Hawaii

 

What a great way to celebrate Doug's birthday...in Hawaii with Mark for a week! It was a great trip!

 

 

 

We went to Kaua'i, which is the most Northern Island in Hawaii. It really is quite lush and beautiful.

It is covered with stunning rain forests and breathtaking waterfalls!

 

 

We went tubing through irrigation canals that were dug through the mountains by Chinese Immigrants hundreds of years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The canals meander through a series of tunnels...some over half a mile long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went snorkelling, and of all the diving and snorkelling we have done...this was truly some of the BEST! So many fish and such a variety, it was like swimming in an aquarium!!

 

 

 

We flew around the a Island in a plane with a pilot on leave from American Airlines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw the beautiful coast line, and a great surprise...we saw Humpback whales with a brand new baby. (Those black and white specks really are whales, the pilot later took us in for a great close-up.)

 

 

 

 

We also flew over the Na Pali coast...famous for the many movies filmed in the area, including 'Jurassic Park'.

 

 

We explored many rocky beaches...

 

 

 

We loved just being on the ocean, the waves and sounds and smells are so inviting...and so different from Edmonton winters!

 

 

Doug and Mark went golfing on a beautiful course that overlooked the ocean!

 

And we went mini golfing in a truly 'one of a kind' botanical garden.

We had fun, but also learned all about the plant life that was native to Kaua'i and the plants brought to Kaua'i from other areas of the world through the years.

 

Mark tried surfing and caught some good waves and had some fun. A lot of great surfers catch the waves here. We had fun watching surfers at the various beaches...and cheering Mark on!

 

 

We saw ocean turtles that were so big, their shells could be a kitchen table...and they came so close up.

They are so cute!

 

 

 

A highlight was our visit to Waimea Canyon, often called the 'Grand Canyon of the Pacific'. It is approximately 10 miles long and 3,000 feet deep. A little stormy for our visit, but so beautiful and unusual on a Hawaiian Island.

 

 

 

We had time to enjoy the beautiful beaches, and catch the slow pace of the Island.

 

 

 

 

 

It was hard to say goodbye after a week, but we had wonderful experiences we will always remember.

What lovely sunsets we enjoyed, I caught this one of Mark our last night there. It looks like he's thinking "Good-bye...but I'll be back!"

I think we'll all be back!

 

 

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