Tuesday 2/20/2024
Good morning from Kauai! We are on the east side of the island and the sunrise is visible from the tiny balcony of our hotel room. We’re up bright and early because at 8:00 am we will tour Kauai from a private plane. We meet our pilot, Piper, at the airstrip designated for small planes. She is 22 years old and is named after the famous airplane manufacturer. We were happy to know that she has been flying since she was 16 and very comfortable with the task of taking us over the island. I was thrilled when she invited me (and Little Pig) to sit in the cockpit.
The scenery was amazing. The photos you see of Kauai seem somehow unreal, but it really looks like this. The movie Jurrasic Park was filmed in these jungles.
After a safe landing we drove to Waimea Canyon State Park. Here we saw from the ground some of the scenery we saw from the air. The park website description:
Waimea Canyon State Park, aptly named the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” unveils a breathtaking panorama of deep red and green gorges, showcasing the geological marvels that have shaped Kauai’s interior.Explore the diverse landscape with hiking trails leading to hidden gems like Waipo’o Falls, an 800-foot waterfall, and panoramic viewpoints within the untamed beauty of the canyon.
Adjacent to Waimea Canyon State Park is Koke’e State Park. Here we got our first sighting of the Apapane, a honeycreeper, and the White-tailed Tropicbird. We’ll get a closer look at both of these species later. We got back to the resort in time for Mai Tais and dinner.
Wednesday 2/21/2024
Our goal today was to visit Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. The point is located on the north side of the island, east of Princeville. There is a lighthouse on the point and a sweeping view of the the ocean and nearby cliffs. These cliffs are the nesting site of hundreds of Red-footed Boobies. They appear as white dots covering the cliff. Also, the Laysan Albatross and the Hawaiian Goose nest nearby.
When we finished at the park we continued north past Princeville. The roads are narrow, winding and the smaller bridges crossing the streams are one-way. There is always road work so the going was very slow. At the end of this road was another state park. Sadly, I hadn’t planned ahead so we did not have the reservation needed to access the park. There were plenty of tourist spots along the way, even in what seemed like a difficult to reach spot. We finally found a lunch place and had a well deserved rest. The ride back to the resort was slow and uneventful. We had dinner at the resort after witnessing a lighting of the tiki torches observance.
Thursday, 2/22/2024
Today we had a leisurely breakfast and spent some time in our room organizing and looking at our photos. We had a tour booked at the harbor at 11:00 so we headed out about 10:15 to get there early. We were going snorkeling! It seems that every must do this because there are snorkel tours everywhere. We got to the rendezvous area and listened to all of the explanations of how to wear the safety vest and how to put the mask on. We got into a wetsuit jacket tried on our flippers. Then we drove a short distance to the boat. This boat was an inflatable boat with a large outboard motor. We were going out into the open ocean! There are no photos of this because we left all cameras and phones behind. This trip was called an adventure but I assumed that just meant you had to get out of your chair. But it really was an adventure. Oh, No!!! Just getting out of the tiny harbor was extremely rough. We were sitting on the edge of the boat, hanging on to some lines that ran along the inside edge of the boat and putting our toes under another line that ran along the floor of the boat. No flippers yet. The water was very choppy as we got out to sea. Yes, sea! Finally the captain found a spot for us to snorkel. It was time to actually get into the water. Well I got the flippers on and sat onto the edge of the boat. The next step was to get in the water. I didn’t have the courage but finally the captain and a guide managed to get me in. It was salty!! I had an oblong life preserver stretched across my chest and held under my arms. Then my kind guide had a boogie board that I held onto the whole time. She was very patient and talked me into getting my face in the water and looking down. Of course both Dad and I had our glasses off but, unlike Dad, I could actually see something. So finally I got the snorkel mouth piece arranged and I actually breathed through it. So, breathing and looking down and hanging onto the life preserver and the boogie board. I was pretty busy. Below us I could make out sea urchins!! And once in a while a few fish. The guide swam down and came up with a sea cucumber for us to look at up close. Then I spent more time actually snorkeling. There were sea turtles around us. One I saw a little ways away then one swam right under me! It was really awesome. Then I looked up and saw Dad. He was with the other guide. I could see right away that he wasn’t having fun at all. His mask was off and he was just hanging onto the other boogie board. It was time to get back on the boat. I won’t explain the undignified proceedings that led to my finally getting up the little ladder and back to my spot on the edge of the boat. We motored to another spot to do a little more snorkeling. I stayed on the boat with Dad and another young man. Both he and Dad were sick and the motion of the boat was significant. I stayed to be with Dad and to avoid the indignity of trying to get back into the boat again. Hanging on to the line while the boat was moving had made my arms shaky and I feared I would not have the strength to pull myself up. The guides at this point offered us snacks! No takers. Finally we made it back to the harbor. We disembarked and Dad went for a little walk on the pier to adjust to solid land. Another couple on the tour (six tourists in all) were very experienced snorkelers and commented that this was not an easy trip. We were shaken and exhausted. It was all Dad could do to drive 15 minutes back to the hotel. As we took the elevator up to our room a friendly man asked “How are you?” We burst out laughing and told him of our experience. He commiserated with Dad, saying even as a commercial pilot, he gets air sick if he sits at the back of the plane. Dad took a well deserve nap while I ate a snack and rested on the balcony. We will never do this again but for me maybe it was worth it!
Friday, 2 23/2024
Having recovered somewhat from our adventure, we packed up to prepare for our flight to the Big Island. We wouldn’t leave until 5:10 but we had to check out of the hotel that morning. We birded some local spots, not with any great expectations, but then heard about a Gray-tailed Tattler seen at a Salt Pond. The Salt pond