Beautiful Blue Kauai - The Garden Isle The adventure continues...!
Heading to the northeast shore of Kauai we visited the Kilauea lighthouse, a designated historical landmark and wildlife refuge. From this vantage point you can see to the west the incredible north shore beaches at the base of rocky cliffs and if you're lucky ( and we weren't) you can see migrating whales. I did, however see a school of dolphins playing in the water, so I didn't feel too bad about the whales!
Just another beautiful beach along the north shore of Kauai!
This is beautiful Waimea Canyon, called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific by Mark Twain. It is 1 mile wide, 10 miles long and 3,657 feet deep and was carved by the Waimea River. Kauai is the only Hawaiian island that has true rivers. Dotted along the view are waterfalls and spectacular color vistas. Parts of the movie, Jurassic Park were filmed in this canyon.
The Na Pali Coast of Kauai - the mostly inaccessible northwestern coast. The most spectacular scenery in Kauai, this view is of the Kalalau Valley, where the cliffs drop 4000 feet to the shore of the Pacific. Access to the Kalalau Valley is by an 11 mile foot trail. Most of the Na Pali coast is accessible only by helicopter ( the official state bird of Hawaii!) or by boat or difficult trails.
This is Limahuli Garden. It is set in a lush valley surrounded by towering peaks that have been scultped by eons of wind and rain. Early Polynesians settled here about 1500 years ago and built the ancient lava rock terraces where taro was grown. In much more modern times, it was also the setting for a major scene in Jurassic Park!
Well, thats a tiny taste of our Kauiaiian adventure! We made it home safe and sound and things are back to normal. Tony and I have made it through 25 years together, and this trip was a very special celebration of all those years. I am so glad we were able to go. Aloha!
