4 - 9 June 2010

Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawai'i

Aloha!! Our last stop before returning home via Auckland - what a beautiful place, albeit highly developed and densely populated.Looking beyond the high-rise apartments and hotels is a picturesque volcanic island that has stunning sandy beaches, sparkling and warm aquamarine sea water, swaying palm trees, delicate and colourful tropical flowers, twittering birdlife, friendly and gentle people and very comfortable weather.The microclimates are amazing here - it is blue sky and sunshine at the beach and about 5km away it is misty and rainy in the mountains that skirt the beaches.Despite the tropical climate (32 degrees during the day and 25 at night), the humidity is surprisingly low and very comfortable.

As you can probably imagine, we are resting after our 10 weeks on planes, trains, buses and automobiles and are avoiding any mode of transport except a catamaran!! We went on a spectacular sunset cruise on a catamaran - it was sensational!! Floating along the coast of Waikiki beach among the surfers who were desperately trying to catch the last wave of the day before day became night. We spend our days walking along the beach and canal, reading, relaxing by the pool and writing a U21 report!!As with our piece of paradise in Far North Queensland, the enticing sea water here has Portuguese Man-O-War jellyfish (not as deadly as our Box jellyfish, but not too far from it) and so we are not tempted to get into the sea water - unlike the hundreds of tourists we have seen at the beach - The locals swim in wetsuits or some form of protective wear at this time of the year.

We have been lucky with our hotel - it is a small boutique hotel (only 11 floors) with a wonderful pool oasis that is tucked away from the relentless noise of Waikiki traffic.In case you are coming to Hawai'i, here is one to note: Aqua Bamboo Hotel and Spa (www.aquabamboo.com ) .They have on-site massage therapists, so we indulged in a Lomi Lomi massage, which helped iron out some of our neuromuscular problems that have crept up on us with the travel and sleeping in all sorts of beds and with all different types of pillows (in fact we could write a whole blog about the diversity of bedding that we have endured or enjoyed during this trip!). The staff are so friendly and helpful and they keep the hotel in meticulous condition.It is a place where you can unwind and feel relaxed.

Off to the beach and aquarium now….thanks for your wonderful messages and emails and sharing our journey, R&L xx

P.S Stay tuned for LMP's U21 study summary blog………………………