Aloha to Kaua'i - Plate Lunches, Menehune Ditch, and Ni'ihau Views

We have a winner from last week's posts - Kim H!   Please note I will be away for a week at the RWA National Conference!  I'll pictures from the conference starting Monday, July 30.   


Meanwhile, enjoy a few more pictures from Kaua'i.

We try to eat "local" ...
here are the plate lunches available in Hanapepe!

Above is the Menehune Ditch.  From Hawaii Web (at this link),

Only a small portion of the engineering phenomina still remains. Archeologists say it was built before the Polynesians every arrived on the island. Legend states it was built by the Menehume, leprachaun-like little people, in one night. The high chief of Waimea supposidely inlisted the aid of the menehune to build the aquaduct. He banned the villagers from leaving their homes one night so the menehune could safely build the ditch without being seen. The result was an huge irrigation system made from smoothed lava stone that brought water from the Waimea River to the taro fields. The rocks used in this contruction project came from more than 6 miles away in Mokihana. 

Along the Waimea Canyon Road, we had two choices of views.

The clouds cover the view of Ni'ihau.

Ni'ihau is privately owned by the Robinson Family.  They now offer helicopter rides from Waimea to see its pristine beaches.    Have you flown in a helicopter?   One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.   Comments are open through Sunday, July 29, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Monday, July 30.  


Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Aloha to Kaua'i - Anahola Beach Park

  

On our way to the airport, we stopped by the Anahola Beach Park for one last photo ... or two.  The trade winds have shaped this tree!

The trade winds also create great surfing!

The beach is wide open!

Do you have a favorite spot to take photos?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 21, 10 pm in Hawaii.   I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 22.


Mahalo,


Kim in Hawaii 

Kaua'i remembers surfing legend Andy Irons.

Aloha to Kaua'i - Miniature Golf

Hubby and the kids played miniature golf near the Kilauea Lighthouse.   The course was lined with native plants.   Taro makes poi - its blandness offset the salty Pua'a (pork).

The pink hibiscus greets the Merrie Monarch
- King David Kalākaua.

Ah, passion fruit - a delicious drink!

Pineapples are plentiful.

What is your favorite tropical delight?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 21, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 22.


Mahalo,


Kim in Hawaii

Aloha to Kaua'i - Hanalei Valley

The Hanalei Valley is a green as an emerald!  From Kauai-Hawaii (at this link),

Hanalei Valley Lookout offers one of the most famous views on Kauai. The valley is one mile wide and six miles long. Most of the taro grown in Hawaii is grown here. On the valley floor is a one-way truss bridge built in 1912. The bridge was damaged by a tsunami in 1957, and subsequently reinforced. Legend has it that the rainbow came to Hawaiian Islands from the bluffs just beyond the valley when a piece of brightly colored kapa cloth was thrown into a pool below Namolokama Falls, and its colors arched up in the mist.

King Kamehameha watches over the valley!

Kama'aina (locals) often sing about Hanalei.

What is grown in your local area?  One randomly selected commenter wins from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through


Mahalo,


Kim in Hawaii

Aloha to Kaua'i - Barking Sands

  
The western end of Kaua'i is home of the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility.   It is also known as "Barking Sands" for its "talking" beaches!

Loved this innovative use of driftwood!

Three friends enjoy ....  

... having the beach to themselves!

It is amazing to see an endless beach on a small island!

Here's the base theater!

The outdoor theater inspires today's question - have you seen a movie at a drive in (or other outdoor) theater?   One randomly selected commenter wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 14, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 15.


Mahalo,


Kim in Hawaii

Aloha to Kaua'i - Fort Elisabeth and Waimea River!

Kaua'i has the unique distinction of hosting the US's only Russian Fort!   From the Russian History Blog (at this link),


Understanding the fort begins with the role of Georg Anton Schaeffer, a German in the Russian American Company’s employ. When he arrived in Kauai in 1815 on a recovery mission for the Company, he took advantage of Kauai’s precarious position in the island chain to negotiate with its king, Kaumualii, a favorable agreement with Russia and the Company. After that, Schaeffer supervised the constructions of the forts on Kauai, the largest of which was Fort Elizabeth, with its strategic position on Kauai’s southern coast. Despite Schaeffer’s ambitions, when news of the project reached the American office of the Company on Sitka, he was recalled and the deal was abandoned. With both British and American interests in Hawai‘i, much less the strength of Kamehameha and the weak position of Kaumualii, the Company could not afford a Hawaiian blunder like Schaeffer’s attempted annexation.

The fort is now a pile of volcanic rocks ...  

  

... that offers a panoramic view
of the Waimea River!

Do you any unusual history in your home town?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 14, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 15.


Mahalao,


Kim in Hawaii

Waimea also welcomed Captain Cook in 1778, making him the first European contact with the Hawaiian islands. 

Aloha to Kaua'i - the Waimea Canyon and Na Pali Coastline

RimPac will be out to sea ... so let's return to my family's recent trip to Kaua'i.  The crown jewel of the Garden Isle is the Waimea Canyon.  Mark Twain called it the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."  

My camera cannot capture the beauty of this natural wonder.

Every angle offers a breathtaking view.

Oh, to have the wings of a bird.

Feral chickens are everywhere!

Even NASA finds the elevation useful!

The Waimea Canyon State Park gives away to the Koke'e State Park.  The Kalalau Lookout offers unparalled views of the Na Pali Coast.

The white vertical lines in the lower center are waterfalls.

A closer view of the waterfalls.

As my husband commented, it looks like painted scenery.

The volcanic cliffs give way to .... 

... secluded beaches.

What's the most "remote" place you have visited?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers.  Comments are open through Saturday, July 14, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 15.  


Mahalo,


Kim in Hawaii

Aloha to Kaua'i - Po'ipu and Hanapepe

We drove along the south shore,
calling upon Po'ipu ... 

... home of Sprouting Horn blow hole!

From Go Hawaii at this link,

Ancient Hawaiians believed this coastline was once guarded by a giant moo (lizard) named Kaikapu. Everyone was afraid of the moo because it would eat anyone who tried to fish or swim in the area.  

One day, a young boy named Liko entered the ocean to outwit the lizard. Kaikapu attacked him, but Liko thrust a sharp stick into her mouth, swam under the lava shelf, and escaped through a small hole to the surface. 

 

The moo followed Liko and got stuck in the lava tube. To this day, you can hear the lizard’s roar and see her breath spraying from the blowhole.

 We continued along the coast to the
Hanapepe Valley Overlook. 

Hanapepe is famous for its swing bridge.

It truly swings!

Talk Story is "the western most
independent bookstore of
the United States."

What's your favorite bookstore in your home town or even online?  One randomly selected commenter from this week's blogs wins a book choice from my convention stash.  This giveaway is open to all readers. Comments are open through Saturday, July 14, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 15.


Mahalo,


Kim in Hawaii

I love this truck - turned - planter!