Quote Of The Day

"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake - Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower (1887-1956)"

Monday, March 09, 2020

Hawai’i : Kaua’i...

Stuart and I have spent the last four days on the second island of our Hawaiian trip Kaua’i (pronounced like Hawai’i but with a K) and it’s been amazing. 

Kaua’i is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands  geologically and is also known as the Garden Island - with good reason.  Although it’s a volcanic island it is a lush place. Everywhere you look is a frenzy of dazzling green tropical flora. Being such a remote place a lot of the wildlife here is endemic too. Weird plants. Weirder animals. And lots and lots of wild chickens. 

And while much of the island is covered with tropical rainforest, the coast has beautiful beaches - complete with golden sands, swaying palm trees, and surfers enjoying the thunderous waves. A definition of paradise for many. 

But it is not only the flowers that are beautiful, there are awesome tree tunnels, dozens of epically high waterfalls, secret caves, hidden coves, a  spouting horn(!), the world famous Na Pali coast, and even a ten mile long / 3000ft deep Grand Canyon. 

The human history of the place is no less amazing. The construction of the ancient fish pools, the historic ruins, the old sugar plantations, the lighthouses, the sites of the inter-island wars, the stories of the eccentric land-owners, the influx of nudists, and the invasion of the hippies. 

Unsurprisingly lots of films have been shot here too; Blue Hawaii, King Kong, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Descendants, South Pacific, Jurassic Park, Lost World, the list goes on and on. 

Famously Elvis was a massive fan of this island too - so we had to pay a visit to Fern Grotto. You might not of heard of Fern Grotto before but Americans squeal whenever you mention it. It is *the* place where people come to get married in Hawai’i. Stuart and I went there and we rolled out eyes at the tackiness of it all. But secretly rather enjoyed it. Not that you should read anything into that!

So tomorrow to head on to island number three. And more adventures. 































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