Monday afternoon we took a helicopter ride around the island. It was so cool, definitely a great activity. There were 6 passengers and the pilot in the helicopter. The flight was about 45-50 minutes long. This was my first time flying in a helicopter. In the beginning I was just on the verge of being a little afraid, as the helicopter feels less solid in the sky than flying in a plane. But I got used to it quickly and it was fine for the rest of the ride. I don’t think I’d want to fly in a helicopter in a storm though, I can imagine that would be quite scary!
Our helicopter guide told us some interesting things while we were on our tour:
—About 91,000 acres on Kauai is owned by two brothers. They keep it undeveloped and private so it will stay beautiful.
—Waimea Canyon on Kauai is often called The Grand Canyon of Hawaii.
—You cannot drive all the way around the island because of the Na Pali Coast, a 15 mile stretch of coastline full of sheer cliffs. It may be untravelable, but it’s beautiful though!
—He told us a cool story about the burial procedures of ancient royalty. Fearing that the deceased leader's bones had powers their enemies could use against them if they got a hold of them, the people wanted to make sure no one knew where the kings were buried. A warrior and the king’s body would be lowered with ropes from the top of the cliffs down to caves partway down the cliffs. After leaving the king’s body in a cave, the warrior would then cut the rope they had been lowered down with, taking the secret of where the king was buried to their death.
All in all we really enjoyed the helicopter trip and seeing the beautiful island of Kauai from a different vantage point!
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