Kauai, Hawaii
Day 6 - In the Air


Day 6 was our day to finally take to the air and see Kauai from above. We took a 1 hour helicopter flight through Air Kauai. It was really good although the less drowsy dramamine doesn't work as well. If you tend to get motion sickness, DEFINITELY take something beforehand. The motion of the copter is not something you'll likely have experienced before, and it made most of us slightly queasy. If you plan on taking photographs, take a helicopter where the windows open, or there is even one company that flies with the doors off. Don't worry, you're strapped in well. If you end up on a flight where the windows don't open, wear dark clothes. You'll probably be hot, but it will reduce the glare. If nothing else, wear a solid color.

Our helicopter tour was in the morning. After that we tried to go snorkeling, but the place we chose was just not suited for snorkeling. We tried to go back to the good shave ice place, but it was closed. Ack. It was an afternoon of failed endeavors. For the evening, we met up with Matt and went to a luau which was interesting. We tried poi (tastes like paste, but hey, it's purple) and I didn't bring my camera so I have no pictures of the fire dancers. Fortunately, Scott got some good ones.

Take a look at the map if you want to see where I'm talking about.

	This is where we all met. We were with another party of 3, the helicopter seats 6. We were in a brand new helicopter with air conditioning, I guess this isn't usual. The front seats are by far the best, but where you sit is determined by weight.
Soon after we took off (it's so weird going STRAIGHT UP!) we headed south towards Poipu. The helicopters go around the island counter clockwise by agreement. The large hotel is the Hyatt. Not a bad view!
	This is our first real view of the interior of Kauai. As you can see, most of the land is used for agricultural purposes or just around being scenic.
Another shot of the interior. These were both taken on the south side of the island, looking north. (I was on the right side of the helicopter).
	This is the waterfall from Jurassic Park. When you get closer you can see the helicopter landing pad that was built for the movie and then just abandoned. You can also start to see the glare problems you can get from wearing a light colored shirt. Oops.
A closer view of the waterfall. About this time I realized the helicopter ride was better than any rollercoaster ride. Especially as we started hitting turbulence...
	The beginning of an incredible aerial tour of waimea canyons. You spend part of the time in the canyon itself. Our tourguide said it was worth the drive to go see the canyons by car, but I certainly appreciated the aerial view better!
And here we are, flying through the canyons. Incredible.
	Next stop, Na Pali coast. We were supposed to look for whales but we were too busy looking at the land bound scenery. We flew in between the cliffs and you could see where the native Hawaiian peoples lived. It was amazing. They terraced the land for agricultural purposes, and a lot of that was still standing.
A fly by view of one part of the Na Pali coast.
	This is probably my favorite shot of the helicopter pictures. Our tour was in the morning, so the coast was still backlit and you can see the jagged edges of Na Pali coastline.
Next we headed north and towards Mt. Waialeale. The cloud cover was kinda low and we started to get a light mist when we were up north. I just happened to look back and catch this rainbow. It disappeared soon after.
	So we're flying inland and I can tell that Scott is getting pretty ill (he's prone to motion sickness) and I start worrying about whether he's going to have to use his "aloha" bag or not. Meanwhile I'm starting to feel kinda queasy, and I sorta quit paying attention to where we were. We're doing a slow 360 (the pilot had noticed Scott wasn't feeling too well also) and then he said "well folks, that was Mt. Waialeale. "WHAT?!?!" I MISSED IT??? I snapped a quick shot as we left. Well, next time, right? That was our last stop before heading back to land. Although the dramamine failed us, I have to say, helicopters are COOL.

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All photos copyright Anne Sullivan