Day 10 - Kaua’i on Sunday

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This morning we woke up in the port of Nawiliwili, Kaua’i. At this port, the ship ties up to the pier so our days of tendering are over. We decided to have one last “leisurely” breakfast in the Club restaurant. It was good as always and then we headed to the pier to meet our tour.

Today’s tour was apparently very popular as there were multiple buses. They took the first 18 of us who arrived early to a small bus and we got to leave first (ahead of the other buses). Our bus driver Marilyn is a fulltime school bus driver and works tours when they need her. Because we were a small bus, we were able to go a few places that the big buses could not.

Our first stop was the Spouting Horn. This is a hole in the ground at the coast that spouts out with the tide. The wave surges into an underwater cavern and is funneled into a narrow opening, resulting in a spray like a geyser. The view was magnificent. The homes along the coast there cost about 8 million dollars so we won’t be staying there any time soon.

There are chickens everywhere on this island. During the hurricanes (in 1983 and 1993), lots of chickens were separated from their owners and have been allowed to run free ever since. The roosters are very noisy and colorful. There are lots of feral cats running loose also. There are signs saying not to feed either but obviously somebody is not following the signs.

Then because we were a small bus we went up the side of a mountain on a very curvy road but the views were outstanding. Our bus driver was able to identify a lot of the trees and vegetation along the road for us. The other buses have to follow a more main route but less photogenic.

At the top of the mountain we went to a lookout at 3400 feet. We saw the Waimea Canyon which was described by Mark Twain as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It wasn’t quite the Grand Canyon but it was beautiful. Stephanie would have said it was the second grandest canyon she ever saw.

We had to ride down the mountain road but this time we went a more direct route, stopping a couple of times to admire the great views. At one point the driver jumped out and picked some fruit for us to try. She also took us to some souvenir stores she knew about that the big buses probably missed.

We had lunch at a local fancy hotel. Once again the food was very good (no wonder most Hawaiians don’t seem to be very skinny). We had Mahi-Mahi (fish) and Beef Teriyaki. After lunch we had time to walk around the grounds and down to the beach. It is a very scenic island and this was a picturesque place.

After lunch we boarded a riverboat and sailed up the Wailua River. It is the only navigable river in Hawaii. A lot of movies have been filmed along it shores, including ‘The Hawaiians’ and ‘Indiana Jones’. We stopped at the Fern Grotto which is a natural amphitheater covered with tropical lush growth. There a group of Hawaiian singers performed the ‘Hawaiian Wedding Song’. The same group performed some hula dances for us on the trip back and even attempted to teach us to hula.

After that we went back to the ship and tried to get everything back into the suitcases. The last dinner tonight was good but not unusual until they got to dessert. On the last night of the cruise they have the Parade of the Baked Alaska. We all had that for dessert and it was very good. We said goodbye to our table mates and servers.

Then it was back to the cabin and needing to get all the bags packed and in the hall by 10:00. In the morning our luggage (except anything we carry along) will be trucked to the hotel. So we need to have clothes for tomorrow day until we meet up with the bags at the hotel tomorrow evening. Then we can readjust tomorrow night if necessary. So we are trying to wrap things up tonight.

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