Aloha to Kauai (and H50 Season 4 Premiere)

Hawaii Five O (H5O) returned on Friday night for its Season Four Premiere.  In celebration of Hawaii, I share pictures from Linda, who recently visited Kauai.  Linda gives us a tour ...

Since it seems there is rain someplace on the island a lot of the time, there are always rainbows.

Spouting Horn near Poipu on the south end of the island.

Poipu Beach...popular for snorkeling and sea turtles.

Red dirt making red water on the island....on the road to Waimea Canyon.

Waimea Canyon.

Jo Jo's Shave Ice in Waimea....directly across the street from Waimea High School. A must have is shave ice when visiting there.

The Na Pali Coast as seen from the Kalalau.....you can't drive into the Na Pali Coast as there are no roads. Helicopters and boat rides are popular for seeing it, along with hiking the Kalalau Trail into it.

Another view of the Na Pali coast as seen from the Waimea Canyon area from the Kalalau Lookout.

And one more view of Na Pali from the Pu'u O Kila Lookou.

Queen's Bath near Princeville. Snorkeling is only safe at low tide. At high tide waves will crash into the bath and could easily sweep you out to sea.

Hanalei Valley.

The Wailua River..... people kayak on it and boats take visitors to the Fern Grotto attraction via the river.

Wailua Falls.....These were seen at the beginning of the show "Fantasy Island" back in the 1980's.

Snorkel gear can be rented by the day or week for really cheap at Boss Frog's. (Also probably at Snorkel Bob's too).

Beautiful Anini Beach. 

Kilauea Lighthouse and bird sanctuary.

Nene (Hawaiian Goose) that we saw at the lighthouse. We saw several of them here.

Grilled Banana.....I am not adventurous when it comes to eating new things, so it took me a while to take a bite out of it. It was delicious!

Mahalo, Linda, for sharing your gorgeous photos! 

Hawaiian Sunrise

Aloha to Kaua'i - Coconut Coast and Kukui Heiau

After exploring the Wailua River, we retreated to our condo at an Outrigger Resort near the "Coconut Coast".  The Coconut Coast is so named for the coconut trees planted by William Lindeman in 1896.  

He intended to harvest the coconut oil, but it was too costly to produce.  The trees gave way to another industry - tourism.

The grove served as the backdrop
for Elvis' BLUE HAWAII. 

The beach cove in front of our condo.

Looking back to the Wailua River.

The condo property is home to the Kukui Heiau (temple).   From the Outrigger Website,

The Kukui Heiau, which measures about 70 feet by 230 feet, is located on a point called Lae Ala Kukui on the grounds of Lae nani. It is believed that ancient Hawaiians used Kukui Heiau in a navigational capacity. By burning oil from kukui nuts in large stone lamps, signal fires were created to guide canoes voyaging between islands to the safety of Wailua.

Do you have a favorite "oldie" movie, such as BLUE HAWAII?  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 7, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 8.


Mahalo,


Kim in Hawaii

Elvis in BLUE HAWAII

Aloha to Kaua'i - the Wailua River

Last Wednesday, my family flew to Kaua'i for a mini vacation.  

Kaua'i receives the most rain among the Hawaiian islands, creating the lush tropical setting for movies such as PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, AVATAR, JURASSIC, PARK, SOUTH PACIFIC, even Elvis' BLUE HAWAII. The rain flows from the sacred volcano, Waiʻaleʻale, creating the Wailua River.  

The falls are 173 feet tall.

The Wailua Falls opened 
FANTASY ISLAND.

We took Smith's River Cruise
to the famed Fern Grotto.

From Smith's website (at this link),

The Fern Grotto is a geological wonder of Kauai. Ferns grow upside down from the roof of the grotto, which was formed millions of years ago. Native Hawaiian plants and colorful exotic tropical plants provide a rain-forest atmosphere.

The grotto is a natural amphitheater.

Do you have a favorite natural wonder?  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 7, 10 pm in Hawaii. I'll post the winner on Sunday, July 8.


Mahalo,


Kim in Hawaii

Uncle starred alongside
Elvis in BLUE HAWAII.