Arrived in the big island to more rain. We stayed 3 nights in a "Yurt" which is a unique big circular tent with a self contained kitchen and outdoor shower. On our first night we had 12" of rain - yes 12"!!!! It pounded down deafeningly all night.The rain eased over the next few days and we made use of our hire car to get around. A day trip to volcano national park was just amazing. There is an active volcano and the lava was clearly visible flowing into the sea....

Finally, after all the planning, study and packing we are on our way. We just have one small bag each carefully packed with wash and wear items. No phone, no computer, no worries. Lonely Planet comes along as our bible and guardian angel. Goodbyes have been said and our excitement is palpable.Airport security then decided to add to our excitement. Avan got chosen for an explosives test and took his glasses off adding them to the conveyor belt, but neglected to pu...

Stopovers. Surprisingly they go quite fast. Looking at a flight itinerary that says 4 hours as this one does, it would seem a long time but with the time it takes to deplane (why oh why do people take SO long?!) and to move through transit to find the new departure lounge, there is often over an hour gone already. Toilet breaks and finding the best way to spend the last bit of currency (in this case we won't need Aussie dollars for eleven months) takes more t...

We arrived in Honolulu on the island of Oahu and caught an airport bus to our hostel. The Hokondo Waikiki Beachside was a bit of a baptism of fire! We had a a very crowded 8 bed dorm with our allocated beds both top bunks! It was however, cheap and right in the heart of Waikiki and had free breakfast of toast and coffee. We spent our 2 days walking everywhere in light but persistent rain enjoying the sites and climbed to the highest part of the diamond head volc...

From Coral Bay we headed further south with the aim of making it to Steep Point. Steep Point is Australia's most westerly point and the culmination of our odyssey.The fingers of the Shark Bay Peninsular area also house the towns of Useless Loop (a closed Mining town) Denham and the tourist resort of Monkey Mia famous for its dolphins. Across from the peninsular is Dirk Hartog island.But our initial stop is at the first bay to observe the worlds oldest living ...