| HAWAII - KAUA'I JANUARY 2009 |
Jan 4, 2009 Our flight to Kaua'i reminded us of the way air travel used to be.
Check in and security at the Honolulu Airport was actually friendly and efficient, the flight
was on time, our baggage beat us to the carousel, and our rental car was ready
for us! From the time we landed until we were in the car and on our way to our
condo at Lawa'i Beach took less than 10 minutes. This is the view from our balcony.
Jan 6, 2009 We have been orienting ourselves and getting settled into the condo we have rented
until early February. We were disappointed to find out the package we sent to the condo containing
books, shoes, and other things we didn't want to lug along on the plane would not arrive in 12 days as
we were promised, but in 4 to 6 weeks. Apparently the US Postal Service on the Mainland is unaware
that Hawaii is an island chain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, at least that is what they told us at the
local post office this morning. Can't believe we keep turning more and more of our country over to the
government!
Jan 9, 2009 As first time visitors to Kaua'i we are amazed by the chickens roaming
the island. There are a number of theories on how this happened, and why Kaua'i is
unique in this regard. I need to investigate! It has also dawned on us that almost all
of the other tourists we have met here are for the most part from the West Coast,
stretching from Alaska, south through Canada, Washington, Oregon and California. We
have not seen any Japanese which is in stark contrast to Waikiki, where the majority of
tourists were Japanese. The island is beautiful, lush, and very clean. The poke here is
outstanding!
Jan 10, 2009 Our mornings have fallen into a routine. We start out with a walk along
the shore to Spouting Horn where wave action forces water up through an opening in
the lava. There is a photo in my gallery Then we have breakfast on our balcony and watch
for whales a short distance off the beach. They have been breaching, but I have yet to
get a photo of that.
Jan 12, 2009 Our first week on Kauai went by too fast, so we decided we better get on with the sight
seeing. On Sunday we visited the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge where Laysan Albatross were
nesting. We also saw lots of Hawaiian Geese (nene) and red-footed boobies. Today we drove the
Waimea Canyon road to view the spectacular canyon with several waterfalls.
Jan 13, 2009 I photographed this Pacific Golden Plover a short distance from where
we are staying. It is 12 inches long with a wingspan of about 24 inches. About the end
of April it will fly nonstop to the Alaskan Arctic Tundra, a distance of 2200 miles in about
48 hours! It will return here next August. Any offspring it produces will arrive about a
month later.
Jan 15, 2009 We spent most of yesterday on the north shore watching whales off
Kilauea Point, as well as the bird life. It was a beautiful day and an artist was on hand
to paint the landscape. Today the winds picked up as a front is moving through and the
forecast for tomorrow is for high winds and rain - but warm!
Jan 19, 2009 There are a number of waterfalls on Kauai. This one is called
Wailua Falls. In addition to being a beautiful waterfall there were a number of
white-tailed tropic birds soaring in the canyon and I was able to add another photo
to my "life list" of bird photos.
Jan 21, 2009 Kauai is called the Garden Island because the amount of rainfall it receives keeps it
very green and lush. It has only rained in the wee hours of the morning, and we have had dry days for
the most part. Mt Kawaikini is one of the rainiest spots on the earth receiving on average 460 inches of
rain per year. The record high was in 1982 with 683 inches of rain. It is the source of water for the
seven major rivers on Kauai. We are staying on the south end of Kauai, which is the drier part of the
island. Many days the sun has been shining here when it has been raining on top of Mt Kawaikini.
Jan 25, 2009 This Hawaiian Monk Seal decided to spend the day basking on the
small beach across the road from the condo we are staying at. These seals are found
only among the northern Hawaiian Islands, Kauai being about the southern most part of
their range. They are endangered and only about 1200 are in existence. This one looked
to be about 6 or 7 feet long and probably weighs on the order of 300 to 400 lbs.
Jan 31, 2009 Yikes - Almost February and on Tuesday we continue on to the Big Island of Hawaii.
Kauai has been a great place to kick back and relax, which is pretty much what we have been doing. We
have walked for exercise most mornings and visited the spa pool at the Lawaii Beach Resort we are
staying at a couple of times a day. We have ventured out on a few trips around the Island, but have not
been very adventuresome and have yet to swim or snorkel in the ocean. We have eaten out a couple
of nights per week, but have really enjoyed the fresh fish available at the local markets which Eleanor
has prepared in our unit. We rented our unit at the Lawaii Beach Resort through the Parrish Collection.
They have been wonderful to deal with and very attentive to our needs. If you should decide to visit
the Poipu area of Kauai and want to rent a condo or home, instead of staying at a hotel, we recommend
you at least look at their web site.
Check in and security at the Honolulu Airport was actually friendly and efficient, the flight
was on time, our baggage beat us to the carousel, and our rental car was ready
for us! From the time we landed until we were in the car and on our way to our
condo at Lawa'i Beach took less than 10 minutes. This is the view from our balcony.
Jan 6, 2009 We have been orienting ourselves and getting settled into the condo we have rented
until early February. We were disappointed to find out the package we sent to the condo containing
books, shoes, and other things we didn't want to lug along on the plane would not arrive in 12 days as
we were promised, but in 4 to 6 weeks. Apparently the US Postal Service on the Mainland is unaware
that Hawaii is an island chain in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, at least that is what they told us at the
local post office this morning. Can't believe we keep turning more and more of our country over to the
government!
Jan 9, 2009 As first time visitors to Kaua'i we are amazed by the chickens roaming
the island. There are a number of theories on how this happened, and why Kaua'i is
unique in this regard. I need to investigate! It has also dawned on us that almost all
of the other tourists we have met here are for the most part from the West Coast,
stretching from Alaska, south through Canada, Washington, Oregon and California. We
have not seen any Japanese which is in stark contrast to Waikiki, where the majority of
tourists were Japanese. The island is beautiful, lush, and very clean. The poke here is
outstanding!
Jan 10, 2009 Our mornings have fallen into a routine. We start out with a walk along
the shore to Spouting Horn where wave action forces water up through an opening in
the lava. There is a photo in my gallery Then we have breakfast on our balcony and watch
for whales a short distance off the beach. They have been breaching, but I have yet to
get a photo of that.
Jan 12, 2009 Our first week on Kauai went by too fast, so we decided we better get on with the sight
seeing. On Sunday we visited the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge where Laysan Albatross were
nesting. We also saw lots of Hawaiian Geese (nene) and red-footed boobies. Today we drove the
Waimea Canyon road to view the spectacular canyon with several waterfalls.
Jan 13, 2009 I photographed this Pacific Golden Plover a short distance from where
we are staying. It is 12 inches long with a wingspan of about 24 inches. About the end
of April it will fly nonstop to the Alaskan Arctic Tundra, a distance of 2200 miles in about
48 hours! It will return here next August. Any offspring it produces will arrive about a
month later.
Jan 15, 2009 We spent most of yesterday on the north shore watching whales off
Kilauea Point, as well as the bird life. It was a beautiful day and an artist was on hand
to paint the landscape. Today the winds picked up as a front is moving through and the
forecast for tomorrow is for high winds and rain - but warm!
Jan 19, 2009 There are a number of waterfalls on Kauai. This one is called
Wailua Falls. In addition to being a beautiful waterfall there were a number of
white-tailed tropic birds soaring in the canyon and I was able to add another photo
to my "life list" of bird photos.
Jan 21, 2009 Kauai is called the Garden Island because the amount of rainfall it receives keeps it
very green and lush. It has only rained in the wee hours of the morning, and we have had dry days for
the most part. Mt Kawaikini is one of the rainiest spots on the earth receiving on average 460 inches of
rain per year. The record high was in 1982 with 683 inches of rain. It is the source of water for the
seven major rivers on Kauai. We are staying on the south end of Kauai, which is the drier part of the
island. Many days the sun has been shining here when it has been raining on top of Mt Kawaikini.
Jan 25, 2009 This Hawaiian Monk Seal decided to spend the day basking on the
small beach across the road from the condo we are staying at. These seals are found
only among the northern Hawaiian Islands, Kauai being about the southern most part of
their range. They are endangered and only about 1200 are in existence. This one looked
to be about 6 or 7 feet long and probably weighs on the order of 300 to 400 lbs.
Jan 31, 2009 Yikes - Almost February and on Tuesday we continue on to the Big Island of Hawaii.
Kauai has been a great place to kick back and relax, which is pretty much what we have been doing. We
have walked for exercise most mornings and visited the spa pool at the Lawaii Beach Resort we are
staying at a couple of times a day. We have ventured out on a few trips around the Island, but have not
been very adventuresome and have yet to swim or snorkel in the ocean. We have eaten out a couple
of nights per week, but have really enjoyed the fresh fish available at the local markets which Eleanor
has prepared in our unit. We rented our unit at the Lawaii Beach Resort through the Parrish Collection.
They have been wonderful to deal with and very attentive to our needs. If you should decide to visit
the Poipu area of Kauai and want to rent a condo or home, instead of staying at a hotel, we recommend
you at least look at their web site.
