Oahu North Shore Excursion - Waves, Macadamia Nuts, and a Buddhist Temple

My flight home was at 6:00 PM, so I opted for one of the ships excursions to the North Shore of Oahu, which would then take us to the airport. It was interesting, but quite unlike what the Road Scholar program offered with its informational lectures and expert guides. 

Still, fun to see the area, which is famous for huge waves and surfing competitions. I was seated on the other side of the bus, so capturing the dramatic waves was tricky. 

Tide pool with a tsunami area warning.

 

Beautiful views of the mist in the mountains as we drove. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The area was rich in macadamia farms, and we stopped at one of the factory shops.

The next stop was a cemetery and a Buddhist Temple. 

We saw a few cattle egrets, so named because they are often found near or on top of cattle.

Ringing the sacred bell was very interesting.

Look closely and you'll see a log attached to a piece of rope. The rope is pulled, and the log retreats. When you let go of the rope, the log flies into the bell and strikes it with a soft "boom."

 

Small pineapple plants with tiny fruit.

Waimea Canyon - the Grand Canyon of the Pacifc

For our last excursion, we drove high up into the mountains to Waimea Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It's 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. (We passed a shop on the way that advertised "Red Dirt Shirts"!)

We took advantage of a scenic overlook, which happened to have restrooms. I thought this was a good time to show the Hawaiian names for men and women:

 

 

More roosters looking after their hens.

We also learned a bit about King Kaumuali'i:

And finally, Waimea Canyon:

 

Our group leader, Frank, had treats for us as we boarded the bus.

Leaving the canyon.

One of the towns we drove through on the way back to the ship:

Talk Story Bookstore, the westernmost bookstore in the US, a possible bookseller for Adventure USA: Book 4 - HAWAII! Pineapple Peril?

Kona - Coffee and Puuhonua (Place of Refuge) National Park

We stopped here to taste Kona coffee made from beans grown at nearby coffee farms.

 

Coffee and banana trees

On our way to Puuhonua O Honaunau. This historical site contains one of the most sacred heiau (traditional place of worship) in the islands.

 

 

 

This artist used wooden sticks with carved raised areas to print beautiful designs:

After painting on the ink, she pressed it onto the paper to make the imprint.

 

Cinder cones dot the beaches:

Views of the shoreline and the turquoise water. 

This is the same tree (with the putrid fruit) that was in the Amy Greenwall Garden.