Grant's and Bill's 2012 Hawaii Scrapbook

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Kauai - page 4

	Waimea Canyon This photo is NOT taken from a helicopter. It's from the main viewpoint overlooking Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific". We came here twice. It was just too beautiful not to come back and see it again. Sunset is amazing here!

The dimensions of Waimea Canyon: - 10 miles long - up to 3,000 feet deep

		Poor Grant! First the helicopter with no doors, and now a multi-thousand foot drop-off.
		About that drop-off below the main lookout, here it is, the cliff in the background. This shot is from nearer the top of the canyon looking back to where the previous photos were taken. The road continues up and over the high ridge that separates this canyon from the valleys of the Na Pali Coast to the north. At at the end of the road there is another amazing viewpoint.

	Kalalau Lookout This is the end of the road, overlooking the ocean and the magnificent cliffs of the Na Pali Coast. There's a little waterfall down there, bottom center -- 'little' being about 100 feet high. We were very lucky on both days to hit a sunny patch, because the clouds love to roll in and totally block this view, which happened just after we left.

	Waterfalls accessible by road Waimea Falls Waimea Falls always has a large flow and it was going strong when we were there. It has a funny little viewpoint. This is the only view you can get when you are there, no trails around it because it's private land.

		Opaeka'a Falls By Kauai standards, this is a tiny waterfall, just 151 ft (46 m).
		A much closer view of Opaeka'a Falls. We were lucky that there was lots of water flowing on this day. Sometimes it is just 2 narrow strands.

	Sheraton Kauai . There are two Sheratons on Kauai, the huge resort in Princeville on the north shore, which is too far from the action, and the one we stayed at on the south central coast. We were very happy with this hotel and its location . This is the courtyard. At night the torches were lit and there are quite large fire pits in the circular enclosures, making it a very dramatic setting.
	We opted for an upgrade which gave us a room with a spectacular view south over the ocean. The left photo is the view from our lanai looking straight out and the right photo is what we could easily see by looking right. On our last day we arranged for a late check-out, and, as luck would have it, while we were having our coffee, we spotted humpback whales out there. One particular breach (leap) was one of those spectacular ones where the whale jumps way out and makes a big splash as it hits the water. Very cool.
	The photo at left was our view from our breakfast (and dinner) restaurant. The photo at right is the hotel's beach. The restaurant where the left photo was taken is the part of the hotel nearest the water.
	TIDEPOOLS at the GRAND HYATT For our last night's special dinner, we drove a couple miles to a nearby resort, the Grand Hyatt which could be the most spectacular hotel on Kauai. As soon as I saw a picture of this restaurant at pool level, I knew this was the place for our special dinner. It was excellent. Among other goodies, we had sweet prawns, which are a local delicacy. Yum! It was a little too dark by the time we got there to take this picture, so I borrowed the photo.

	Everything else Apparently this type of tree seldom blossoms in the profusion it did this year. It's also interesting that from the bottom it looks kind of orange, but the blossoms are actually a brilliant yellow.

		On the road up to Waimea Canyon we spotted this little cascade cutting through a unique, red-colored strata which seemed like hard mud or soft, crumbly rock. In the canyon pictures near the top of this page, you can see this intensely colored layer of rock near the bottom of the canyon. This reddish soil is also found near the coast. When large hurricanes hit Kauai, this loose soil blows around easily and so lots of things turn red (buildings, clothing, roads). This is extremely difficult to remove as I found out after wearing white runners here.
		Something else red in this area... This is a Hawaiian red-crested cardinal.
		The lighthouse on the north coast. This was a great place to visit. The coast is spectacular here with huge waves hitting the high cliffs. This is also a bird sanctuary. There are thousands of sea birds on the cliffs around here. I never saw so many boobies.
		This bird sanctuary also has a big flock of nene, the Hawaiian state bird. Quite rare, they are found only on 3 of the Hawaiian islands. This one strayed from the rest of flock eating grass and posed for a picture in the flowers. A true diva, ready for her close-up. (....okay, it could be a male, I have no idea, really.)
		That's all folks! Aloha nui. Return to PAGE 1 Return to PAGE 2 Return to PAGE 3