29th day

Now 10,576 nautical miles from New York. . . in the southern hemisphere [15 degrees 49.76S and 172 degrees 52.23 W] We today pass the International Date Line, which for our present latitude actually lies at 172 30W and not 180 W as is mainly the case. This adjustment is made to avoid dividing certain island groups which lie astride the 180 Meridian, incuding Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand. Tomorrow - Sunday - will not occur here and we go directly to Monday when we arrive at Tonga. It was 83 degrees F this morning at 6, so you can guess what it will be at noon!

Western Samoa a great place to visit - friendly and scenic. Apparently they get only one or two cruise ships a year at Apia, so our visit was indeed welcome. Highlight of my tour was visiting the home of Robert Louis Stevenson and hearing about his relationship with the Samoan people. I'm posting new pictures this morning - later today you can probably see them at http://gallery.me.com/herrlk/10017.