The Grand Canyon of the Pacific

Nawiliwili, Kauai

This cruise has been an adventure. I am behind on posting my blogs because we have been having a blast. Nawiliwili, Kauai boasts of having the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. We thought “ok” but when we got there it was “WOW”. This is definitely worth going to see if you find yourself on Kauai.

Waimea Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is a large canyon, approximately ten miles long and up to 3,000 feet deep, located on the western side of Kauaʻi. Waimea is Hawaiian for “reddish water”, a reference to the erosion of the canyon’s red soil. Our tour guide told us that this is what the Arizona Grand Canyon would look like with a lot of rainfall.

Paying Tribute to a Beloved King

Scaring the Chicken

Spouting Horn Blowhole

We also traveled to the spectacular Spouting Horn blowhole, one of the most photographed spots on Kauaʻi. The Poʻipū surf channels into a natural lava tube here and releases a huge spout of water that can reach as high as 50 feet into the air.

The people in the boat had a really great view of the blowhole when they spouted. One point to note was they did not have cameras focused on the site. One of my friends once remarked he did not take lots of pictures because he did not want to witness life through a camera lens. I admit sometimes it is a toss -up — take the picture or just savor the beauty. I like to think I can do both.

Lunch

At the end of the day, we stopped to do shopping in a small village. Since we were all hungry, we opted to grab lunch. We saw a taco shack across the street from where the bus parked. After ordering shrimp tacos, we sat at the picnic table hoping we had enough time to be able to eat it before we had to head back to the bus. The food came out surprisingly fast. I have to say, it was one of the best shrimp tacos that I have ever had. I guess I was savoring the moment because I did not get a picture.