Category Archives: Travel

Mariposa Grove

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The last time I was in Yosemite, it had just snowed and so the access to Mariposa Grove was cut off.  It is a shame since visiting the groves of sequoias is one of the high points for me.  The redwoods at the coast are impressive, certainly, but they don’t have the massiveness that the inland relatives have.  Previously I have taken the tram ride around the grove so this time I decided to walk it.  It was a pleasant temperature but the altitude is a bit of a factor so there were times when I was wondering whether my plan was so clever.

However, the nice thing about the grove is that you are heading downhill when you are on the way back and suddenly everything seems a lot easier.  Walking does give a great way to experience the whole place at your own pace as well as see some areas that you wouldn’t see on the tram.  You also get some exercise!

The lower part of the grove has some big trees but not as many as the upper grove.  Getting up there allows you to be surrounded by some enormous living things.  Every once in a while, I had to look at a normal tree (big by most standards) to remind myself just how much bigger the sequoias are.  They are vast!  Again, this is a tricky thing to accurately portray in photographs.  However, sometimes you just have to enjoy the prettiness of it all.  Having something in to scale it every once in a while helps too of course.

Paia

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Up near the near side of Maui is the little town of Paia.  We checked Paia out on our way to get lunch.  There isn’t a huge amount to see in the town – a selection of shops and places to eat as you might expect – but its claim to fame is that it is populated by some of the more out there members of society.

Going there is as much about seeing unusual people as it is about seeing the town itself.  How long this reputation has been in place and whether it is still valid I couldn’t say.  Certainly there were a few people wandering around who looked like they fitted the bill.  There were far more people visiting, though, and maybe they were all there looking for the strange folk.  By coming in such numbers, maybe we are driving away what we came to see.  Despite all of this, we did see a few cool looking places and some signs that the community is not totally conformist!

Iao Valley

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If you head inland from the airport on Maui, you can travel up a narrow route called the Iao Valley.  It is a pretty valley to travel up but the main attraction is at the head of the valley where there is a visitor center.  Here is a place that has much historical significance for the people who populated the islands in years gone by.  Battles were fought here and the interesting shapes of the hills have significance as well.

The variation in climate was noticeable.  Looking up into the hills, you could see a lot fo cloud moving through and the foliage was green and dense.  Look the other way and you could see the warmer drier areas appearing in quite a short distance.  There was a river running through the valley which was feeding a lot of cultivated garden areas.  A lot of people visited although not many seemed to stay too long.  If you took your time, it was actually a very nice place to be.

Maui Sunsets

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The hotel we were staying in on Maui faced west so each evening was a chance for a sunset.  Our first evening was quite a good one with some very pleasant skies.  The final evening was okay with something nice but not really the sort of thing that would provide a great image.  I went out with the camera for both of them.

The middle evening we went out for dinner and I didn’t take my camera with me.  Guess what, the sky was amazing.  Everyone at dinner was getting up to go and take pictures.  I did have my phone with me so that was the solution.  I grabbed a shot just to remember it by.  Could have predicted this couldn’t you?

Mama’s Fish House

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Upon our arrival on Maui, our first mission was to get lunch.  Nancy had planned ahead and chosen a location not too far from the airport and with a beachfront location that was supposed to be very picturesque.  It was called Mama’s Fish House.  We got there a little ahead of the time of our reservation so parked the car and took a look around.  This place is about as gorgeous as you could imagine a Hawaiian beach to be.  There is a small cove with the waves washing by and making the whole thing look like it was created by a movie set designer.

We sat and enjoyed the place for a while until it was time to eat.  When we did go inside, the welcome was warm and the table was by the windows so we couldn’t have been better off.  One look at the menu tells you that this place is not cheap.  My first instinct was to assume that we were paying for the location.  However, when the food arrived, it was absolutely excellent.  The combination of great food and and outstanding view meant the meal was worth every penny.

Waimea Canyon

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During our last trip to Kauai, I wrote about visiting Waimea Canyon, some of which you can find in the previous posts including here.  This year we went back.  We weren’t looking to do much hiking this time but instead just wanted to take in the lovely scenery.  It is certainly a dramatic enough spot that you can get plenty of good stuff to see.

I did manage to get an aviation theme to this post though.  We got to one of the overlook locations looking into the canyon and one of the tour helicopters was coming towards us.  I grabbed a quick shot of the EC130 as it turned away.  Plenty of other helicopters came by – a steady stream really – but they all took different routes.  I guess it depends on your pilot as to what you get.

We got to the top of the canyon road and the overlook that gives views of the north coast of the island – normally.  Not this day.  The clouds were rolling in and obscuring the view to the north.  Since we were right at the summit, the clouds bubbled up to the top and then dissipated almost immediately.  You had cloud on one side and nothing on the other.  Very cool!

Little Birds

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There are plenty of interesting birds when you visit Hawaii.  The large birds that live on the cliffs like the frigates and boobies are cool as are the Nene, the state bird of Hawaii which is a rare type of goose.  However, there are a few other birds that are plentiful to see and, where we stayed, it wasn’t difficult to find a lot of them coming to visit.  Some were even rather brave about landing on the balcony while we were sitting there.

Two types of bird caught my eye on a regular basis.  One was the red-crested cardinal and the other was a mynah bird.  The cardinals showed up pretty regularly.  According to a friend of mine, they have a duller color to the crest when they are immature and then it becomes fully red when they are adults.  We saw plenty of the immature birds and a reasonable number of those that don’t make fart jokes!

The mynahs are less dramatic but, with the right light on them, they still look pretty good.  They certainly made for something to keep an eye on while we were otherwise taking it easy!

Underwater Shooting

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Something I have never done before is snorkeling.  Having grown up by the sea, I am not sure why this would be but perhaps it is down to the lack of reefs with plenty to see.  Snorkeling is very popular on Kauai and I figured I should really try it out.  I grabbed a mask and snorkel at a store in Hanalei and headed out to the reef at Tunnels.  Having never used a snorkel in anger, I was a little unsure of how I would get on.  After a bit of practice breathing while having my face underwater, I started drifting around the reef.

At first there was nothing special to see but suddenly I found myself surrounded by tropical fish.  They were everywhere and seemed not terribly perplexed by my presence.  It was like being in a documentary except it was right in front of me.  Time went by very quickly without me realizing it.

I decided to take along the GoPro with me while I was swimming about.  With so much activity in front of you, it is something that you really want to be able to share.  The GoPro is a great little device but it is not the perfect solution for underwater filming.  Basically, filming underwater is not straightforward and requires good planning and the right equipment.  The light is flat and the colors muted.  I was chatting with a a pro underwater photographer and we compared notes about what we need for our respective areas.

Having said all of that, I did get some footage so here you go with a sample of what I saw.

Hanalei

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The place we stay on Kauai is a short journey from the lovely town of Hanalei.  You drop down the side of the hill and cross the river to get to the town which is beside a lovely bay.  It certainly isn’t a large town – this is Kauai after all – but it has a few nice shops and some good places to eat.  However, the best feature is the bay.  (No sign of Puff the Magic Dragon though!)

As the sun goes down, the light on the beach is really attractive.  Not only is it a beautifully curved beach but the mountains in the background make the whole place feel even more special.  I really could stay there for a very long time.  It is an attractive spot to others as well.  If you have seen the Descendents, this is the beach they walked along and the house that the other family were renting.  Here it is below for those movie buffs amongst you.