Days 6-8 - June 28-30
Kaua‘i: What a time we had in Kaua'i!! We had our own "private" tour and saw King Kong's Profile on Kauai’s Kalalea Mountain; Hawaiian Geese - Nene (Nēnē); Kilauea (Kīlauea) Point National Wildlife Refuge and Lighthouse; taro ponds; the Weeping Wall; Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge; and feral pigs :). Then - on an actual tour, we saw beautiful Waimea Canyon; made a very quick stop at the Kauai (Kaua'i) Coffee Company; and saw the Spouting Horn. Our day ended with coasting along the beautiful Napali (Nā Pali) Coast.
Kaua‘i is the oldest and most northerly of the Hawaiian Islands. Its colorful nickname, the Garden Isle, describes the lush vegetation that blankets the island. The island is dominated by the summit of Waialeale, an extinct volcano rising more than 5,000 feet in the center of Kaua‘i, now slowly eroding back to the sea. The eroding material, famously known as Kaua‘i's Red Dirt, is rich in minerals to support the overriding vegetation. Abundant rainfall fuels both the erosion and the lush vegetation, creating a tropical jungle paradise like nowhere else in the United States. Kaua‘i's first settlers arrived around 500 A.D., approximately 500 years before the rest of the islands were settled. Through a succession of kings, the island prospered. Kaua‘i is known for being the only island that resisted take over attempts by King Kamehameha during his quest to unify the islands under one rule. The island remained an independent kingdom until 1810. Kaua‘i is famous for Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." Much of Kaua‘i looks just like it did when the first Polynesians paddled up to the shore.
Read MoreKaua‘i is the oldest and most northerly of the Hawaiian Islands. Its colorful nickname, the Garden Isle, describes the lush vegetation that blankets the island. The island is dominated by the summit of Waialeale, an extinct volcano rising more than 5,000 feet in the center of Kaua‘i, now slowly eroding back to the sea. The eroding material, famously known as Kaua‘i's Red Dirt, is rich in minerals to support the overriding vegetation. Abundant rainfall fuels both the erosion and the lush vegetation, creating a tropical jungle paradise like nowhere else in the United States. Kaua‘i's first settlers arrived around 500 A.D., approximately 500 years before the rest of the islands were settled. Through a succession of kings, the island prospered. Kaua‘i is known for being the only island that resisted take over attempts by King Kamehameha during his quest to unify the islands under one rule. The island remained an independent kingdom until 1810. Kaua‘i is famous for Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." Much of Kaua‘i looks just like it did when the first Polynesians paddled up to the shore.
