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HawaiiSeptember2016
  • Margaret Gooch
  • Margaret Gooch

HawaiiSeptember2016

Un’avventura di 25 giorni di Margaret Leggi altro
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  • Inizio del viaggio
    28 agosto 2016
  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    Polynesian Cultural Center

    3 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    I had an easy 10 hour flight from Sydney to Honolulu, arriving in the late afternoon - perfect for adjusting to the time difference (20 hours behind EST).
    My first full day in Hawaii was a day of immersion at the Polynesian Cultural Center.
    The tour bus stopped on the way so we could buy food from road-side stalls.

    It was quite blustery - not surprising as there were 2 cyclones back to back heading for Hawaii!! Luckily they avoided us, doing little damage and bringing some welcome rain.    Leggi altro

  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch
    1

    IUCN Congress

    3 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Lovely first day of the congress. Lots of great speakers and workshops, as well as some stunning art work in the convention centre. I only got to see Jane Goodall and Obama in photos! Was hoping to see them for real. There were rumours that Obama would open the Congress, but he chose to go to Papahanamokuea Marine Reserve instead. My colleague from the US Fisheries and Wildlife Service said he was amazing- low key, wearing board shorts and joking with everyone, but determined to out-swim everyone, nevertheless.Leggi altro

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  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    De-brief

    6 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Had a great de- brief about the Congress at the Big Oceans meeting. Already planning fot the next one in September next year in Chile to coincide with IMPAC.
    Met lots of interesting people and caught up with others. The best part for me was connecting with people who are happy to share their traditional knowledge, chants and songs, complete with hula- hand movements to tell the stories passes from one generation to the next.Leggi altro

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  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    Waikiki

    7 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    My snorkelling tour was cancelled, as i was the only one registered, so spent the day discovering Waikiki.
    In the evening I caught up with my fabulous boss, Josh, and we shared stories of the day. While I swanned around the streets and beaches, Josh was in high level discussions on behalf of the Australian government on a range of critically important conservation issues. And she had to work from7am til 10pm several days in a row!!Leggi altro

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  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    Sacred place of sacrifice

    8 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Our tour of the North Shore took us to a place seldom visited by tourists, as it is a cultural icon. We weaved our way to the top of a mountain overlooking Waimea Bay, a place called Pua O Mahuka Heiau, which means 'hill of escape'. It includes a large, ancient Hawaiian heiau (religious temple site) dating back to the 1600s. Outside of the temple site sits a large boulder where humans were sacrificed to the gods. The boulder and all of the rocks making up the boundary of the heiau were carted up the mountain by slaves. These were the very first people to colonise the island, and were later ruled over by the polynesians who arrived from Tahiti in the 1100s. The slaves and a few unfortunate European explorers were thought to be some of the people sacrificed here.Leggi altro

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  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    Still on tour in Oahu

    8 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    The third stop was at a place called Kahuku Point, the most northerly part of Oahu. Here we learned about the fantastic conservation by locals to control rampant development in the area, and their efforts at land restoration and removal of marine debris from the beach. On the beach we saw plastic from around the world, in all sizes, shapes and colours, brought to this part of the island by powerful currents. There were several Japanese plastic washing baskets in the litter, believed to be from the Fukushima nuclear disaster area.Leggi altro

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  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    Big Eddie's beach

    8 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    The final part of this great trip was a swim, sunset drinks and dinner at Waimea Beach, famous for the Big Eddie surf competition each winter. So hard to believe its the same place that I have seen so many times on tele, as there was less surf than Townsville's Strand. The contrast between winter and summer waves is staggering! 😳
    Sunset was perfect, no clouds around the sun, and I even saw the mythical green flash, as the last part of the sun - glowing bright orange- dipped below the horizon. Didn't take a pic, I was too mesmerised.    Leggi altro

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  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    King Kam

    11 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    In the lobby of the resort is a fabulous museum that tells the story of King Kam and other famous Hawaiians. Lots to learn 😳and the resort has a fabulous pool side bar. I chose an interesting version of a margarita- a blend of tequila, cointreau, orange and lime juices 🍹Leggi altro

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  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    Disappointment

    11 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Sadly, my trip to the top of a mountain, Mauna Kea, planned for this evening to view stars from a world famous observatory, was cancelled due to poor weather and low visibility. It rained a bit last night- I got drenched during the manta viewing but we were already wet. I think they are expecting similar weather tonight.
    But I can looke forward to a hugh day tomorrow, beginning at sunrise and going well into evening. I'm booked on a tour called Big Island In One Day.
    Should be another fabulous day.    Leggi altro

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  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    True bucket list experience

    12 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    Last night I went on a 'bucket list' swim with manta rays - one of the most sensational experiences of a lifetime. I have dived in the presence of the majestic animals years ago, but I have never witnessed anything like this before. Boats gathered offshore at a place where phytoplankton congregate which is the manta's staple food. Each boat places a small pontoon/platform in the water, which has eerie bluelights to attract the phytoplankton. This in turn, attracts the mantas. All we had to do was hang on to the platform, and the mantas came somersaulting around us, exposing their huge mouths within inches of our faces, as they scooped up their dinner. We had several mantas doing this- up to three at a time for over thirty minutes. It was mesmerising!
    Thanks for the tip Rachel (Dr Pear) - I was inspired after seeing Russell's video footage on fb.Unfortunately, all I managed to do was get a couple of poor shots of boats with my phone-sigh- 😳.
    I did find a couple of great shots on line however. The photos capture some of the grace and majesty of these gentle giants. 💫    Leggi altro

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  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii

    12 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Had a great day touring the whole island of Hawaii, located in the county of Hawaii, in the state of Hawaii. Saw lava splashing in the caldera of Kilauea Volcano, walked through a short lava tube, and saw some spectacular waterfalls. Another bucket list day for me, as I have always wanted to see lava! Unfortunately my phone battery was flat, so didnt take photos, but my guide took a picture of me at the entrance to the lava tube.Leggi altro

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  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    Lava Lava Lava

    14 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Had another great day exploring the southern part of Hawaii from Hilo, the largest town on the island. Apparently it rains everyday here and yesterday was no exception. There were flash floods, blinding rain and plenty of thunder and lightning. So much lava, flowing and hardened - apparently there are thousands of lava tubes around here. Half the town of Hilo is built on top of them, and occasionally they collapse 😳Leggi altro

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  • Margaret GoochHawaiiSeptember2016Margaret Gooch

    Ring of fire

    15 settembre 2016, Stati Uniti ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Well I almost didn't go on the boat trip of a life time as I thought it was over-priced. But how glad I am that I went! Even the crew were awe-struck! As we neared the voluminous smoke and gasses billowing out from the cliffs into the sea, we were blasted with the sounds of"Ring of Fire"! Mirth erupted from the passengers. Rounding the corner of the cliff we were literally blown away by the rivers of lava streaming into the ocean, causing a cauldron of steamy bubbles. We got so close you could feel the heat, smell the sulphur and hear popping and cracking of the earth as the lava approached.Leggi altro

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