Cruising for adventure in Pacific

Charles Randolph

Although my wife, Marilyn, had been to the Big Four Islands in

Hawaii, I had not. When Norwegian Cruise Line advertised a 12-day

cruise to the four islands, with a side trip to Fanning Island, plus

a three-day stay at the Marriott on Waikiki Beach, it was too good of

a deal to pass up.

Since the Norwegian Wind is of a foreign registry, the U.S.

maritime laws require that it make a foreign port of call before

returning to Honolulu.

Fanning Island is the nearest port from Honolulu, and Norwe- gian

Cruise Line developed a bare-bones resort beach so that its

passengers could spend the day on the beach.

The island is located 1,000 miles south of Honolulu and 185 miles

north of the equator. There are three islands in the area, each about

10 miles long and a half-mile wide. There is no electricity, plumbing

or phone service.

On the island where our cruise ship landed, there was only one

road on a sandy beach that only a pickup truck used. The islanders

live in grass-roof huts that have not changed in the past 100 years.

No doctors or dentists live on the island. There is a school that’s

still using hand-held chalkboards because paper is so scarce.

Although it was like going back in time, Fanning Island was very

beautiful. The water was a gorgeous, glistening green and blue.

Norwegian Wind passengers enjoyed this day on the beach. The cruise

line provided a barbecue lunch.

After lunch, it was time to shop. The natives had many craft

tables set up for the tourists. They did not speak English very well

and were rather shy, but could still tell you how much things cost.

Most of their crafts appeared to be homemade, except for the usual

imported T-shirts and shells with little beach scenes.

There were some amenities on this island that we were thankful

for, such as the restroom facilities with flushing toilets, and the

running water that the cruise line had built for its passengers.

We enjoyed walking near the grass-roof huts and observing the

children running around shoeless. We kept our distance from the huts

because it seemed like their personal space.

Here we were, eating a delicious barbecue lunch while the

islanders live on coconut, breadfruit and fish. You really appreciate

how lucky you are to be living in the United States.

* CHARLES RANDOLPH is a Balboa Island resident.

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