Tag: valley

Road to Hana

Every guidebook on Hawaii lists the Road to Hana as a must-do on Maui. Usually, they also warn you not to start driving late, so we set our alarms to 6 a.m. Still, we were not the first ones on Hwy 336, which makes things a bit… hectic. The road’s purpose was to connect smaller towns around the island and not to achieve a touristic target. This means: many one-way bridges, hardly stopping / parking possibilities at the points of interest and sometimes dangerous traffic situations. Also, some spots are difficult to catch, even with google maps app running, or they are on private property and are now closed for public.

Nevertheless, it was still a joyful ride to Hana and beyond. Waterfalls, rainforest, beaches, lava tubes and valley overlooks – it was worth the time, even though we didn’t even get out of the car in Hana as we gave up finding a convenient parking space.

  • How to park
  • Waterfalls
  • Black Sand Beach
  • Sea arch
  • Stay out!
  • Road to Hana
  • Lava stalactites
  • Waterfalls

911 before Iao Valley

On the way down from Haleakala we got involved into an accident: a young man waved for help, his mother somehow crashed with her mountain bike into the guardrail and was bleeding quite heavily. We called 911 immediately and assisted where we could. Luckily, we could verify soon that her injuries were not critical and after the ambulance had arrived, we could leave. An uncomfortable event nevertheless.

Much less action could be expected from the Iao Valley State Park, mostly known for the Iao Needle, a 370 m lava remnant. There used to be hiking trails, but as they were on private ground and according to US law land owners can be sued in case of an accident they have been closed.

Iao Needle

Doors-off Heli Flight

Kauai is a beautiful island, but large part of it is de-facto inaccessible. For once we ignored the ecological conscience and booked a scenic flight with a helicopter. There are many companies, but Jack Harter adds a special thrill: doors-off flights with a Hughes 500.

Doors-off heli flight

We didn’t have cloudless sky (hardly ever occurs on Kauai) but still good flight conditions. First highlight was the flight over Manawaiopuna Falls, better known as “Jurassic Falls” (helicopter landing sequence in the first Jurassic Park movie). The pilot even played the movie theme – marvelous!

  • Jurassic Falls from above
  • Jurassic Falls

Soon, we reached the Waimea Canyon (see earlier blog entry), now from above and much closer to some great sceneries.

  • Waimea Canyon
  • Waipoo Falls

We again crossed one of the wettest places on earth (once more hidden in dark clouds), but soon the sky opened: we have reached the Napali coast. Postcard scenery again!

  • Napali Coast
  • Napali Coast

Fortunately, that was not yet the end, also the flight over the Hanalei Valley was breathtaking. And for once the clouds somehow fit into the scenery; dozens of waterfalls within a rainforest-like landscape, coming out of misty mountains… a perfect fit for any fantasy movie.

Hanalei Valley

Indeed, the list of movie sequences shot on Kauai is long! Just to name a few:

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Jurassic Park (1, 2, 3), Jurassic World
King Kong
Six Days Seven Nights
Tropic Thunder
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
The Descendants