One for the (Memory) Record Books

This was to be our last full day of the cruise, and we wanted to make the most of it.  Our original plan for the day had been to complete another Shaka tour, this of the north shore, which is one of the highest-rated tours on their website.  We didn't want to miss this, but with our rescheduled helicopter tour now confirmed, we elected to start the day earlier than planned.  As we were in port overnight, we could leave anytime we wished, so we ordered room service for breakfast and had it delivered at 6:30am.  We ate on our balcony and were off the ship and on our way in the rental car (parked nearby) a few minutes after 7:00am.

Supply Ship Arriving Early Morning

Though we had literally just eaten breakfast, we made a sustenance stop at a local bakery.  Since our first full day in Hawaii, during our first Shaka tour, we heard about a breakfast doughnut-like confection called a Malasada, introduced by Portuguese immigrants.  We were determined to not leave the islands without trying them.  We found a bakery tucked into a local outdoor mall, which was definitely frequented by locals, off the tourist trail.  They were actively making the doughnuts in an open kitchen as we entered.  A Malasada is basically a fried doughnut without the hole removed.  A traditional one is simply rolled in cinnamon and sugar, but many are filled with tropical jelly or flavored custard.  It was something to watch them fill the doughnuts.  K went traditional, while I chose chocolate.  We each had one or two bites, as we were already full.  The filling in mine was more a pudding than custard or cream, and was quite tasty.  We could now tick off on our Hawaii checklist that we had tried a Malasada.

We Saw This "Little" Guy Outside the Bakery

Making and Filling the Malasadas

In planning ahead, Shaka had alerted us that we'd need advance reservations at two stops on our driving tour this day.  One at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, and the other at the Ha'ena State Park.  We secured reservations for both, but they had been timed based on our original schedule, and we were getting a much earlier start than planned.  So....we improvised.  We followed the tour, which brought us to an increasingly beautiful series of beaches and overlooks, and arrived at the Kilauea Point Wildlife Refuge before they even opened for the day.  We could see the lighthouse, which sits on the actual point, and could tell we definitely wanted to return, so we proceeded on, and then backtracked so we could arrive at 9:30, when we had our reservation.  The scenery throughout the drive was simply stunning, but that word is simply inadequate.  We even got to the visit the beach where they filmed the original Gilligan's Island series.  In addition to the breathtaking coastal scenery, we drove down into a valley full or taro fields, which looked like a movie set.  Taro is the native root vegetable, from which the Hawaiians make their famous poi.  It is essentially a thick paste formed by beating the raw vegetable into a glue-like consistency.  We had poi during our arrival-night luau and neither of us elected to sample it again at any point during the trip.  It was bland, and the consistency was not pleasant.  We understand that most locals and many others enjoy it, but it was not for us.

Moloaa Beach, Where They Filmed Gilligan's Island

Gilligan's Beach

Kilauea Lighthouse National Park & Bird Santuary

Church Built Entirely From Coral

Fields of Taro

Nene, Which Evolved From Wayward Canada Geese

We made it back to Kilauea exactly at 9:30am and entered a long line of cars waiting to get through the ranger checkpoint.  The drive in was steep and narrow, and for a while we couldn't even see the station.  As we got closer, we realized that almost every car was being turned away, as they had no reservation.  I'll note that there were multiple signs at the entrance to the park warning that reservations were 100% required and that there were no same-day tickets available.  Quite a few people were obviously hoping to buck the system, but with no luck.  The ranger quickly verified our reservation, checked my driver's license, and waved us in.  In addition to limited parking, the main reason the number of visitors is controlled is the fact that the entire point area is an active refuge for scores of native birds, many of which are nesting in the open.  The numbers and varieties of birds were truly impressive.  We were off season, but Kilauea is known as the only place in the world where albatrosses nest, fledge, and then return to raise their own chicks, all in the same place.  In season, too, it is a prime promontory from which you can watch humpback whales with their calves offshore.  We told ourselves that we would definitely want to return during the winter months, to see all of those things.

Back at Kilauea

Fledgling Wedge-Tailed Shearwater

From here, we drove north again, but we knew that we would have to miss the final bit of the drive, which included a visit to the Ha'ena State Park.  We were disappointed, but the idea of being able to complete the helicopter tour made the decision palatable.  While we didn't want to jinx things, we both did mention at times that we might get weathered out again, so we closely watched the skies -- which had remained clear all morning.

We made it back to Lihue with some cushion.  The afternoon before we had tried to visit the Kauai Museum in town, which was recommended in our tour book.  We arrived at 3:45pm and they were to close at 4:00pm, but the doors were locked.  I called their phone, thinking they had just left early for the day.  A woman answered and explained that they were installing a new computer system and had had to close early "for training."  I was circumspect, but nonetheless we returned this day and found them open.  Sure enough, when we got into the gift shop, they were in the midst of training on the new system, so I shouldn't have been so suspicious.  

We had to be back on the ship no later than 5:00pm.  When I had called this new helicopter company the day earlier, inquiring if they might have availability, they told me the only possible time was 2:00pm.  I didn't have time to do the math in my head, but as we got closer, I was concerned about having enough time to complete the tour -- with no delays -- and then return the car, get back to the ship, and board by 5:00pm.  I know I was wasting worry, but I could not shake the thought, nonetheless.

We had to check in by 1:15pm for our tour.  To save time, I wanted to be sure to fuel the rental car beforehand, as we had to return it full.  We also had to squeeze in lunch, so after filling up (I never got used to paying nearly or over $6 per gallon, by the way), that only left us time for a McDonalds.  We elected to eat inside the restaurant, which was less than five minutes from the helicopter offices, as we wanted to use the restroom.  Throughout this day we had some problems finding public bathrooms, so we wanted to be safe.  I'm only wasting time writing about our McDonalds trip as it was -- by a wide margin -- the cleanest McDonalds either of us have ever visited.  It was spotless, and they had a woman dedicated to mop the floor continually, from one end to the other, throughout the day.  The fact that it was so noticeable, as to the level of cleanliness, had us worried how much we've been overlooking all these years.

Unlike the company from the previous day, this helicopter firm had their offices off of the airport property.  We checked in at their office, along with five other couples -- we were all split evenly across three helicopters.  Our safety briefing was outdoors on their covered lanai, and then they we boarded a van to take us to their hangar at the airport.  We watched each of the copters land from the previous run, separated by a few minutes, and the smiles on the faces of everyone getting off told us all we needed to know.  Our fellow couple was from the Bay Area, and she was visibly pregnant.  They were assigned the front seats, next to the pilot, while Katherine and I got the back seats.  As I mentioned, there were no doors on the helicopter.  Our captain, Max, spoke to us through the headphones they provided, which shielded the noise of the rotors.  He narrated everything we were seeing, and he clearly knew his stuff.

Aside from one brief ride during a training exercise for work, this was our first time on a helicopter, and we weren't sure what to expect, especially with no doors.  As soon as we lifted off, though, we both were beyond exhilarated.  Max commented on the "perfect weather," and recounted how they too had cancelled their afternoon tours the previous day, due to conditions.  For just over an hour, we flew the circumference of the island, seeing many of the areas we had seen from the ground, but now from majestic aerial positions.  I remain astounded how close he flew to some of the ridgelines.  Both of us, literally, took hundreds of pictures and multiple videos, trying to capture what we were seeing.  Words are failing me.

Our Ship From the Air

Two Other Nearby Helicopters

Near the end of the tour, we flew into a narrow gorge which is technically the wettest spot on the entire planet.  It is a part of a separate canyon formed by a sunken volcano, which essentially left a U-shaped bowl, with near-vertical sides.  With the position of the open end of the valley, oriented toward the windward shore, cool, moisture-laden air is blown in from the ocean.  It cools as it crosses land, and then as it meets the sheer cliff faces, it is pushed upward, cools further, forms clouds, and then rains.  They get more than 450 inches of rain a year in this valley.  It falls and feeds a freshwater river below, which meanders its way to the ocean miles away.  It is, in fact, the only navigable freshwater river on any of the Hawaiian islands.  The rain is consistent every single day, so the river remains at a constant level.  As we were flying around the crater, clouds were forming around us, and rain was pelting us from the side, but nothing too bad.  As we left the crater, we were immediately back in bright sunshine, and we dried off completely during final five-minute flight back to the airport.

Wettest Spot on Earth

My GPS Route for the Day.  You Can See How Much Ground (and AIR) We Covered!

We were beyond exhilarated when we landed and remained on a high the rest of the night.  I had forgotten all about getting back to the boat, let alone worrying about the time...at least temporarily.  We all waited while they loaded up the 12 people following us on the three helicopters, for their tours, at which time the ground manager drove us back to their offices.  Traffic was thickening, as it was a Friday afternoon.  As soon they dropped us off, we hopped in the rental and drove right back to the airport, within sight of the hangar we just left.  Returning the car was a breeze, and an Uber picked us up about 10 minutes later.  We were back on the ship by 4:00pm, which was a relief to us both.

We had a special "official" anniversary dinner set for this night, in the ship's French restaurant, which is themed after Thomas Jefferson and Monticello.  In fact, I failed to mention that the ship itself is decked out in Americana all over the place, including the main lobby, which is fashioned to look like the White House.  This is all in line with its status as a "purely American cruise ship."  We elected to tackle the arduous job of packing our bags, and finding space for all of our purchases, before dinner, as we wanted to attend the final comedy show after we ate.  We managed that, visited the last lounge we had yet to see on the ship for a sundowner, and then had our portrait taken, which led us directly to dinner.  

You may recall that I wrote about our arrival-night luau, and that we saw a couple celebrating their anniversary in matching Hawaiian outfits.  Well, as I mentioned before, we mutually broke down in Kona and purchased a matching dress and Hawaiian shirt, and we wore these clothes for our portrait and celebratory dinner.  It was a very enjoyable meal, and we capped off the night by seeing the final comedy show.  We both remarked that we could not have packed more into this day, and that we would never forget it.

We Are That Couple!