A Cruise of the Hawaiian Islands

by Robin Reid, December 1998

The tiny hamlet of Hana on the island of Maui is one of those wonderfully remote places where you can go into the local store and ask for the daily newspaper. The proprietor will ask if you want today's edition or yesterday's. If your choice is "today" then the reply will be, "Come back tomorrow!" This charming locale is probably best known as the final resting place for Charles Lindbergh. It is reached via a winding seaside road graced with 368 curves. The twisting-turning drive to the west end of the island could be likened to the famous drive along the Big Sur coast and then add a gorgeous rain forest on the hillsides.

My visit there was part of a seven-day cruise aboard the Hawaiian American Lines SS Independence the week before Christmas. We visited five ports, sailing mostly at night and docking each morning to enable us to spend our days ashore pursuing splendid sites to visit.

My touring started on Oahu with a touching visit to the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Looking at the rusting hulk resting just below the surface of the waves is a moving experience that gives one pause to reflect on the horrors of World War II. The names of those who died aboard the battleship on that infamous December morning are etched into a marble wall that is part of the memorial. The nearby museum is also quite excellent, and the submarine exhibit on the adjacent dock with the tour of the USS Bowfin also attracted my interest.

Another dramatic site on Oahu is the pipeline on the Northern shore. I watched surfers compete among twenty-foot-high waves that crashed against the shore just to the west of Turtle Bay. It was a classic Hawaii scene with the road and beaches clogged with avid surf fans who flocked to the sunset beach area to watch the young people risk their lives in and on the towering surf. I drove completely around the island visiting beaches and seeing old haunts.

Naturally attractions and activities along the coasts of the Hawaiian islands dominate the touring opportunities. On Maui, I also spent a splendidly sunny day basking on the stern of a 38-foot sail boat as we spotted whales and their calves off the nearby shore of Lahina. This former whaling capitol of the world with its huge banyan tree and historic buildings still attracts despite the hordes of tourist attractions that have sprung up.

Kauai   was actually the first island our ship visited.  The first day out of Honolulu was spent at sea to give everyone plenty of time to enjoy the attractions of the ship.  The first morning we were greeted with  a dramatic view of sunrise along the Na Pali coast.  Then, after going around the island, we docked that evening for our first opportunities to see the "sights."

A coastal exploration that was "different" was my movie tour of Kauai. Paula and Layne (my tour guides) and I found several places used by Hollywood. Hanalei Bay ("South Pacific") is the most famous. We also saw a "Gilligan's Island" locale, a setting for "Donovan's Reef," "Six Days Seven Nights," and many others. We even watched video clips of the films, and toured the Coconut Palms which Elvis made famous with "Blue Hawaii." Most of the folks from the ship took the helicopter tour of Kauai and gave the excitement and beauty of that aerial tour highest marks. I had already done that three times, so the motion picture tour was my choice.

The only island we visited that I hadn't been to before was the "big island" of Hawaii. The power and majesty of the erupting Kilauea volcano did not disappoint. On Christmas Eve, in addition to walking around the rim of the crater, we caught the full drama from the ship by watching the golden lava flowing into the sea creating giant blooms of steam. This show preceded another eye-catching experience the next afternoon when I took a dive in a submarine at Kona Bay and watched schools of tropical fish swim among the coral reefs from about 100 feet below the surface.

The varied visits to the sites and activities of the Islands were only part of the fun. The SS Independence is a stately ocean liner built during the days of the great transatlantic crossings. She has been nicely refurbished, and I found the time on board to be comfortable and relaxing. I had a large cabin, interesting table mates, and plenty of sun block for the leisurely deck experiences of sun and Hawaiian entertainment. My dinner table mates were a couple (Donna and Brian) from Winnipeg who relished the chance to be in the glorious sunshine and have cruised a lot. They thought the Independence measured well against other trips they have taken. The other seat mate was a retired petroleum engineer for Conoco from Austin, Texas. "Mac" flew F4U Corsairs for the Navy in World War II, and had the inglorious assignment of doing things like spraying mosquitos from low levels to insure the Admiral's comfort! We all had a great sense of humor and laughed our way across the sea.

One of my goals for the trip was to search for Ms. Wonderful. This quest was a fruitless one. Most of the available women were much too old for me or exceeded my desired weight limit. I let go of "having" to have a romance, and enjoyed my fellow passengers. Another goal was to decide if I "like" cruising. The answer to that is a resounding "yes!" and I hope to next take a ship up the inland passage to Alaska. And I would certainly recommend the SS Independence to anyone who wants sunshine, relaxation, excellent food, and the fascinations of the Hawaiian islands.   All in all, it was a terrific Christmas vacation.

Robin Reid
December 31, 1998.