Fire and Ice part 2 : A photo travelogue of the cruise ports San Francisco , California and Nawiliwili , Kauai .

[scubacruiserx2]

 We wanted to get some rest as we had our circle the island helicopter flight scheduled for 0745 in the city . One of the high points of the trip .

[scubacruiserx2]

 We decided to use the oldest of the helicopter providers in Kauai who has been around since the early 60s . We met at their office near Walmart for payment and a flight briefing on how to use the equipment and proper procedures .

 

 

 

 

 

 From there we would shuttle to the airport . The Henderson 500 is the smallest helicopter that we have flown in and unlike this one , the doors would be off .

 

 

 Additionally , unlike our previous flight in Kauai , on the Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska , and on the behemoth MIL 8 in Saint Petersburg , Russia , we would be hot loading with a running engine like when I was on Air Rescue with the Miami- Dade Fire Department . This is more dangerous than a start up procedure and requires an escort to keep you safe and buckle you in and keep your gear secure . I must admit that I like the cold start like we did here in Saint Petersburg where you can hear and feel the power .

 

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 

 

 Pat was seated forward by the starboard door and I was in the aft port behind the pilot Eli .

 

 

 

 

 

All strapped in and ready to fly south over the empty cruise port Nawillwilli . We would later see a ship when we visited the port for lunch .

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 After passing the cruise port in the south we made a right and went clockwise . These are Pat's photos and videos from right front door .

 

 I didn't see this waterfall but Pat did and noticed a blue helicopter in the green patch that had landed near a walkway to the falls .

 

 

 

The Waimea Grand Canyon is 3000 ' deep and 10 miles long .

 

 

 

 

The stunning Na Pali Coast with a small boat in the second shot

 

 

 

The North Shore near Hanalei

 

 

 

Green Spires video

 

 

 

Mount Wai'ale'ale is 5148 ' tall and averages 450 " inches of rain a year . That's 37 and a half feet !

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

The view from the view from the other side behind the pilot shot with a Canon D 6

 

 

 

 

Waimea Grand Canyon

 

 

 

 

 

The white dots are the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the west coast

 

 

 

 

Banking a turn over the water

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

A view over the North Shore and a very tall waterfall

 

 

 

 

Rear view mirror in focus on the landing skid

 

 

Eli looking toward the Na Pali Coast

 

 

 

 

Hanalei Bay where Puff the magic Dragon frolicked

 

 

Mount Wai'ale'ale mist

 

 

Another helicopter below us coming out of the clouds

 

 

 

The Green Spires . The last time that we were here we saw white mountain goats standing and climbing  on these narrow ledges .

 

 

 

A possible grow house heading back to the airport

 

 

The airport in sight

 

 

Photos with Eli and the aircraft . Note the ladder to help the ladies up in the front .

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 In our post flight debriefing we had a nice chat with the young couple that we flew with . She is an E.R. Doctor and he's an avid sports fan ( they live in Kansas City ) . I asked him if he got cold wearing shorts and he said yes , very cold . Our guide book mentioned to wear dark colors and dress warm and to perhaps get wet which we did in the clouds . After leaving we went to Walmart and I remember the old Red Ryder BB gun that we had when we were kids ( You'll shoot your eye out ) .

 

 

We were a couple of miles from the drive up waterfall - Wailua so we stopped 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 After dinner we went to explore the Coconut Market Place next door . We did have a guest that slept on and behind the couch but didn't eat much .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our favorite T-shirt place costs more but better quality . I still have a shirt that I bought back in 2001 from them .

 

 

Not so sure about this place but a nice lady worked there and this shirt reminded me of one of my favorite bands album cover

 

 

 

The ABC was our favorite place to shop for trinkets

 

 

Edited April 30, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 Tuesday morning was Market day at the Coconut  Marketplace in the parking lot . Our helicopter pilot told us that sugarcane and Pineapples are no longer commercially grown on Kauai and the prices reflected it . Pineapples are $ 8 each . I wanted to buy Pat some flowers but she passed . We did buy some nice small Papaya .  We took a nap as the Luau was scheduled for that night . We had checked around and the best prices on Leis were Safeway .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 

The Luau Makaiwa, was at the Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort, 2 blocks away from where we were staying.

 

http://www.luaumakaiwa.com/

 

It was general admission and opened at 1700 with the show beginning at 1900 . It was still quite hot so we waited until about 1845 and was seated at the far end in the rear . We arrived just as the greeting and show was beginning . We were very lucky as our table began the buffet first .

 

 

Purple bread , potatoes and Poi . Also Mahi Mahi , pork and chicken . Vegetables and potato/macaroni salad also filled the plate and it was all very good . Dessert was Mango and Pineapple upside down cake . 

 

 

 

 

We introduced ourselves to our tablemates and when everyone was seated the show ( and eating began after a prayer ) .

[scubacruiserx2]

 After dinner I excused myself to wash up and shot some videos as I returned . The lady on stage explained how he husband told her that they would have a granddaughter named Cumberland and this song was about her . The next video is Cumberland who danced during the second video .

 

 

 

 

 

A very energetic dance solo

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

  The next dance was with the men and the ladies

 

 

Some of the costumes looked very uncomfortable

 

 

A man was asked to come on stage and copy what the lady did 

 

 

 

The host asked asked if there we any newly weds and progressively higher anniversaries and they asked us to stand and announce how many years . As it turns out , our tablemates we married within a week from our date - quite a coincidence ! They then proceeded with the Elvis song I can't help falling in love with you from the movie Blue Hawaii which was filmed about a mile from there from there in 1961 , for us to dance to .

 

The fire dancer was next 

 

 

 

At the end of the evening we were divided into a left and right group and encouraged to clap once when one of the men clapped and twice when the other clapped twice resulting in a competition . The following was the clapping song .

 

 

 

The final photo

 

 

It was a night that we enjoyed and will remember as long as we shall live .

Edited May 2, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 We were looking to purchase some new wedding bands and a local guy told us that a jeweler was retiring and had reduced his prices . We stopped but he didn't have what we had wanted and most of his stuff was very high end . He did have some nice earrings from Italy but Pat wasn't interested . There was a nice beach behind his store and we made several stops on the way north to the Kilauea Lighthouse .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turning inland we stopped to shoot the mountains

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

  A couple of Pats photos on the way to the lighthouse . The last one is the consummate photo of northern Kauai . Lush , green and full of life . A rooster and his 2 chickadees .

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 The Kilauea Lighthouse represents to us the North Shore as it is the Northern most point in the Hawaiian Islands .

 

Notice the new chain link fence . We didn't realize that we could not go beyound this point without a reservation

 

 

 

 

 A nurse next to us recognised us as we were on the helicopter flight just ahead of her s . She pointed out a Red Footed Bobby on her nest . We both had a case of camera envy of each other .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We didn't feed the Nene ( the Hawiian state bird ) but we did watch them feed and water themselves 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 After making an appointment for the lighthouse visit the next day we headed back in for a couple of interesting photos and lunch that we had seen on the way in . I had asked Pat to let me walk and take a couple of photos . The first was this amazing bus bench of the local area .

 

 

 

 

 

Next was this mailbox of a Pistol ( Snapping shrimp ) which stuns and kills it's prey with a loud SNAP and can fire bubbles from it's claws snap that can momentary reach the temperature of the Sun 

 

 

 

 

The next stop was this church on the highway and it's beautiful stained glass windows made in England . Its neat how some angle to allow the breeze in .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It reminded us of the Coranation of King Charles the III which we watched this morning .

 

 Last was lunch 

 

 

 

 

The onions and burger was better than the Dive in - but not the fries !

 

 

Edited May 7, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 We had hoped to go to the Kee beach at the end of the road in the North Shore where we had hoped to park and hike the Na Pali Coast for a couple of miles like we did in 2001 . We had brought hiking boots and poles this time but we were not allowed to drive there as visitors . We must pay and entrance fee and take a pre scheduled shuttle there from a distance costing another $ 35 each . Our last time doing this was in Sweden and they we all packed full so you had to wait until an empty came by . We already had a time for the lighthouse and so we opted to go to the Na Aina Botanical Gardens closer by and made reservations there instead .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na_ʻĀina_Kai_Botanical_Gardens

 

 We had went there first and hoped to hustle through as we could see no rain .

 

 

 

Rainbow Eucalyptus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My first job outside of the house when in Junior High

 

 

We were about 5 minutes outside of the car park when the heavens opened up and took shelter under a tree to wait it out and keep us and our cameras dry .

 

 

 A lady driving a golf cart with 2 people yelled to us that we had 5 minutes to leave as they were closing at noon . As soon as it slowed we went quick and the people said that we were OK . We read later that the guide and cart costs $ 40 for and hour plus . The owner and developer of the estate was Charles Shultz's ( creator of Peanuts ) first wife with whom he had 5 children . After her divorce she remarried a year later and they eventually moved to Kauai .

 

 

Edited May 7, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 We returned to the Kilauea lighthouse for our appointment and it was raining there also . When we went to be admitted the lady told me that our National Park Card had expired . As I'm a disabled American Vet she gave us a new one for free . When told told here about my wife's bad knee she dispatched a driver and a golf carf to take us up and down the slick hill . It was quit a plesant surprise !

 

 

 

Looks like its clearing

 

 

The birds are huge but friendly

 

 

The ride in the cart down

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

  Our next stop in our shore excursion was near Princeville - the Hanalei Lookout . It's a bird reserve and a great view of the valley where most of the Taro root on the island is grown .  Poi , the purple paste is made from Taro . It's an acquired taste that we are still trying to acquire .

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 On our way back toward the port we stopped by the Fire Station and chatted with some of the firefighters that seemed to run a lot of calls . The Miami Dade department that I worked for ran about 85 % of their calls as EMS related with every unit carrying 2 Paramedics or more . On Kauai with it being an island they had a lot more water related calls . Their EMS service is provided by the ambulance service which are not firefighters . They did get a call while we were talking to them and had to go .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 The cruise port of Kauai is Nawiliwili is only 8 miles or a 14 minute ride from the condo that we rented on the the Coconut Coast . But we wanted to go there thru the Tunnel of Trees . This made it a 14 mile ride and took 25 minutes . The T-shirt ( A knock off of the Beatles classic Abbey Road Album ) and the real VW and Tree tunnel .

 

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

   It had actually been cool that morning at 66 F ( as it was here this morning ) . We wanted to go to the cruise port as the NCL ship Pride of America was in port . It is may be the only ship that has the US as is registration point and an a American crew .

 

 

It's a very pretty port and we wanted to eat and go to the beach at Duke's Canoe Club .

 

 

 

 They have a great view from their second floor but we ate downstairs .

 

 

They have an indoor waterfall that runs down to a pond next to where we ate and they have Koi in the pond . The food is very good also . After placing our order I went outside to watch a beach volleyball game ( Pat and I use to play indoor and outdoor volley ball ) .

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the Firefighters that works where we had visited the day before was playing men's doubles and he was a very good player .

 

 

If you go to the cruise port in Kauai we would highly  recommend Dukes and its in walking distance .

 

[Hogladyrider]

14 minutes ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

   It had actually been cool that morning at 66 F ( as it was here this morning ) . We wanted to go to the cruise port as the NCL ship Pride of America was in port . It is may be the only ship that has the US as is registration point and an a American crew .

 

 

It's a very pretty port and we wanted to eat and go to the beach at Duke's Canoe Club .

 

 

 

 They have a great view from their second floor but we ate downstairs .

 

 

They have an indoor waterfall that runs down to a pond next to where we ate and they have Koi in the pond . The food is very good also . After placing our order I went outside to watch a beach volleyball game ( Pat and I use to play indoor and outdoor volley ball ) .

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the Firefighters that works where we had visited the day before was playing men's doubles and he was a very good player .

 

 

If you go to the cruise port in Kauai we would highly  recommend Dukes and its in walking distance .

 

Pardon my ignorance, taking first cruise to Hawaii in January 2024 on HAL.  Is this cruise port in Kauai the same as Nawalilli?

We don't see ANY ship excursions that interest us and a trip to Duke's is right up our alley!

[scubacruiserx2]

7 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

Pardon my ignorance, taking first cruise to Hawaii in January 2024 on HAL.  Is this cruise port in Kauai the same as Nawalilli?

We don't see ANY ship excursions that interest us and a trip to Duke's is right up our alley!

 

No worries . Yes it is the cruise port for Kauai . About 90 % of everything that is imported to Kauai goes thru this port food , gas etc and that why prices are so high here . It might be a long walk to Dukes but there is a park that you can cut across or maybe share a taxi or rent a taxi privately . We did have a car as  we were staying there for our 2nd time . Our favorite thing was the doors off helicopter flight that lasted more than an hour with Jack Harters only 4 minutes away by car from the cruise port . It was pricy at about $380 p.p. but you fly over the cruise port and around the whole island including the Na Pali Coast , Waimea Grand Canyon and many water falls that you could never see by car . Many movies have been shot there including , South Pacific , Blue Hawaii , Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Jurassic Park movies . It was our favorite of the Hawaiian Islands that we cruised to and stayed on . On our helicopter flight our pilot told us that Sugar cane and Pinapples are no longer grown there commercially . A local farmer wanted $ 8.00 for the pinapples that we buy here for $ 3.00 in the store in Florida and we have 4 growing in our yard that will be ready in a couple of months . 🍍🍍🍍🍍

Edited May 16, 2023 by scubacruiserx2

[Hogladyrider]

@scubacruiserx2...thank you...we can do a cab to Dukes.

Thanks for the LOL moment mentioning the doors off helicopter ride.  My SO will not fly in a commercial airplane so a helicopter is definitely not on the schedule.