Pacific
Sun, Surf and Penguins?
By rocky | December 16, 2007
When you think of the tropical islands of Hawaii you think of the sun and the surf but you wouldn’t even dream of penquins. Well there is a happy little colony of the cute black and white critters alive and well and main attraction at the beautiful Hilton Hawaiian Village right on Waikiki Beach. The hotel has magnificent gardens and quiet a range of wildlife living amongst its lush jungle of ferns and palms, including macaws, parakeets, flamingoes, kio carp and turtles. The penguins draw quiet a crowd expecially at meal times when they duck and dive for fish.
Topics: Americas, Animals, Pacific | No Comments »
Remembering Pearl Harbor
By rocky | December 7, 2007
December 7Â marks the 66th anniversary of the attack of the US fleet at Pearl Harbor Hawaii by the Japanese. Today Pearl Harbor has been turned into a moving memorial for those who fought and those who lost their lives in this dark period of the world’s history.
The USS Arizona memorial is one of the most visited war sites on the island. Here a simple floating pavilion sits above the final resting place of the vessel and many of the 1177 crew members that perished.   A shore based museum also has some moving wartime stories and memrobilia and visitors can also choose to visit the USS Missouri battleship which was the scene of the 1945 surrender.
Topics: Americas, Must see, Pacific, Planes, Ships / Boats, USA | No Comments »
Icy icy wonderland…with penguins!
By rocky | November 1, 2007
For a wonderful and informative adventure in New Zealand’s Aukland visit Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World and Antartic Encounter. This attraction was built in a old storm water holding tank and now houses some of New Zealand’s and the Antartic’s finest collection of sea life. The complex features a huge acrylic tunnel with moving footpath where you can get an up close look at some amazing fish including huge stingrays and sharks. The largest stingray called Phoebe weighs in at over 200kg and has a massive wingspan of over 2m. The highlight of the visit for most people is the penguin encounter, here is one of the few places outside the Antartic where you will see the king and gentoo penguins. The centre has plenty of informative interactives and lots of fun for young and old.
 Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Animals, Must see, Pacific | No Comments »
Bargains amongst the palm trees
By rocky | September 23, 2007
If you’ve spent the day in the sun on Waikiki Beach and need to find a bargain or that special kitsch gift for the friends back home give the International Marketplace a go. There are over 130 stores with everything you will ever need- authentic Hawaiian Shirts, jewelry, nick knacks and lots of other cool stuff. If shopping gets too hard there’s a few good cafes and bars to kick back in for a while before doing a bit more bargaining with the friendly store holders. Most nights there is free entertainment to make a great evening of it and the market is open seven days a week from 10 to 10:30 PM. days a week from 10 to 10:30 PM.Â
Topics: Kitsch Stuff, Pacific, USA | No Comments »
Elvis spotted in Hawaii
By wattsy | August 17, 2007
Yes its true I spotted him the other day, he was outside the Rock Island Cafe on Kalukua Avenue in along Waikiki beach belting out a tune. Elvis loved Hawaii who could forget the 1973 Aloha from Hawaii concert which was beamed around the world or Blue Hawaii his 1961 musical which stared Joan Blackman and Angela Lansbury next to the king. Then there was the toe tapping Paradise, Hawaiian Style movie in 1966 which stared Suzanna Leigh and featured such classic Elvis songs as Scratch My Back (Then I’ll Scratch Yours) and Datin’.
Topics: Kitsch Stuff, Must see, Pacific, USA | No Comments »
Dont take our word for it
By rocky | August 2, 2007
The world’s most beautiful Chinese restaurant is Lau Yee Chai in the Waikiki Shopping Centre at the Ambassador Hotel in Hawaii…How we know you may ask, well the huge neon sign out the front says so. Inside you will see why this restaurant has made such a claim, because it probably is the worlds most beautiful. Decorated in rich reds and some of the most lovely artwork and furniture it is truly magnificent.
The restaurant is also Hawaii’s most exquisite and has been around for about 75 years serving authentic Chinese cuisine like their signature dish the Hong Kong Style Roasted Garlic Lobster, which is deep fried to perfection and roasted with diced red pepper and spring onions.Â
Topics: Pacific, USA | No Comments »
Te Papa Museum Wellington
By rocky | July 11, 2007
Te Papa Museum is the Museum of New Zealand and would have to be one of the best museums found anywhere in the world located on Wellington’s beautiful waterfront the Te Papa has an amazing range of exhibits which will educate young and old and a great way to learn about New Zealand, its people, its land and its culture.
There are spectacular animal exhibits which show some of New Zealand’s unusual wild life, a dinosaur hall and very interesting earthquake exhibition. There are always special exhibits showing and the museum and kids will love the discovery centres which are specially tailored to the young.
The museum building itself is an amazing structure, taking over four years to construct making it one of the largest museum projects in the world. Interestingly the building is built on huge shock absorbers to protect the centre’s priceless collection from ground movements during regular New Zealand earthquakes.
 Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Must see, Pacific | No Comments »
A great place to vusut- New Zealand
By wattsy | June 24, 2007
You have got to love the New Zealand accent and their beautiful country. There’s more than sheep on the land of the long white cloud there is some of the worlds most spectacular wilderness, great adventures and really fun loving freindly locals.- they just talk a bit funny!
Topics: Must see, Pacific, Youtube of the week | No Comments »
Its ABC … 123 …
By wattsy | June 21, 2007
You can’t walk far along Kalukua Avenue in along Waikiki beach in Honolulu with out coming across an ABC Shop they are like a large convenience store or mini supermarket. These shops are just about everywhere there are even some next to one another. They are great for tourists as they sell just about everything you will need from food, drinks including alcoholic, chemist items, clothing, souvenirs and small electrical. If you are staying in one of the hotels in the area you are sure to be no more than 100 meters from an ABC shop.
Topics: Pacific, USA | No Comments »