After an early start and late finish yesterday, we had another early start today. We got up at 6:30 am to get to the airport for a helicopter ride. Our ride was from Maui to the cliffs of Molokai. On the way back to Maui, we got a glimpse of the island of Lanai.
It was interesting getting ready for the ride. We each stepped on a scale in the office so that the pilot could allocate seats to balance the weight distribution. While we were waiting to take off, we saw a double rainbow at the airport.
We got the back seat. The seats in the helicopter were very comfortable.
The pilot was very good. The weather was rainy and quite breezy. He kept the helicopter stable and got us in close for great views. He flew close to the cliffs, into deep valleys, along the beaches, and even into a double rainbow that was a full circle.
At their highest, the cliffs of Molokai are over 3000 feet high. Because they drop precipitously into the ocean, they are very remote. There are no roads to the cliffs. There are few trails. Access to the coast is by boat or helicopter. There are innumerable waterfalls that fall hundreds of feet as they cascade down the cliffs.
The coast line also emphasizes the immense height and steepness of the cliffs
There are reefs near the coast line that make the water shallower than elsewhere. The colors in the shallower water were beautiful. As we were turning away from Molokai, we saw a magnificent view of the rain, rainbows, clouds, blue sky and sunshine reflecting on the surface of the ocean.
Then we got to see Lanai. It is also a personal island. Larry Ellison bought 98% of the land on the island in 2012.
On our departure from Maui in the afternoon, we got to see how mountainous the island really is. We also got another great view of Diamondhead as we landed in Honolulu on our way to Kauai.
We arrived on Kauai late in the afternoon. We still had time to see some beaches and Opaekaa Falls.
We also got to view Wailua Falls.
Both Opaekaa Falls and Wailua Falls are adjacent to the Wailua Falls Heritage Trail. The trail follows the Wailua River, which is the only navigable river in Hawaii. The reserve documents the history and lore of Hawaii. We had the chance to hear some of the Hawaiian stories from an older local who shares the stories with people visiting the area.
We were only on Kauai for a short time today, but it lived up to its nickname, the Garden Island, from all the green and flowers we saw in just a couple of hours.
We are ready for a great tour of the rest of Kauai tomorrow.