imagine there are plenty of Hawaii helicopter reviews on Trip Advisor.

[SailorJack]

The helicopter company was Blue Hawaii. They were excellent, as well as the park, he flew us over the water and we spotted several pods of whales. We highly recommend them. Book privately, much better price that going through Princess.

 

Thanks...good advice about booking privately.:)

 

 

 

When we visited Hawaii, though not on a cruise :-( , we also did Blue Hawaii and thought both them and our helicopter tour were excellent.

 

I haven't checked but I would imagine there are plenty of Hawaii helicopter reviews on Trip Advisor.

 

Thanks for the tip...I checked out Trip Advisor and found a lot of good reviews about Blue Hawaii as well as a couple of others. It looks like Blue Hawaii does two hour tours and the others were shorter - 45 minutes to an hour. Lots of options - thanks to both of you!

 

Jack

[seacrystal]

The helicopter company was Blue Hawaii. They were excellent, as well as the park, he flew us over the water and we spotted several pods of whales. We highly recommend them. Book privately, much better price that going through Princess.

 

We also used Blue Hawaii on our Hawaii cruise a couple of years ago. They were excellent. Our pilot was a former military pilot.

 

One piece of advice - as soon as the ship docs, get a taxi over to the airport as soon as you can. The Blue Hawaii offices are located on a side ride toward the airport. The rental car agencies are located at the airport and everyone gets a taxi and races over to rent their car ahead of the agency buses who pick up rental car passengers. You will beat the crowd.;)

[SailorJack]

We also used Blue Hawaii on our Hawaii cruise a couple of years ago. They were excellent. Our pilot was a former military pilot.

 

One piece of advice - as soon as the ship docs, get a taxi over to the airport as soon as you can. The Blue Hawaii offices are located on a side ride toward the airport. The rental car agencies are located at the airport and everyone gets a taxi and races over to rent their car ahead of the agency buses who pick up rental car passengers. You will beat the crowd.;)

 

Thanks for the tip. I printed off your post and put in our "Upcoming Cruise" folder. You just can't beat the info you get on CC - from helicopter tours to inside tips!:)

 

Jack

[SailorJack]

Way to often we tend to get off the ship, take a tour, maybe do some shopping, and then hurry back to the ship. In Hilo we took some time to smell the roses and spent some very good quality time walking through, and enjoying Lili'uokalani Botanical Garden - a 30 acre park featuring rock gardens, ponds, stone lanterns, bridges, gazebos and a delightful teahouse. On our next visit there, we will pack a picnic lunch and just enjoy the ambiance. This is just a great place to relax after the four sea days it took to get to Hawaii from San Pedro.

 

This is one of the entrances to the park.

 

 

 

 

A scene from within the park showing one of the Japanese stone lanterns that highlight areas within the gardens.

 

 

 

 

One of the bridges that crosses over a typical pond within the park.

 

 

 

 

A view from the park overlooking Hilo Bay.

 

 

 

 

One of the many flowers found within the gardens.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2014 by SailorJack

[SailorJack]

Just a few more pictures from the Botanical Garden - it was just than nice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Coconut Island - you get their from a bridge by the park. It has a very nice picnic area and is reputedly a favorite spot for weddings.

 

[SailorJack]

After visiting the botanical park we spent some time snorkeling at Richardson Ocean Park. It is the only black sand beach in Hilo and is located about 4 miles from where the ship docked. Some hardy souls that we met at the beach told us they walked there, but we took the bus!

 

The beach was relatively long, but a bit narrow - and as you can see from the photo it was not crowded. A perfect place to spread out.

 

 

 

 

The rocks just off shore were home to a lot of really cool fish and coral. A great place to snorkel and admittance to the park was free.

 

 

 

 

Further down the beach were a lot of tidal pools - very nice for wading. The rocks warmed the water and it was almost like being in a spa.

 

 

 

 

Of course you had to watch out for green sea turtles who also liked the warm water. We saw a lot of these at the beach.

 

 

 

 

After a great day in Hilo we headed back to the ship and take to take the obligatory shot of the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, Hilo is a great port to visit. There is a lot to do and see and a great deal of it is free - the Botanical Garden, Rainbow Falls, Richardson Beach and several other places we visited. There is a charge to get into the Volcano National Park, but if you have a National Park Pass that should be free as well. And it is not a tender port! What more can you ask for?

[DavyJoneses]

Great pictures. The one of the Lava Tube was awesome - I had never seen one before, but now I hope to see it in person on my next trip to Hawaii. Thanks for posting the pics.

Edited December 21, 2014 by DavyJoneses

[SailorJack]

Great pictures. The one of the Lava Tube was awesome - I had never seen one before, but now I hope to see it in person on my next trip to Hawaii. Thanks for posting the pics.

 

Glad you are enjoying the pictures. The Lava Tube was extremely interesting. Here is sort of a bonus picture of the tube with the lights turned on.:D