Kauai, Hawaii - Jan 25
This is our second time here. The first time we visited Waimea Canyon, Wailua River & the fern grotto and a couple of different waterfalls, one that was used in the opening credits of Fantasy Island. (Wailua Falls) https://photos.app.goo.gl/KnDpxkZjPu67mW9n7
This time I booked a bird guide named Hob. All funds go
toward the work of the Kauaʻi Albatross Network. She has written a book called Holy
Mōlī: Albatross and Other Ancestors, available from
local booksellers as well as Amazon. Check out her 8-minute documentary,
Kalamaʻs Journey. https://vimeo.com/297216910
We were off the ship on time and walked to where the sign
pointed to rental car shuttles. The guy there confirmed we should stand there
to catch one. Since we were told via email from Avis that the shuttle may or
may not run, Greg called to ask if one was running. He was told “no” so we
walked back to where the taxi station was and grabbed a cab. We got the rental
and was on the road earlier than expected and Hob said we could start the tour
earlier and end earlier to make sure we got back to the ship on time.
We met at the Princeville Library parking lot. Princeville
is a 9,000-acre unincorporated area of master-planned homes and condos on the
north shore of the island of Kauai in Kauai County, Hawaii.
We started at Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge near
Princeville. These wetlands are just part of the 917 acres of the Hanalei
National Wildlife Refuge near Princeville. This valley is irrigated by the
Hanalei River in order to provide food, habitat and a sanctuary for five
species of endangered water birds. In addition, there are more than forty types
of other birds that call this area home.
We stopped first at a couple of viewpoints before proceeding down to the wetlands. The second viewpoint had Bison at the bottom.
We have seen all of the birds here before except the Hawaiian Duck. There were Hawaiian Coot, Hawaiian Gallinule, Hawaiian Goose (Nene), Hawaiian stilt (Black & White Necked Stilt), Black-crowned Night heron and Pacific Golden Plover (better photo than yesterday).
We next went to see nesting Laysan Albatross. They nest very close to houses in this upscale neighborhood. She said that none had hatched yet, so we wouldn’t see any chicks. One nest had a chick and we got a brief look before the adult nestled back down on the nest. The males and females take turns on the nest. One nest was abandoned by one adult and when the other returned he or she decided to sit on the nest. Hob said the eggs would not hatch. The adult however was continuing to pull nesting materials around its nest. We have seen these magnificent birds in flight, but it was a real treat to see them so up close and they have no fear of humans.
Our next stop was at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. There was a ship tour there to see the lighthouse, look for whales and to see the birds if they were interested.
Here we added 1 more new bird. The Red-footed Booby wasn’t
new, but there were lots of them here. They are tree ducks whereas the rest of
the boobys nest on the ground. We have seen every type of booby there is.
There were tons of them on the hillside. None were close to get great photos,
but I did see one in a tree and could see the red feet. The other new bird today was
the Red-tailed Tropicbird. It’s bill and tail are both red. We have seen
White-tailed and Red-billed previously. So, we now have seen all 3 Tropicbirds
in the world.
There was a whale in the distance that was playing and coming out of the water.
It was fun to watch the Laysan Albatross taking off from the
cliff and soaring in the air. It was a breezy day so they were very active.
Hob left us here and we stayed a while longer before heading
out to find some lunch. It was an enjoyable time with Hob and her passion for
preserving the native species of Kauai was enormous.
On the drive to Princeville this morning we spotted a Thai
Street Food Food Truck and Hob concurred that it was a good choice. There were also several Mexican food restaurants in town, but we opted for Thai.
Kapaa is a charming historic town, and the Food Truck was
located there. (close to Lihue airport)
People from the ship were at the rental car place and they were waiting for the shuttle. They also had taken it from the port, so the person answering the phone gave us incorrect info on whether or not the shuttles were running which cost us the taxi fare for the one way. It was faster so we didn’t mind.
We got back on board and showered and caught up on a few
things before heading up to the Lido for dinner which was a disappointing Tate
of Island Buffet.
The evening show was Dan Delgado a singer and trumpet
player. We have seen him before on previous cruises and he is entertaining. We
went to the Beatles Trivia and missed 3 out of 25. (not even close to
winning…..)
There was a Hawaiian Deck party, and we went and watched
some of the passengers that took the hula classes perform. We stayed long
enough to see if Grace’s Secret could be a “party band” as they are billed, but
sadly they can’t sing, and the band doesn’t exactly play together…. Greg has
nick-named them Grace’s Disgrace. We sure miss Jaamie’s Band as they were so
much fun and could play any kind of music. Don’t know what kind Grace does
well. (haven’t heard it yet)
Our life bird list grew to 1,601 different species.
We now have 5 sea days before arriving in French Polynesia.
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