Waimea Canyon

Let's go exploring!

A friend was keen to show me the first part of a route he'd planned, having judiciously stepped back from his intended pilgrimage to the summit of Kauaikini. A key skill for off-roading, I learned, is to tilt forward a bit and let your body sway freely as the vehicle bumps and bounces along.

We made it as far as the Kauaikoi Stream, and stopped; although he'd driven through yesterday, rain had since swollen the creek considerably.

Lots of greenery, lots of mud, very few flowers.

Back to the main road, we enjoyed sweeping vistas of Waimea Canyon.

Clouds blocked our view at the Kalalau Lookout, but we were rewarded after waiting out the rain. (Flood damage has closed the Kalalau Trail.)

The foraging bird in the foreground is a (non-native) Erckel's francolin. But you had your eye on the sea, didn't you?

There are only so many roads here, so of course we headed down Makaha Ridge for a look-see.

I'll never forget a local's reaction to a spectacular rainbow the first time I visited Hawaii: “Well, it rains in the hills in the afternoon, and the sun is in the west, so ...”

“Oh, wow!” Should I pull over? “Yes!”

There's a double rainbow here, if you look hard enough.

Waimea Canyon, a waterfall, and a rainbow. Kauai.