Kaua'i Day One, Oct 9

Today we flew to Kaua'i via O’ahu.  You can’t get to any outer islands on Hawaian Airlines without going through Honolulu.  It was very efficient and we were in Lihue, Kaua'i by 11:30, in our rental car by 12:15, finishing a Pizza Hut buffet by 1:30 and meeting our hostess at Sunset Kaua'i B&B by 2 PM.  It’s a lovely furnished apartment on the ground floor of a home at the end of a street with lovely palm trees in the front yard and steep arid hills in the back.  Ann commented to David that it reminded her very much of South Africa!!

Kaua'i is the oldest geologically of the main Hawaiian Islands. The deep red soil of the island contrasts starkly with the lush green of its mountains.  It was severely damaged by Hurricane Iniki on September 11, 1992 when Cat 4 winds blew across the island.  That's the same year Andrew devastated Florida.   Many chickens were "freed" during that storm and today there are feral chickens throughout the island.  

"Grand Canyon of the Pacific"-Waimea Canyon

At the Waimea Canyon Overlook--3000 ft elevation

Chatty red-crested cardinal

We settled in for an hour and then hit the road up Waimea Canyon Road to find what we could find at 3 PM on a Wednesday.  We had decided we would go as far as two lookout points cited in a book Peggy invited us to take along (with a promise to return) called “Enjoying Birds and Other Wildlife in Hawaii” by H Douglas Pratt.  We used it on the Big Island (Hawai'i) and found it to be very helpful and Peggy offered it to us to use on Kaua'i and O’ahu. 

We stopped several times along the way toward the first turnout of Waimea Canyon Lookout to take photos of the “ Grand Canyon of the Pacific”.  But those photos paled to what we saw at the Lookout.  And we also logged our first lifers of the day at the lookout--the white-tailed tropicbird, which was soaring over the canyon, and the white-rumped shama.  Peggy, we thought about you as we logged this lifer remembering your comments about searching for it as you were driving from spot to spot on Kaua'i and then seeing it near your lodging.  It is truly an awesome bird!!!

We bought some dried pineapple rings (ohhhhhh sooooo sweet) and coconut cookies (David’s favorite) and pressed on to Pu’u Hinahina Lookout.  We were looking out over the canyon shaded with many, many hues as by then it was nearing 5 PM and the sun was going down, when we were entertained by a very chatty bird.  We were hoping to finally see an ‘elepaio, the equivalent of wren on the mainland, but instead we saw a red-crested cardinal!!  It continued to chatter away as we felt the wind building at this 3500 foot elevation. 

We decided three lifers were enough for one day and headed back to our B&B which advertises a “real bed”, and it’s a queen-sized one!!  We stopped to pick up some mic dinners to go with the pinot grigio wine Ann had gotten earlier, and called it a night at 7PM!!

Tomorrow more exploring of Kaua'i!!