25-Day South Pacific Crossing

“The Big Island.” There’s something pleasantly direct about the nicknamenatives use for the island of Hawaii. Of course, it’s also known as “The Orchid Isle” and “The Volcano Island,” so it’s no wonder a visitor to Hawaii finds it to be a land of wonder and beauty.

Hana is an industrial port town on the windward (rainier) side of the island, with several hotels and an airport, although the majority of the resort activity is on the Kona side of the Island.

There are snow-capped 14,038-foot peaks (Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea), vast macadamia nut plantations, as well as black lava, white coral and green olivine beaches–not to mention the fiery landscape of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

It means “the gathering place,” and whoever named Oahu knew what he was talking about. For millions gather here every year to enjoy “the jewel city” of Honolulu, from Diamond Head and the world-famous beaches of Waikiki to the inspiring memorials of Pearl Harbor, to the only royal palace ever constructed on U.S. soil. And if you’re a board-bug, don’t
miss the legendary surfing beaches of the North Shore.

The main city on the Island is Honolulu, with Waikiki being the primarybeach and resort hotel area. Among the many popular things to do on Oahu, the Polynesian Cultural Center and Sea Life Park, on the opposite side of the Island from Honolulu, are very popular.

San Diego, (dê-â´go) city (1990 pop. 1,110,549; met. area 2,498,016), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay. The city is the second largest in California and the sixth largest in the U.S. Its excellent natural harbor has made it a fishing and shipping port, and a major naval center. Aerospace, electronics, shipbuilding, biotechnology, and other industries are important. Tourism and convention business are large factors in the economy. Explored and claimed by Spain in 1542, it
was the site of the first of Fr. Junípero Serra’s missions and a historic fort, the Presidio (both 1769). The area has many other historic sites, including the Cabrillo National Monument. San Diego is also a cultural, medical, oceanographic, and research center, and its aquatic park and enormous zoo are well known. From 1988 to 1995 the America’s Cup sailing races were held at San Diego.

Sydney, capital of New South Wales, is Australia’s largest city, chief port, and main cultural and industrial center. Manufactures include ships, refined oil, chemicals, textiles, and automobiles. Sydney Harbour and Port Botany are the main ports. Founded as a penal colony in 1788, Sydney is Australia’s oldest settlement. Its population surged during the Australian gold rushes of the 1850s. Sydney replaced Melbourne as the nation’s largest population center after World War II. Landmarks include the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932); the Gladesville Bridge (1964); the modernistic Sydney Opera House complex (1973); and the Centrepoint Tower (1981), Australia’s tallest building. The city has several universities and museums, including the National Gallery of Art and the Australia Museum.

Located in southwestern Washington state, Vancouver is a port at the head of deepwater navigation on the Columbia River, opposite Portland, OR. Vancouver is a commercial, manufacturing and shipping center.