Kauai Helicopter Tour and 'Anini Beach
Early this morning, we set off for a 8:00 departure on Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours. We chose a morning flight, because the chances for weather related cancellations were minimal. (It seems the winds pick up here in the afternoon, and it would suck to have your tour canceled.)
Arriving at the check-in office, we were given the mandatory safety briefing, weighed, and given seat assignments inside the bird. We were then shuttled out to the airport, where we were seated in front of the helipads awaiting our rides.
Soon, the three blue helicopters came in, one by one. We were loaded onto our bird, and very quickly on our way!
We headed west into the heart of the island to see the large waterfall from Jurassic Park. Then, we went up to Waimea and into Waimea Canyon, then out west to the Barking Sands Navy Base and the Na Pali coast (Na Pali means cliffs in Hawaiian). Our pilot took us in and out of several steep valleys along the inaccessible coast, and it was very amusing watching her warning system light up bright red each time we entered one of these steep cliff-walled valleys.
Some of the places we visited were so remote, the only way to see them is by helicopter--not even hiking trails penetrate into the heart of Kauai.
We circled next down to Hanalei Bay and Princeville, before heading back into Lihue airport.
After our flight, we were very hungry, so we stopped in at the Ono Family Restaurant in Kapa'a. Oh. My. Gosh. Delicious!! Eggs Florentine with Hollandaise, Ono burrito with hash browns, tropical pancakes, and Chinese sausage. (Yes, Sharon, I took my Lipitor and Prilosec, thankyouverymuch.) The Ono Family Restaurant has the absolute BEST breakfast on the island!
Later in the day, we packed a picnic lunch, rejoining Nana and Grandpa, and spent the afternoon building sand castles on 'Anini Beach. It was still quite breezy, so we opted to jump in the hot-tub after the beach, both to wash off the salt, but also to rewarm our bones after the cold swim in the Pacific.
Tonight, we're taking in pizza and probably chill out with a few games of Yahtzee and Scrabble, borrowed from the rec-room at the resort office.
