Indeed, we really enjoy helicopter rides…. They are cool and they bring you places you can’t get to otherwise. And they fly next to rainbows………..
By the time we got to the heliport, a full rainbow was a sign of good things to come.
The weather in Kaui consists of many microclimates. The top of the mountain, at 5243 feet, is almost always in the rain, and almost never visible (indeed, we did not see it, our guide says it is only clear about 10 days per year). So the valleys that are fed by all that rain are extremely lush and green, and waterfalls come out of every cliff.
But then, in the areas on the other side of the mountain, there is hardly any rain, and you get to see the “Grand Canyon of Hawaii”, with its dry slopes.
That is also a good way to see the many layers of lava that have accumulated for a couple millions of years, before the volcano went extinct.
The most dramatic, and probably most photographed, area of Kaui is the west coast, with its dramatic cliffs, that are at some point over 3000 feet high.
The colors, shear magnitude, and carvings made by the sea are spectacular, and hard to convey in just a couple of pictures.
We then flew over the north coast, where all the fancy people live - that’s where Zuckerberg has his estate, with it’s large underground bunker…..
It is pretty, but then again, all of Kaui is pretty….
On the way back, we flew over the agricultural area: coffee and cattle ranching have replaced sugar canes in the last 20 years. (This is a coffee plantation).
We are on the South shore, and the beach is quite spectacular: it is a little cove surrounded by sea carved lava cliffs.
So after our helicopter rides, I walked to the east side, which is very rugged, and provides a great view of the surf and the magnificent power of the ocean. There are some house built right on top. It must be very beautiful, and very noisy up there, because that surf was pounding!!!
In the pools left by the waves, you can find many of these tiny shells: these are used by the native population to make traditional necklaces that are sold for more than $10,000 these days….. (It takes many shells….)
On the west side of the beach, the cliffs have a different texture (I don’t know why). The water is very clear and I saw several large turtles swimming in the surf. They did not seem to mind the big waves at all. It was up bit windy up there…..
The waves are great for dramatic landscapes, and for surfing, but I got quite tossed around when trying to get in for a dip…. (The amount of sand that came out of my hair and bathing suit when I hit the shower was impressive!)
So I gave up and instead went in the hotel “lagoon” to recuperate with some “liquid aloha”…..The lagoon is man made but sea water fed and very pleasant. The hotel has MANY water features, including a bunch of pools, a lazy river, waterfalls, koy pounds, water slides…. It is honestly a bit decadent, bordering on the ostentatious, but, i will not lie, it is also very pleasant. So after my toss in the ocean, I sat with Joe by the lagoon - me with a margarita, he with a mai tai, and just enjoyed it. (More pictures of pools and water features at end of blog).
There are of course many birds on the property: the egrets stalk the tourists and follow them around, begging for food. previously.
I think this is a golden plover - which I had not seen previously.
There are also large parrots in the atrium (these are real)…. As I said,,, a bit ostentatious, but nice.
I went to the beach near sunset hoping to see some turtles coming in for the night
I did not 
But the light was lovely..
We then had a great dinner with some of our traveling companions and are now ready for bed for another early morning start off to Maui!
Here are more pictures of all the water stuff at the hotel.
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