Day 3: The helicopter tour

Today, Tuesday, we booked a helicopter tour of the island of Kauai.  There are parts of this island that you simply cannot get to by car or foot.  Options are by sea or by air.  And based on what we saw today, it's a must-see.  So, air it was...

First, on the way into town, there were two "must-see" sights, according to my guidebook.  Both of these were waterfalls along the way into where we had to catch the helicopter, so we made the little detours. 

Both beautiful waterfalls, but not Niagara.

We then stopped for lunch at an old sugar cane plantation.  Lovely lunch in a garden setting.  Afterwards, I bought a Hawaiian shirt...  I'll post a selfie with that shirt the night of the luau.

After lunch, we had about an hour to spare before the scheduled helicopter tour, so consulting the guide book, closest attraction was this fish pond, which was created for some princess that was living around here some time ago.  It's now in a state of neglect, and is classified as a "might-as-well-see-if-you-have-some-time-to-spare" attraction.

Then, onto the helicopter.  It was a no-doors helicopter, with 4 passengers and the pilot.  So you're strapped into your seat, and its completely open beside you.  Here's a series of photos taken from the helicopter. Needless to say, it was stunning.  Great weather allowed great visibility.  Amazing!

The coast shortly after take-off.

Some of the many waterfalls around the island.  This one was used in the Jerassic Park movies, so it's been renamed Jerassic Falls.

Several little falls.  Not an uncommon sight, especially after heavy rain - which is almost all the time.  Did I mention this is the wettest place on earth?

We flew through canyons...  referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

The coastline on the west coast.  This whole area is not accessible by car.

Stunning rock formations...

...and secluded beaches.

Both, together...  breathtaking.

...and again.

This a view of our condo from the air.  Our condo complex is the white building on the left side of the photo. The other white building is the St-Regis Resort.

More waterfalls from the air.

And here we are, safely back on the ground.

Absolutely amazing experience.  This island is beautiful. Referred to as the Garden Island, it is filled with lush greenery on stunning rock formations, and agricultural plains in the middle.  I don't have enough words in my vocabulary to describe its beauty.