Kauai 2012 Na Pali Coast

A 'must do' trip is along the northern cliffs - the Na Pali Coast. This is a rugged area that can only be reached by boat from the south west or from the north east. There is a road on the west, south and east ... but not joined at the top.

The scenery is breathtaking:

We  traveled  by catamaran, 5 hours.

The sea had large swells.

Most of the western coast is farmland and was once sugar plantations. The soil is very rich in Iron. 

 Just before we got to these cliffs, we went by the Pacific Missile Range Facility on a sandy peninsula.

We were soon into massive land forms that were layered as far as you could see.

 Kauai was the first of the Hawaiian Islands to form. Eroded cliffs show interesting volcanic activity from the distant past. 

Kauai has one central volcano. It is the wettest place on earth with  rain that pours down the cliffs and erodes the landscape. Kauai is called both the Island of Waterfalls and the Garden Isle.
Both wet and dry falls can be seen.

   

Many cliffs are along the shore. Here we see an arch through to another beach on the other side of the land form.

Early native people lived along these cliffs. They were able to find food in the valleys and fish. They were very protected.

 

Suddenly there was a huge splash and we were treated to humpback whales as they breached and slapped the water with their fins. Dolphins played alongside them. 

For more photos, visit: 

 http://www.napali.com/gallery/whales_and_dolphins.html 

There are beaches that you can hike into from the north west.  It is a challenging trail and you must pack everything in.

Be forewarned: This was the point at which I got motion sickness. I was okay with the pounding on the way up, it was the side-to-side wash from the cliffs that got me.

As we headed home on the 2 hour journey back, the clouds broke through with a golden sunset.