Allyeska's Travels

24 hours following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake

2011-03-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

An account of the 24 hours following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

12.51pm Earthquake #1: magnitude 6.3, Energy 42 kilo tonnes. Strongest earthquake to hit any suburban/built up area in the world (4 times more ground shaking than the Japanese 9.0 quake in March 2011 according to USGS - displacement of the land south of the fault was 50 cm westwards and upwards and more during the quake (Wikipedia).

After sleeping in I was getting dressed to make my way into the city to see Nat and try and catch him on the end of his lunch break. He had sent an sms asking me to look into getting a GP. I had messaged him back without paying too much attention to my text and he replied that I should throw on more than “some clouds” before leaving the house. I was also going to get on with tasks in town like getting a bank account and doing some necessary shopping

Suddenly, with no warning, the apartment started shaking. Rocking. Violently. I fell against the bed and my first thought was to crawl onto the bed to ride it out but I knew I should get to the safety of a door way. I struggled to crawl while the apartment lurched sideways so fast and so far, and made it to the doorway after what seemed like a long time. Strangely, I recalled a conversation with Nat where I had argued that it would be safer to run outside during a quake than to stay inside in a doorway. Nat had suggested that in a quake it may not be possible to run outside. I thought to myself “Damn, Nat was right”. The cupboard doors had all opened and were banging around. It seemed to go on for a long time. I can’t specifically remember the sound but I remember it was loud. I sat in the door way and hugged my legs as I watched everything swinging back and forth, and as I was thrown back and forth, and swore the building would topple. I just could not fathom a building surviving the extreme movement from the shake. I knew earthquake “proof” buildings were supposed to move. But I just knew this much movement had to be too much. there were 6 stories above me, and a basement below. how could a 7 storey building survive this? Despite feeling sure the building couldn’t withstand the forces, for some reason I never thought I was going to die. I’m grateful for that. So I had some deluded sense that as I was in a doorway the building could fall around me and I’d survive and somehow get out. I was more worried about the safety of my laptop in the living room. Inane I know, but I’m sure that has freed me from psychological trauma.

I stayed sitting in the doorway after the building seemed to settle. And then I started to cry hysterically. It was as though the basic processing of my brain was separated from my thought processes. It was as though there were two of me. I listened to my crying and heard that it sounded loud, uncontrolled, primal. The other part of me chastised myself for such crying “you haven’t gone through anything! You’re not even hurt! It’s not that bad! Why are you crying?”. I even considered the effect of my crying on others “stop crying so loudly, you’ll scare the neighbours, they will think you are hurt”. I sat there wondering if that was but a mere aftershock, the like of which Christchurch has experienced hundreds since the September quake. I wondered if Nat would have felt it in the city. But the other part me somehow knew that what I had experienced had threatened my life and it was damn well going to react appropriately. My brain however failed to connect the dots.

My phone beeped. It had received an SMS. I got up, still crying, and walked into bedroom to throw on a t-shirt, then went to the family room to get my phone. on my way down the corridoor i noticed the hallway floor was no longer flat. one side of the hallway was higher than the other.

12:53 SMS from Nat: "baby I can’t get thru to you are you ok?"

I went and sat in another doorway to answer his sms.

12:56 SMS to Nat: "yes but crying"

I tried to sms my dad.

12:57 to Dad: "just had massive earthquake. Can’t stop crying

Nat sent another message that came through while I was typing one to dad.

12:56 SMS from Nat: "ok I’m coming home. will have to walk"

I felt bad that he was worried about me and was going to take time off work for me when my brain wondered if it was just a run of the mill aftershock, despite the rest of me telling me it was much more. I didn’t want to disrupt his work.

As I typed, the aftershock hit...

12.58pm, Shock #2, magnitude 4.9, energy 288 tons.

Despite the strength of the aftershock it pailed in comparison and I continued to text while it shook the building.

12:58 SMS to Nat: "I’m ok. Sitting in doorway. How big was it? It’s still going."

I didn’t even ask how he was. He had SMSed me so I had assumed he was OK. He had only enquired about me so I assumed the quake had hit where I was but not necessarily much further afield. I stopped crying. From the door way I noticed the pictures on the wall were either hanging vertically when meant to be horizontal, or fallen on the floor. The large heavy mirror on the wall was diagonally placed. I could see cupboard doors open in the bedroom and a suitcase which had fallen out. I went into the family room. I hadn’t noticed a thing when I entered earlier to get my phone – focused on the phone. This time I was shocked. Nat had sent me a URL while I was in Australia for a site that simulates how a house reacts in earthquakes of varying magnitude. Now I knew this had been a strong one because our TV was on its face on the floor, all the lamps had fallen on the floor, a lamp on the side table was broken. A heavy vase had moved from the back of the table to near the front. The top two levels of the bookshelf were scattered on the floor. Kitchen cupboards were open with some items on the floor. The place looked a mess. I quickly took some photos.

I then heard voices outsite and ran outside desperate to speak to someone. Two men were in the driveway of the block next door and I asked them “was that a big one?” and was told “thats the biggest we have ever had. Worse than September.”. I told them I was scared but didn’t know if it was an aftershock. They told me “that was really bad. That was terrifying”. I explained I did not know what to do after a quake and they agreed I should get out of the building incase it came down. I told them I would run back in and grab a jumper.
13:01 SMS from Nat: "much of city down. Injuries, mayhem."

I grabbed two jumpers and my camera bag. The apartment started shaking again. Instead of going deeper into the apartment to get socks and underwear I opted to run outside...

13:04 Shock #3: 5.8 magnitude, energy 5 kilo tons.

Then I heard one of the men encourage me “I wouldn’t stay in there any longer. People were gathering in the street. Neighbours talking about what had just happened and what we should do now. The neighbours dispersed to go on their separate ways. No one was able to tell me what to do.

13.08 SMS from Nat: "it’s going to take me a while to get to u. Avoiding tall buildings."

I crossed the street to get away from the powerlines and to sit on the seat at the bus stop to wait for Nat. He had over 3kms to walk to get home to me. As I sat at the bus stop I watched more and more people walking west along the street. The traffic build up to a crawl, all heading west. A few people would walk past heading east, but it looked like a mass exodus. Some were jogging. Some crying. Some with their dogs on leads. Some comforting friends.

13:16 SMS to Dad: "both bat and I are safe. Am out at street. Nat gonna walk home. Is mayhem here."

13.20: SMS to Nat: "it’s ok. Just crossed road to get away from power lines. Sitting at bus stop. Went back in to get jumper. But no bra or socks."

The bus stop seat started to wobble and the ground beneath me moved...

13:21 Shock #4, magnitude 4.4, energy 60 tons.

And again... the seat and ground began rocking around...

13:23 Shock #5, magnitude 4.4, 65 tons.

13:26 SMS to Dad: "ground won’t stop moving. Can u let me know what size that was? Can’t go into flat."

One lady came to check if I was OK. She didn’t know what to do either and suggested listening to the radio. I said I had been advised not to be in the building. She didn’t know what they would do either and she returned to her husband.

I was becoming used to the rocking and rolling of the ground. It seemed like the ground never settled. However, there was something awfully unnerving about the world you thought you knew, doing something that seemed impossible, and not seeming to settle. Who knew what would happen?

13:31: Shock #6 magnitude 4.2, energy 32 tons.

Seeing the street full of people now on foot or in cars trying to leave town I realised finally this wasn’t a tiny localised thing. I wondered what Nat had gone through. I SMSed him

13:35 SMS to Nat: "are u ok baby. Dont worry about me. Will stay outside."

I would stop a few people and ask them “what are we supposed to do?”. Nobody seemed to know. It seemed parents were walking to their children’s schools to pick up their kids, and others were getting out of the city. One calm mother told us to return home if the building was OK and watch the news for info. But I knew we didn’t have electricity and others had advised not to go back in. Nobody knew of any shelter of meeting place we should head to.

I was sitting at the bus stop typing a text message to Nat when I heard feet running and then Nat was standing in front of me. I jumped up and he described the look on my face as excited relief and happiness to see him. We embraced. He just held me tight and we didn’t let go. And then I started to cry. He just held me and told it was alright. I couldn’t believe how fast he had got home. We were interrupted by another aftershock.

1:46pm: Shock #7, magnitude 4.4, energy 70 tons.

We sat and talked about what had happened. Nat explained that there was rubble and bricks everywhere. He told me some of his story but I just did not comprehend the enormity of it and loss of life had never crossed my mind. He explained that buildings were down and sewerage was across roads, there was flooding and no public transport and the roads were jammed with cars leaving town.

We decided that although we didn’t know what to do, we would feel safer in the park with no buildings that could fall on us. We had talked for a while and the ground had been quiet. We decided, given the current lack of tremors, that Nat would run back into the house to get a bottle of sprite zero, a jacket, and some socks for me as my feet were freezing. Nat returned with these items along with a bottle of scotch, much to my horror but the amusement of passersby! The ground remained calm and we realised we may not be returning to the apartment and may have to stay at a shelter. We both entered the apartment again to grab a few more items before heading to the park. Shoes, Nat’s camera and passport, bra, jacket for warmth, small bag of lollies (the only food we had in the house that we could take with us) and a book each to read. We raced in and out, each with assigned tasks, and each urging the other to hurry. The house started to shake and I called out to Nat to get outside.

2:15: Shock #8, magnitude 4.6, energy 106 tons.

We grabbed the house keys and locked the door to try and avoid being looted. We looked at the damage to the outside of our apartment. The courtyard wall on either side had collapsed. The bricks covered the entrance to the front door of the apartment building. Either side of our living room door the edges were broken. There was a crack around the building above our level, and a few levels above. And we walked to Little Hagley Park and noted the earth moving while we walked.

2.20: Shock #9, magnitude 3.4, energy 2 tons.

The river was a shock – it looked like it had doubled in size. It was near the top of the bank when it was normally not very deep at all. Instead of clear water it was a swirling grey. The bridge across the river was cracked and we watched as others walked over it. We walked over the bridge and found the other side raised a couple of feet from where it used to join the bank. We marvelled at the force of the quake and made our way to a chair to sit. The seat kept swaying as the ground beneath us shifted.

2:30: Shock #10, magnitude 3.4, energy 2 tons.

2:37: Shock #11, magnitude 3.4, energy 2 tons.

2:39: Shock #12, magnitude 4.0, energy 16 tons.

Then there was a roar or a grumble and lot of awful noise. The ground shook badly and I started crying. Nat held me and I watched the buildings on the other side of the river, waiting for them to fall. Fortunatelty they never did.

2:50: Shock #13, magnitude 5.9, energy 3 kilo tons.

We watched cars on the main road between Little Hagley Park and Hagley Park moving away from the city. We watched people pass through the park, and toilet in the park, and toileted ourselves in the park. We watched water bubbling from the ground, filling an indented part of the park with water. We felt alone as people moved past us. Nat’s sister managed to call us on Nat’s mobile. We had been unable to phone out. His sister promised to call my Dad to let my family know we were safe.

3:04: Shock #14, magnitude 3.7, energy 6 tons.

3:08: Shock #15, magnitude 3.7, energy 6 tons.

We decided to walk over to Hagley Park to see if people were congregating. Indeed we found a group of people at the end of the oval. We walked over, fascinated by areas of liquefaction,, where silt and water had been forced through cracks in the earth and spread over the ground.
The group of people did not appear to have any officials present offering information. It appeared a meeting place for many who had evacuated a convention and a hotel. It was windy on the oval with no trees nearby so we were glad to have grabbed our camping jackets. We lay down and rested while helicopters flew over the city, and over our oval to film us. Smoke billowed from the city. People sat huddle together to keep warm. I thought about taking photos but felt this was too much of a private traumatic moment. One couple sat forehead to forehead holding hands. Others stood around laughing and joking about various things. Others were wrapped in bathrobes from their hotel, shivering. Many were in business attire which for the women consisted of skirts and high heels.

3:16 SMS from mum: how are u? Wat has happened that people are sms me? At school but please sms me.

Aftershocks were more intriguing than scary in the open area of the park. The ground rocked and rolled significantly, and if blocking out thoughts of the buildings and people at risk, the experience was in some novel way, fun.

3:21: Shock #16, magnitude 4.3, 40 tons.

3:33 SMS to Mum: massive earthquake. Both safe. City ruined. Hanging out in park. Don’t know what will happen

3:37: Shock #17, magnitude 3.2, energy 958kg.

The group was informed of another group of public further way in Hagley Park, and that a shelter was being erected there. We all set off toward the centre of the park. We walked over liquefaction, past cracks in the paths, past fallen trees that had been uprooted.

Photo by NathanaelB

3:43: Shock #18, magnitude 4.6, energy 106 tons

3:48: Shock #19, magnitude 4.5, energy 90 tons

4:04: Shock #20, magnitude 5.0, energy 493tons

4:24: Shock #21, magnitude 4.4, energy 52 tons

4:32: Shock #22, magnitude 4.2, energy 26 tons

We arrived at the “shelter area” and they were handing out pieces of plywood for people to sit on to avoid sitting on the damp ground. More and more people kept arriving. We lay down to wait for any news.

4:40 SMS to Mum: "pretty shaken up Nat was in city and buildings falling. Thought he would die. Reception is bad cos everyone trying to use phones. Earth still shaking, as I type. Don’t know if can go home. In park."

4:43pm: Shock #23, magnitude 3.7, energy 6 tons

4:46pm: Shock #24, magnitude 4.2, energy 29 tons

4:59pm: Shock #25, magnitude 3.5, energy 2 tons

5:19pm: Shock #26, magnitude 4.6, energy 118 tons

Messages to dad had not gone through as I had entered his Australian number in Australia and ad not entered the country code. Nat was getting intermittent access to the internet on his mobile. We were getting cold and hungry and there was no evidence of any shelter.

5:29pm: Shock #27, magnitude 3.6, energy 3 tons

5:30pm: Shock #28, magnitude 3.5, energy 3 tons

I managed to make my first call out and got through to my Dad. He was able to give us some information, informing us it was a 6.3 quake but very shallow and had caused much more damage than the September quake. He told us that if we had water we were to boil it. And for the first time for the day, I faced the reality of the tragedy of the event. He informed me that there were 65 dead and expecting the number to rise significantly. My eyes filled with tears as my brain was no longer able to refuse reality. I knew buildings were down but I told myself everyone would be rescued. People couldn’t possibly die. This just doesn’t happen. You hear about these things on the news. But you are never in a city when its heart falls to pieces on top of its people. Reality slowly seeped into my brain.

5:46pm: Shock #29, magnitude 3.3, energy 1 ton

We were getting colder and the weather was declining. The prospect of sleeping outside in the park, without food, water or shelter did not appeal. Nat asked someone for information and we were told that food and blankets would arrive sometime but they did not know when. We decided to hedge our bets. Our building was supposed to have won an award for its design and we thought the damaged looked superficial. The park was full of people and we felt that if he had a place to return to that we should. We walked home along the edge of the park and stopped to inspect cracks in the earth and the road.

Photo by NathanaelB

5:56pm: Shock #30, magnitude 4.0, energy 16 tons

6:03pm: Shock #31, magnitude 4.3, energy 48 tons

6:14pm: Shock #32, magnitude 3.7, energy 5 tons

6:17pm: Shock #33, magnitude 3.9, energy 12 tons

6:23pm: Shock #34, magnitude 3.1, energy 567 kg

6:27pm: Shock #35, magnitude 3.1, energy 648 kg

Interestingly, while walking, it is possible not to notice the softer aftershocks. I knew one was happening as I walked as I was looking at an apartment that people were in, reassuring myself our decision to return home was a safe one, and I noticed all the windows were shaking. Then I stopped and could feel the ground moving.

Arriving home we quickly set about packing two suitcases with a change of clothes, sleeping bags and things we may need should we need to sleep in the park. We placed the bags near the door and moved furniture backwards to prevent them becoming obstacles. Then we took the tub of melted ice cream out of the freezer and sat outside eating the sickly sweet and cold desert. My first food for the day. The ground continued to be rocked by aftershocks as we sat outside. I removed the only other food in the house we would be able to eat without power – some left over pizza slices that were in the freezer.

6:39pm: Shock #36, magnitude 3.5, energy 2 tons

6:47pm: Shock #37, magnitude 3.4, energy 2 tons

6:53pm: Shock #38, magnitude 3.2, energy 811 kg

6:59pm: Shock #39, magnitude 4.6, energy 102 tons

7:11pm: Shock #40, magnitude 3.4, energy 2 tons

We moved around to the front of our place to enjoy the river outlook. Nat received a call and did a live interview with 2CC radio. And we had more shocks while he completed his interview.

7:15pm: Shock #41, magnitude 3.8, energy 7 tons

7:15pm: Shock #42, magnitude 3.7, energy 6 tons

7:17pm: Shock #43, magnitude 3.4, energy 2 tons

7:25pm: Shock #44, magnitude 3.5, energy 3 tons

7:28pm: Shock #45, magnitude 4.6, energy 114 tons

I went inside and phoned my parents. Nat lay on a rug by the river.

7:41pm: Shock #46, magnitude 2.9, energy 325 kg

I talked to Dad about the day’s events and about our uncertainty of being in the apartment for the night. While I talked to Dad we had more aftershocks, but one in particular made me swear and ask him if I should get out. The house rocked and the apartment squeaked and the light in the kitchen swung back and forth...

7:43pm: Shock #47, magnitude 5.0, energy 448 tons

7:49pm: Shock #48, magnitude 3.5, energy 3 tons

7:54pm: Shock #49, magnitude 3.4, energy 2 tons

I joined Nat on the picnic rug by the edge of the river briefly for a hug before it started to rain. Thankful to have shelter but concerned that having a roof over our heads could be a fatal situation, we nervously went inside for the night. Nat found some candles so we had some light. We talked and reflected and pondered our dream of living in New Zealand. My headache from dehydration set in. I had not had any water since the night before, about 24 hours prior, and had been carefully rationing the sprite zero and remaining orange juice, unsure when we would be able to get more to drink. The pizza had mostly defrosted so I ate some. Other than the ice cream, my first food in 24 hours. We thought about what food we could eat considering we had no idea when power could be fixed. We had two more leftovers in the freezer, a few vegetables, and that was all.

8:06pm: Shock #50, magnitude 3.4, energy 2 tons

8:22pm: Shock #51, magnitude 3.4, energy 2 tons

9:21pm: Shock #52, magnitude 4.8, energy 269 tons

9:38pm: Shock #53, magnitude 4.1, energy 18 tons

Fully clothed, we tried to sleep on the couches, ready to run if a strong quake hit. Sleep was elusive but aftershocks were not. I lay awake feeling the building move and quickly evaluating if the force was great enough to warrant running from the building. I was on edge, ready to run for my life.

10:16pm: Shock #54, magnitude 4.0, energy 13 tons

10:18pm: Shock #55, magnitude 4.0, energy 13 tons

Although hyper vigilant to danger we merely grunted when the house shook. Grunts meant we considered the shaking not to be strong enough to warrant leaving the building.

10:43pm: Shock #56, magnitude 3.5, energy 3 tons

11:05pm: Shock #57, magnitude 4.0, energy 15 tons

11:36pm: Shock #58, magnitude 3.5, energy 2 tons

11:42pm: Shock #59, magnitude 3.2, energy 1 ton

11:52pm: Shock #60, magnitude 3.6, energy 4 tons

I grew more complacent as the tremors rolled in. Nothing had been too big, chances were we wouldn’t need to run. I removed my shoes to get more comfortable.

12:02am: Shock #61, magnitude 4.4, energy 70 tons

12:15am: Shock #62, magnitude 3.7, energy 5 tons

12:18am: Shock #63, magnitude 4.3, energy 37 tons

12:32am: Shock #64, magnitude 3.5, energy 3 tons

Nat, who had been quite panicked at the idea of spending the night in our building, having witnessed so many buildings in the city fall and crush so many people, had given up on sleeping sitting upright in a chair and had taken himself to bed. He had been dozing lightly on and off. I remained awake and stayed on the couch.

12:43am: Shock #65, magnitude 3.7, energy 6 tons

12:49am: Shock #66, magnitude 4.3, energy 50 tons

12:57am: Shock #67, magnitude 3.9, energy 9 tons

1:10am: Shock #68, magnitude 3.3, energy 1 tons

1:21am: Shock #69, magnitude 3.9, energy 11 tons

1:49am: Shock #70, magnitude 3.3, energy 2 tons

Around 2am I gave up on the idea of needing to sleep near the door and I too went to bed where I managed to get some sleep, although woken intermittently from aftershocks. Looking now, at the list of aftershocks, I am suprised we managed to get any sleep at all.

2:09am: Shock #71, magnitude 3.3, energy 1 tons

2:16am: Shock #72, magnitude 3.3, energy 1 tons

2:26am: Shock #73, magnitude 3.9, energy 9 tons

2:37am: Shock #74, magnitude 3.1, energy 678 kg

2:53am: Shock #75, magnitude 3.1, energy 574 kg

3:04am: Shock #76, magnitude 4.7, energy 161 tons

3:26am: Shock #77, magnitude 3.6, energy 4 tons

3:30am: Shock #78, magnitude 4.6, energy 137 tons

3:35am: Shock #79, magnitude 4.0, energy 13 tons

3:37am: Shock #80, magnitude 3.7, energy 6 tons

3:41am: Shock #81, magnitude 3.7, energy 6 tons

3:47am: Shock #82, magnitude 3.3, energy 2 tons

3:53am: Shock #83, magnitude 2.6, energy 141 kg

3:57am: Shock #84, magnitude 3.5, energy 3 tons

4:00am: Shock #85, magnitude 3.6, energy 3 tons

4:06am: Shock #86, magnitude 3.6, energy 4 tons

4:13am: Shock #87, magnitude 3.1, energy 727 kg

4:18am: Shock #88, magnitude 3.7, energy 6 tons

4:38am: Shock #89, magnitude 3.0, energy 453 kg

4:44am: Shock #90, magnitude 4.0, energy 16 tons

4:56am: Shock #91, magnitude 3.4, energy 2 tons

5:30am: Shock #92, magnitude 3.3, energy 1 tons

6:00am: Shock #93, magnitude 4.6, energy 111 tons

6:29am: Shock #94, magnitude 3.0, energy 507 kg

6:46am: Shock #95, magnitude 2.7, energy 169 kg

6:53am: Shock #96, magnitude 3.3, energy 1 tons

6:58am: Shock #97, magnitude 3.0, energy 493 kg

7:28am: Shock #98, magnitude 3.4, energy 2 tons

7:44am: Shock #99, magnitude 3.7, energy 5 tons

Woke up and got up. Learnt that someone from twitter was going to deliver us some bottled water, and Nat’s colleague was going to come past and pick us up and take us to the shops so we could buy some food. In the meantime we cleared the rubble, that used to be our patio wall, in front of the entrance to our building

8:30am: Shock #100, magnitude 4.2, energy 30 tons

8:43am: Shock #101, magnitude 3.6, energy 4 tons

9:52am: Shock #102, magnitude 3.9, energy 12 tons

10:10am: Shock #103, magnitude 3.6, energy 4 tons

Nat’s colleague arrived with his friend. His friend looked at the damage on our building and begged us to leave and stay at his place, saying he believed our building was structurally compromised. How were we to know? We decided not to gamble with our lives so we quickly packed up most of our possessions and packed them into his car and closed the door to our beautiful apartment.

We drove to the home of Nat’s colleague. Streets were no longer flat but had sink holes, cracks, and large mounds. Some roads were covered in silt and water, and some roads were completely flooded. It was strange to see cars that had attempted to drive through the flooded streets after the quake and had fallen into holes in the road, hidden by the water, burying the front end of the cars in silt. Cars were randomly abandoned beside roads and in the middle of roads. A petrol station’s tank, holding the petrol, has risen up during the quake and the whole tank was raised a good 2 feet above the surrounding concrete where cars used to drive over. Man holes in the middle of the roads seem to have been pushed up by the quake more often than not. Locals had been resourceful and placed everyday items like plastic tubs, or shopping trollies (trundlers) in large holes or on top of large mounds in order to make the hazards more visible to drivers.

At the home of Nat’s colleague we helped pack food from the fridge and some needed items for his wife and kids. His house was in a street that was previously flat and is now like driving through a mine field. While it had been under 2 feet of water yesterday it was currently just covered in a thick layer of wet silt.

His front yard was covered in silt from liquefaction with a long “Crack” in the sand where it had been pushed up through the ground. Water was running like a spring from under ground. His home had smashed windows, and may large cracks. The house was a mess with everything having fallen onto the floor. I took some photos for him for insurance purposes.

And then we headed north of Christchurch to Kainga to stay in a small old house with the two other families – all up there was 6 adults, a toddler and a baby.

11:15am : Shock #104, magnitude 3.7, energy 5 tons

11:59am: Shock #105, magnitude 3.0, energy 453 kg

Mum warned me that patience and tempers would be tested after the quake. The wife of Nat’s colleague was clearly not coping with the stress of what had happened. Much tension was relieved when Nat’s colleague took his wife and 2 littlies to the airport to send them off to the safety of Australia.

I found myself transfixed in front of the TV, having access to media for the first time since the quake. I was dumfounded and horrified but I had to see the damage of what we had gone through – it still felt strangely surreal.

12:24pm: Shock #106, magnitude 2.9, energy 285 kg

12:28pm: Shock #107, magnitude 3.1, energy 712 kg

12:50pm: Shock #108, magnitude 3.1, energy 760 kg

And then I crashed on the couch with a dehydration headache that felt more like a migraine. I woke numerous times, scared and startled, desperately asking “what was that” to find someone had merely opened the sliding door, or it was the sound of bricks falling on the TV reports.

___

There were 108 aftershocks in one day alone after the big quake, and numerous more every day following. Damage to infrastructure thought to be "the greatest ever recorded in a modern city" (NZ Society for Earthquake Engineering). Since the quake I experienced frequent heart palpitations, heightened arousal and response to stimuli, a lack of enjoyment, a feeling of stress and uncertainty, high blood pressure, and came down with a virus and sinus infection. Our apartment was “red carded” which meant it had been assessed and deemed unsafe and a possible hazard. We were homeless along with so many others and thus struggled to find another rental property. We were extremely lucky to be staying with people we had not previously known, who had access to electricity, potable water, and internet. Nat was unsure about the future of the company he worked for, although was quickly reassured he still had a job to return to.

We went away for a few days to escape the aftershocks and try and get some rest and relaxation. Unfortunately I suffered a severe McArdles episode and attended hospital twice, without much relief even from drugs that are so restricted they aren’t even available in NZ (I had brought them with me). It had been a very tough time but the Kiwi resilience, humour and support helped us through. We attended a memorial at Nelson one week after the quake where there was to be 2 minutes silence at the time the quake had occurred. Hundreds of people crowded the square. The church bells rang to begin the moments of silence, but the deep ringing of the bell resonated within me, highlighting the contrast of the silence with the noise of the quake and the terror. The bells in the church at Nelson rang a beautiful melody while the belltower at the cathedral in Christchurch was now a pile of rubble. It was impossible not to think of the noise, the chaos, the terror of the moments following the quake. But I felt comforted by the number of other people who had chosen to come to this memorial to remember the victims and the helpers. I cried. It’s 3 weeks out from the quake and what I don’t think others across the ditch know is that we are living with frequent aftershocks, every day since the quake.

Volcanoes!

2010-12-05T02:30:00.000-08:00

Day 18 – Saturday 8^th August: Big Island.

Wildflower with cinder cone in background, elevation 10,000ft, Mauna Kea.

Our one year anniversary! We went up to the capital, Hilo, to find some decent accommodation before heading off inland to go to the top of Mauna Kea. We had been planning to spend a romantic sunset there, we loved the one we had on Haleakala so much. We soon found ourselves at the 10,000ft level at the visitors centre where we spent at least 30 minutes to acclimatise. I already felt a little off, which was strange given that I had felt fine on Haleakala. Unfortunately there was cloud everywhere, so no stunning views. But we headed on up expecting to rise above the cloud.

I was overwhelmed with tiredness and found myself nearly drifting off many times. I tried to fight the tiredness as the ‘safety’ leaflet listed it as a symptom of altitude sickness. And suddenly, out of the fog appeared a girl by the road thumbing us for a ride. We pulled over as someone flagging a ride at this altitude really must need one! We welcomed jasmine, a Canadian psych post grad student from Vancouver into our car, and went straight up to the observatory while getting to know our very friendly and appreciative passenger. She had been hiking for 3 hours and ascended a long way from the visitors centre, but had started to experience symptoms of altitude sickness so had cut across the mountain side to the road. Up at the observatory I stepped out and walked across the car park. I felt faint and dizzy and sick and disoriented. I quickly walked back to the car and sat down to breathe. Jasmine gave me an aspirin and i tried again, this time not feeling as sick, and not walking as fast. We all rushed off to the port-a-loos, which was an effect of the altitude. We didn’t spend long before jumpng in the car and driving down to check out some satellite dishes and taking some more pics.

We were so sad that we were clouded in. There was a small gap in the clouds which allowed a glimpse down toward the northern mountains on the Big Island. And then we headed back down, chatting away with the lovely jasmine, discovering we have so much in common and similar ideas and views on the world. Jasmine offered to buy us a drink to say thanks but by this stage my headache was getting severe and i was starting to feel nauseated so I had to say no. I just had to get down that mountain fast! I was little worried about my symptoms having read the list on the “safety” leaflet about advanced altitude sickness. When we got back down to the saddle between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, I got out of the car and sat on the ground to recover. When i felt well enough to continue with the drive I got in the car and prompt;y fell asleep and slept all the way back to Hilo.

Happy anniversary! :P

Scientist's village and visitors centre, set amongst cinder cones. Elevation 10,000 ft.

I had been wanting to go down to see the lava sea entry. But the choice was between spending some relaxing time with Nat or running flat out (as per usual) to see the lava. It was a tough decision but im sure Nat was proud of me for choosing to spend time with him. After a brief rest in the hotel we headed to the hotel’s bar to have a banana and strawberry smoothie in a cute little glass with a parasole and wedge of pineapple, along with a yummy crab dip served inside a hot sour dough bun. Sitting in the bar we looked out the window at the sea and rocks and green grounds, with a turtle in the water. Very beautiful. We later headed in to town, in the down pour of rain, to find a restaurant for dinner. We had a very HOT “medium” strength thai meal that made our tongues feel like they were on fire.

Day 19 – Sunday 9^th August: Big Island

We returned our 4wd and went to the airport to pick up a rental car. Our new car didn’t have central locking, required manually locking the “boot”, didn’t have a “boot” (was more like a hatchback), didn’t have power windows, didn’t have a cover for the little “boot” area it did have, didn’t have a functioning cabin light, and had a horrid plastic fitting under the chair that kept scratching my leg. So we set off grumbling to Volcanoes National Park.

Our first stop was at a spot along the Kilauea crater rim called steaming bluffs. Steam rose from vents in amongst the bushes and from a big vent next to the car park. So as you can imagine it was one Japanese tourist after another standing in the steam to have their photo taken, and saying with surprise “it’s so hot!”. We didn’t get any photos of that vent. We moved on to the Jaggar museum where the crater rim road is now closed due to the smoke plume from a new steam vent in Kilauea crater which was created during an eruption only recently. We had a good view of this plume rising out of the large crater. Quite exciting to be so close to an active volcano.

Then we hit the Chain of Craters road and stopped at a view point for a 400ft deep creater with large cracks in the hardened lava lake caldera.

Then we drove makai (seaward) and stopped at a 1969 lava flow which was very scenic. It was relatively flat with large cracked mounds. These mouds seemed to be where lava had built up around trees. The trees had then burnt but the lava had hardened and created “lava tree moulds”. Just fascinating. We drove through several awesome a’a and pahoehoe lava flows on the roads way to the coast.

We stopped at the end of the road where you can walk in to where a very recent lava flow covered the road. We didn’t walk in there though as there was a lot of vog from the plume near Kalapana. We pottered around the pahoehoe lava taking photos but the vog was making us cough. Park advice was not to hang around in vog due to the high sulphur levels, so we left.

We drove all the way around to kalapana (which would have been a very short drive had that flow not crossed the road) and had hamburgers for dinner. Real ones. Nice ones. Then we set off to the lava viewing carpark and walked makai .75 mile across an old lava flow where we came to an area taped off, packed with tourists. We got there about the time the sun set, or just afterwards so it was a scramble to get a view (without blocking other people’s views), set up the tripod and get some photos. As it got darker the smoke plume glowed ever more red, but it was rare that we could actually see a tiny bit of lava entering the sea, or being spewed into the air as a wave crashed into the entry site. Nat and I both felt majorly disappointed. We thought we were walking in to view the lava itself,not just reflected light on a steam plume. We had seen photos of people standing looking at lava flowing. It was labelled as “lava viewing”. We took some photos and overheard everyone else enthralled, saying “I came last year and it wasn’t as good as this”. Looking back at our photos I feel it wasn’t as bad as we felt it was at the time. It really was impressive. It just wasn’t what we had been expecting. Oh well... maybe we will get to see lava another time. Nat bought some awesome fine art photography of recent lava from a stall in the car park, and I finally found a peice of dichroic glass I liked enough to buy. I had been looking as lots of places selling dichroic glass, but im fussy, and hadn’t found anything just right. I absolutely adore the peice i bought here and its fun to think we bought it after viewing the lava ocean entry.

The day had been so much more fun and exciting and exhilarating that I decided this day would be our anniversary instead of the day before. Before reaching the hotel in Hilo we stopped and bought some ice cream (Dreyer’s chocolate fudge brownie) to celebrate and we got an adorable helium ballon – pink (of course), heart shaped (of course) with a teddy bear on it, and the words “youre so special”. We arrived in our hotel room and found a letter from management warning about the hurricane expected to arrive the next day. We weren’t expecting it to be bad based on a weather report I had seen on tv, and we weren’t going to stay inside all day. But we were hoping other tourists might!

Day 20 - Monday 10^th August: Big Island

Today was the day the hurricane was meant to arrive, and some beaches had been closed the day before. We had a late start and went back to Volcanoes National Park. We stopped at the Thurston Lava tunnel and walked through the short section incredibly quickly. It had a paved concrete path and lights fitted along it’s length, looking somewhat like a hotel corridor. We didn’t even stop to take the cliché shot everyone takes of the entrance with the light entering the cave and illuminating the ferns. But we knew, from the guidebook, that at the end of that tunnel was another entrance to a much larger section which was undeveloped. This was one of the big reasons I had bought us head lamps for the trip. However, one of them was temporarily invisible in our luggage so we had to share just one. Again we didn’t get very far very fast. Apparently you can follow the tunnel for about a thousand feet. We didn’t go far in as we stopped to take photos and spent a large amount of time and then realised we couldn’t afford such a leisurely pace.

Above: Light painting self-portraits in the Nahuku (Thurston) Lava Tube. Below: volcanic glass contains many colours.

We rushed off and Nat quickly walked the Devastation Trail while I smothered myself with sunscreen. Then we went back down the road, makai, and stopped quickly at a couple of craters, before returning to the fascinating 1969 flow, where, despite good intentions, we soon realised we had become lost in the moment and spent a little while there. We tore ourselves away (and a few peices of lava and volcanic glass, having seen a tour guide letting her tourists do the same), vowing to return one day, and made our way south on the long road around the edge of the island, down around the southern tip and over to the west coast.

The road south was through an unusual landscape, mostly of old lava flows. We headed for the black sand beach of Punalu’u. It wasn’t as scenic as I had thought it would be, partially due to the popularity of the beach and the number of people tarnishing the view. But it was nice to see lots of palms growing from the black sand, and to find a green sea turtle hauled out on the beach. We walked north along the beach hoping to find a trail listed in the guidebook (poorly listed as “turn left” – but if facing which way?). We found a small trail amid lava rocks and sure enough found the large Kane’ele’ele heiau, walls of lava rocks 500ft square. We didn't get to visit Whittington Beach and many beaches along the coast were closed due to the hurricane warning. The worst part was I was counting on using a loo there!

The day was fast coming to an end and we raced around the island knowing we needed to find accommodation. The highway spent much of its time dug out of old lava flows. Despite lacking many daylight hours we turned off to the traditional fishing village of Miloli'i which guide books described as a quaint old village that has escape much modernisation. So down we went. An incredible town. A giant field of lava with a suburb of houses, and "lava acreage for sale"! Further along were older fishing shacks. Homes appeared delapidated and there was rubbish and broken goods strewn around. We didn't photograph any as we didn't want to offend the locals. Families were outside having a drink or a bbq and friendly kids were playing on the road and chatted to us as we drove through. The little beach was adorable but the weather was overcast and didnt make for good photos. Again, the guidebook suggested a walk along the beach but the further I walked the more "traspassers will be presecuted" signs and one explicitly saying the beach was not public property. Given the run down nature of the place we were a little on edge and I decided not to walk any further on my own!

Raced along the "highway" heading north tired and wanting to get a place for the night. Stopped in the first place that looked like it actually had somewhere to stay - Captain Cook. We secured a room at the hotel and had a yummy dinner at the local mexican restaurant. So our room in the hotel was up several flights of stairs and didnt have air conditioning, but it did have a bed! Boy did we collapse that night!

Wonderous Waipio

2010-11-26T03:31:00.000-08:00

Day 16 – Thursday 6th august: Maui to Big Island (Hawai'i)

Up early to return the car and catch a 9 something am flight to the big island. The flight was on another propeller plane and again I asked which side would have the best views. At least open plan seating allows you to bags a good view if you make sure you line up early. Flying to big island we flew alongside the coast of Maui and could see the road to Hana and Hana itself. Very soon the volcanoes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on big island became visible, peaking out above the clouds at what seemed like the same altitude at which we were flying.

In Hilo we picked up our 4wd and headed for star bucks where we sat and looked at my itinerary and deliberated on the best plan of attack given the rainy weather. We decided to head on up to see Waipio valley. We didn’t really stop on the drive up, eager to get to Waimea and find accommodation. But the drive was very pretty, travelling near the coast and weaving in and out of gulches which gave brief glimpses of pretty valleys with streams or waterfalls and coastal cliffs. Though there was never anywhere to pull out and stop. It was pouring with rain further north but despite the rain in Aimee we decided to see what the weather was like at Waipio. Knowing weather in Hawaii can move quickly and be very localised.

Waipio wasn’t raining, but still overcast. We looked at the warning signs, read the travel book and watched a car or two come up, having survived the road, and we decided that we would give it a go. Put the _privately-owned_ car in 4wd and started a tense drive down a 4wd only road with a warning, gradient 25% sign. It couldn’t be any worse than the cliff-hugging single-lane dirt roads we had already travelled. Besides, this road was paved all the way down and had a clear rule that cars descending were to give way to those ascending. I happily snapped photos as Nat concentrated on engine breaking in an automatic.

The valley was so beautiful, but the road was only ever single lane. The road to the beach said it was closed and looked full of muddy potholes so Nat somehow managed to reverse his way out of that road and we travelled up the valley instead. We were stopped by a herd of wild horses eating on and by the road. They came up and put their heads inside the car and the little foal decided to see what duco tastes like. Eventually we encouraged them out of our way and we continued on through 2 small ditches but stopped at the first river crossing.

Here we managed to park somewhere that was free of “private” “keep out” and “parking for Hawaiians only” signs and we waded across the beautiful stream. Over the other side of the stream a man was sitting in the back of a pickup truck and seemed to be sharing some fruit with a wild horse. We stopped to talk to the man about where we were allowed to walk and the wild horse started trying to eat me and Nat, and would just get narky when i told him off. Sick of the horse, we pushed on, but now with the knowledge we were allowed down the road to the beach. The road became even prettier with moss covered stone walls along the roadside and a pretty little patch of forest before opening to a taro field where 2 horses were grazing.

A waterfall was visible on the far side of the valley cascading down the steep valley walls of about 2000ft. And we came to another river crossing where we had been told the county road ends and private property begins and it was time to turn around and walk back to the car.

Day 17 – Friday 7th August: Big Island (Hawai'i)

We headed back to Waipio valley as we hadn’t had time to go to the beach the day before, and Nat hadn’t taken any photos. But we were disappointed when we arrived as there was a woman at the start of the road down and she was making some sort of records of the cars descending. We went to talk to her and try and suss out what she was recording and asked about how to get down into the valley. She said we could walk or get a tour. No mention of “or drive if you have a 4wd”. We were worried we would get in trouble (there had also been a police car there earlier). So we went into the settlement to see about getting dropped off and picked up so we could walk around in the valley by ourselves. The man was hell bent on us doing the tour which 1. Isn’t allowed to go to the beach, 2. Doesn’t go to the big waterfall, and 3. Has you sitting inside a van for the tours duration, stopping where the tour guide stops. We refused until he eventually said we could get dropped off and picked up for $60 (the tour for 2 he was offering for $90). So we grabbed a roll, a drink and some banana bread along with all our gear and happily descended into Waipio valley in the tour van, without a care in the world.

We got dropped off immediately at the bottom of the valley where the road to the beach begins. We were told it was “a long way” to the beach, which was soon clarified to be .75 mile. The dirt road ran along the edge of the steep valley wall and was thick with rainforest vegetation, and several car wrecks from cars which had plummeted from the treacherous road above. The beach was a beautiful long black stone beach, but the waterfall which falls into the sea was dry and not running. The wild horses were grazing on the grass by the beach and the small foal was lying down having a nap in the sun. Further down the beach locals were surfing. I intended walking down the beach to where the river meets the sea but got carried away taking photos where I was. We stopped to eat our lunch while we were somewhere with a cool breeze and less mozzies. The roll was discusting. Ham and cheese roll, but the bun was SWEETENED! It was like mixing lunch and desert and it was just not nice! Oh how i love Australian bread!

We walked back along the dirt road until it reached the main dirt road that travels deeper into the valley, and we walked along enjoying the view of the river, the waterfall and the rainforest around us, as well as taro fields. We walked all the way up the end of the road to the 2nd river crossing where we decided it was time for some banana bread and i drank the last mouthfuls of my water. Oh i could have swum in the river i was so hot! A trail-ride tour (or ‘horseback riding tour’ as they call them)came and paused at the river, allowing the horses to drink. The tour guide took one look at me and said “you have a leach on your left leg”. When i looked at my left leg I couldn’t see anything. He clarified “your other left leg”. And then he told me he was joking. Though I’m sure he didn’t get the reaction he was hoping for. I apologised that I was used to leeches as we had lots back home. We waited here for a while before slowly meandering our way back down the road and over the 1st river crossing, where the tour van picked us up and took as up out of the valley. 3 hours walking around in the valley was thirsty, tiring work in the heat and we headed for the nearest town, Honoka’a, for a milkshake, which turned out to be a thickshake. And the nicest thickshake it was!

By this time it was around 3pm and we wanted to drive all the way to the Puna coast and find accommodation. We hit the road and didn’t stop, aside from getting petrol. We headed down to the Kalapana end of the road along the Puna coast and stopped briefly to see if we could see the smoke from where the lava meets the sea. After taking some photos (photo on left by Nat) we drove north along the coast. The road went up and down over a relatively recent lava flow (1955). Little pockets of unburnt forest remained, and in other places vegetation was making a comeback within the old flows. It was an amazing landscape. But the evening was fast approaching and i wanted to get to the lava sea entry view point that night. The only accommodation we found along there was a very hippie “retreat”. We checked out the hotel room but the rooms all came off a common room, in which chairs were placed around a table with a circle of candles. Im sure they were for group relaxation but we found it all a little too creepy. We checked out the “cottage” which wasn’t free standing, and while the room was OK, the walls above door level were just fly screen. Having to go to town to get food anyway, I didn’t fancy going back to the retreat. And so began a fruitless search for somewhere nice to stay in nearby Pahoa. We could only identify one place opposite the pub. Nat stopped at 7/11 to ask a local for advice, who promptly offered him marijuana! At least now we knew there was only one place to stay... the Paradise Inn – opposite the pub, no air-conditioning, a broken fan with ‘blinds’ that allowed the pub goers and all and sundry to see straight inside our room, a bathroom so tiny I hurt myself getting out of the shower and bending down to wipe my feet. In order to get the room key we had to go to Boogie Woogie pizza where we then had to wait at least 20 minutes for someone to go and check the room was clean and ready. When I used the loo at the pizza place I had to squeeze past broken ceramic tiles and turn a light switch on next to spiders. It didn’t inspire confidence. We decided to order one of their medium sized pizzas – all 18 inches of it!!! And what a pizza! Will be going back to Pahoa – but only for pizza!

Photo by SamonBerry http://www.flickr.com/photos/samonberry/3376971792/

We headed off in a hurry after our pizza to try and get to the lava entry. However we arrived not long after the last entry was permitted for the evening. So we went to the coast to try and see the lava flow from Kalapana. And we could see the smoke :)

*NB: in bagging out Paradise Inn I recognise I was hot, tired, and hungry and thus most probably also grumpy. It all depends on your expectations and one also needs to recognise the culture of non-tourist towns that cant afford luxuries. If youre after somewhere to stay that is central in town and had a kitchen for self catering it certainly meets those needs. :)

A road less travelled

2010-06-14T00:40:00.000-07:00

Day 14 -Tuesday 4th August: Maui

I was excited to be heading off to Turtle Town, a location tour boats take paying snorkellers to, which my travel guide kindly exposed as around the corner from Makena Landing County Park. The location was said to be a good place to go to see turtles. We hadnt yet swum around to the location when poor Nat ran into trouble. He found himself hurled by a wave against a tower of rock and coral. He got a little scraped up so we headed back for shore. Luckily for me, I had a great big turtle come swimming up and under me on my way back to the beach. Also on the way back I saw some lovely fishies (I swam closer to the rocks than I had on the way out when I didn’t see much).

Above top: Makena Landing beach. Above: Turtle! Bottom: View from Makena Landing

After getting some food we headed up to the top of Haleakala Volcano. Driving up as an experience as we climbed our way from under the cloud to above it where it was clear blue skies.

Nat driving up Mount Haleakala

We drove straight up to the very top, at 10,000 feet. The altitude made me short of breath and meant McArdles pain happened a lot sooner than normal but I otherwise felt fine. The view down into the caldera was amazing. .. seeing the high crater rim, and the numerous red cinder cones dwarfing the few hikers on the trail below. Mauna Kea on the Big Island stood above the clouds with its observatories shining in the sun.

Top: Looking down into the Haleakala crater at the cinder cones, and the ridge of the crater. Bottom: A couple walks along the volcano's west facing rim.

I lay down in a ditch to photograph a rare silversword plant, and then we moved to the edge to watch the clouds become illuminated as the sun set. Sunset above the clouds was amazing. So incredibly beautiful.

Day 15 – Wednesday 5th august: Maui

After a sleep in, and a late start due to using the internet and doing washing, we drove off to Ioa Valley to see the Ioa needle (Iao is pronounced e-ow like meow). A short but steep paved path led to a view point of the dramatic ridges and the iconic Ioa needle which was carved out of the ridge by water. Another path led its way alongside the stream.

Having driven the “no rental cars” road on the south-east of the island, we confidently set off to drive the “no rental cars” road along the north-west. The road became single lane with the odd pull outs, and hugged the winding valleys. It was a pretty drive, but slow and stressful with next to no places to stop and admire the view, or even take a quick snap from inside the car! A little stressful being on the outside seat of the car, peering down the steep drops just beside me as we drove along this dirt road that did not have any safety rails.

Top: On the edge of the single dirt lane road looking down the steep gulch. Above: A paved segment of the road showing its common width. Its not fun to meet on-comming traffic.

We pulled into a lovely gallery beside the road containing work of local artists, where I bought 2 interesting glass jellyfish ornaments. The property was set on the ridge above Kahaukloa and looked over to the head. We rolled down the hill into the tiny settlement of Kahakuloa, which had black lava stone walls beside the road. These tiny villages reminded me of the Cotswolds in England, the way they had narrow raods with stone walls alongside the road, and cute little cottages set amongst lush green grass and flowers. Though the cottages in Hawaii are old and usually in need of some restoration.

Above: the road through Kahaukloa, enclosed by volcanic rock walls.

There was nowhere to park the car so we pulled into a driveway with a sign indicating the sale of banana bread. Our travel guide described a dirt road leading down to the beach as public access, but when we asked the lady selling the bread she told us we couldn’t go to the beach as access was via private property. After eating a small loaf of banana bread we continued on along the road as it ran closer to the cliffs and allowed view of the cliffs and the crashing waves.

Above: Looking down on Kahaukloa beach.

Heading west from Kahaukloa towards the Nakalele blowhole.

We stopped to view the Nakalele blowhole which was impressive. Continuing on Nat realised we were nearly out of petrol, but I talked him into stopping at Honokohau which was beautiful. Another small settlement, this one with obvious public access to the black stone beach alongside a black stone wall. The path came out at the beach where the river enters the sea and looking in either direction along the beach gave views of high cliffs with the surf crashing against the cliffs. I would like to return here, it was so pretty, and spend more time around the blowhole area where there are other sites of interest which we didn’t have time for.

Top: looking west at Honokohau beach. Bottom: looking east along the beach.

We stopped at the first resort we came across, heading back towards civilisation, hoping they would have petrol, or could tell us how far the closest gas station was - we were that worried! Luckily it wasn’t much further down the highway that we found the petrol station and stress levels could fall back to zero. We drove right past the west coast of Maui, littered with resorts around the beaches. We attempted to find somewhere to eat in Lahaina but somehow got disorientated and decided to drive on. We soon pulled over from the road which was hugging the coast, in order to photograph the waves. We stopped somewhere around awalua beach or kulanaokala’i beach (there were no sings nor parking, we simply pulled off the road). The waves were beautiful. They were only small but with the wind blowing as they curled over to break the wind blew spray from the tops of the waves. The sun was low and cast a warm golden light which illuminated the waves and the spray, and the waves made beautiful sounds as they crashed on the large black stoned/pebbled beach and then receded.

Above: beach, waves, and highway near Awalua or Kulanaokala’i

We were hoping to get a good view for sunset, but ended up on the wrong side of the pali tunnel so turned around and headed back for the closest beach. The light was fading fast so we missed sunset itself but enjoyed stopping at the white sand beach and watching as the clouds turned a warm pink between Maui and the nearby island of Lana’i. Then it was off to eat at the thai restaurant I had my heart set on, before checking into our airconditionless accommodation in Kahulie, and packing our bags ready for an early flight the next day.

The famous windy road to nowhere (aka Hana)

2010-06-13T05:26:00.001-07:00

Day 12 - Sunday 2^nd August: Maui

Top: The cliche shot of the road to Hana. Bottom: Volcanic stone church at Keannae.

We began the world famous drive to Hana along the north east coast. Perhaps it was my illness, the rude tourists driving the road, or the constant steep turns and single lane sections, and the snail’s pace of the drive, but I thought it was over rated. Nat wasn’t terribly impressed either. The best parts of the drive were the roads which branched off the “highway” and descended to scenic settlements on peninsulas. The first one, Ke’anae, was beautiful. We spent some time here photographing the waves crashing on the rugged lava rocks. We hobbled around the dark volcanic stone built church (we were both still feeling very sore from the hike to kalaupapa). We stopped down the road to buy our first “banana bread” (which is actually banana cake). Wow! Was this delicious. It was not long out of the oven and still warm. Moist in the middle and crisp fresh on the outside. We ate the whole loaf then and there! Having bought banana bread elsewhere on the holiday, the loaf bought here remained our firm favourite.

Above: Waves crashing at Keannae.

Plugging on, and consulting our Trail Blazer travel guides, we went down to the next peninsula, Wailua, with promised beach access. Alas, so many “keep out” and “no beach access” signs, along with the path looking like it truly was on private property, we decided best not to attempt a walk to the beach. We managed to get a pretty view across a field to a water fall just before the “keep out” signs got too thick and we turned around.

Top: Taro field at the end of Wailua Rd. Bottom: Our Lady of Fatima church on Wailua Rd.

I was desperate to see waterfalls. The drive to Hana is described as having a waterfall around every bend. Alas there was but mere trickles if any, and generally no way of stopping and walking back to see them. The beautiful one we had seen from the peninsula was not visible from the little lookout we climbed back on the hwy, nor from the hwy itself as we passed over it. We descended to the third peninsula, Nahiku, past a couple of lava tube caves opening onto the road, and I excitedly anticipated the walk along the beach to where a waterfall and stream enter the sea. Alas the road came to the T intersection with “private property” and “residents only” signs on both roads. We took the road anyway, as according to the guidebook the locals tend to post these signs despite places actually having public access. It was a pretty road through lush forest but we came to a steep ditch we thought it best not to cross so we turned around and tried the other road in the other direction. This road led to a public beach! Well, to the right a little grassy knoll and lava rocks with waves crashing, or to the left a beach of large black boulders. It was pretty. But heavily frequented by mosquitoes.

Top: the road heavily marked as private, which our guidebook promised as public. Bottom: Looking down Honolulu Nui Bay at the end of Nahiku Rd.

Next stop was to be Blue Pools. A walk into a freshwater stream cascading into a natural pool next to the sea. Again the book advised that signs would discourage visitors but that it was OK. But there was a new sing saying that it was on private property and due to increasing popularity thanks to guidebooks, the area was definitely closed and trespassers would be prosecuted. Sigh. So we turned into the Hana Lave Tube property and enquired about the tube. We didn’t go into the cave that afternoon but decided to return the next day. The man at the cave recommended some accommodation, a B and B up the hill, so we drove up and secured the room... with no air conditioning!!!

We then drove on to the black sand beach, Wai’anapanapa where we had intended to camp. Wow it was pretty! The dark black lava rock contrasting with the lush green vegetation, and the aqua blue sea. But we were tired so we pushed on to Hana. I believe “hole” is how Nat described the little town. We stopped at the pier to rest and then tried driving down some dirt road to get a different view of the beach. We were filling in time before we could get some dinner. A sign on the road advertised Thai. MMmm thai! But there was no evidence of the place anywhere. We went to the ranch bar, looked at the menu and then left. We went to the hotel’s restaurant to discover main means starting at US$30 and decided we were going to have to eat at the ranch. “voted Hana’s best”. We couldn’t help but giggle because that didn’t say much at all! Dinner was pretty feral but it was a means to an end. We were desperate. But when the karaeoke started we were reminded that things could always get worse.

Above: Looking back at Hana across the beach from the pier.

Day 13 – Monday 3^rd August: Maui

We slept in and then rolled down the hill to the Hana lave tube... via the nearby banana bread stall. Wow! The varieties! We ended up buying two loafs: choc chip, and macadamia. Super yum! And as for the Hana lava tube - what fun! Went spent several hours inside a 0.25 mile section of the cave. We found it fascinating being inside a tunnel created by cooling lava, which had served as a path for hot lava to drain to the ocean. The ceiling had hardened “drippy bits” and stalactites, and the floor had “blobby” bits and stalegmites, for the length of the tunnel we were walking on the hardened lava flow which was set between two “levies” either side where lava had built up and cooled. In some places the lava was crunchy, rocky a’a lava, and in other places it was smooth, flowing pahoehoe lava. We enjoyed taking “light painting” photos (illuminating the cave with our torches during an exposure)... until we ran the torches flat. D’oh! In the pitch black Nat found his torch would work for short bursts and so we would walk as fast as we could until it would stop working.

Top: Stalectites of lava. Middle: Skylight where the roof of the lava tube gaveway. Bottom: self portrait involving light painting, inside the lava tunnel.

We then went back to the black sand beach (Wai’anapanapa) and this time walked down to see the flooded lava tube entrances, and take some photos of the beautiful area. If we had had more time it would have been a superb place for a walk. But it was getting late and we had a very long way to go.

We drove on to the national park and stopped to walk in to Ohe’o Pools (also called ‘seven pools’). It was a very pretty rocky gulch with water cascading down into several large pools before reaching the sea. Despite it being late (5pm) it was still very crowded with tourists as the pools are a popular swimming spot with people jumping off the rocks into the pool.

We then continued around the island in a clockwise direction. The road became single lane and passed between small settlements with properties enclosed by quaint brick walls made from black lava rocks – in fact, the road was enclosed by these walls. We soon reached the section of road where rental cars are not supposed to be driven. We were told this dirt road was actually in better condition than the bitumen road just after it. The locals all use it and knowing how funny rental car companies can be, we took the locals advice and went ahead, along with other rental cars! The road wasn’t so bad and we though it much safer than the horrid road to Hana.

It soon left the cliffs and passed a gorgeous old church church I had read about and wanted to stop at. Unfortunately we could not find the access road as everything once again said “private” and “keep out”. Fortunately I got a few photos from the single lane, cliff hugging road before a couple of cars caught up behind us.

Above: Huialoha Church

We were now on the leeward side of the mountain and vegetation went from lush rainforest to dry desert. The road went from windy to much straighter, and in some places being laid over the top of old lava flows. We sped along the road, with such a long way to go around the south end of the island and back up to the capital. Plus the sun was soon to set and we desperately wanted to move far enough west that we could see it. We missed sunset but stopped so Nat could get some fading light photos of the view of the other volcano on Maui, and the other islands of Lana’i, Moloka’i, the uninhabited Kahoolawe and the interesting Molokini crater. We continued driving in the dark and stopped in Kahuluie for dinner before heading down to Kihei on the coast to find accommodation with air conditioning. Driving along the main road in Kihei we grew more and more frustrated. This was a popular tourist area, and we came here expecting an abundance of accommodation. Instead we found an abundance of holiday “rentals”. Numerous hotel looking apartments which could only be booked in advance. Luckily we stumbled on the Maui Hotel.

Moloka'i - in two days!

2009-12-29T00:40:00.000-08:00

Day 10 – Friday 31^st July: Moloka'i

Looking from the top of the cliff to Kalaupapa, the destination of the hike.

The start of the cliff hugging section of the trail.

The grounds at Kalaupapa, a former leper colony, are restricted. You are only allowed there if you are escorted, which means it’s imperative to arrive at the end of the trail on time to begin the tour. Otherwise, not only do you miss your tour, you have to wait at the trail’s end for several hours until the tour finishes and they can transport you to the airport. So we were eager to allow my muscles plenty of time for the walk. And so we got up at 5.30am, having packed our bags the night before, and having arranged for a 6am breakfast. But even at 5.45 the house was quiet and there was no sign of our host preparing breakfast. He finally rose and prepared us some fresh fruit – unfortunately consisting of fruits I don’t eat (papaya, grapefruit, melons etc). 7am rolled around (the time we had wanted to be starting the hike) and there I was anxiously awaiting the cooking of eggs so I could start the hike with some breakfast behind me. After gulping the sugary sweet scrambled egg down,I rudely fled the B and B we raced to the trailhead by car.

Starting the trail 40 minutes behind schedule and only 20 minutes earlier than abled bodied people start *stress!*, we hit the trail at full speed. I don’t think I have ever walked so fast - except for the bit where I got my foot stuck in mud! Reaching the cliff top we paused to take a photo and began practically running down the stairs in the side of the mountain. Pausing for photos Nat would anxiously announce “the mules are coming!”, threatening the arrival of the mule tour which delivers tourists to the valley floor. we had to beat the mules or we’d miss the tour. After a little while with these “mules” Nat could hear never taking on more than a figment of his imagination (or evil idea of “motivation”), we decided we had made such good pace we could afford to slow down and take the time to enjoy the view, take a photo or two, and to spend more time resting my muscles. It quickly became apparent that the Pihea trail (our personal Kakoda trail) had damaged my left leg, although it hadn’t caused the usual pain. It turned into jelly very quickly and I soon began going out of my way to avoid giving it the opportunity to turn to trifle. I resorted to stepping down most stairs with my other leg (which gets annoying quickly), landing with a straight leg (bye bye knee joint), “waddling” with straight legs instead of walking (hello embarrassment), and gratefully accepting Nat’s offer to carry my pack (boyfriend gets brownie points). But it worked! I made it down the 1,700ft cliff, and along the 5km trail! What a trail! It was so pretty. 26 (official) switchbacks on a trail cut in the side of a magnificent sea cliff. The vegetation was beautiful, the views were gorgeous and the trail had such character (and the occasional mule poo aroma). Once near sea level the trail levels out and Nat took his time with the wild goats and the forest and caught up to me where the trail came alongside the sandy beach. We finally made it to the end where all the other hikers were waiting, and were followed by the mules after only 5 minutes. Relief!

We were picked up by an old school bus for our tour which went from 10am to 1.30pm. we drove around the village of Kalaupapa and stopped at sites of interest – a memorial to a nun who played a significant role in improving condition for patients, the snack shop for nibbles, one of the churches and the pier, and the book shop. After that we headed across the peninsula to Kalawao, the original settlement site with a very scenic outlook along the coast of the worlds’ highest sea cliffs. Only a few concrete posts remain of the original settlement, along with the church and cemetery. Very picturesque!

Above: From the end of the trail looking back at the cliffs we descended.

Below: The view from, and approaching Kalawao. The highest sea cliffs in the world.

After the tour we were dropped at the tiny little unattended airport where we had to wait an hour for our flight. Fortunately there was a maintenance man in a nearby shed who had brought two puppies with him so I got a bit of playtime :) our small plane arrived and the pilot decided it best we wait for the trade winds to blow the storm away before we set off. The plane had 8 passenger seats and seat belts that go over your shoulder as well as your lap. What a flight! Due to the storm we ended up flying along the length of the coast to the end of Moloka’i before turning inland to the airport. What is meant to be a 5 minute flight became a ten minute flight with lovely views. The turbulence coming into the airport wasn’t much fun. Before taking off our pilot kindly informed us of the location of the sick bags. I had joked that there wouldn’t be time to get sick on such a short flight. I was wrong, but fortunately didn’t require the sick bag. We landed with no worries and sat around waiting for the island’s only taxi to pick us up. But he had forgotten! After a phone call he was soon chatting away to us about indigenous rights (or lack thereof) on our way to the trailhead to pick up our car.

Top: Cessna Caravon. Our ride out of Kalaupapa, by Nat. Bottom: Typical Molokai desert, by Nat.

The afternoon was pretty quiet. I was worried about my muscles and we were both tired. So we drove to the far west coast of the island to have a peek at the beach and more desert like bush. Had dinner at the Cookhouse and Nat had some amazing raw tuna coated in delicious spices.

A quaint rural road through the desert like terrain, by Nat.

Day 11 – Saturday 1^st August: Moloka'i

Our flight from Moloka’i to Maui had been moved forward by several hours, which had me worried about whether or not we had time to do the drive we had planned. We were up early to pack the car and discover the car wasn’t working – the car alarm went off and the engine was disabled. we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of banana and macadamia nut pancakes while waiting for our car rental company to have a mechanic sent out. 3 times we called them, and each time we were told they would send someone “now”, meaning the previous times they said they were sending someone they hadn’t, and we had been waiting for nothing. Nat somehow managed to get the car working, and rather than waiting for help which may or may not arrive, we rang and said we would drop the car off and pick up another. Anxious about time though we decided not to stuff around. If we had the car working and didn’t lock it then we shouldn’t get stranded again. So we took the crappy car along to the remote Halawa Valley on the far east coast.

"End state highway" at Halawa Valley.

The drive was pretty. We were driving along the coast but also alongside the slopes of the old volcano, and quite often the road ran close to the waters’ edge. The road became pretty much single lane and wound up through forest and then back down to the coast, hugging the steep mountain sides with many blind bends. We passed a couple of tiny bays where only one house was built and eventually worked our windy way down to Halawa Valley. At the back of the valley was a big water fall that a helicopter was buzzing in and out from. We drove down to where the river meets the sea, but not wanting to turn the car off in case anything went wrong while we were so isolated, Nat stayed with the car, while i wandered a short distance and took a few pics and left.

Halawa Valley, at the beach.

We made it back to town in plenty of time, so I stopped in at the supermarket to give some information to a lovely woman who had asked us to sign a petition about flight prices to Kalaupapa. The airline company had increased the price to $500 since father Damien’s beatification. I had paid just $50 per person when I had booked online a few months earlier. Then we had lunch at the drive in followed by Hawaiian mudslide ice-cream from the ice-cream shop! Coffee ice cream with chocolate fudge and chocolate brownie pieces. Noms! Everyone asked us if we liked Moloka’i and we would enthusiastically say how much we loved the people there. Everyone had been so friendly and helpful and sincere. But we always looked a little embarrassed when they asked if we would come back again, to which i would reply “to Hawaii, definitely”.

Halawa Valley

Our flight from Molokai to Maui was with the same plane and pilot we had had the day before. I thoroughly enjoyed the flight – especially as we were allowed to use our cameras during takeoff and landing.

Arriving in Maui we were disappointed (the polite term for how we felt) to discover our accommodation for the night did not have air conditioning. It was hot and humid and we didn’t sleep well. But at least I was coughing less, having bought the most potent cough medicine I could swallow.

Landing in Maui. Very windy = interesting landing!

Na Pali wonderland

2009-11-26T02:24:00.000-08:00

Day 7 - Kaua'i: Waimea

Up early to check in at Port Allen, 20 mins away, at 7.15am for our Captain Andy’s catamaran tour along the Na Pali coast :) Not too far along the coast (the boring bit) we stopped to snorkel because reports from their earlier boat were that it was too rough to snorkel off Na Pali. So Nat didn’t like the idea of jumping in a deep ocean so I went in along with a bunch of tourists. Swam around feeling annoyed. The floor was so far down and there wasn’t much around. the many turtles who had been popping up all around the boat had buggered off when the swimmers got in, and were hiding over the side of the boat we weren’t allowed due to the swell. The bottlenose dolphins we had seen a few mins earlier had swum off and that left me with a deep lot of water and not much in it - but tourists!!! Found some fishes over some rocky outcrop (which was still a long way down) but I had seen as good a variety back at Ke'e beach where I had been only feet away. Above: Spinner dolphins.

Back on the boat and we sped up the boring south coast to get to the good west coast. On the way we ran into some spinner dolphins who did a few lovely spinning leaps for us :) Moving on, It was a bit windy and we were really banging over the tops of the waves. Nat and I went up the front of the boat to where the movement of the boat was at its best! weee! Lots of "tickle the tummies" :). We made it round to the Na Pali coast to soon be greeted with wind and rain. But wow! The cliffs! Stunning! Just incredible! Very WOW! Words cant describe how incredibly awe inspiring and beautiful the scenery is. Jagged cliffs rising dramatically and steeply, 4000ft from the sea. I want to do a tour around here again, and think any abled-body nature enthusiast should kayak around it and camp at the mind blowing Kalalau beach. That would be my dream. I wonder if there is someway I could get there despite my disability? We made it alongside Kalalau on the catamaran tour but had to turn back due to the weather :( But I will definitely return here. I would love to somehow get to Kalalau to camp and think a helicopter ride would be well worth the money too.

See kayakers for scale in above pic

Kalalau Valley - see tents on beach infront of rockface for scale.

On the way back Nat and I went and lay down on the "trampoline" section - the trampoline like material strung between the hull so we were lying over the water and at the front of the boat. Very fun going over the tops of waves and getting splashed from underneath.

Arriving back at the harbour we went home for a shower and it was apparent I had got badly burnt. Despite putting on sunscreen I had obviously missed a few places which were now incredibly red and burning. Can’t really remember off hand what we did for the afternoon but it was probably the day there were scattered showers and we didn’t do terribly much other than potter around taking the odd photo.

Day 8 - Kaua'i: Waimea

Off up to Waimea Canyon, the "grand canyon of the pacific". Ascending quickly it was somewhat like flying. We stopped at 2 view points early on for a pic but then decided to go straight up to the top as there were clouds and rain around and we wanted to beat them to get the amazing views from on top of the Na Pali coast - on top of the cliffs we viewed the day before from the yacht - looking down at the amazing valley of Kalalau. We got to the end of the road, and the start of the Pihea Vista trail, and it was all foggy/drizzly. I somehow managed to mix up a description in my guidebook with a different trail and so we set out on an "easy" 2 mile hike. OOPS!!! BIG OOPS!!! They really should have had some signs about the trail like they did at the beginning of Kalalau trail. This was, what Nat described as, the most arduous and treacherous hike he has done. We stopped soon into the walk at a view point which was blank white. But as we stood and watched the cloud got blown aside slightly and revealed a very faint view of the valley below. What a treat!

Above: The glimpse of a view from the start of the Pihea Trail
Below: The pihea trail atop a 4000ft ridge.

We were encouraged that perhaps the rain would move so we headed off to Pihea Vista. Back on the gorgeous trail which ran along the steep ridge, through pretty, mossy and rainforest vegetation. I’m sure if we had been able to see the view we would have been somewhat freaked out ! :) Just when we thought we were nearly there the trail turned into hell! It was raining and the trail was effectively muddy puddles or slippery mud. But what made it worse were the steep inclines and declines. So steep, there were "steps" carved from numerous feet having struggled up and down. But the steps weren’t flat and so it was stressful trying not to slip. In some places going up or down you had to use 2 hands and descend backwards. Incredibly slow, slippery, and tough work. One thing I noticed was I didnt walk as fast or as easily as before my ankle injury. Knowing how long the injury (which was followed by 2 more injuries as a result) took to heal I was a little overly cautious and hesitant, which I'm sure actually served to not only make my progress much slower, but also to increase the potential for another fall and injury. Despite a few slips and slides I never fell. Phew!

Photo by Nat - the cliff/waterfall like trail to Pihea Vista

Made it to the Pihea Vista view point, where we wanted to die. It was all clouded in. We waited a long time but the clouds never eased. We swore and cursed and sat and looked at a postcard of the view we expected to have. And then we over at the start of the near cliff we had to descend. :S MY muscles coped incredibly well and didn’t seem to have caused much damage. But boy it was tough work! Incredibly proud of ourselves though :) but that’s one trail we probably won’t do again!

Top: by Nat - At the Pihea Vista looking at a postcard of the view we should have had! Bottom: by Nat - a very unimpressed me. Buggered!

Then we headed off back down the canyon and didn’t stop at view points as they were clouded in :(

Had had enough of being sick with the flu and feeling awful, and as it was apparent I had a seconday sinus infection we went along to the hospital to see a doctor. There were posters everywhere warning about antibiotic and not to ask for it when you just have the flu and dr will not just hand them out yada yada yada. And there was me asking for them! Luckily he didn’t stay resistant to the idea for too long when I explained my history of sinus probs etc. The doctor and nurse were lovely and we had a great old chin wag with both of them.

Top: Pihea Trail vegetation. Bottom: Waimea Plantation Cottages.

Day 9 - Kaua'i: Waimea, to Moloka'i

Slept in a little and then headed off for Lihue in order to return the car and fly out. We took a more rural road into Lihue and took a short side road through the fields and over a river to a ranch.

We flew from Kaua'i to Maui, and on to Moloka'i. The approach and landing into Maui had Nat a little uneasy! We stayed on the plane at the Kahului airport, Maui, while people disembarked and embarked, and we moved seats (open seating, like a bus) to grab the best seats before flying out to Moloka'i. Had a lovely view of the gentle slopes with deep gullies of the old Moloka'i volcano.

The town on the island (there is only one) was like a ghost town. Half the shops were empty and the ones that weren’t didn’t look much better. The supermarket was hard to find as they were discrete. We ate at the local "diner". Nat had pizza and I had pasta. The only flavour was from the parmesan cheese and chilli flakes we added! so sad!

After dinner we drove around trying to find our bed and breakfast. The map showed only one road. there were more. Eventually Nat stopped and asked some people in their back yard for directions. They had a general idea and pointed us in a rough direction. We found the place but the owner started freaking us out about the hike we were doing in the morning to Kalaupapa. "Did you speak to so and so about it? Have you spoken to anyone? Did you receive confirmation". I tried assuring him everything was fine but he ended up phoning Mr So-and-so after 9pm. They couldnt understand why we wanted to start the hike an hour early so I had to tell them I have a muscle condition and so I wanted to go early to walk at my own pace. Once they knew I had a muscle condition you can imagine the "you shouldnt do it., its a strenuous hike! its not easy! its steep! grade 2.9. Three mile hike. bla bla bla". I kept repeating that yes I was aware of these things and I wouldnt do it if I wasn’t confident I could handle it. Eventually the only way to shut him up was to say that I had climbed and descended 2000 feet before so descending 1700 would be fine. didn’t mention the bit about how that 2000ft walk nearly killed me lol! And finally all was well and the host stopped yabbering at us and we retreated to the bedroom where we went hyper and laughed our heads off about the host and the island and the house rules etc. He was lovely... he was just, well... "interesting".

The Garden Island

2009-11-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

Day 4 - Kaua'i

... and the walk to Hanakapi'ai beach along the Kalalau trail at 8.30am. What a glorious trail! This coast line really has to be one of the most amazing places on earth. So we were keen to walk 2 miles into the first beach. We never made it. The trail starts at Ke'e beach and instantly starts to climb... and climb! Started out through thick lush jungle vegetation with the trail an assortment of small boulders (large rocks). Incredibly pretty. Climbing higher the vegetation would change quickly from rainforest to drier depending on if on a ridge or in the gully. It was just gorgeous. In the rainforest bits there was no breeze, and while at that stage was relatively shaded, the hot humid air was tough to hike through. Up hill. With packs full of camera gear! And a tripod each! We cherished the moments where a gap in vegetation allowed a gentle hot breeze. but the trail kept on climbing. It seemed to have reached its maximum height around the time when the first view of the coastline appeared. Very pretty. But not too far after that the climb began again. Above: Begining of the Kalalau trail. Below: the only view of the Na Pali coast the Kalalau trail afforded us.

I was amazed how well my muscles were doing. Nat couldn’t believe it. In fact, I would even say I was coping with the trail as well as Nat, though obviously slower. But ... being responsible little bears he raised the idea of turning back and when it came time to climb ever higher the idea of going through it all again to come back out seemed a little too much. So we turned around and headed back and what a wise idea! It was getting hotter and we could have used several litres of water more! We didn’t feel too disappointed about not making the beach though, as there were so many hikers going there it would have been crowded. We felt very proud of what we had achieved. and the trail was so rewarding in and of itself. And of course I was delighted that I had been able to train and pace my muscles to get me through what the sign described as a "strenuous" walk without causing muscle damage. Well, without causing too much damage! Right: Nat on the Kalalau trail, heading back down to the trailhead.

We arrived back at the Ke’e beach carpark about 4 hours after leaving it. 12.30. burning sun. terrible humidity. We went off in search of accommodation with air conditioning. First stop was a resort not far from Tunnels Beach. They had availability but no air conditioning. We were told accommodation with air-conditioning on Kaua’i would be difficult to find. But we were desperate. The heat and humidity was overwhelming. We drove into Hanalei and stopped at the first accommodation we saw. We had stumbled upon the adorable Hanalei Inn which had availability AND AIR CONDITIONING! We had a small kitchen, awesome air con, an overhead fan and tv! what luxury! It was too hot to pack up the tent back at the camp ground, so with the permit already paid for so we left it up over night.

We sought respite in the air-conditioned unit before wandering down to the bridge and taking photos. Then headed up to the old historic school, cemetery and church. And then went to the Hanalei shops to have a squiz. Unlike Waikiki, these shops were a gem! A couple of really nice shops with quality items – of which I bought myself and mother a present! Above: View mauka from bridge, Hanalei

Typical, quaint Hawai'ian juice bar, Hanalei

Hanalei schoolhouse

Left: Waioli Mission church built in 1912. Right: Ke'e beach. Below: Ke'e Beach sunset

In the afternoon we headed back to Ke'e beach, this time to snorkel. Pottered around over the reef/coral looking at an amazing variety of fishies. From above the water we saw signs of a turtle out past the reef, but didn’t swim out, mindful of the dangerous currents around. Then we watched the sun set before settling into the Hanalei Inn.

But a beautiful day turned bad when my foot muscle went into an extreme cramp. It had hurt both feet getting into my flippers, but hadn’t seemed to hurt them too badly. In the wee hours of the morning I was experiencing the extreme pain I have only had a handful of times, and Nat woke to me crying hysterically. However... I did find crying hysterically provided me with a short lived burst of pain relief! For about 2 minutes! Nat filled up a cooking pot with warm water to put my foot in and then I watched several evangelical stations on TV and some infomercials until I was tired enough to sleep.

Day 5 - Kaua'i

I slept in and didn’t leave the house til midday. Managed to hobble a little which allowed us to do a short drive to Wainiha Bay,and along a sweet little inland road, Powerhouse Rd, to take some pics ... before I went back to bed... this time with the flu!

Top: Looking mauka from Wainiha Bay. Bottom: Lumahai Beach

I was feeling shocking so I had a nap and Nat went to check out the Kilauea light house. Then, stubborn little me argued with Nat that i was darn well going to go snorkelling!!! So off we went to Tunnels Beach (Bali Hai), reputed to be a good spot for turtles. I hobbled along the beach and was excited to see turtles a few metres of shore!!! Gave up on the excitement of watching them from the beach and rushed to get into my new flippers. A local said it was too rough to snorkel just there and we should go further up the beach. But we only went far enough along to find a sandy entrance and and then snorkelled into the rougher area to see if we could find the turtles. TURTLES!!! we found them!

We swam for over an hour with 3 or more turtles. WOW! This was truly a special experience. They were eating from the rocks/coral close to shore, and no other snorkellers were around (they were further up where it was less rough). It was just us and the turtles! They let us just float there and they went about their business unperturbed. They were so relaxed with our presence that we occasionally had to touch the rocks to stop ourselves bumping into them when a wave would lift us too close. Watching them feeding was amazing. they would get strewn around by the waves and end up with bum up at the surface and face still munching away on the food. Then they would right themselves and try for more. They would occasionally get swept aside and have to flap their little ways back. so cute!!!

PLEASE NOTE: NEVER touch or harass the turtles!

Stayed at the beach for another sunset :)

Back at the Inn I jumped into a jacket and turned the room temp up 5 degrees and climbed into bed. Poor Nat must have boiled! Later on I of course had to turn it back down :) Ran a temp all night :( but was definitely worth swimming with the turtles!!!

Day 6 - Kaua'i

Drove all the way from Hanalei to Waimea on the south west coast.

Above: Nat checking out the large Japanese tomb

Before leaving Hanalei we took the Ohiki Road mauka alongside the Hanalei river. What a pretty drive! Nat stumbled upon a quaint Japanese cemetery, and we stopped to photograph the pretty taro fields, before heading back to the main road and ascending to Princeville where there is a beautiful view of the Hanalei valley below.

Top: Taro fields of Hanalei. Bottom: Nat's pic from the Hanalei Valley overlook, Princeville.

Stopped for photos along the way at various places such as Kilauea, and a side road into the Anahola sugar cain area (see below), before making it to Lihue for lunch at the very nommy Vietnamese restaurant where we once again ordered the heavenly Taro Pearl Drink - "Let me crazy!" (see below)

We left Lihue and travel along a rural road to join up with the soutbound highway. This gave us a scenic route where we stopped to look at the old Menehune fishpond , and look over fields towards the mountains.

Above: Menehune fishpond at Nawiliwili, built over 500 years ago to catch fish.

Driving south we turned off onto the Maluhia Road where we drove through the eucalyptus "tree tunnel" planted over 150 years ago. I promptly got us "misplaced" on our search for a particular beach described in my Off The Beaten Path travel guide. But this wasn't so bad as we stumbled upon the old Kaloa Sugar Mill (right), which was in operation from 1835 to 1996, and is currently being overgrown by plants and looks like a photographers dream location!

We finally found our way down several sugar cane plantation roads to the beach from the travel guide. You were supposed to walk down the beach, cross a stream and walk inland to find a little cave opening up into an amphitheatre with a large banyan tree. We came across a pace that seemed to fit the description but also seemed to be privately owned and not pretty like the book led us to believe. It was hot and had taken up a lot of our time.

We drove in to Poipu for a starbucks then kept on driving to Waimea. By the time we reached Waimea we were desperate for accomodation but drove up and down the road unable to see anything. That side of the island is DEAD! We drove through Hanapepe looking for somewhere but had seemed to have found a town that was half abandoned. We went further along to Kekaha and had to turn back to Waimea. But we ended up at incredibly beautiful Waimea Plantation Cottages. Wow! Historic, cultural, gorgeous... AND NO AIR CON!!! But we had accommodation!

We didnt have enough time to explore the south-east as much as I'd like, and nor to take photos in Hanapepe. Something I'd like to do on our next visit.

Aloha from Hawai'i

2009-11-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

Please note: The first few entries are the least interesting. Stick with it and it gets better :)

Warning: entries may contain comments disparaging to mainland Americans (Hawaiians and Alaskans are exempt). Us Aussies love to generalise, and lets face it... what country doesnt love to hate the USA? This does not in anyway reflect illintent. I have American friends. I love visiting America. And I love bagging it out :) To quote my fave singer, Jewel (an Alaskan!) in her song about America "I want to change it, but I wouldnt leave it if I could".

Email written 6th August 09, in the middle of our 3 week trip to Hawai'i. Some additional bits added today after reading it over.

Days 1 to 3

We are totally in love with Hawai'i! I adore the place. the people are just as they seemed on the phone - quite Australian - friendly, laid back, and helpful. They are all very happy when I tell them they are nothing like main land Americans.

Day 1 - Arrive O'ahu

Top: Waikiki beach & Diamond Head. Middle: Honolulu and Diamond Head. Bottom: Waikiki.

First of all we arrived in Honolulu and were taken back by the humidity! Waikiki was lovely in its own incredibly touristy, superficial way. It was like walking along "main street" of Disney Land with everything all themed. Though it somehow seemed to work. The only thing we really did in Waikiki is walk around, act schocked every time we found an ABC store on every block (or sometimes two on the one block) and eat icecream.

Left: International Market Place, Waikikik. Right: Promenade along main street of Waikiki

Day 2 - O'ahu

We went for a drive around O'ahu. Though unfortunately on our day on O'ahu we wasted a large amount of it finding the parks office to submit camping applications. Then the famous Pali lookout was clouded in (no visibility) and we missed the last tour for the day (3pm) at the famous Kualoa ranch where many films have been, well, filmed! eg Jurassic Park, Godzilla, Mighty joe young, pearl harbour, and more. The scenery around the ranch is just beautiful. Dramatic mountains, and the road winds along the coast - right on the very edge, with the water lapping at the side. I would like to return to this area one day.

I developed a nasty migraine. SO we stopped at a blow hole briefly, and stopped to look at an incredibly steep volacnic formation. The migraine had me in bed with eye patches as soon as we got back, after sunset, while Nat went out searching for food (other than, but also including, ice cream).

Left: Kuloa Ranch. Right: Mokoli'i Island

Day 3 - O'ahu to Kaua'i

Returned the hire car and I thought it would a treat to eat at the local drive-in diner. Nat decided not to take the exciting cultural opportunity. I thought he was a spoil sport. In reality, he looked past the excitement and had realistic expectations of the food. I was fascinated with the menu. A mix of your typical American diner items with Hawai'ian and Japanese variations. Probably the most discusting thing we saw in Hawai'i (available almost everywhere) was sushi with spam. Warm rice with seaweed and SPAM! Is there nothing Americans won't do with Spam?! I chose the "opala" (garbage) omelette which included capsicum, ham, mushroom etc. Nat was right. It wasn't so great afterall. Cultural yes, non-greasy and tasty, no. Whats worse is due to security at the airport I had to eat it on the floor of the airport before going through security (absolutely no seating on that side!).

Getting on the plane to go to Kaua'i was an experience in itself. I looked at my ticket trying to figure out which seat I was in. I was kindly informed to choose any seat. Interisland flights are more like bus trips. It's all very casual and you sit where you like. But I was mildly panicked when smoke was filling the cabin around the floor. Until Nat assured me it was simply condensation cause from the high humidity.

Then off to Kaua'i. WOW! I ADORE THIS ISLAND! We will return here someday. We headed off north right away to Haena beach park, next to the start of the stunning Na Pali coast. We explored on our way up stopping at Wailua falls etc and taking the odd pic and set up camp in the increasing dark. It was so hot and humid I started to panic in the tent. It felt like I couldnt breath. We didnt get much sleep that night. The locals told us there was a cyclone nearby which was causing humidity to be bad.

Wailua Falls

Tunnels beach. We camped at the end of the beach below the mountain.

Day 4

We set off on a hike along the Kalalau trail to Hanakapi'ai beach. We had planned on camping at the night in at the beach but they had recently closed it off to camping. We set out at 8.30am to avoid the heat of the day, but already it was too hot.

and thats where Im going to have to leave the email as there is a man behind us going nutz that he wants the computer. pffft! We had to wait while some insane middle aged woman was checking out her "future husband" (and thusly told us) on the internet... she had met the man who played an instrument in the bar and was checkign his website and now cursing that she had let him go.