Kauai, Hawaii

We wanted to do a helicopter ride somewhere on the trip, either in Alaska or in Hawaii. We baulked on the Alaskan idea since the weather most of the time had closed in making visibility marginal.  So Hawaii it was and the old extinct volcano on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai was looking good. (It is the oldest island in the Hawaiian group - estimated at over 5 million years old). Only 10% of the island is suitable for habitation, the rest steep rugged crags and plunging valleys covered in lush vegetation.

We hadn't realized how good it was seeing Kauai this way until it actually happened. It has been nicknamed the 'garden island'.

The 45 minute helicopter ride was just fantastic. I was totally gobsmacked. It was one of those awe inspiring journeys that left every turn, bank, climb and hover - an 'oh WOW' moment!! The day was magnificent. It normally rains on the mountains 355 days out of 365, but today the visibilty was outstanding, with not a cloud in the sky. The swamp on top of the highest mountain, Mt Waialeale (5080 feet) was formed and is continually fed by around 469 inches of rain per year! No wonder Kauai is so lush.The pilot reiterated how lucky we were. We could even see the mountains of Oahu in the distance ~ over 100 miles away. We flew over the Waimea canyon - over 10 miles long and 3500 feet deep. Everywhere there were beautiful waterfalls that plunged many hundreds of feet into the valleys below.

Nawilliwilli Harbour

One section was dubbed the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" and was stark and barren. The trip finally took us out to the north - west coastline (the Napali Coast) over the 2000 foot high sea cliffs that were rutted and scarred and looked positively ancient.

This Island is famous for a number of movies that utilised the beauty of its rugged peaks and lush forests. Jurassic Park, Six Days/Seven Nights, Raiders of the Lost Ark and South Pacific, to name a few. The photos below show some of its glory.

The "Grand Canyon of the Pacific"

The Napali Cliffs