Kauai Part I

Friday, October 21, 2011

Since Big Island to Kauai is a 2 part flight (Big Island to Oahu and then Oahu to Kauai) we were up well before dawn in order to get to Kauai in time to have some time to do things on this day.  Our flight was at 7AM and we had just gotten through security at 6:15AM when I suddenly realized I'd left my phone in the Dollar rental car we had.  Racing back out, the only bus I could find to the offsite rental car area was a Budget driver, but he gladly signed up to do me the favor of running me out there.  Both Tina and I have been really impressed with just how friendly and helpful all the island people are we've met.  Anyway, made it back to the car, got my phone (while the Budget bus waited for me), got back through security at 6:45AM which was just in time to board the plan and be on our way.  Not an overly nice way to start the day, but at least it had a happy ending.

After getting the rental car, we made a quick run up to Wailua falls which is just 10 miles from the airport.  Note that the farther fall actually has 2 contributors with the 2nd one coming from inside the cliff.

A nice bird decided to pose for a picture.  Even the birds are nice on Hawaii!

After checking into our condo and having a quick lunch we were back at the airport for our helicopter ride around the island.  This had been recommended to us and was well worth the expense of doing it.  Here's our helicopter arriving to take us out and the back of pilot Jimmy's head as we got ready to leave.

Tina got the window seat and our first view of Waimea canyon as we circled around the island starting at the south.

The northern end of the island has steep cliffs leading to the ocean on the western side and the resort town of Princeville towards the center.  The last half of our stay on Kauai will be just west of Princeville and we'll be hiking some of those cliffs ... if Tina doesn't chicken out.

The middle part of the island is what remains of the main volcano crater that created most of Kauai.  It was stunning to see the number of waterfalls that were flowing on the day we flew up there due to recent rain storms.  Unfortunately, all camera shots of said waterfalls weren't worth posting!  :)

Off in the distance in this photo is the same Wailua falls we were at earlier in the day.  After an incredible trip, we made it back down on the ground safely even though the helicopter had developed curved blades.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

About every 4 or 5 years I foolishly let Tina convince me to try horseback riding again.  I enjoy it for about the first hour ... or until the horse decides to trot a bit.  Horses trotting is just ridiculous.  They need to either run ... or walk!  No in between.  I think secretly the horses are laughing like mad knowing exactly what they're doing to the person riding them ... particularly if it's a person of male persuasion.  Nonetheless, being a good husband of 25 years, I let her talk me into it ... AGAIN!!!

Tina's horse was quite talented.  Halfway through the 2 hour ride, the guide got out juice and cups for everybody to quench their thirst.  Ends up the guide has also trained Tina's horse, Chex, how to drink and enjoy juice.  It was actually quite funny because he always makes Chex wait until all his human riders have gotten their juice (in this case there was 6 of us).  Chex waited somewhat patiently ... but obviously knew what was coming ... and was actually foaming at the mouth by the time the guide got around to giving her a drink.

The ride along the beaches was really neat and we did get to "trot" the horses every once in a while, which is more than you get to do on most horse riding excursions in the USA anymore.  Writing this now, 2 days later, I'm awfully glad I've met that obligation for another 4 or 5 years to come.  :)

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Having seen Waimea Canyon from the air, now we set out to see in from the ground.  They refer to it as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and the colors and beauty of it make it an accurate nick name.

Tina was styling once again, this time in her hiking boots and floppy hat.  (It's outfits like this that have kept me with this woman for 25+ years!  :) )  We set out to do Canyon trail which starts out doing a mile down a 4 wheel drive road before getting to the actual trail. 

Canyon trail also has Cliff View Point as a splinter leg.  Since it was an easy path, we went ahead and took it first before returning to do the main trail.

It was indeed a pretty view from the end of that portion of the trail.



Hiking on Canyon Trail was a ton of up and down hills with very little flat trail.  When we finally got to a huge outlook spot overlooking the canyon, Tina didn't seem to appreciate me clowning around about falling backwards.

It's probably looks like this from Tina which has kept me alive for the last 25+ years.

 

 Nonetheless, it was a beautiful and worthwhile hike.

Monday, October 24, 2011

This was a rather lazy day.  We set it aside to drive from the southern end of Kauai up to the northern end where we'd be spending the rest of the week.  Since that's a grand total of perhaps 30 miles of driving, we weren't in a big rush.  We caught up on laundry before checking out of the condo and going to a local Poipu place called the Spouting Horn.  It's a blowhole ... and a pretty good one at that.  What even made it better was there was an air vent about 10 yards up from the actual blowhole.  As such, every time the water rushed in to create the blowhole volcano, you could hear a massive swooshing of air coming out the hole up above it.

The road leading into Poipu from the main highway was called Tree Tunnel Road.  As can be seen, it's aptlly named.

Also on the drive up we came by a beach that had a couple of Hawaiian monk seals snoozing the day away.  This species is on the endangered list because it likes to sleep on the beaches during the day and then do it's fishing at night.  To many people want to play with it on the beach during the day which leaves it less than ready to hunt that night.  It's a big effort in Hawaii to protect this quickly vanishing breed.

OK ... so they look dead ... but that's just the way they sleep during the day.

And so at last we reached our final major destination for this vacation at a B&B just outside the town of Hanalei, Hawaii.  Until we get to next weekend, you'll just have to be patient and wait for the final installment of this vacation blog.