Kauai

30^thSeptember 2019

It was only a short trip to Kauai and we came into port at around 7.30am. It is a very tight entrance to the cruise terminal and it is amazing how these big ships seem to edge their way into such tight spaces with apparent ease.

Passing the entrance to Nawiliwili Harbour

It is going to take a bit of twisting and turning to get into that berth (near to the low building)

This morning we are booked on a shore excursion to Waimea Canyon, Wailua River and Fern Grotto. It is pretty much a full day tour and we should get a good look at Kauai along the way.

Scheduled to leave at around 8 am, we were on the bus and on our way by 8.30am. There were a few stuff ups on Oahu where some people ended up on the wrong tours, so a bit of extra time was taken this morning to ensure everyone had the right stickers for the tour they were supposed to be on.

Tourist Shuttles appear from nowhere looking for shoppers money

Our tour bus is very modern/new and we have an excellent driver/your guide, so things are looking up for us today. Having been on the bus for a bit over an hour, we have a comfort stop at Hanapepe, where a conveniently located souvenir store with toilets is located. Ample time is given for all to part with their USD and go to the loo before we turn off onto the road to Waimea Canyon. It is a steep climb for around 45 minutes, eventually arriving at the Lookout which is 3,400ft above sea level.

The highlight of our comfort stop was this unusual plant

We were soon to learn we would see a lot more of these

Along the way we see a lot of the countryside and are amazed that there is very little productive use of the very fertile soil and high rainfall. The sugar industry died in the 1980’s unable to remain competitive, a number of other crops have been tried, but the only thing that is of a commercial scale is coffee. There is a large plantation (the largest in North America) with 5 million coffee trees planted.

A small papaya plantation

There is little evidence of livestock on any sort of scale and most of the arable land is covered in very tall and vigorous Buffalo Grass, for which there is no use.

One very noticeable thing about Kauai is that there are roosters and hens running wild all over the island. At every tourist spot, the roosters have become expert scavengers faithfully following tourists around the food outlets looking for that elusive scrap or crumb that may be inadvertently dropped.

Whilst we had caught glimpses of Waimea Canyon on the winding drive up to the lookout, nothing prepared us for the view when we arrived there. It was certainly worth the trip.

Local story teller

Rain coming

After an adequate time to take in the view and a brief patch of rain, it was back in the bus and on our way back down the hill to the next highlight of our tour, the Spouting Horn. Located back on the coastline in a resort area, and not far from our planned lunch stop, this is a blowhole that makes a distinctive horn like noise as air is pushed into the blowhole followed by a spout of water.

The chooks really lead a good life here

Driving back through the resort, we arrive at our lunch spot.

A local café, obviously well experienced in bus tours, did an excellent job. It was buffet style food with a good selection of fish, chicken or apork dish with rice and salad. We were fed and seated very efficiently and the food and venue exceeded all of our expectations.

It is now just before 2pm and we have one last place to visit before returning to the ship. Our final highlight is a boat trip up the Wailua River to see a fern grotto. 

At 2.30pm, we arrived at the cruise centre (Smiths Boats), and 3 busloads managed to get loaded on one boat before we headed out from the marina, for a trip up the river to the grotto. Entertainment was provided by a Hawaiian Band, with hula dance demonstrations and lessons !!!!! The trip back was not quite as lively, with commentary from the host on the history of the company behind the cruises, riveting stuff. We managed to stay awake.

After about 15 minutes motoring up river we arrived at the departure point to take a short walk along a well constructed path that took us to the fern grotto. It is quite a spectacular sight and we managed to get a few photos taken before the heavens opened. We sought cover, but many could not resist the entertainment which involved a singing of the Hawaiian Wedding Song in the pouring rain and kissing all of you neighbours.

Our driver delivered us back to our ship exactly on time at 4.30pm. It was a good day out and despite some of the dated entertainment, we saw a lot of the countryside and we lucky enough to have great guide who gave us a lot of insights into life on Kauai which helped make the hours in the bus pass quickly.

Just as we were about to leave port, a big squall came through, so our departure was delayed by around 30 mins until it passed. The exit is too tight to leave in any adverse conditions.

Squall coming (see the winding path out of the harbour)