Mike in the Wild

Of the three ways to visit Kauai's Na Pali Coast, flying overhead in a helicopter was the least interesting to me.  It also cost the most, so it was easy to rule it out on my already-expensive vacation.  I decided on the two other visits, however: one by hiking, the other by boat.  Each was a completely different way to witness some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.  Panoramic view of the Na Pali Coast from a tour boat. Na Pali Coast from the Pihea Trail. Superlatives abound on Kauai.  It is the oldest and remotest of the main Hawaiian Islands, lying furthest west than the others.  It was also the first island to be settled by the ancient Polynesians and the first to be visited by Captain James Cook, the first European to land on any Hawaiian island.  Finally, it's home to the wettest spot on Earth, where over 460 inches of rain a year falls.  As a result, the verdant island is referred to as the Garden Island.  Thanks to Kauai's ...

When a tour tells you to expect some of the most spectacular scenery on Earth and up-close encounters with marine wildlife, all along accompanied by expert local guides, two meals and a mai tai bar, you have to wonder how are they going to guarantee all that in a five hour trip.  Well of course weather, seasons and luck are an important factor in any outdoor adventure, so nothing can be promised except for a bottle of rum.  But on the mid-September day I joined Kaui Sea Tours on their deluxe 60 foot catamaran, the Lucky Lady, out of Port Allen, I was destined to experience the thrills of a lifetime. Kaui is the oldest and in some ways the remotest of the main Hawaiian Islands because it lies so far west of the others.  Another distinction is that it was the first island to be settled by the ancient Polynesians.  It's also the wettest of the islands, if not of all Earth's locations, where one spot gets over 460 inches of rain a year.  As a result, the verdant i...