ULTRALIGHT (Day 1 - part 2)
Our flight continued...
'Awa'awapuhi Valley
Circling back down again, giving us a view back up the coast from Alapi'i Point
Proof that I haven't fallen off yet!
Amazing water color
The reefs at Nu'alolo Kai State Park
A pair of green sea turtles (or Honu)!
As we approached Miloli'i Beach, we noticed something on the sand near several kayaks, so we circled down for a closer look...
... to find a monk seal (or 'Ilil-holo-i-ka-uaua) resting with her baby!
A large school of fish ... and the group of Spinner dolphins chasing them. Note the one on the far left doing a flip in the air!
We came in really low at Polihale State Park.
Skimming the sand ... and the sea
A final view up the Na Pali coast
Passing by the Pacific Missile Range Facility ... and a final sweep along Barking Sands beach
My sister picked me up from Port Allen and we ran a few errands before heading back to the condo. We all regrouped then set out to the National Tropical Botanical Garden where we wandered around for a bit.
The South Shore Visitors Center
Beautiful paths ... Red cattail
Most plants, even the ones we think are native to the islands, have been imported. Only ferns, four types of trees and one grass are native. All palm trees, except for the Loulu, aren't.
We learned that pineapples grow on the ground ... and bananas hang upside-down in trees.
Starfruit (or carambola) ... and the pungent Noni (or Indian mulberry), which oddly enough is a tree in the coffee family.
Directly next to it was Spouting Horn Beach Park. This area of the coast is known for its frothy waves; Poipu means 'crashing'.
The rocks are filled with various holes and tubes, formed long ago by lava. In some spots, sea water is forced with each wave up into a tube, causing the water to either spray or shoot out the top.
The biggest of these blowholes is known as Spouting Horn.
We ended the day with dinner at a charming place called Keioki’s Paradise.
