Kihei, Hawaii

I'm sitting at my friends breakfast table in Kihei, Hawaii on the island of Maui, with the windows open and a beautiful lei around my neck writing this and it's Jan. 7 for the second time. I left New Zealand at 7 a.m. on January 7 and I arrived in Hawaii at 6:30 a.m. on January 7. My what a quick trip that was I arrived before I left. I'm on the way home. I meant to post something when I stayed at tmy traveling friends in New Zealand. They live in thecountry on 25 acres of rolling hills. Eleven years ago they built an american ranch house and it is beautiful. They have four steers. They grow their own beef and most of their own vegetables. I took the naked bus from Auckland to Bombay,NZ. Their teenage daughter picked me up and we went and ran some errands before going out to the house. It was kind of nice to do normal sort of everyday things that you dont do while you are traveling. We went to a place that is similar to Best Buy and she bought with her own money an iphone4s. Last year she had a job working in a cafe and now she cleans her Dad's engineering office for spending money.
Then we went to the town of Pukehohe to the vodaphone store to get a sim card at a discounted price for the new phone. How would you like to live in a town with the that name. We went to the grocery to buy her mother a plant and some chocolates as a combo gift. A thank you for letting me come stay and it was her birthday on the 3rd. Then we went out to the house. One thing about living in the country, someone has to be willing to get out and open the gate; the horses came out to greet us as well as the 4 steers. After i got my luggage out of the "boot" and into Jason's room, Melissa decided she was going swimming. So all the kids, Melissa and Jason and there friends from England's children and I went swimming. Fortunately, the sun was out finally. After breaking my wrist, how to get out of the pool, water, lake, ocean has been a primary concern of mine. I finally figured out I would be able to get out of the pool so was willing to get in. At first the water felt pretty cold to me, not as cold as the ocean in New Zealand or the swimming pool in Tua Papa, Indonesia. That pool was filled with icey cold mountain water. If i figure out how to get out, then I can get in.
That night for dinner we had a pot roast from one of their cows; and from their garden we had new potatoes, big green peas, a beat and lettuce salad, squash and they called the squash "corgettes" cooked in garlic and store bought butter. For dessert we had rhubarb crumble. The rhubarb was also from their garden. Then for breakfast the next day we had some stewed feioja fruit from their land as well as museli and milk ( store bought). I think they are fully self sustainable except the tomatoes weren't ripe.

On the 6th of January, their friends were in town and had their boat with them so we all went to a boat ride on the longest river in NZ. Because of all the rains the water was out of its banks and the current was very swift. The big kids got in the water and were towed behind the boat with a rope they found and me and the 11 and 14 yr old just went for a boat ride.
I am getting sleepy. After only 4 hours sleep last night sitting up on the plane, I wonder why. It''s about 5 p.m. here now. I watched Moneyball with Brad Pitt and also Dolphin Tale on the plane. I would recommend both of them. Of course I probably should have been sleeping instead of watching movies.
We're going for a walk on the beach, check you later.