Kaua'i * Day 2 * 6.15.2010

One thing for sure...when you're operating on a 6 hour time change, you tend to wake up early! We walked to the shore and read by the ocean...until it started to rain. But rain there is not like rain here. It's more of a mist that lasts for a short time. We learned that there's really no need to run when it starts raining!

This is right out from the building our room was in...ahhh! Notice the layers of volcanic rock. It was interesting to watch the waves slowly eat away at the rock...there were areas along the shore where it was just sand and also areas you could see another 'shelf' out in the water a ways.


After returning to our room, we ate a little breakfast and headed down to the concierge desk around 8:00am to take advantage of some discounts on activities. We talked to her for awhile...planned a helicopter ride for that afternoon at 2pm. It had been recommended to us to do that in the early part of the trip to better acquaint ourselves with the layout of the island, and we're glad we did! We can now look back at some of the pictures we took and say, "Oh yeah, we were there!". We spent the rest of our morning trying to decide what other trips/activities we wanted to do. Then we left a little before noon to get lunch on the way to the airport.


Here we are after our 'orientation', waiting for our helicopter and pilot to come!
Me getting settled, buckled, and headphones on. Got front seats...yippee!!

Menehune Fish Pond and Hule'ia Stream...we drove by there on our last day.

Ha'upu Range--this mountain range is beautiful to drive along!

Manawaiopuna Falls...better know as 'Jurassic Falls' from the movie Jurassic Park.

'Double Falls', upstream from 'Jurassic Falls'

Waimea Canyon...the 'Grand Canyon of the Pacific'




Nu'alolo Kai on the Na Pali coast....we docked here on our Zodiac trip and snorkeled on the reef you see.

Rugged Na Pali Coast.
Here you can see some sea caves that we went into on our Zodiac trip. The one on the left is Open Ceiling Cave.

Honopu Beach and Arch--also saw from Zodiac.

Falls along the coast

Hanakapi'ai Beach....we hiked here on Day 3

View of Ke'e Beach, Tunnels Beach (and others) and Hanalei Bay--Yes, the water really is that beautiful!
The following pictures are in the Mt Wai'ale'ale Crater. The view is stunning! You'll have to look past the raindrops on the window....the mountain is always covered in clouds and is one of the wettest spots on earth with an average rainfall of over 426 inches--the record year being over 700in.! Our pilot told us, 'No rain, no waterfalls'...so, we were glad it was raining! It is a three-sided (one side of the crater collapsed, allowing helicopters access) wall of 3,000 foot waterfalls!!!! It was simply breathtaking! I had to remind myself to breathe and tried not to let the tears blur my view! Looking back through these still takes my breath away....and they don't even come close to capturing the vastness and the beauty! Our God is an AWESOME Creator!




This is a view of the start of the Wailua River going out of the crater.


Ear to ear smiles after our amazing ride!

Now HERE'S a story! This family below....well, on our flight from SFO, we sat by the gentleman (I don't remember their names, but the daughter was Olivia)! When we were checking in for our helicopter flight, I saw Olivia and I was SURE it was that family. Well sure enough and they ended up on the same helicopter as we did! So fun!

After our heli ride, we drove out Kuamo'o Road to an overlook to 'Opaeka'a Falls on one side and the Wailua River on the other.


Then we drove through some neighborhoods in the Wailua area...wouldn't it be a bummer if you had to live someplace like this?.....

We made a few other stops, then shopped at the Coconut Marketplace where I got some Keen sandals for our Kayak/Hike trip. Then we took a swim, sat in the spa, and swung in the hammock before bedtime--this soon became an evening 'routine'...(the spa and hammock part, not the shopping!)

Thus ends day 2 on Kaua'i.