17 August 2013 Kauai

We docked in Kauai this morning.  Our tour was not meeting until 11.00 so we had the morning to ourselves. 

Kauai is geologically the oldest of the Hawaiian islands.  It is over 6 million years old.    It is the fourth largest island, situated 105 miles across the Kauai Channel, northwest of Oahu.  It was founded long before Captain James Cook descended upon the region in 1778.  Legend says that the Menehune, an ancient race of Kauians first settled hundreds of years before Cook arrived. 

Our tour took us to Waimea Canyon.  This a natural wonder and the stunning vistas go on for miles, one can see out to the ocean,  the colours of the canyon look like it has been coloured in with crayons, it certainly lives up to its nickname “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” Mark Twain called it that.  The depth of the canyon is 3,567 foot deep and 12 miles long. This was a reasonable distance which meant we saw all manner of lovely scenery and beautiful beaches etc.  Again lots of different people did many different things, waterfalls, some people took helicopter flights, some took flights, people do all manner of different tours.  In 1992 they had a hurricane which wiped out 3/4 s of the island.  Prior to this they grew sugarcane and pineapples, there were pineapple canneries etc., after the hurricane for various reasons the canneries closed etc so no sugarcane or pineapples are grown now, our guide said it was for various reasons, labour costs, etc. etc.  There were also two dairy farms on the island but that was wiped out also, everything is expensive as it all has to be shipped in.  They do have cattle but the people of the island cannot afford to eat the cattle on the island, way way too expensive.  The only thing they grow now is coffee and it is premium coffee. They also grow corn for human consumption and cattle feed.

Hollywood has had a love affair with the Na Pali coastline of Kauai.  Blue Hawaii, Six Days Seven Nights, Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Descendents, South Pacific and Donovan’s Reef all having used Kauai as a location.  The Descendants with the lovely George Clooney is based on the story of the Robinson Family who own 3/4s of the island, they also own a little island, where there are only 200 inhabitants (all pure Hawaiian), once they leave the island they are not permitted to go back, the children do come across on Sunday eve and return Friday eve they board and go to school on Kauai.

A very beautiful place and of course you only get a glimpse in a very short day, one thing about cruising you see lots of different places and only for a short time, but it does give you a chance to say “Yes” I would love to come back or “No” maybe not, you have not wasted an entire holiday on somewhere not divine.  Anyway that is what I always feel.  Very eco friendly place, no building is allowed to be built higher than a Palm Tree.

Next stop is Pago Pago in American Samoa, once we cross the Equator and return to the Southern Hemisphere.

Lots of love Sabine and Sam  -  I am hoping to get a position as a travel writer on my return I am sure I will be headhunted by some lovely magazine.  XXXX

PS we have been blessed with the weather in our last few stops where there is generally high rainfall.  On our day in Costa Rica we were told that usually it starts to rain heavily around 8am and continue all day and that we needed a raincoat, which of course we did not have.  Well that day it was dry all day.  Also in the Hawaiian islands it remained clear each day, so we were very lucky.  Also along the Panama Canal it had rained all day the day before, but it was clear all day for us.