Hawaii Kauai: Island of Deep Canyons, Green Valleys, Gushing Waterfalls and Towering Cliffs
On our first weekend together, Llew and I flew to the island of Kauai, which is nicknamed The Garden Isle because it is so lushly green and verdant. Arriving at Lihue airport, early in the morning, we rented a car and drove to Poipu Beach where we swam and snorkeled for a while, then visited Old Koloa Town, a recreated town now filled with restaurants, souvenir stores and “activity shops” which are places that offer helicopter or catamaran rides, dinner cruises, luaus, etc. After a quick lunch at the town of Waimea, we drove to Waimea Canyon which is called the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” and quite justifiably so. On an island in which green is the dominant color, this canyon offers a multitude of colors in the rocks and cliffs that make up the gorge. At several lookout points on the drive that climbed up to elevations of over 4,000 feet, we were struck breathless by the views that were often engulfed in mist. Dozens of waterfalls added to the beauty of the scenery. In addition, we saw wild “moa” birds everywhere on Kauai—these look like common barnyard hens and roosters, but they are, in fact, a different species brought to the Hawaiian Islands by the early Polynesians. They became extinct on the other islands, however, as the mangoose that was brought to destroy the rodent population of the islands also ended up eating eggs laid by ground-laying birds. Since the mangoose was never introduced to Kauai, the moa birds have thrived here. Interestingly, though it is an Eden-like garden covered with tropical greenery, there are no snakes anywhere in Hawaii. The authorities were mortally afraid of even introducing them into the Honolulu Zoo for fear that they might escape and populate the islands with more snakes. This hasn’t happened, at least so far, leaving hikers and trekkers with no fear of snakes anywhere—a very comforting thought when we trekked over the Manoa Falls Trail (in Oahu) past some of the most breathtaking rainforest to get to the sight of a hundred foot waterfall thundering down the cliffs.
After a truly lovely drive through the Waimea Canyon, Llew and I decided to splurge on a really superb dinner at The Beach House voted “Kauai’s Most Romantic Restaurant” as a result of the spectacular sunsets that one can enjoy from its tables. We were fortunate to get a reservation and settled down to a truly impressive meal starting with tropical drinks like Maitais and Lava Flows and sampling the excellent fresh fish (mahimahi) and duck and the decadent chocolate desserts with macadamia nut mousse. By the time we checked into the Kahaleo Inn Bed and Breakfast, we were ready for a good night’s sleep as we would be waking early the next morning to take our helicopter ride around the island.
And what a ride it was! Never having flown in a helicopter before, Llew and I were tremendously excited to board the 7-seater aircraft captained by a pilot who was a brilliant raconteur as well. As we ascended from the Lihue helipad, we flew over the airport, then made our way along the crests and ridges of the mountains. Most of Kauai is inaccessible by road which makes a helicopter ride a most sensible way by which to explore the island. Our pilot took our helicopter to the various venues where opening scenes from Jurrasic Park were shot, including the waterfalls hidden in the folds of the mountains. While skimming over the red, brown and green layers of the Waimea Canyon, we spied the road along which we had driven the previous day. Then, making a turn, the pilot took us to the Na Pali Cliffs on the northern side of Kauai where we were spellbound by mile after mile of towering cliffs that rose vertically from the sea’s edge making them inaccessible by any other means of transport except helicopter or catamaran. The waters were so clear that we could see the coral reefs clearly from the air. Leaving the cliffs behind, we flew inland into the Waileialeia Valley, called the “wettest spot on earth” as the area receives more than 400 inches of rainfall a year. We then flew right into the heart of a dormant volcano, skimmed around its steep concave sides, seemingly brushing past the highest branches of the trees growing luxuriantly in the valleys. On the last leg of our ride, we flew over the Wailua Falls, twin jets of water that spilled into a shallow, wide basin pool below, a venue we also explored later by car on the ground. Overall, our helicopter ride was an amazing experience and one that allowed us to skim over the highest peaks and descend into the deepest valleys, while covering the beaches where such famous films as From Here to Eternity were shot.
After riding the helicopter, we drove to the north of Kauai to the cute little town of Hanelei, where we passed by picturesque one-lane bridges, taro plantations, banana groves, etc. before arriving at Ke’e Beach at the northern tip just where the Na Pali Cliffs rise out of the waters. On our way, we made stops at Kilauea Wildlife Refuge where we saw thousands of native sea birds clinging to the cliffs like pieces of white fabric flapping in the wind and visited the Kilauea Lighthouse. Since guavas are my favorite fruit, we visited a guava plantation where we sampled juice, jam and ice-cream. But I was very disappointed to discover that, in Hawaii, guavas are not eaten as fruit. They are only crushed to make jams and juices and as such the hybrid varieties are huge but quite tasteless on the rare occasion that you do find them in a farmer’s market.
Many visitors believe that Kauai is the most beautiful of the Hawai’ian islands. I have to admit, however, that having toured every single one of the main islands, we found it impossible to pick a favorite. Why don’t you traverse them all and let us know what your Pick of the Islands was!
Bon Voyage!