Kauai Anniversary - Part II

Day 2 - Helicopter Tour, Continued

After Wade made his final deposit in his "aloha" bag (aka. sick sack), we took some deep salty breaths and headed north.

(BTW, Wade is prone to motion sickness. If you're looking for a great helicopter company in Kauai, I highly recommend Jack Harter Helicopter Tours. They were fabulous, and they're local (a HUGE plus in my opinion)...and rumor has it they are one of only two companies on Kauai who offer doors-off tours.)

Heading north, with all four wheels on the ground, we stopped at the Kilauea Lighthouse. What most impressed me here (in addition to the view) was the 8,000 pound lens which was originally designed to float on 260 pounds of mercury - WOW!

 

 

 

The lighthouse is also home to the Kilauea Point National Refuge which is a sanctuary for thousands of seabirds. (All of the white specks in the photo below are birds.)

 

 

We wrapped up the day with a wonderful dinner at Bar Acuda in Hanalei. Bar Acuda wasn't our favorite restaurant of the trip, but we would still recommend it. Especially if you're a fan of tapas!

 

Day 3 - Photography "Insider" Tour

 

The only organized (by someone other than yours truly) tour we went on that I would NOT recommend was our photography tour. It wasn't bad...it just wasn't what we expected. But we were still touring paradise, so zero complaints or regrets.

 

 

Anahola Beach Park

 

 

 

Moloaa Beach

 

I loved watching these two play...can you imagine this as your playground? (Their mother was nearby and gave me permission to take their photos...just FYI.)

 

 

 

 

Not much cuter than a naked baby bum swimming in the ocean.

 

  

I wish I had done a better job of writing down the names of the many beaches we visited on Day 3...all were along the east and north shores. At this particular lookout/point, I fell and sacrificed the skin on my knee for my camera.

  

 

Again, roosters EVERYWHERE.

 

 

 

 

 

Taro fields - a staple of the native Hawaiian diet and culture.

 

Look closely and you'll see it - the bird's nest in the lower left corner.

 

Mother Bird (aka. Hawaiian Moorhen)

 

And Charlie's Nene

 

Kalihiwai Bay

 

Kilauea Lighthouse in the distance

 

Our last beach of the five hour tour...much longer than Gilligan's three hours...and much better weather.

 

This hairy coconut reminded us of a porcupine. Can you see it?

 

And lastly, our own beach and sunset view.