My last day in Hawaii

Today we spent our last day at the beach. The water was lovely and warm. Ironically it was much warmer than the hotel swimming pool. It took quite a bit of persuasion to get Mum and Dad into the water, as they were worried about jelly fish eggs, blue bottles and sea turtles. It was a wonderful surprise to see there were no little creatures like that on the beach. The amazing thing was how clear the water was. We could see our legs and feet in the water. During my tours I was told that the sand in Hawaii comes from Australia. It's come along away. I was also told that the Pineapples grown in Hawaii are not exported. They are sold on the island to restaurants, supermarkets etc. They are not picked until they are fully ripe in Hawaii. There is definitely a difference in colour and taste. The pineapple in Hawaii is a real golden yellow and it is very juicy. On the outside the pineapple skin is yellowy golden and not so green.
I think the problem with the pineapples that are exported to New Zealand is that they are not completely ripe and are green on the outside. The colour on the inside is more a pale yellowy lemon colour. In Hawaii, they used to can pineapples for export, but this stopped in the early 1990's as it became to expensive and it was much cheaper to can them in Asia.
Sugar Cane used to grow in Hawaii, but the factories closed down due to the cost in running them and was much cheaper to rely on Asia to make sugar. Some of the fruits grown in Hawaii are: Papaya, Bananas, Figs, Watermelons, Rock melons, Honey dew melons and Mango's.
The climate is perfect for growing tropical fruit.

I have to say that I've had a wonderful holiday. I am feeling rejuvenated and relaxed, ready for a busy year ahead. I have been truly blessed with the people whom I've met on my travels to Canada and to the USA. It has been the people who have welcomed me into their countries. Canadian and Americans are so warm and friendly. I have to say that they are very easy to make conversation with and for someone who loves talking, we have that automatic connection. As soon, as I open my mouth I'm always asked where are you from? I tell them New Zealand and some way or other they know of someone who has been down under or they've been down under. The service in shops and restaurants has been amazing. I certainly don't mind tipping one bit. It must be awfully hard living off your tips. In the USA, they have a lot of coins: pennies (1 cent), knickles (5 cents), dimes (10 cents) and quarters (25 cents). It takes a bit of getting used to and I have to say that shop assistants are very kind in helping me give the right change-virtually counting my coins. I have to say the attitude from the people has very positive around receiving small change. One morning I had about $5.00 worth of quarters. They do add up and Starbucks were happy to accept them.

Mahalo- Thank you everyone for visiting this blog. 8 hours and 15 minutes of flying in the air. All good things must come to an end. It has been a fantastic adventure and one thing I have learnt is that not all of the Northern Hemisphere has snow during this time of year. I think that as we are so far away that we make the assumption that everyone in the Northern Hemisphere has snow. This has not the case, but one I would recommend all kiwi's (New Zealanders) to do is have Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a magical experience and the heart of Christmas is here. The attitude of Christmas is so different over here in the Northern Hemisphere. You can buy: Christmas plates for the family, Christmas salt and pepper shakers, big bulbed lights for your houses, Christmas ornaments with lights inside, and stockings. Filling up a stocking with knick knacks is very special over here. Celebrating Christmas in Canada with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousins was a truly amazing experience. Till next time, I'm back to saving the money for a new car and then it will be a brand new overseas adventure. Who knows where I'll be heading to? One things for sure, is that I will be visiting the library and reading up on my next overseas destinations.