2012 Hawaii (Kauai)
(10/27/2012 - 10/30/2012)
2012 Hawaii (Kauai)(10/27/2012 - 10/30/2012)
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On 10/27/2012 Katherine, Saa, and me (Brian) travelled to Hawaii. We met up with Teddy and Ethan (who live there) and also Tania and Mike (who we know from California), plus Yvonne and Steve from Seattle. Here are some pictures, click on any of them to get a HUGE highest quality original. Also, click here for a map of interesting places in Kauai.
Below Katherine and Saa as we leave Pacifica.
Saa (black dress on far right below) opts out of the X-ray body scanners in SFO, gets a pat down.
Brian boarding plane in SFO.
On the ground in Lihue airport on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.
That's me holding the camera in blue shirt, self portrait with Saa and Katherine.
We rented a convertible from Hertz at the Lihue airport to get around in, below Katherine and Saa mug for the camera.
A closer picture of the car's interior.
We rented a house through VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner). Here is the link to our property, which was at 4890 Hale Emmalani, Princeville, Kauai. It was nice, with a "lap pool" in back and very spacious, outfitted well for guests. A friendly gecko we decided was our house pet was seen here and there in the house, below he is in the bathroom on the wall.
We went to a late lunch at Kalypso in downtown Hanalei. "Loco Moco" (very Hawaiian) was on the menu, see below.
Kalypso is pictured below on the far right of the picture. This is "main street" in downtown Hanalei, which is actually just the one big main road that circles the whole island of Kauai. The highways pretends to have at least 3 names ("HW 56" or "Route 560" or "Kuhio Hwy" named after Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Piʻikoi), but it's really just one road circling the island.
The other side of main street Hanalei is pictured below, cute little surf shops and friendly restaurants with outdoor seating.
Shopping for groceries for the week, below is "dragon fruit" (also known as "pitaya"). I had never seen it before.
Back at our rental house, below is the dragon fruit split open. You scoop out the insides with a spoon and eat it.
I drove about a quarter mile from our condo to the beach. All of Princeville is up high, safe from the Tsunami that came in this very night! (Oct 27, 2012). Below shows how high we are above the water even right here at the water's edge.
Halloween was a couple days after we were there, below are decorations on a random house, big spiders built out of pool noodles and garbage bags.
Some tree cutters (tree trimmers?) in Kauai, up on scaffolding.
Our rental house is in among the Princeville golf course.
Our pet gecko in the main living room of our rental house.
The VRBO house had everything except a wine opener! I found a screw and a pair of pliers and below I'm pulling a wine cork. (The next day we bought a wine opener and left it in the house when we departed).
Step 2, pull out the cork with a pair of pliers.
The next day (Sunday, Oct 28) we drove the main road all the way around the Island (not quite all the way around, the road ends and we have to backtrack). Below is a panorama of a beach just north and west of Hanalei Bay in Kauai. The main body of water might actually be Hanalei Bay.
At the VERY Northern spot where the main road ends is Ke'e Beach, Kauai, Hawaii.
Driving back south, we stop for a quick picture of the Waikanaloa Wet Cave near tunnels beach.
Same spot, looking up at the hanging vines above the Waikanaloa Wet Cave.
Below is a picture of the car GPS showing the location of the Waikanaloa cave. :-) Notice on the GPS the road in this section is "Route 560".
Driving west with the coast on our right (picture by Katherine from back seat of the convertible).
Driving our convertible through Kauai (picture by Katherine).
We stopped for lunch at the Mediterranean Gourmet at the very north end of Hanalei Bay, Kauai. It was nice, there are views of the ocean, the food was good.
Next to the restaurant was a jewelry store called "Na Pali Art Gallery and Coffee House". Below is some of their jewelry.
Saa and Katherine at lunch.
We stopped by a small farmer's market, where I bought the two ladies Hawaiian Leis (flowers around their necks).
There are wild chickens all over Kauai. One of them is pictured below.
A home slightly up away from the beach.
Katherine trying to keep cool in the hot sun in the back of a convertible in Kauai.
We met up with Mike, Tania, and Petra to check out this area.
Travelling along, below is a nice view.
This is coffee growing (which I'm not sure I've ever seen before).
A close up of coffee plants.
A picture of the drive near the coffee planation.
Below are what I think are Monsanto fields growing GMO crops. The last sugar cane farm went out of business here a few years ago.
A nice horse tied up by the side of the road, eating grass.
This is a picture taken from the end of "Kekaha Beach Park". The town of Kekaha used to be the center of sugar production, but all the sugar kane business is gone now.
Back in our rental house, Mike pointed out this very specific instruction, which doesn't make any technical sense. The rest of the instructions are really obvious, like "turn off the lights", but this one says "Did you remember to take the PRINTER SOFTWARE out of your laptop if you used the printer while here?"
Sitting down to dinner. From left to right Katherine, Tania, Saa, Teddy, Ethan, Mike, Petra.
From left to right Teddy, Ethan (Teddy's son), Petra, Saa, Mike, Brian (in blue shirt in back), Tania (white shirt in front), Katherine, Yvonne, Steve.
A picture of our back yard with lap pool (picture by Saa).
The next day a few of us took a helicopter tour of the Island. Below is the group that went. You can take up to 6 people, the tour takes 50 minutes, and the tour is really worth it.
The tour that leaves out of the Princeville airport is called "Sunshine Helicopters". Below is a picture of the front of the terminal.
We sit through a safety briefing which explains how to put on our life preservers (notice the yellow belt packs we are wearing). We can pull a red tab, inflate the life preservers, put it on. Now it's worth mentioning that we pretty much never went over any water during the tour, so these wouldn't have done us much good, but it's probably some dumb aviation rule.
Below they line us up and one by one ask the next person to approach the aircraft and board. You can't tell from this picture, but the rotors on the helicopter are beginning to turn faster and faster at this point.
Click the image below to watch a movie of our Helicopter Tour in Kauai:
The helicopter is an Eurocopter EC 130 and I *think* it is variant B4 (the basic model). Below is a picture of the EC 130's instrument dash, we are still on the ground about to lift off, and our pilot on the left is Bruce.
Our helicopter pilot (picture by Saa in the front seat).
On the left of the pilot is a "Collective Pitch Lever" which changes the pitch angle of the main rotor blades.
We lift off, and here we are under way.
Katherine and Brian in helicopter (picture by Saa).
Saa self portrait, she is sitting in the front passenger seat of a helicopter.
The view out the window on our helicopter tour of Kauai.
Another picture out the helicopter window.
Saa in the front right seat of the helicopter.
Kauai has several amazing waterfalls, Click Here for a Map of Kauai Waterfalls, Click Here for good pictures and descriptions of Kauai Waterfalls. There are several waterfalls in the picture below, but I think I was late on the camera trigger here. I think these are the "Kahili Falls" ("Five Sisters Falls").
Below is a picture by Saa, same area of "5 sisters's falls".
That's me (Brian) on the far left taking a self portrait, Katherine is photo bombing me, and Tania is on the far left.
Below is a picture showing how steep and deep the canyons are on this helicopter tour in Kauai, Hawaii (picture by Saa).
A picture of the Kauai landscape as we book along in our helicopter tour.
More rugged Kauai scenery as we ride in our helicopter tour.
Some more waterfalls and rugged terrain in Kauai.
You can see the ocean from pretty much everywhere on the helicopter tour of this small island of Kauai.
The picture below is of "Manawaiopuna Falls" (which are famous as the waterfall that appears in a famous scene in the movie Jurassic Park).
A close up of the Manawaiopuna falls. Click here to see a YouTube clip from the movie Jurassic Park at this location.
Moving on, we reach the western side of Kauai. It is drier over here, the clouds hit the mountains and dump all their moisture.
A quick picture of where we are on the iPhone.
We are excited Tourists taking pictures. :-)
I think the picture below is of Waimea Canyon. It was created not only by erosion, but also by the collapse of the volcano that created the whole island of Kauai.
Beautiful red canyons in Waimea Canyon (the red is from Iron deposits).
We saw at least two other helicopters zooming around while we were in flight.
Below is a picture of the Pacific Missile Range Tracking Facility up on the cliffs in Kauai.
As the helicopter goes north along the west coast of Kauai, the scenic beaches appear. (Picture by Saa.)
We had drinks at the St Regis Hotel which overlooks Hanalei bay as the sun set. Below is Katherine.
Katherine, Tania, and Saa on the deck at the St Regis waiting for the sunset.
Sunset on the deck at St Regis, see below for a HUGE panorama (use your horizontal scrollbar).
Below is another sunset picture from the same spot in the St Regis.
More pictures of sunset over Hanalei Bay.
The main great room in the St Regis lobby.
Tania Stoose smiling in Kauai.
The next morning I went for a swim in Hanalei Bay, below is a panorama (use your horizontal scrollbar). I'm standing next to the pier.
A picture of Hanalei Bay in the morning.
Surfers in Hanalei Bay in the morning.
On the pier there is a Tsunami Monitor. Below is a picture.
The pier in Hanalei Bay.
You can buy Poke (cubed raw fish, you eat it raw like sushi) by the pound in the grocery stores. I've never seen anything like this in my whole life.
Our pet gecko a closeup.
Picture by Katherine, a secluded beach?
Picture by Katherine, Saa interacting with locals, maybe buying sunrise sea shells?
Picture by Katherine, a wild rooster or wild chicken in Kauai.
Picture by Katherine, a real estate office of Hawai'i Life, Neal Normon and Amy J Marvin.
Shave Ice Bra! (Picture by Katherine.)
Picture by Katherine, interesting Kauai real estate by the water?
Picture by Katherine, interesting Kauai real estate by the water?
Picture by Katherine, interesting Kauai real estate by the water? I like the foot shower by the front door.
Pictures of our VRBO by Katherine, this is the master bedroom:
Pictures of our VRBO by Katherine, this is the main area including kitchen:
Pictures of our VRBO by Katherine, this is the great room (the kitchen is around to the right):
Several feet (picture by Saa).
That's it!