We drove to the northwest side of Kauai this morning to see the Waimea Canyon Overlook.
From the top of the canyon, you can see for miles down the valley. It is an amazing canyon. You can trace it back from the highest point all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
From the height of Waimea Canyon, we drove to Shipwreck Beach. It is hard to believe that this “remote” beach is only a short walk from a hotel and a public beach. We are at the edge of the public beach here. The rocky coast and the strong surf begin just around the rocky outcrop behind us. In a quarter mile, the ocean takes on a new personality.
This was one place where you could easily envision the erosion power of water. Watching the waves crash against the sharp rugged rocks, you could almost see the pieces falling off before your eyes. This was another place where the rapid changes in water depth lead to both heavy surf and breathtaking changes in the color of the water.
Our drive to the airport took us down a variety of roads. In one place, we could see the mountains in the background. In another, we could barely see down the road because of the thick plant growth.
We took an afternoon flight from Kauai to the Big Island. It was late by the time we got to our hotel near the beach. The big island closes up early. We had a challenge to find food that night. After a late dinner from Panda Express, we enjoyed some time watching the Pacific Ocean by moonlight from the deck near our room.
We saw more beautiful flowers on Kauai today.
Today we arrived at the last new island of our trip. We are excited to have a chance to tour the big island over the next three days.