A Few “Lesser Known and Obscure” Facts I Learned While Visiting Hawaii, French Polynesia and San Diego
- Connard Hogan
- Mar 15
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 6
Bottom line: Build great memories; expand yourself to fit our glorious world; connect to others (animals included); gain greater appreciation for famous adventurers of our past.
Janet, my wife, and I recently returned from a 32-day ocean cruise from Los Angeles to parts of the South Pacific.
1) Our cruise stopped first at Hilo on Hawaii (the island). We enjoyed our one day on terra firma after five sea-days, despite some early morning light rain.
Looking across Hilo, Hawaii towards
Mauna Kea's snow-cap and telescopes.
2) Hilo is reputed to be one of the rainiest cities in the US, if not the most, averaging 15 feet of rainfall per year. Whereas, the leeward Kona Coast, on the other side of the island, receives 15 inches per year.
3) With all that rain, and the rocky lava landscape of Hilo, waterfalls are abundant. Rainbow Falls is one such example, though a rainbow isn't always visible.
Here's Rainbow Falls?!
4) We visited the Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens where I discovered some useful information in the men's bathroom (I guess, we men and boys need to know this!), which I share here for your edification, as well.
5) Somewhere along the way I heard that Hawaii, the island, has three colors of sand beaches: black, white and green. Imagine a green beach! We didn't see it, however.
6) The following day, we arrived at Maui. During a bus tour, we learned that the pineapple and sugar cane industries of old were decimated by international competition. The islands now depend upon tourism. Of note: Lahaina is making a recovery, though slowly. Tourist traffic is not allowed in the historic downtown, though we did see portions of "greater" Lahaina.
7) On to Honolulu, Oahu, we toured the USS Arizona Memorial, where 1,777 crewmen died. A second battleship memorial, USS Utah, lies on the opposite of Ford Island, where 64 crew died. The Missouri faces the memorial to symbolize standing guard over the Arizona, as well as creating bookends of our war with Japan (beginning and end), since the Japanese surrender was signed on Missouri's deck.
USS Arizona Memorial (right); USS
Missouri (left) faces the Arizona.
8) The following day, we arrived in Kauai, and visited the Kilohaha Plantation. Established in 1986, it now is an elegant tourist destination with a historic railroad, a collection of local animals, restaurant and performance pavilion.
Hawaiian dance performance
at Kilohana Plantation, Kauai.
We "sailed" southward toward French Polynesia later that day, and over the following six sea-days we crossed the equator.
9) The "shellback" of the ship's crew (those previously having crossing the equator) judged the "polliwogs" (those crossing the first time) during a King Neptune Ceremony. All, as you might expect were told, "Bow to, or kiss, the fish. Then, jump in the pool."
The Cruise Director (far side) officiates as the
Assistant Cruise Director, polliwog, kisses the
fish before heading into the pool.
Janet and I dove into a variety of activities on board during our sea days, wanting to make the most of our time aboard, which passed quickly. We listened to numerous lectures of interest, joined in Team Trivia Quizzes and Baggo competitions, and attended the evening musical performances, aside from binging on food and drink, of course.
From the various lectures, we learned some interesting tidbits.
10) The Tahitian alphabet contains thirteen letters (five vowels and eight consonants), though uses glottal stops and macrons for long vowels.
11) The vanilla plant in Tahiti requires pollination by hand, since its pollinator bee no longer lives there. That pollinator still lives in Mexico, however, but I doubt the bees made a conscious choice in that matter!
12) Polynesia contains a diverse collection of more than 1,000 islands within an imaginary triangle bounded on the southwest by New Zealand, on the north by Hawaii, and the southeast by Easter Island. French Polynesia lies within triangle.
13) More than 800 species of fish live around the French Polynesian Islands.
14) Parrot fish do not have a fixed gender.
15) The Tahitian black oyster produces the famous black pearl after being seeded with a small Mississippi River stone.
Unfortunately for us, we arrived at Bora Bora simultaneously with a storm. Needless to say, that threw a bucket of water on the proceedings!
Our planned Bora Bora shore excursion cancelled, Janet and I rode to shore on a ship shuttle, though she returned to the ship immediately, when learning additional shuttle service had been suspended.
Local musicians perform at the welcoming
point/shuttle dock, while Janet poses
moments before abandoning ship, err, land?
I, however, being more adventurous, ambled along the main street over the next hour-and-a-half as the rain slackened, chatted with several shop owners, mostly selling pearl jewelry, perused the local grocery, paused at the protestant church to listen to the parishioners sing a Polynesian hymn. (The church provided the lyrics on an elevated screen!)
Finished with my foreshortened investigation of the local culture, I meandered back to the shuttle landing and listened to the live local music, until another shuttle arrived. (I knew the ship's crew wouldn't abandon those of us still ashore!)
That evening, we proceeded to Papeete, Tahiti, by-passing Moorea, which would also require shuttle service ... in the storm.
16) The first of our three days in Papeete, Janet and I hired a tour around Tahiti Nui, which is the larger of two conjoined land masses comprising Tahiti. Locals call the smaller, Tahiti Iti.
Janet poses on Matavia's black sand beach.
Note her improved disposition since Bora Bora!
17) Captain J. Cook made his 1769 observations of Venus's transit of the sun just yards from the beach.
Marker to Cook's Venus transit observations.
Further along, we stopped at Fa'aruma'i Valley, where three watersheds each have a falls.
We, intrepid travelers, pose at one such falls.
We took a local walking tour of parts of Papeete during our second day in port.
Pepeete Town Hall.
Back on the ship that evening, Janet and I attended a local Polynesian dance group performance.
"O Tahiti E" performs.
I loved their costumes!
A solo performance. I admired
her commitment to the tattoo!
With an additional, unplanned day in Papeete, Janet and I took a ferry to Moorea, then hired a tour guide to sightsee.
Belvedere Lookout, 820 feet elevation, provides a spectacular view of Cook's Bay (right) and Opunahu Bay (left) with the sacred Mont Rotui between.
Janet and I pose at Belvedere Lookout.
We crossed into the mountainous interior—all "newer" volcanic islands have that distinction—through shallow, following streams, lush rainforest, cultivated fields, past sacred sites to Opunohu Bay.
Back at beach front in Opunoha Bay, Fare Tutava (restaurant) served up two great smoothies. Afterward, we ate the flower blossom garnishes!
Loving my fruit smoothie
with flower blossom garnish!
The restaurant also had a number of colorful, Tahitian themed women's bathing wraps for sale.
Women's bathing wrap with manta ray design.
Then, we drove the narrow, winding concrete "road" to Magic Mountain Overlook. (No, not related to the Magic Mountain in southern California!)
A pano of Opunohu Bay from
Magic Mountain Overlook. Note
the azure colors of the lagoon.
Viking Neptune docked in Papeete, Tahiti.
That evening we sailed for Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands, and after two sea-days, we anchored in Taioha'e Bay.
A pano of Taioha'e Bay, Nuku Hiva.
(No, our ship hadn't gotten bent!)
Janet and I arranged for a tour of the island. We stopped at numerous locations, including scenic overlooks and sacred ruins.
Our local guide, Ma'u, with our ship
anchored in the harbor. Note her leg tattoo.
18) We drove to Taipivai Bay, and visited the village where Herman Melville was a "guest-captive," according to his fictionalized account in Typee. (Quite inspirational for me, the visit and the book!)
Plaque commemorating
Melville's "visit" and writings.
After Janet and I bid Ma'u goodbye, and before we returned to our ship, we hiked a short distance to the "Tiki Tuhiva" sculpture overlooking the village and bay.
The "Tiki Tuhiva" sculpture.
That evening, we sailed away from Nuku Hiva, headed for San Diego.
Seven sea-days later, we arrived in San Diego Harbor, renowned for US Naval presence.
19) We toured Balboa Park, which contains numerous beautiful buildings, including eighteen museums, all within easy walking distance.
This elegant building serves as the park's
Visitor Center and the Prado Restaurant.
20) Returned to our ship, I walked a short distance to, and toured, the USS Midway, the last diesel powered US aircraft carrier.
21) Here's the "Unconditional Surrender Statue," aka "Kissing Statue." Incorrectly, the sailor reputedly kissed a nurse, though she was a dental hygienist in actuality!
The oversized statue with USS
Midway (background).
That evening, we sailed away to Los Angeles, where Janet and I disembarked the Neptune the following morning.
We'd sailed 8,885 nautical miles (10,225 statue miles) during our trip, and experienced twenty-one days at sea. As a result, I gained a deeper appreciation, if only a hint, of by-gone sailing in the South Pacific, and the experiences of the likes of James Cook, Herman Melville and Paul Gauguin, to name only a few. Plus, I took advantage of a loaner copy of Melville's Typee, which I thoroughly enjoyed, though his complex sentence structures make it a difficult read.
Of course, wouldn't you know, I developed severe cold symptoms upon our return home, though Janet's course of infection preceded mine by a few days.
I thoroughly encourage you to travel, travel, travel! Consider spending your money and time traveling and building memories, rather than on material goods. I yearn to return to the South Pacific even as I complete writing this.
Walk in beauty.
(PS - your feedback is welcomed.)
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