Kaua'i Part 4: Lighthouse and Kaua'i Coffee...

Some other pictures from Kaua'i might pop up on my blog but the is my last dedicated post about Kaua'i.  This post has pictures from lookouts, the Kaua'i Coffee Company and a lighthouse.

First up are the overlook pictures.  The first two are from an overlook near the north shore.  The third picture is from an overlook near the south shore. 

I was exploring the island one day I was there and I passed a sign saying Kaua'i Coffee Company was down this side street.  In Hawaii, I always stop at Coffee companies, because a coffee company is synonomous with free coffee samples.  Who wouldn't want samples of some of the world's best coffee companies?

Left: Old fashioned coffee mill                 //         Right: Old fashioned coffee roaster

Coffee beans.  What?  Did you think they were brown or black in color?  Not until they are harvested and then roasted.

Coffee Trees

Lastly, I went to visit a lighthouse.  At first it looked odd, almost like it had a big extermination tent around it (you see a lot of those tents living in Hawai'i).  Turns out it was being reconditioned and had a protective tent around it during remodeling.  

A picture of the planned restoration back to the 1913 condition. 

Kaua'i Part 3: Helicopter Ride...

In an earlier post I mentioned a helicopter ride around Kaua'i.  Here are the pictures!  Locals around Hawai'i say that if you had to pick one island to tour via helicopter, then Kaua'i is it.

Pumped and ready!

Kaua'i is small enough to see the whole island in one tour, and the island is drastically diverse.  Kaua'i has almost desert like areas, but then only a few miles away is world's wettest place: Mt. Wai'ale'ale with an average rainfall of 472 inches per year (that would be 39 feet of rain!).  The rainfall in the mountains makes for thousands of waterfalls.  The helicopter ride was awesome, and luckily, the vog was down a bit.  I apologize for some photos with reflections, but taking pictures from inside a helicopter is slightly challenging.  I included captions in some of the photos.  Mahalo for visiting!

Up, up and away I go.

A river snakes it's way along the island.  Ocean in the distance.

I easily saw a hundred waterfalls.  Here are a few.

Some more waterfalls deep in the extinct volcano's crevices. 

Left: Riding along the deep vally    //    Right: heading up into the cloud

Waimea Canyon 

Popping out over the Na Pali Coast Line

Here is a huge rock overhang (there is a beach walkway through the rock between the two small beaches). This area is now famous since Johnny Depp walked though it for one of the Pirates of the Caribbean Movies (I'm not sure which one), but that scene was shot here.  The Helicopter company I was flying with actually transported the crew/actors to the site.

Na Pali coast.

Na Pali coast.

Finally!  Good lighting for the first time!  The sun is behind me and the choper is blocking most of the glare, I can finally get a good picture! 

Na Pali coast.

Here is the Kalalau Trail.  You can see the trail cut horizontally into the hillside.  This was the trail I was backpacking in a previous blog.  

Still Na Pali Coast.

Leaving the Na Pali coast now.

Kaua'i Part 1: Caves and Canyons

Well, you recently read about the Tsunami warning on a previous blog post.  I mentioned then, that I had a bunch of pictures from my trip, so this is the lead Kaua'i posting: Canyons and caves!

First is canyons: I arrived on the island early in the morning, and for the first couple of hours I went to visit Waimea Canyon before hitting the trail to go backpacking.  People say the canyons on Kaua'i are like a smaller Grand Canyon, but very lush with more "greenery."  Unfortunately, the vog (volcanic fog) was being really annoying so the pictures are not the clearest.

The vog was really bad at this lookout point.

Kalalau Lookout

mmm...found some fresh coconut at one of the lookout spots.

After the canyons, I drove down and around the island to get to the northern coast to start my backpacking wilderness adventure, but on the way were several caves.  One was dry while two had water in them.  I didn't let the water, nor the flesh eating bacteria warning signs, keep me out.  Whew, the water was cold!  I climbed down into a hole/cave in hopes to see the blue room.  It's supposed to be room within the cave where the water is an irridescent blue with the light filtering in.  It was creepy swimming into a dark cave with barely enough room for your head.  Unfortunately, it was bust.  I don't think there was enough light coming in, but the water was still a neat blue color.

Cave 1 (wet cave) 

Cave 2 (dry cave)

On the edge of the dry cave looking in.

In the dry cave.

Looking back out of the cave.

Hummm....gald I didn't get a case of the Lepto.

Found the hidden 3rd cave back in the woods where the blue room is. 

Time to climb in and swim to the blue room.

Mahalo for visiting!