We used Inter-Island Air whose claim to fame was no doors on their Hughes Helicopters. Jane was terrified.
We started at Hanapepe's Port Allen Airport and proceeded roughly counter-clockwise around Kauai.
Soon we arrived at the Waimea Canyon, what Mark Twain called the Grand Canyon on the Pacific.
Below is the Waimea River. Like the other valleys in Kauai, the Waimea Canyon has been sliced up by rain-gorged streams...
... but unlike the other valleys, Waimea Canyon was formed by a massive collapse of one of the shield volcanoes that created Kauai. The canyon is about 10 miles long and up to 3000' deep.
Note the waterfall poking between these barren basalt cliffs.
Next visit, we hope to explore the Waimea Canyon on foot. I doubt that we will get to this spot though.
The east (foreground) and west (background) sides of the canyon contain different types of lava as is explained at the Yale site: http://earth.geology.yale.edu/~reiners/tour/wc.html
Later lava flows from the east pushed up against the wall - only to be cut back into cliffs by later water activity.
To see pictures taken on foot, come back in a few years...or try this site from avid backpackers: http://www.waialeale.org/text/poomau_waialae.html
Like many Kauai'an bodies of water, the Waimea River changes names frequently.
My geography is not that accurate but I think after Waimea Canyon, we headed towards Kōkeʻe State Park in the Northwest corner of Kauai.
At some point, the Kōkeʻe State Park flows into the Na Pali coast.
Some geologists speculate that the dramatic cliffs of the Na Pali coast were created by a giant landslide. Details at: http://earth.geology.yale.edu/~reiners/tour/np.html
The coastal waters contain a lot of debris that could have come from such a landslide...
But another explanation is that the action of the waves undermining the cliffs would cause further collapse into the sea.
No matter what the cause, the effect is stunning.
We were lucky enough to see the coast on foot, by water, and by air. Start with our Hawaii index at: http://www. dickschmitt.com/travels/Hawaii/index.html
The Na Pali Coast contains several river valleys which were farmed by the native Hawaiians. When it became a state park, folks had to move out. (However, squatters remain). Note the different water color due to the coral accumulations at different depths.
Check out the water patterns here with obvious signs of civilization.
In August we have beaches --- I wouldn't count on them being there during the winter surf, though.
Here's a populated river valley (and beach) along the North Coast. This may be the town of Hanalei on Hanalei Bay.
Some obvious signs of agriculture.
Here's Princeville on the North Shore of Kauai and on the east shore of Hanalei Bay. Our condo was among the low rise buildings on the right. The light green is one of Hawaii's best golf courses.
You don't want to know where the person taking this picture was standing!
This may be a portion of the Hanalei Valley, a long rain forest.
This may be the background for Jurassic Park.
We are on our way to Wai'ale'ale crater, the 2nd wettest spot in the world with 450" or so of rain a year.
Check out our other travel eGuides at: http://www.dickschmitt.com/travels.htm
Then its back to the central highlands as we return to the Port Allen airport on the south side of Kauai.
