Our final port of call was the island of Kaua’i. It is known at the “Garden Island” and for good reason. It was probably our favorite island, most likely because our two best excursions took place here. It was an overnight stay in port so we had the opportunity to attend an authentic Hawaiian luau. The Kalamaku Luau, on the Kilohana Plandation was one of the highlights of the cruise. On this night there were 600 guests from the cruise ship. First of they roast the pig in the traditional manner by building a charcoal fire pit and cooking the pork for about twelve hours.

This one is for demonstration purposes because I don’t think they cook enough for 600 guests in this manner. Still it is an interesting process.

The entertainment was outstanding. The dancers told the story of how Hawaii came into existence. The islands are volcanic formations and Polynesians left other parts of the Pacific and traveled here by boat, not unlike Christopher Columbus.

The lighting and costumes were amazing.

This luau is a must do.

Earlier in the day we headed over to the airport and boarded a helicopter for a tour of the Napali coast line.

If any of these images look familiar to you, many of the scenes in the Jurassic Park movies were filmed on this island. Also scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, South Pacific and other films have found Hawaii to provide exotic locations.

The weather was perfect for the excursion. One volcano crater on this island is the wettest place on earth, receiving 450 inches of rainfall per year. On this day the rains had come overnight so the crater was clear and we flew into it. There is no way to capture the beauty of it in photos. You will just have to go see it for yourself. The next morning we would be heading back to Honolulu and wrapping up our cruise, but not our vacation. The cruise ship left Kaua’i and headed up this same coastline so I have images from the air and the sea.  Both vantage points provide breath taking views.

These formations are known the the locals at “The Cathedrals”.  Very appropriate.

Aloha!