In terms of Big Adventures, the grand finale of our Hawaii trip was a helicopter tour of Kauai. As you've probably gathered by now, I am not the world's most daring individual, nor am I exceptionally fond of flying as a general matter. I'd never been anywhere near a helicopter, let alone on one; but everyone stressed over and over again how insanely awesome this experience was and how essential it would be to our exploration of Kauai, since so much of the island is either privately owned or inaccessible by any other means. Still, I was nervous about it -- nervous that I'd get sick or freak out or possibly die -- and after booking the excursion, I came close to canceling it about 250 times.
Well, thank God I didn't. It was one of the best things I've ever done. EVER.
We boarded our Eco-Star helicopter along with a family of four from Miami (I was somehow comforted that people would bring their kids on the flight; it made it seem safer, as if we couldn't crash if there were children aboard) and donned noise-canceling headsets that allowed us to hear the pilot narrating the tour as well as the music that he piped in to accompany the scenery.
After a brief safety instruction, the pilot fired up the rotor and we lifted a few feet off the ground, hovered for a moment, then sailed forward and rose up into the sky. That first moment when we left the ground, my mouth fell open and stayed that way thoughout the flight. The sensation was one of the coolest things I've ever felt; it was like dream-flying, where you can dip and bank and hover as close to things as you want -- you could hardly sense that you were in any kind of mechanical implement because it was so smooth and seamless. I can't express it, exactly; I imagine it's somewhere between a magic carpet ride and a flying car.
And the scenery. Oh, man. Not five minutes into the flight, tears were pouring down my face. Between the soaring feeling and the unbelievable views -- craggy ridges! pounding waterfalls! pure emerald green fields and forests! rust-red canyons! sapphire blue seas! -- it was all just too much to contain. It was the most alive I'd felt in months, maybe in years.
We swooped behind a mountain and descended through the low-hanging mist, and as the John Williams soundtrack filled our ears, the Jurassic Park waterfall appeared before us. It felt like we could reach out and touch it.
We flew over Waimea Canyon and over the hiking trail we'd been on a couple of days before, and the scale of the Na Pali Coast became all the more jaw-dropping when seen from our new vantage point. Other helicopters entering the valleys ahead of us looked like mosquitoes; birds were infinitesimally small.
We saw beaches that can't be reached unless you land on them; we saw the distinctive peaks of Bali Hai; we saw Hanalei Beach (made famous by "Puff the Magic Dragon"); we saw Waialeale Crater, which is basically a huge ring of waterfalls coursing down the side of sheer cliffs covered in eye-popping greenery -- and all of it was insanely beautiful.
It was all over too soon. Much like the whole trip.
(In case you haven't had enough already, full photo set is on Flickr. And that's maybe half of the shots we actually took!)
hell yes! i did that on my honeymoon and it was BOMB.
Posted by: willikat | April 28, 2009 at 10:07 PM
Looks as if you had a brilliant time, great photos!
Posted by: rhea | April 28, 2009 at 10:20 PM
These pics are breathtaking. So glad you got to experience this!
Posted by: nycbirgit | April 29, 2009 at 12:23 AM
Y'all look so happy! GORGEOUS photos!
Posted by: daysgoby | April 29, 2009 at 07:46 AM
BEAUTIFUL!!!
Posted by: glenna | April 29, 2009 at 08:05 AM
Oh man, I've been on that tour before....and I filled up two vomit bags from motion sickness. I spent almost the entire ride with my head between my knees and missed the beautiful views. My parents had to show me the photos to see what I missed. What a bummer, because it looks stunning. It's crazy that such beautiful places exist that are impossible to see unless from the air.I'm so glad you all had a fantastic trip!
Posted by: heather | April 29, 2009 at 09:33 AM
Ever since I saw Jurassic Park, I've always wanted to take a helicopter ride! I'm glad you got to have so much fun and I got to live vicariously through those gorgeous photos.
Posted by: kirida | April 29, 2009 at 09:38 AM
The helicopter still looks really small to me but your description of the ride and the photos certainly more than validate this decision. I may have to do one sometime myself?!
Posted by: terriwc | April 29, 2009 at 10:33 AM
"as if we couldn't crash if there were children aboard"
ala Say Anything
Great pictures. Looks like something everyone should think about doing if they have the opportunity.
Posted by: Kimszym | April 29, 2009 at 03:34 PM
WOW. Just WOW.
Posted by: nonsoccermom | April 29, 2009 at 03:37 PM
I love these recaps!
Posted by: Kate | April 29, 2009 at 04:35 PM
You have me craving a trip to Hawaii. It sounds and looks fantastic. I'm so glad you had a great time!
Posted by: H | April 29, 2009 at 10:46 PM
Fabulous post! I love it when tears are motivated by beauty and grandeur. Your pictures are beautiful. So happy you had such a great time!
Posted by: Linda | April 30, 2009 at 07:09 PM
Wow Wow Wow! Beautiful photos, so glad that you had an amazing trip.
Posted by: Jen W. | May 04, 2009 at 03:09 PM
Beautiful! I haven't done the helicopter thing, will have to be brave and do it next time!
Posted by: Mauigirl | May 11, 2009 at 05:38 PM