From one extreme to another -adventures in hiring cars!

We had only pre-booked a hire car in Maui, but decided to rent one for a day in Honolulu too so that we could go shopping. We won't bore you with that post but it was a success!

Our on-the-spot rental in Honolulu was the cheapest option, but still cost a bit. Still, we managed to get a funky little Fiat 500 to run around in (and mainly to annoy our friends Jo and Tony who like them!).

Our pre-booked option on Maui was a similarly cheap option, however Annalie was given the chance to upgrade for a small fee. As Ian wasn't with her, she decided to surprise him with her choice...

All good things must come to an end

After 8 days of bliss on a South Pacific paradise island, we're awaiting our flight home.

On the drive to the airport, we once again glimpsed some whales playing in the surf. It kinda summed up the holiday really.

The only thing that makes our trip home a bit more bearable is the fact that we got upgraded to business class.

Strangely, Air NZ uses a 777 for its Sunday afternoon flight. But it gave us the opportunity to bid for an upgrade using our loyalty scheme dollars.

They use an auction approach to allocate upgrades. So we put in a bid that was below "strong", not hopeful of a win. But win we did. So now we're enjoying the delights of the (tiny) business class lounge in Raro before heading home.

It's been a fabulous 8 days. And I reckon we'll be back. Hopefully we won't wait another 6 years before our next beach holiday! But what next?