Here was our itinerary aboard Holland America's Oosterdam.  Our most traveled DAM ship.

My two cabin mates waiting for our flight to San Diego

Fast forward to the pilot boat meeting us in Hilo on the Big Island.

Just a bridge on the coast highway.

The Tiger 6 came to lend a hand if needed.  But the mighty Oosterdam needed no help.

More bridges

The airport is right near where the ship docks in Hilo.  An inter-island flight coming in.

A couple of Hawaiian Showers while in Hilo.

Tree planted by Babe Ruth

Our home for 2 weeks

The flower of a tulip tree on the way to our Vanilla tour.

The entrance to the Hawaiian Vanilla Company

I didn't know it, but Vanilla beans actually come from a Vanilla Orchid.  They start them like the one pictured here.  The plant gets much of it's moisture from the air rather than the ground.

Another plant

Eventually. these will FILL the space between the poles.  I believe he said it takes 4 years to produce anything.

This was the oldest son of the family that has the business.

Pictures of the plants all filled in

Vanilla has to be HAND pollinated as shown in the photos right.  The flower opens for 4 hours ONE time.  LOTS of manual labor. 

Vanilla is the 2nd most expensive spice next to Saffron. 

A rather plain looking building but took the pic cause it's the tallest building in Hilo.  15 stories.  They have since put regulations in place limiting it to the tallest coconut trees.  (About 3 stories)

Here we are on Ohau at the Dole Pineapple tourist trap.  :-)

Itty bitty Pineapples

Distances from Dole

Fast fwd to Kauai.  This is our boat ride to Fern Grotto and the young lady showing us Hawaiian dance.

Flowers at the grotto.

Time and nature is not being good to the grotto.  Hurricane Iniki wiped out all the ferns and how some of the rock is collapsing so you can't actually go inside any more.

The boats that take you to the grotto

They are actually more like barges with a power back on the back

A house across from Smiths

Another

Overlooking Wailua

This is the old original commercial port

Here is our port at Nawiliwili.  We were docked at the cream colored building to the right.  A very try port for a big ship.  You have to do a tight "S turn" to get in and out.

It was pretty windy leaving.  The pilot followed in our wake to minimize getting beat up.

The light house at the entrance to Nawiliwili bay.

Pilot off safe and sound

We had turned sideways to the wind to make it smoother for the pilot.

Lanai

Here we are at the top of Haleakala crater.  Unfortunately this is all you could see as we were in the clouds this day.

Ocean view of Lahaina Maui.  One of my favorite places.

Another shot

The only Whale I managed to catch a glimpse of.

Sunset over Molokai

We went on the cheap this time around.  All the way down on Main deck, inside cabin.

It was a big cabin though.

The drop down at the top of the picture was actually a bunk for a 4th person if we were to have 4 in the room.  That would have been too much.

The couch area folded out into a bed for a 3rd.