Kauai Day 1 (Waimea Canyon)

Thursday, March 24

Nawiliwili Harbor, Kauai - 10 am, Thursday, March 24 - 2 pm, Friday, March 25

Originally when we booked our cruise, the Pride of America was scheduled to dock in Nawiliwili Harbor, Kauai at 8 am in the morning. Back in July, the schedule for all future cruises was switched to a 10 am arrival time. I crossed my fingers and hoped that this would be a temporary change, but it wasn't...and we lost two of our precious hours in Kauai.

But...on the bright side...it gave us a chance to sleep a little longer and move a little slower in the morning. Hence...no sunrise photos for the day! By the time the POA approached the island of Kauai, we had finished breakfast and had filled the backpack with supplies for our day (mostly a few lunch items taken from the breakfast buffet.)

One thing that I thought was strange on this cruise was that the informational talks for any given port were given on the morning that we would be docking there. Not sure why they weren't done ahead of time so passengers that were undecided could make plans and sign up for tours prior to arriving.

It was a short distance from Nawiliwili Harbor to get to the Alamo car rental agency at the airport in Lihue. For a little less than $39 (including taxes), our one-day car rental was a cheap and independent way to see the island. Splitting the cost between two couples made it even better!

A friend of Laurel's had told her about a fabric shop that sold purses sewn from Hawaiian fabrics and Laurel wanted to make that our first stop of the day. Anyone looking to make a Hawaiian quilt would love this store (Kapaia Stitchery)...lots of brightly colored Hawaiian fabrics. Laurel wasn't able to find a purse in the colors she was looking for so we didn't stay too long (and I can't say that the guys were very excited about being there anyway!)

Before hitting the road to our planned destinations, Laurel asked to make one more stop at Wal-Mart. She was getting a cold and wanted to grab some meds. Besides the usual stuff, the store also carried some souvenirs and Hawaiian clothing.

Once we left Walmart, it was only about five miles to get to our first stop...Wailua Falls. By late morning, the parking lot at the falls was packed and folks were getting a little "creative" with their parking spaces. We had a smaller car and were able to snag a spot at the far end of the lot as another car pulled out.

Most people will recognize Wailua Falls from the opening sequence on the old TV show "Fantasy Island". The overlook for the falls was located right at the parking lot which made for a short...but beautiful...stop.

"The plane, the plane!"

With only one day to explore, it meant prioritizing and picking between our top two choices...going north to see the area around Princeville (which sounds absolutely beautiful) or traveling west to see Waimea Canyon which is referred to as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." The latter is what we chose because it is so unique to Kauai.

As the highway turned north towards the canyon, we stopped at a small craft fair in the town of Waimea. There were only a few booths, but one had exactly the type of purse that Laurel had been looking for!

Laurel's Hawaiian purse.

Our first good look at the canyon was a stop just along the road. Even with the hazy conditions, the views of Waimea Canyon were breathtaking.

Waipoo Falls

Zoomed in view of the falls.

The many colors of the canyon.

The official Waimea Canyon Lookout had a very large parking area and a short, paved path that lead out to the two-level viewing area. The expansive views were awesome...but it was VERY windy standing on the edge of the canyon.

Many helicopters were buzzing through the canyon.

People hiking on ridge across from lookout.

Bob and Kent were not content to just look at the canyon...they wanted to "experience it" and so they took the Canyon Trail which lead to the ridge in the previous photo. Laurel and I started down the trail a short ways and then turned around...it was very steep and the roots on the muddy path made walking tricky.

Once the guys reached the ridge above the falls, they called to let us know they were there. With the zoom on my camera, I was able to spot them (their bright colored shirts helped!)

The ridge where the guys hiked to.

Zooming in a little...

...a little more...

...and there they are!

On their way back...

The sign said the round trip hike would take from 2 to 3 hours, but Bob & Kent finished in about 1 1/2 hours...not bad for a couple of 60 year-olds! Laurel and I just waited at the lookout area and used the time to make a few phone calls home (although the cell service was a bit spotty.)

Back safe and sound from the hike, "Birdman Bob" spent some time with the wild chickens and very vocal roosters.

Leaving the Canyon Lookout, the road heads north to Kokee State Park and dead ends at Kalalau Lookout. This part of the island is a rain forest and from this vantage point you can look over the majestic spires of the NaPali Coast.

Since the hundreds of photos we had taken just weren't enough, we made a couple more stops as we headed back south. A few breaks in the clouds gave us brief spots of sunlight shining on the canyon walls.

Multi-colored flowers on one plant.

Driving down towards the town of Waimea.

The normal worry about getting back to the ship on time was not an issue this day since the POA was staying docked overnight in Kauai. After dropping off the car and taking the shuttle back to the ship, Bob had a little "issue" as we were going through security. He had filled an empty peanut jar with some of the red dirt from around Waimea Canyon and was hoping to bring it home. (Bob makes pottery and thought he could use the dirt in the process.) He didn't try and hide the jar and the security personel took it away from him. Apparently taking dirt is not allowed.

I "think" we must have had dinner in the buffet that evening. Meals definitely took a back seat to touring while we were in Hawaii. The Daily Freestyle shows that the evening entertainment consisted of a comedy show with Chris Alpine and a crew talent show...neither of which we attended. Have I mentioned how much I appreciated having the four sea days to be able to really enjoy the ship activities before we had the busy port days in Hawaii?

The next day would be the final full day of the cruise and we were looking forward to seeing Kauai by air. That night we went to bed and had the strange sensation of sleeping on a ship...but feeling no movement!