So we opted for the $25 option, an option much closer to home. Involving us, 2 telescopes and a slide show all happening right in the grounds of our hotel. We munched down our dinner quickly before meeting up at 8pm for the event to begin.

On arrival you get a little pack with star charts and information leaflets for reading later. Two massive (relatively) telescopes were set up on tripods, the ability to zoom in immense amounts and collect 14,000 times more light than the naked eye. One of them was set up to look at Saturn. We’ve all seen Pictures of Saturn before, but they’re just that, pictures. When you peer into a telescope and see it Live, right there with it’s rings clearly visible it brings a whole new level to astronomy. That was only the beginning!

The two guides took it in turns to tell us about the constellations, the stories behind the Greek mythology and exactly where they are. I was surprised how easy it is to spot their shapes when pointed out. Each guide having a very bright green laser pen they could shine into the night sky to show the exact start they were referring to. The beam appearing to reach all the way to the star!

After that they took it in turns to reset the telescopes at different constellations, planets and even galaxies. I was stunned how much you can actually see out there. We were shown groups of one or two stars (some red and blue) right up to groups containing 50,000 stars in little clumps, actually visible to the naked eye too. The most impressive of all being the entire galaxy we were able to view containing trillions of stars.

A brief and informative slide show told us about the observatories on Mauna Kea. I’ve never really thought about it before but Hubble is now obsolete. In fact it was quite a few years ago. It’s 70′s technology was supposed to be launched in 1986 but the Challenger disaster postponed it until 1990 and it wasn’t fixed and fully operational until later 1993. It’s 2 meter telescope is dwarfed by the 25 meter telescopes now situated on Mauna Kea producing results at a fraction of the cost.

The reason Hawaii is such a great location for star gazing is due to it’s location and size. As it’s in the centre of the Pacific ocean and a tiny island there are no vertical winds. These cause the most distortion when viewing stars. There’s only ever horizontal winds here, coupled with the fact that Mauna Kea is the most accessible high altitude observatory location and you’ve got the perfect setting for viewing the night skies!

It was a fascinating night and the packs we could take away kept us busy until bedtime. I’ll definitely be star gazing some more (albeit with the naked eye) before we go home!

If you’d like to find out more check out the Mauna Kea Observatories website.

Getting married overseas is becoming increasingly popular. The chance to break with tradition and have a wedding in a location of your choice is appealing to many. We did it ourselves in 2007. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to get married overseas then read our accounts of the “big day” on the Big Island of Hawaii.

The Groom’s View

Getting back to sleep was never going to be an option when I looked at my watch at 5am on 10th May 2007. I did try but by 6 we were both up and thinking about breakfast.

I was nervous from the moment my brain started working (usually 15 minutes after i wake up). Quite surprising really as it was the first time I’d felt nervous about the wedding and marriage in general. I’ve been excited for days but it was really starting to sink in that this was the day it was going to happen. Having said that the nerves didn’t stop me having a massive American style breakfast again at the lavish buffet set up every morning. Reading the local newspaper and going up for seconds of waffles.

We set up by the pool as we had done the days before but this time it all seemed a bit pointless. It was like waiting in the coolest waiting room in the world. It lo

oked great, was comfortable and you could snooze for hours, but you were still waiting for it to happen.

And then it did. We went back to the room to get ready around 3:30 and before i had a chance to blink it was 5:30pm and we were off to meet Penei, the wedding coordinator and reverend who was going to marry us. From the moment we met her and the camera crew (and i do mean crew) i was just on autopilot. The nerves really did kick in and i felt as though i was being whisked along, supported very well by them all. We picked a spot on the beach and waited for them to set up cameras, it felt a bit like a photo shoot or a movie. I would have felt self conscious if it weren’t for the enormity of the event and my constant checking Debz was ok and happy.

Getting married during sunset was very important to me. The most beautiful and colorful time of day and the perfect back drop especially when on a west facing beach. I was worried beforehand that we were meeting up with Penei too early and we’d have to wait over an hour for sunset to actually happen, too long for the photographer to hang about.

As it turned out meeting at 5:30 was perfect. By the time the ceremony had begun sunset was in full swing and the nerves were at their peak. Penei’s words were perfect for us. No religious stuff, lots of personal stuff about marriage and relationships and also lots of spiritual stuff which fits in with the Hawaii aspect of it all. It’s a very spiritual place and a lot of the Hawaiian culture is based on spiritual beliefs rather than religion. It would have felt almost rude to have gotten married here without including Hawaiian marriage traditions.

Then came time to exchange vows. We repeated after Penei some vows but also got to do our own. I let Debz go first and soon wished i hadn’t. I had a huge lump in my throat and watery eyes by the end of them and of course instantly felt mine were woefully inadequate, something i have been reassured they are not. Phew! Still i nearly blubbed whilst reading mine out, ending with quite a croaky voice. Still i managed it and was pleased i had written my own.

There were moments when i completely zoned out, listening but not actually processing what i was hearing, too busy smiling and staring into Debz’s eyes. Even Penei commented on how amazing they looked.

The “moment” I  wanted, the reason for coming all this way by ourselves, that personal experience I had hoped would happen, happened. We both felt it, Not having to worry about anything and just having the perfect setting and feeling for it all made it the most perfect moment I have ever experienced. Followed by the most breathtaking sunset i have ever seen. We stood with our feet in the water, watching the sun set and it’s the first time i have actually watched it set, i mean actually see it move, count the seconds until it was no longer visible. Then enjoy watching the clouds change colour and the sky lit up pink orange and blue. Amazing.

Do i feel different? Oh my yes, very. I feel like I’ve made it. That everything positive and negative in my life so far has lead me to this point and something amazingly good has come from it all. I feel very lucky and still in shock quite frankly but it’s a fantastic feeling and i recommend it to anyone!

The Bride’s View

It’s hard to say how you feel on the lead up to your own wedding.  You’ve never done it before so don’t know if it’s normal to feel that way, if it’s nervous, excited, scared or/and all 3 of those.  We started getting ready at 3.30 and I was all but dressed by 4.30 with an hour to kill, which we did so by pacing about probably winding each other up.

Meeting Penei was a huge relief, you just can’t tell on email whether or not you are going to like each other and I felt I needed to like the person who was going to marry us.  Luckily I instantly liked her and she made me relax and trust her and her ceremony.

We didn’t choose Hawaii for the Hawaiian wedding per se but once we thought about it it only felt right that we take some of the Hawaiian traditions and make them part of our day.  It felt more respectful to do that.  We stayed away from all religious stuff but with regards to nature and her spirits we were pleased to have them incorporated.

I don’t feel like I can remember as much as I’d like about the ceremony.  I remember feeling calm and smiling so much my face hurt.  I nearly cried at the beginning when Penei said how, in Hawaii, the wind at a wedding meant the good wishes and blessings of absent family and ancestors.  Even now, just writing this rings tears to my eyes.  It was nice to think of everyone back home and of my Grand Parents watching over us.  Still I held it together, just.

My favorite part was when Matt and I read out our personal vows but somehow everything said and done felt very personal, very “us”.  Funny seeing as we had very little input into what Penei would say.

All the way through Matt and I held hands and kissed on a few occasions, it was great being able to do that and be natural rather than having to wait until the end.

Once we were pronounced husband and wife we had our pictures taken watching the sunset and playing about in the sand.  During the day there had been lots of cloud coming and going which I worried about spoiling the sunset.  As it turned out it made the most spectacular sunset we’d seen (and still have seen) since being on the island.  The feelings of happiness and of being in awe of that and the fact we were now married will never leave me.

Now we have been married for 24 hours I feel scared. Not bad scared just more a feeling of huge responsibility to do the right thing for us, for Matt.  I feel that all my actions reflect directly on Matt and vice versa.  I know we can both live up to each others expectations as we are so in tune.

When I look at Matt now I have no questions, I know he is going to be with me and I can’t believe my luck!

Dxx

]]> http://www.travelwithamate.com/getting-married-in-hawaii/feed/ 0 http://www.travelwithamate.com/the-big-island-tour-hawaii/ http://www.travelwithamate.com/the-big-island-tour-hawaii/#comments Sat, 12 May 2007 22:05:00 +0000 Matt Preston http://mattanddebz.wordpress.com/?p=105 Continue reading →]]> Our first day of marriage had to be something a little special so a few days earlier we booked up to go on a grand tour of the Big Island of Hawaii. It was going to be an early start but due to our weird jetlag waking us up at 6am anyway it wasn’t hard.

So we jumped on the big tour bus at 6am outside out hotel. We were the first on it and spent the next hour or so picking up 25 or so more people from hotels in the Kona region. Kona is a pretty little town where most of the business on the Big Island happens. It’s also where we got our marriage license from the day after we arrived in Hawaii.

The tour takes you on a 260 mile journey around the one and only highway that the Big Island has, Route 11 also known as Mamalahoa  Highway or “Hawaii Belt Road”. Take your pick.

Our first stop was a coffee plantation at Kealakekua Bay. Half way up the side of a mountain, coffee beans growing everywhere with a nice little cafe and tourist shop. Kona Coffee is very good (according to the tour guide), totally organic, very little pollutants in the middle of the pacific ocean. All very well but due to the cost of exporting the stuff Hawaiian coffee only fills 0.1% of the coffee cups drunk in the world.

Our tour guide was fantastic. The whole time he was driving he’d talk to us all through a headset mic about the vegetation, the history of the roads, the types of lava of which there are two. Lava that resembles rubble being pushed from behind by a bulldozer and the kinda most people have seen on TV which is the rubbery looking molten rock that oozes. We saw both, all from previous eruptions, hardly anything can grow on it for hundreds of years until it erodes into soil so you clearly see lava flows that run like black goo down from the mountain. The roads carved through piles of it at times. An amazing sight.

The highlight of the tour was a visit to the Volcanoes National Park where we stopped a few times within it’s grounds. First at the Thurston Lava tube, a tunnel created by an eruption where the lava flow had run down the hill side, the outer edges of it cooling quicker than the centre, causing it to form a casing around the lava, insulating it. The tunnel was so big you could easily walk through it and in places looked like a subway tunnel. Amazing to think that around 350 years ago there was lava flowing through it!

Our next (and best) stop was at the observation point at the Kilauea Iki crater. A massive stadium of volcanic activity, the last as recent as 1983. The eruptions creating lakes of lava where the edges cool quickest, causing it to build a bowl or “Culdera” which eventually spills over and extends the size of the bowl. This has happened many many times at the site and the platform you can walk up to lets you look over into the latest crater. It’s an awesome sight, a massive naturally made Colosseum blocked up by cooled lava. This volcano is still erupting to this day but due to it’s current pressure and amount of magma almost 60km down it’s currently pouring magma through a lava tunnel right down to the sea where it is still creating new land.

We stopped at a couple of places around this sight. One a museum and the other a hotel where we had lunch overlooking the massive area. It really is a fantastic natural occurrence that’s worth see. Also hard to comprehend that the rock you see in places is younger than you are! You also get the feeling it’s quite temporary. It’s quite possible it could erupt here in the future and change the landscape once more.

Other stops on the tour included an Orchid nursery, a candy factory which was mainly just a sweet shop with big glass windows into the factory area and a stop at a pretty waterfall. We saw a lot whilst driving along too including a lot more waterfalls, crazy little American style villages and Parker Ranch, a massive area of land famous for cattle, cowboy’s and Starbucks now it seems. Even in the middle of the Pacific Ocean there is no escape.

The tour was great fun, very easy and relaxing and helped us learn so much about the island that we’ve forgotten half of it already! I can remember a few nuggets though.

Captain Cook stumbled across these Islands and originally wanted to call them “Sandwich Island” After the Earl of Sandwich who sponsored the voyage Cook was on. The Polynesians had already called it “Hawaii” and thank goodness they did! He was also killed here.

The tallest mountain in the world is here, Mauna Kea is taller than Everest. Unfortunately most of it is under water and Mountains are only measure from sea level to peak making Everest the highest.

There are over 2000 types of Palm tree. There are no seasons here, the temperature is always between 26c and 28c at sea level. There are 9 different climates here though from tropical right up to snow capped mountains. The West side of the Big Island gets around 9 inches of rain a year, the East side gets around 300 inches. We recommend staying on the West side ;-)

Tour guides in Hawaii make great coach drivers and amazingly informative speakers but they also have a vast array of groan inducing jokes at their disposal. You have been warned!

For more information on the Tour check out their website.

you’ll feel at home the minute you set foot on the island.

With a host of Hawaii hotels waiting to immerse you in the warmth of the Aloha spirit, you’ll be able to accomplish all of your sightseeing goals before returning to an environment of modern comfort that you’ll love. For a good mixture of activities unique to Oahu, we have a few recommendations that are sure to renew, inspire, and invigorate.

Unspoiled Stretches of Beaches

The source of desktop backgrounds for years, it is impossible to tire of the vast expanse of natural beauty present in Hawaii’s shores. Whether you’re looking to bask for hours in the sun with nothing but a book and a pair of sunglasses, or are hoping to take in some exhilarating aquatic fun, there are hours to be spent at the beach. Waikiki Beach is a favorite among island hoppers, but the selection is endless.

Challenge yourself to try something new, like taking a surfing lesson. People come from all over the world to harness those precious moments of uninhibited freedom on top of a surfboard in the warm waters of the Pacific. With many different shore breaks offering different levels of difficulty, Hawaii is the perfect place to paddle out for the first or fiftieth time.

While the surface of the water offers plenty to admire, the world that lies hidden beneath the waves is a marvel to behold. For those hoping to swim alongside a sea turtle or get lost in a maze of colorful reefs, scuba diving or snorkeling is the ideal way to spend an afternoon. Many companies offer chartered boats to different undersea paradises, where you and your family can become tourists in a new universe. There is also a wealth of life closer to the shore if you’d like to simply strap on a mask, some flippers, and a snorkel.

More to Explore Inland

While it may be difficult to tear yourself away from the beach, Hawaii is full of tropical rainforests, complete with jungle canopies and hidden waterfalls that are a thrill to explore. Choose from a myriad of trails that vary in length and difficulty, but all promise remarkable sights that will engrain themselves in your mind.

A favorite trail for the beginning hiker is the ascent to Mariner’s Ridge in East Honolulu. Upon reaching the peak after a strenuous, but manageable hike, you’re greeted with a view that will surely leave you speechless. With the ocean and the island in front of you from an unimaginable vantage point, you’ll be glad you made the trek.

For the experienced hiker, Hawaii offers many trails within its remarkable State Park system. View sites that date back to World War II, or ascend to the ridge of Diamond Head crater to gain the bragging right of reaching the summit of a Hawaiian volcano!

Amazing Golf courses

If golf is your sport of choice then you’ll find some great golf courses in Hawaii. Not only do they offer some challenging holes, they also boast some of the most stunning scenery of any golf course in the world.  They’re all easy to get to by road and offer some great facilities to keep you occupied. Many of the larger resort hotels also have golf courses and  can easily arrange transportation to others. Some great golfers such as PGA pro Rory McIlroy have often enjoyed these courses. Well worth checking out while in Hawaii

The union of natural beauty and the unique culture of Hawaii have kept people coming back for decades. Wash away any stress with a trip to Hawaii for a magical experience unlike anything else.