June 22, 2025

HILO, HAWAII to PHILADELPHIA, PA

The only thing I saw of HILO, HI was the airport as I decided, in the last few days, to fly home to take care of loose ends.  This is the closest I am going to be to home and the USA, over the next 2.5 to 3 years. It is also one of the rare times I wouldn't miss any itinerary ports, as we had 6 days in crossing the Pacific Ocean, to get to San Diego, CA.

I flew from Hilo to Honolulu at noon on Saturday 6/7 then onto Washington DC, Dulles Airport, took 2 subway lines to get to Union Station. At Union, I hopped on a Acela Express Train to Philadelphia that left within minutes of me getting on and almost got kicked off, because I couldn't buy my ticket online, once the train started to travel. I worked it out by calling customer services. Once into 30th street station in Philly. Then I was happy to walk the 10 blocks to Kennedy House, to stretch my legs after sitting for so long! I never fell asleep on the flight or trains and it was now noon on Sunday 6/8. I tried to nap but instead showered and went via uber out to my great niece Corrine's ,4 year old birthday party at Charming Star Playroom in Newton Square, PA.

Part of the Birthday gang leaving the party. L to R - Chris, Michael, Colleen, Megan, Griffin, Leah, The Birthday Princess Corrine, Me my Brother Michael and Joyce.

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 4, 2026
We had a beautiful sunny day to explore Wellington ! Was a very nice change from the stormy, big swells weather we have had the last two days! Wellington is the Capital city of New Zealand and the CBD is nice and big with lots of shops and museums. We didn't make it to the LOTR studios due to the time crunch but we took the cable car up to the top, for a scenic overlook of the port and then leisurley walk down through the Botantical Gardens, parks and historical cemetary.

ROTORUA CITY HIGHLIGHTS - NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 3, 2026
Rotorua became a bonus city for us. Our Port stay in Tauranga got cut down to one day, due to NZ biosecurity regulations and since we really wanted to do Hobbiton, we decided to get off the ship and stay in hotels and get back on the ship, in a few days. Due to a variety of factors, the Ship ended up doing a quick pick up of us in Tauranga, three days later. The Kiwi's we encountered along the way, who helped with all our last minute details, were amazingly kind, hospitable and generous. Below is our tired, chilly group huddled at the security shed, outside the Port in the wee hours (1:30 am) Monday morning, awaiting our final hurdle of getting back on our Home. Home sweet home! What an adventure!

ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND

By Patricia Patrick • March 3, 2026
Rotorua, New Zealand is known for it's geothermal activity ( geysers, mud pools, hot springs) and rich Maori culture . I saw lots of that last time I was here in 2016, so this time I wanted to see their Redwoods in Whakarewarewa Forest. John and Colleen joined me in exploring. Their redwoods are smaller than the ones in Muir Woods California, but still impressive. Both are planted forest dating back to around 1908.