October 13, 2024. Nawiliwili Day 1

Today we arrived in Nawiliwili on the island of Kauai after a 98 mile overnight cruise northwest from Honolulu. It is the first of two days here. We were up before 7 a.m. and climbed the stairs to the Deck 9 Lido Market buffet for breakfast, since the Deck 2 dining room only opens at 7:30 a.m. The meeting time for today’s Discover Kauai excursion was 8:25 a.m. in the World Stage. We didn’t notice that the daily program showed that the Deck 5 bow was open until 8 a.m. for the sail in to Nawiliwili until we were having breakfast. During breakfast we noticed four 6-person canoes in the harbour.

The temperature was 23°C with a predicted high of 27°C and some clouds in the sky.

All of the islands of Hawaii are volcanic. Kauai’s volcanic rocks date back over five million years. Kauai is the oldest of Hawai’i’s eight major Islands. There are rain forests, valleys, mountains and sandy beaches with most the island undeveloped. A law was passed that no buildings on Kauai can stand higher than a coconut palm tree (which can grow to 25 metres). Kauai is the only island with navigable rivers.

In 1778 Captain James Cook’s ship arrived at Waimea, on Kauai's west coast, for his first of four visits to the Hawaiian islands.

During Hawai’i’s King Kamehameha the Great’s campaign to unite all the islands under one rule, Kauai clung to its independence. But, finally in 1794, Kauai’s king agreed to cede his island to the Hawaiian king. Then in 1819, Kauai's King Kaumualii was invited to Oahu by King Liholiho was then coerced into marrying Kaahumanu, Kamehameha's widow, to ensure that Kauai would continue under Hawaiian rule.

More than 60 Hollywood movies and television productions have been shot in Kauai. We saw one location that was used as a place in Africa.

Gathering at the starboard entrance to the World Stage to checkin for our tours moved extremely slow causing a line of annoyed people. Only one person was checking off people and handing out the tour number stickers. Normally this is a three or four person procedure. Once more staff appeared, the line moved faster. It was after 8:45 a.m. before our excursion number was called. We were directed to a 14 passenger minibus. While we waited in the warehouse/cruise terminal to be assigned a minibus, an Hawaiian band and hula dancer entertained the passengers.

Our minibus of 15 including the driver, left the pier about 9 a.m. We were probably the youngest couple in the van and squeezed into the fourth row, after the first stop, since most people were having trouble climbing into the van. Our driver/guide was Grayson, a transplant from New York state via California living in Kauai for the past 13 years. He mentioned that the Né-Né bird is an ancient descendant of the Canada goose. The Né-Né has evolved to be a land only bird, with less webbing on their feet, since they are now not water birds. He also said there was a pygmy tribe, only three feet tall, on Kauai when the Polynesians arrived. They lived in caves and became nocturnal not wishing to associate with the new comers. They had built rock ponds with gates to trap fish and then at certain times would harvest the fish using a net of taro leaves to gather the fish and spear the largest ones before releasing the small ones. It was a community fishing event and feast. The Polynesians divided the island into five mokus that were then divided into watersheds. The population grew food communally and other islands copied their system of feeding their people.

Everything changed with the arrival of Captain James Cook closely followed by the Europeans, then Americans. Land was taken for sugar cane and pineapple plantations. The Hawaiians way of life was destroyed and workers from China, the Philippines and Portugal arrived to work in the plantations. The old plantation land started to be redeveloped to other property uses in the 1970s. Today Kauai is powered by 90% renewable energy in the form of wind turbines, hydro electric or solar panels. Kauai was the first state to create a solar panel array covering 100 acres.

After a 25 minute drive we arrived at Wailua for a river cruise to the Fern Grotto. We were joined by other bus and van loads of Koningsdam passengers. While the passengers arrived three Hawaiian musicians played guitars and ukulele sang to us. The Whitney-K held almost 150 people. It took a leisurely 20 minutes for the two and a half mile voyage to arrive at the wooden dock. The boat’s captain gave a narration about the river and the Fern Grotto as we cruised past someone on a motored paddle board, several paddle boards and some some canoeists. A one point he pointed out a rock formation they call the Sleeping Giant. He pointed out several places which were used as sets for different Hollywood movies movies. It took another 20 minutes for people to leave the boat and walk the 300 meter winding slightly inclined path to the Fern Grotto where Polynesians used to make human sacrifices. As we walked to the Fern Grotto we saw and heard several of the many roosters crowing. There were many Ginger plants especially the red ginger with its red flower.

At the Fern Grotto, as we stood on a wooden platform, you could see a trickle of water pouring from the cliff over 50 meters above onto the grotto floor. The rough black rock glistened. In the rain forest were many types of trees including a Kukui Nut (candle nut) tree. The Polynesians used the nut’s oil as fuel for light. Once everyone had admired the scenery as they stood on the wooden platform, one of the four musicians, gave a quick history of the Fern Grotto. Then all four played and sang a Hawaiian wedding song. Most of the group exited via the longest trail back to the boat. People with mobility issues used the shorter route that was used to get to the Fern Grotto.

For the voyage back to the marina, the musicians played and sang engaging the group in sing alongs and almost everyone standing preforming a single hula dance. The journey seemed faster.

Back into Grayson’s minibus, we drove to Kapa’a for lunch on covered patio at Anaina Hou Park. We had ham and cheese warmed sandwiches, chips, juice and a cookie, again hearing roosters calling.

Next, we stopped at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge where we could see the Kilauea Point lighthouse and many different birds. Just beyond the observation platform were small dirt caves in the ground, where young ‘Ua’u kani (Wedge tailed Shearwater) birds were resting. We also saw further away in the trees Koa’e kea (white tailed Tropicbirds) and or’A (red-footed Boobies). Next we drove almost to the end of the East Highway into the town of Princetown viewing ordinary looking houses which cost over $1.5 million. There a fine mist for about 30 minutes only as we drove.

On the return drive we stopped at a lookout to see Puff the Magic Dragon scenery. The lava rock and vegetation combine with a little imagination to see the outline of a dragon head, back feet. This formation inspired the poem “Puff the Magic Dragon” by Leonard Lipton, a friend of the group Peter, Paul and Mary. They set it to music. From the the royalties given to the friend, he was able to pursue a career as an electronics inventor inventing 3D cinema technology.

We visited the town of Hanamaulu, then Black Pot Beach. On the way to ‘Opaekaà Falls we passed some taro fields. One already had been harvested for the tara root, which is the main ingredient in the Hawaiian staple Poi. At ‘Opaekaà Falls there are three separate waterfalls which the tiny native fresh water fish, called Ōpaekakaole, ascend when they are five years old returning to their birthplace in the swamp at the top to reproduce. They use their mouths to create suction cups to climb the lava rock behind the falls. Then we returned to the ship after an almost six hour adventure.

Once refreshed we walked a little over a kilometre to the nearby strip mall to find free

Wi-Fi and walked another 200 meters to the strip mall cross the street, but could not find wi-fi. The entry for yesterday may have to wait until Kona in two days for posting. We returned to the ship in time for 4 p.m. Happy Hour where drinks are 50% off.

Dinner with Jo and Mike and Suzanne and Graham was fun as usual. We all exchanged the adventures that we had today. There was no entertainment tonight. In the World Stage the movie “Midway” was shown at 7 p.m.

Today’s steps = 15,116