We sailed out of Kona at 6:00 pm the previous night and it took us 14 hours to get to Nawiliwili Bay (named for the Wiliwili trees [pronounced willy-willy] on the island of Kauai on February 17th. This was the longest trek on our cruise and we could tell the ship was moving faster than any of our other trips. Although neither of us got seasick, the boat was definitely rocking and rolling more than the previous days and nights. We went from the west side of the most southern island to the east side of the most northern island. We woke to find ourselves cruising into a fog-covered bay. Even so, it was quite beautiful. And as the day went on, the fog lifted and revealed the beautiful island of Kauai.
You can see the sun trying to break through the clouds.
The Miki Miki tug boat was docked near our cruise ship. She's really a good sized boat, but our cruise ship just dwarfed her!
This is a picture of the Opaekaa Falls. It is named after the rolling shrimp that can be seen in the pool below in the early evenings. It is located along the Coconut Coast.
These are the famous taro fields near the Hanalei River. (Hanalei, as in "Puff, the Magic Dragon.") Taro, the root vegetable used to make poi, is one of Kauai's first agricultural products and plantation fields around the island display a beautiful patchwork of colors.
Taro holds a rich cultural and spiritual value in the Hawaiian Islands; it was prohibited to argue when a bowl of poi was placed on the table.
Taro can be planted at any time of the year in Kauai so harvests can be seen frequently on plantations near Hanalei. Our tour guide told us it could be likened to our potatoes -- poi being mashed taro root.
This is part of the Kalapaki Beach, by the Marriott Hotel. This wall is made of lava rocks.
The next day, the 18th, the ship was not sailing until 2:00 pm, so Mom and I decided to go exploring along the Kalapaki Beach to see the Marriott Hotel, which was located only 1/2 mile from the dock. This little restaurant along the beach front was quite nice.
The Marriott Hotel opened in 1995. The resort is beautifully landscaped. Much of the design actually dates back to the Westin days where the resort was constructed with beautiful interior courtyards. With koi ponds, tropical flowers, plants and trees, you can easily feel that you're not close to the buildings themselves.
Many of the foyers are actually outside the main building, and they given it a shrunken look with the tall walls painted with historic Hawaiian scenes. This is actually the entrance to the reception area and elevators to the rooms. It is located directly across from the koi pond above.
We sailed out of Nawiliwili Bay in the afternoon of the 18th. As we cleared the harbor, the seas got rough and the ship was really rocking. By the time we were about an hour out to sea, the wind was blowing so strongly, we had to leave the top deck of the ship as the empty lounge chairs were being tossed across the deck like pieces of paper! They made us all come down to the lower decks where it was safer. The ship then cruised up around the northwest shoreline of Kauai so we can see the famous Na Pali Coast.
Wow....were we impressed! The coastline is 22 miles long with 3,000 foot cliffs.
You can see where the rain has etched the mountain sides with ridges. The colors of the mountains change as the sun moves across the skies.
Some famous movies scenes have been filmed along this coastline, including "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Thornbirds" and portions of "South Pacific." I am only including 4 of the 45 pictures that I took of the Na Pali Coast, and I am not convinced that they captured the way that we truly saw it. I would highly recommend your own personal viewing!!
As the evening came upon us, we were able to watch an incredible sunset from the balcony of the ship. We were now heading back to Honolulu and our marvelous 7-day cruise was about to end!
Created: 16 Mar 2007 Modified: 19 Mar 2007