Every time we have a time change, especially back one hour, one of us wakes up much earlier than normal. It’s like a built-in clock. But that’s how someone was able to capture the sunrise, which turned out to be another nice one. However, starting the day so early seems to catch up with us later, like around 8pm dinner time. Look at it this way, about a week ago, 8pm was really 11pm. Of course, when we begin to lose these hours heading eastbound, we’ll be complaining about that too.
So, our very first stop in Hawaii was on the garden isle of Kauai. It is the fourth largest of the eight islands, and also the oldest. These days, the island is free from active volcanoes. But it does have the distinction of being the wettest, with up to 460 inches of rain a year, or even more in some areas. And because of all of the waterfalls created from this rainfall, the island is also called the rainbow connection.
The population is 65,000 people who reside mainly around the coastline. Deep in the interior is inaccessible and not suitable for towns. The first successful sugar plantation of Hawaii was in 1865 on this island. These days tourism is number one, followed by sugar, coconut, and coffee plantations. Other crops are papaya and taro, and cattle are raised on gigantic beef ranches in the north.
There are numerous beautiful beaches, but only a few are safe for swimming, snorkeling, or diving. The undertow, riptides, and tricky currents are treacherous, we have heard.
We docked at Pier 2 in the Nawililwili Harbor, which was shelled on December 7, 1941, causing some significant damage. This port town had a huge bulk sugar plant with storage facilities. The raw sugar was shipped to the mainland for refining.
There were several tours offered today which included buses or helicopters to see Waimea Canyon, the 10 mile long, 3400 feet deep, and populated with some wild goats. It has been called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. The flight tours ran from $330 to $450 for 2 ½ to 6 hours. Or you could take a bus for a short time or all day from $70 to $170. It is a pretty site if there is no fog. There were two adventure excursions like snorkeling for $120 or horseback riding for $230. Many movies or TV series have been filmed here such as South Pacific, Blue Hawaii, or Gilligan’s Island to name a few. Some tours take you to see the locations where they were filmed.
We were in no hurry to get off of the ship after breakfast. Since we have taken most tours, except the horseback riding or helicopter, we were going to stay close to town and take in lunch. Last year, we were only here until 2pm, and stayed in Nawiliwili. Today we needed a few items at Walmart, so we waited for the shuttle that took us directly there. The trouble was there was only one small shuttle running every ½ hour, and the line was long. So we waited while three types of shuttles took folks to nearby Kalapaki Beach and Anchor Cove mini mall.
The Walmart shuttle was the most popular with the crew members. This was the best stop for them since we left Juneau, which also has a Walmart, we believe. We have never been to this one, since the shuttle always went to the Kukui Grove Shopping Center. There was a transfer to that mall, but we never saw it. Across the road from that mall, was Costco and a Kmart, which we were told is no longer there. Walmart would work fine for what we needed.
The ride was only 15 minutes at the most, taking us into the town of Lihue, where about 6455 people live. Besides the older part of downtown, there are many new home developments in this area. Even golf courses, suggesting that there probably is a large retirement community on this island.
Perhaps because it was a Sunday, Walmart was pretty busy. No wonder, since their prices are reasonable, and this store seemed to have most everything. Someone said their chocolate-covered macadamia nuts were $1. a box, not that we were looking for any. Hawaiian-type clothing was available for the ladies, men, and the kids too. We found everything we need within 15 minutes, and got out to the bus stop in tie for the driver’s return. However, there was a long line again, and we missed the bus…..no room. And they won’t let you stand in the aisle. So we waited, forming a new line, like most considerate folks do. Then one pushy lady moved to the start of the line, and pretended to get chummy with some crew members, who happened to be first. You can spot the type every time. Make up a dumb question, then stand in the middle of them. We were certain they wanted to say, “get in line”, but they did not, as she might have reported them. And guess who was first on the shuttle?
A strange thing happened on our way back to the room. While waiting for the outside elevator on deck A, an elderly man had stuck his cane between the closing glass doors of the elevator. The doors locked onto the cane, and one of the security fellows had to pry the doors open with his hands. That will be the last time we ever will attempt to hold an elevator by putting your arm in the gap. Heard some horror stories on that scenario.
Back at the ship, we put away our purchases, and found that we had had a visit from the room service manager, who delivered our 2 dozen Coke Zeros, replacing our stash from the last 14 days. Actually it is less, since if they kept to the timeline, they would owe us these sodas three days before we return to Vancouver. At least now, we can enjoy them for the next 10 days and not run out.
Then we were off for a walk to Anchor Cove and the Kalapaki Beach. Yes, we could have taken the free shuttle, but we like to walk. It’s probably less than one mile, although it was warm and humid. Despite the forecast of rain, it never did. Our final destination was stopping for lunch at Duke’s. But now it was about 1pm, and the place was crowded. So we took a stroll up to the gardens and lobby at the Kauai Marriott Resort, right on the beach. There are ponds and fountains surrounded with plumeria, palms, and fountains. A very pretty spot.
While we entered the lobby of the hotel, we saw a lady drop some money from her pocket. Too far from us to alert her, we noticed a man bend over and pick it up. We told him who we thought lost it, and he chased after her to give it back. That sure restored our faith in many people being honest. Most would have kept it. As it was too far to see the amount, it could have been a lot.
Then we ducked into the upper level of Duke’s, making our way to the kiosk at the entrance. That’s when we found out there was a ½ hour wait for lunch. Handed a buzzer, we took another short walk to take photos of the resort grounds. Still we had a wait of 40 minutes, before we were seated. Finally, we ordered two Longboard beers, one Caesar salad, and one crispy chicken BLT with fries to share. All was good, and worth the wait. However, we were really here for the Hula Pie, a dessert made famous here we heard. Similar to our mud pie, it is made with macadamia nut ice cream, drizzled with chocolate sauce, and covered with whipped cream. Diet, it is not.
On our way back to the ship, we strolled through Anchor Cove and the shops. There was one or two tables set up outside, where two nice ladies were selling hand-made jewelry. Something we have not seen before. It was necklaces and earrings made with sea glass. Now we think the story about the glass is that it was once discarded bottles that ended up in the ocean. Broken and rolled for years in the sand and waves, it became smooth, and rock-like. But colorful, due to the different colors of soda or beers bottles. Made into jewelry, it is really attractive, but inexpensive. Not intending to buy anything on this trip, a matching set was purchased.
We cooled off in our room, working on the few photos that were taken today. Relaxing on the veranda was also nice. By now, the skies had clouded up, and we would have sworn rain was coming. Never did. All aboard time was 5:30pm, but the gangway was still in place well after that. Seems that a group of eight were late in returning. We saw them coming complete with golf clubs. It was not a ship tour, so they were lucky the Captain waited for them. Once they boarded, the fellows pulled in the gangway, and we were off and running.
There was a Bon Voyage sail away event at the Seaview Pool, but we never made it there. It was more fun watching the tugboat captain maneuver the tug right below our room. Before dinner, we had time to watch most of the cutest movie, Coco, a Pixar flic. Dinner time came around fast. So we finished the movie later. Dinner was two salads, one prime rib, and one macadamia-crusted chicken breast. Both good. Desserts were light – one strawberry yogurt, and one “almost” strawberry shortcake, since there was only one strawberry in it. Our assistant waiter brought a dish of vanilla ice cream to help out.
Tomorrow we shall be in Honolulu and will stay over- night. We have special plans, meeting friends for dinner. Should be fun….it always is.
Bill & Mary Ann
Monday, October 8, 2018
Report #17 Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii October 7, 2018 Sunday Chance of rain & 82 degrees
