Kauai is my favorite place in the world.  I'm so excited for you to go there!

**I've bolded and italicized my specific recommendations for you and I've summarized them a the end.**

I've never been to Maui, and I would say most people prefer Maui.  

Kauai is less touristy, and less beachy.  It is more of a hiking destination.  The beaches are more rugged.  There is less sunbathing opportunities.  It can rain a lot.

But in my opinion it's also the most most picturesque of all the Hawaiian Islands, and perhaps even all of the other islands combined.

You're staying in Poipu, and I think that is likely the best area of Kauai to stay in.  The other option is Princeville.  Princeville is a little too manicured for my taste, but I do think that Princeville is closer to many of the really cool sites that are hard to get to.  Poipu is more centrally located for the whole island though.  I will probably stay in Poipu the next time I go, unless I'm on a mission to just get photos in the the North.

This image was taken at some random beach Diane and I found exploring the coast in Poipu.  

**Just doing that will lead you to some interesting spots.  Go for hikes, look for trails, hug the waterline.  You could spend a a whole day doing that and enjoy paradise.**

I'm pretty sure Poipu is also the driest part of the island, and so if you happen to go during a rainy spurt, Poipu may be the perfect place to be.

(not my photo)

**Since you're nearby, don't forget to get a drink at the Grand Hyatt Hotel (I recommend happy hour).  Absolutely stunning sea view terrace open room.**

This photo does not do it justice.  That opening is MASSIVE.  That opening is bigger than those palm trees in front of it.  Look at how small those chairs are compared to that opening.  It's CRAZY.  Easily the most stunning room I've ever been in. 

**Another thing that I whole heartedly recommend is to get a massage. **

We used Aloha Massage and they came to our hotel room and set up the tables there.  You will need to get reservations (likely weeks beforehand).

 Diane is a massage person.  She gets them regularly as self-care for her work and because she was in a bad car accident a long time ago and has leg pain from it (she still has a metal pin in her leg).  I usually treat myself to a massage after I take a long flight to a vacation destination so I can fully start the trip in a relaxed state.  Aloha Massage had THE best massage therapists we have both ever used up to that  point (we have since found an equally good place in Boston, of all places, but that's a story for a different time).  They were spectacular.  Their technique was clearly learned and technical.  They were firm, but also soft and dare I say with a spiritual touch to it.  It was an incredibly well rounded experience.  I think the key is that these are people that are the some of the best at what they do and then they realize one day, that "hey, I'm at the top of this game, if I can do this anywhere I want, where would I want to live?"  And guess what their answer was?  Exactly.

CJM Stables is near where you're staying (and right next to the Grand Hyatt).  Diane and her friends loved it.  The background is very very picturesque and the pictures I've seen never do it justice.

The first time I was in Kauai I would wake up an hour or two before dawn and just trace the coast looking for locations to shoot sunrises at and ended up at this one piece of coastline.  It was gorgeous (you can see it in the way back of this photo, there's a bay in front of that mountain...you can ride the horses right up to the bay, and see the mountain across the water).  I've since lost the picture.  But when I left after I was done taking pictures, I soon found that my car was gated inside this stable's property.  Apparently the stable was open when I got there and they closed it after I drove in.  The people were SUPER chill about it and invited me back to ride the horses.  I never did, but I knew to let Diane and her friends know about it.  They loved it.  I didn't go because I rode horses at Half Moon Bay about a year earlier and chapped my ass so bad I couldn't sit right for a week.  My fault though for having bad riding technique as a relative newbie. A raw hide is not a good thing if you plan to go into salt water.

Seriously, it can lead to serious bacteria infections that lead to amputations.  This is a good time to talk about minding your feet.  If you get any sort of cuts or rawness on your feet from hiking, and then you go in the water, you can get some serious bacterial infections.  This happened to me in New Zealand.  I couldn't walk without a cane for a couple of weeks.  It hurt just to put a sock on.  

This was on the property of where Diane and I stayed when we went .  We stayed in the town next to Poipu called, Koloa. 

Right next to this property is a nice restaurant (fine dining, expensive, pretty good food for Kauai, great place for a wedding) called, Beach House Restaurant.  From what I gather, it's one of the best restaurant in the Poipu area (but my experience is limited dining down there; basing it on review sites).  I did try it, it was good, but not quite worth the money.   You are paying for the view to a certain extent.  Fancy and dress-up type of place.  You'll need reservations (likely weeks in advance).

**Right next to the restaurant is Lawa'i Beach.  From my understanding that's the  best place in south Kauai to go snorkeling.  We didn't snorkel there.**

We did have a Hawaiian shaved ice there.  But it was WAY too long of a wait.  We ordered and then waited over an hour to get our shaved ice.  It was total bullshit, handled so unprofessionally.  That said, get a shaved ice in Kauai!  It's a must!  It's not just syrup.  There's creamy stuff too. YUMMMM chop off my foot now!!

(not my photo)

42 minutes west of Poipu you will get to Waimea Canyon.  They say you should double all of the Google Map time estimates.  In my experience, that is only sometimes accurate, but hey, I'm not a local, so what do I know.  The time estimates seem to be more inaccurate for the north part of the island where there is more traffic and maybe road closures.  You can check for road closures here.

For simplicities sake, I will just use the Google Map estimates for this document.

On the way to Waimea Canyon, there is a cute artist town called, Hanapepe (about 22 minutes from Poipu). Lots of craft stores and art shops and stuff like that. We saw a cute small gecko climbing up the outside of a shop wall here.

There's also a rope hanging bridge to cross a river that's kind of a fun small side-adventure to do. On the other side of a bridge is a photographer's gallery (her work was just meh though). The town is kind of a fun side trip, but I wouldn't call it a destination.

**Further down a bit, there's a town called Waimea, that is not much to write home about, but there is a good BBQ restaurant there (reservations encouraged unless maybe you're going between 2-4pm) called The Fish and The Hog.  Lots of people eat here for dinner after visiting Waimea Canyon and the Kalaulau Lookout. **

**Also there is my favorite shaved ice shop here in this town called, JoJo's Shaved Ice.  BOMB.  *This* is the place.**

Waimea Canyon is worth seeing!  And I've never seen a great picture of it (especially from the ground).  It's the Hawaiian Grand Canyon.  It's massive.  There are multiple places to pull over and check it out.  If you pull over on the side of the road it's free.  If you go to one of the lookouts with a parking lot, you'll need to purchase a parking pass (a day-pass I think).  It's likely worth it to get the pass, as I believe that lets you park at any of the parking lots around here including the Kalaulau Lookout.

From what I've gathered, it's not worth it to hike down the Canyon because the hike down is not scenic (you're in the trees/forest so it's not much of a view until your at the bottom, and then it's a rough, steep hike back up too), but I've never done it and that's just what my friends have said.  Sounds like your friend thinks differently so, what do I know? 

My take?  Do the pullouts, park in the parking lots, explore the parking lot areas for all they are worth (there some nice short trails that lead to different viewpoints), but don't hike anywhere where you will need to walk back up the side of the mountain to get back up.  That can drain your energy for the rest of your day real quick.

This is the Kalaulau Lookout.  It's 12 minutes north of Waimea Canyon.  This is the spot that Ansel Adams called the most scenic view of the Pacific.  It's spectacular.  The problem is that it is much of the time is inside of a cloud.  And so you'll have to be a little lucky to find it at a clear moment.  That said, I've been there at 10am and 2-6 pm when it's been clear.  I've also been there from 12-6 when it's been zero visibility.  Roll of the dice...although I've had more luck than not.  Worth the gamble.

Technically this is a view out to the Na Pali Coast. We'll talking a ton more about the Na Pali coast later.

This is Kalaulau about 1 mile into the Pihea Trail.  The trail has infinite versions of this lookout over your left shoulder.  But none of the views equal the initial Kalaulau Lookout IMO and so if you want to save your feet or go explore another part of the island, I think a strong argument can be made for that.  But if you really just want to bask in the glory of this location, who can argue?  Also, if you're waiting for the sunset to take a photo of the initial lookout, then I guess it makes sense to hike the trail so you can take the sunset photo as you leave.  I've seen spectacular sunset photos of the initial lookout (the picture before the one above this caption).  I've seen no photos from anywhere along the Pihea trail (including the ones I've taken that equal the initial Kalaulau Outlook).  YMMV.

(not my photo)

Ok, enough about the west coast for now. Let's switch gears. North of Poipu, there are some towns that are just kind of touristy. Nothing too interesting here, but you could get lucky and find a few good restaurants. I would describe this area of Kauai as popular but not too interesting (Lihue, Wailua, Kapa'a).  That said, if I were to move to Kauai, the Wailua Homestead Area would be a great choice...and it's fun to drive around there to look at the properties.

The restaurant scene is Kauai is not bad, but it's not anything special either. There is good food to be had (especially farmer's market fruits!!!!), but the ceiling is definitely lower than California.

I would say the food truck scene is worth checking out though. Lots of great chefs decide they want to just move to Kauai have a food truck, stay open for lunch and then surf the rest of the day. And their food is great enough to support their lifestyle. Seems like the same thought process as the message therapists. 

There was the one food truck that just served Brazilian lunches. Another just hot donuts, made to order. UNREAL. They have life figured out.  There are some food trucks by Kapa'a Beach Park (in the east in Kapa'a), but I'd say the best ones are in the North in Hanalei (more on Hanalei later).

Also if you can find an Acai bowl, that might be worth trying. I don't think I had any in Kauai, but in Oahu, it was the best I've ever had.

Lastly, if you go to a corner store, check to see if they have Ono Pops (the popsicles pictured).  They're expensive but insanely good.  Real fruit flavors like:

-salted watermelon cream

-chocolate apple banana

-crackseed lemon peel

-the ones in the pictured

and so many more.  Diane doesn't even like sweets and she bought and ate 3 at a time.

Up in the North East, before Mark Zuckerberg's corner of the island that he colonized, is this little known beach that looks to be part car junkyard. It's called Anahola Beach. When we went (pictured above--notice the tire in the rocks) there were discarded cars stacked on top of each other and dirt bikers riding all along the woods and coast. It's a nice secluded local beach. This is definitely off the beaten path and not something you'd find in a guide book. It was something interesting we found on accident and really had kind of cool vibe because of how weird it was. Not sure it'd be everyone's cup of tea though.

Past Mark Zuckerberg's Compound, you'll find a town called Princeville (65 minutes north of Poipu).  Ultra-manicured, and kind of sterile.  Has a bit of a Stepford Wives feel to it.  I've stayed in Princeville twice and it was more than fine.  It's a great jumping off point for activities in the north of the island, but Poipu has a much better vibe and personality.

**But there's the entrance to a place called, "Queen's Bath" in Princeville.  It is pictured above and the next 4 pictures.  This is one of the highlights of Kauai for sure.  Top 5, for sure. **

The parking lot for it is very small (maybe 15 cars?), and so you may have to wait to be able to get parking.  I think if you go about 2.5-3 hours before sunset, it should be easier to get parking.  Be careful to leave before sunset because it can be easy to get lost on the way back if you're not careful.  I almost got lost on the way back on the 3rd time I went there!  It may be a good idea to bring a flashlight or headlamp for the walk back if you plan on cutting it close.  On the hike back, you'll be on the side of a small mountain, and the sun will be setting on the other side of the mountain, and so the hike will be dark even if it's not fully sunset yet.  The slippery ground, will have lots of crevices that can twist ankles. Caution advised.

The nice thing about the limited parking is that it guarantees that it won't be crowded.

The trail to Queen's bath is only 0.8 miles long.  But it can be very muddy and slippery, even in the summer.  I just looked it up right now and it says that it is closed for the winter, so you'll want to check if it is open when you go.  

This is a good time to talk about shoes.  Hiking is a prime activity in Kauai.  People don't recommend hiking boots, however.  They recommend hiking sandals.  The sandal of choice for locals is Chaco's.  It's because they have a grippy bottom (lots of slippery surfaces due to mud and rain), and it will also let you walk in water if necessary (whether it be on the beach or just a small stream).  They also are sized larger so that the front of the sandal is longer than your toes.  the bottom of the sandal is hard so the front of the sandal effectively protects you from stubbing your toes (important because there are a lot of tree roots and rocks protruding from the ground too). Also Kauai is likely too hot and humid for regular hiking shoes.

Also, Kauai has red clay dirt that will likely ruin your shoes, and everybody's carpet on the island and so you'll likely want to have a pair of breathable shoes or better yet nice sandals for the around town/dinner and a pair of Chaco's for hiking.

Queen's Bath is surreal.  It's essentially the Queen of Hawaii's old swimming pool.  Pictured above, this pool during mid to low tide is majestic and you'll find people jumping into it from high above.  Be careful though because at high-tide the pool disappears and people can get pulled out into the ocean and die.  People die here.  No joke.  Google tide tables before going especially if you want to go into the Queen's Bath or want to watch people jump in.  I suppose you can go during high-tide, but the access to certain parts will be much more limited, and water play will be out of the question (for the most part) from my understanding. 

It is smart to plan your trip to Queen's bath so you go when you get parking, and also the tide is low to medium.  This is likely not going to happen if you just go on a whim.

Queen's Bath

It's spectacularly beautiful here.  It's not huge, but I can spend 2 hours here easy.  

Queen's Bath

I'd say it's the most Star Wars-like landscape in Kauai.

(Not my image)

**There is an extremely cute beach town called Hanalei 9 minutes west of Princeville (74 minute north then north west of Poipu).  This is the cutest town in Kauai.**

I imagine it is similar to the town that burned down in Maui (although I've never been to Maui, but it seems to have served a similar role to the island).  Cute shops, good shopping, and some amazing food trucks.  I've also had some luck with restaurants here too.

If you decide to do a boat tour of the NaPali Coast (which is one of the most beautiful places in the world, no exageration), Hanalei is also a great place to depart from.  I've departed from here twice.  My understanding is that it is better to launch from the north than from the south because the north west is much more scenic than the southwest and I'm not sure that the boats departing from the south fully get to the north west (similar to how the boats from the north don't go all the way down to the southwest).  Will be hard to beat the convenience of leaving from the south though since you're staying in Poipu.

Get your snorkel gear here if you decide you want to snorkel at what I was told is the #1 spot in Kauai (Haena State Park).  If you decide to do this, be sure to ask the person at the shop for tips on parking, and ask if they can give you a map (they did for us).  I recommend doing your own research on the internet about where to park for Haena State Park and what permits are necessary beforehand so you already have a clue about what they're talking about when they teach you how to work the system.

Diane and I did snorkled there and it was phenomenal.  Best to do during direct sunlight.  The fish do not look vibrantly colorful during overcast conditions (we went back a second day because we loved it so much, but it was overcast and turned out not to be worth the effort).  WAY better snorkeling than Oahu.  We saw a lot of colorful fish!

**A couple minutes away is Hanalei Beach and Hanalei Bay.  This is not my style of beach.  It's probably the closest to a quintessential Hawaiian style beach there is in Kauai. **

Quiet, chill, volleyball courts and almost made for sunbathing.  It was great to hang out there for a few hours and just people watch.  Hung out with a couple of lady's from Alaska who were house hunting for their retirement home.  They were huge Star Wars fans and we nerded out for a while. 

Between here and where the next photo is taken is where they filmed the original Jurassic Park.

This is Tunnels Beach.  1hr 23 minutes from Poipu (to the parking lot, before the long hike on the beach)

It has appeared as a Top 50 best beach in the world and as high as Top 21.  I think it's in the top 2 that I've ever been to.  For context, here's a link to my landscape photography for an idea of what I've seen.

It's tricky to get here.  Parking is limited and far from where you'll want to be (if you want to be at this exact spot).  I think it will be a mile hike or more from either parking lot.  And that hike will be on sand so it will feel like it's much further.  Since it's so secluded, you'll likely have the beach almost to yourself.

Most lists have this as the best snorkeling place on the Kauai, although I didn't snorkel here (and the person at the snorkel rental shop recommended Haena over it).  It's a stunning beach that is the ideal backdrop for engagement photos. 

Do research before going to this spot!  Most post make it seem easier to get to then it actually is.  This post seems to talk about it in the most realistic fashion.  But that's from research I just did in like 5 minutes.  You might be able to find better posts on it.  I would not recommend walking from Haena to here.  I think the small residential parking lot is the way to go.  It's closer, but you'll need to get luckier to get parking.  Again, I've had luck going toward the end of the day, but make note of how to get back to the car!!  All the walkways to get to the beach look the same when coming back.  Note the landmarks and houses next to the entrance/exit you are using to get to the beach from your car.

Pretty sure Barbara Streisand has a house around here.

This is Ke'e Beach.  This is located at the end of the highway that encircles the island (except for the west coast of the island that is known as the Na Pali Coast).  It is 1hr 27 minutes from Poipu.

This a beautiful beach.  It looks tiny when you get there, but if you go up north and hang a right, and then look back at where you just came from, you'll see the view above. 

This beach is famous because it's the entry point for the Na Pali coast trail.  The Na Pali coast trail is one of the most beautiful and treacherous in the world.  I have only hiked the first few miles and it was not worth it, but I'm sure it's because I hadn't got to the great parts yet.  It was a very steep and tough hike and the beach I got too was not all that great.  The full hike is a multi-day hike and I hear there are squatters and weird shit going on out there.  There are parts of the hike where the ledge is only a foot or two wide. 

I would say Ke'e beach is worth checking out, and the hike is only worth doing if you're really committing yourself to the multi-day hike.  The beaches of the Na Pali coast can only be accessed through hiking or boat.

Ke'e Beach is now reservation only, however the person at the snorkel shop told us that if we go after a certain hour, they stop checking for passes, so you might want to ask them about that too if you're interested.   Do the research on reservations beforehand, even if you plan to talk to the snorkel shop and cheat the system is my advice.

Ke'e Beach

There's also a Botanical Garden near here that is supposed to be great.  I've never been, and I think you need reservations, but it sounds like it's worth checking out.

Ke'e Beach

**Okay, let's talk the Na Pali Coast Boat tour!

The boat tours are 80% as good as the helicopter ride.  If you don't do the helicopter ride, then be sure to do the boat tour, because the Na Pali Coast is likely the most beautiful place I've ever seen with my own eyes.  

You'll likely want to take the boat tour that starts in the south. It will probably leave from Port Allen (about 20 minutes west of Poipu).

There are options for a dinner cruise or a snorkel cruise too.  You'll want to book these well in advance.**

And the Na Pali coast can only be seen by boat or helicopter.  Yes, you can also do the multi-day hike, but then you're looking at the ocean and not necessarily the coast, right?

The boat tour is quite good, the captains are funny, entertaining, and polished.  They will also take you into the tunnels located in the sides of the mountains.  

This pic and the next pic were from by first boat ride.  24-70mm lens (about a 16-55mm on Fuji).

It will be tricky to get your nice camera onto the boat without it getting wet.  It will be a good idea to use a dry sack to get your camera onto the boat (you'll likely need to get waist deep into the water), and there can be water spray in the boat too.  I have a dry sack that you can borrow if you want.

Weather-proofing usually doesn't protect against salt water, or actual submersion into water.

This pic and the next pic were from my second boat ride.  Same location.  12-24mm lens (8-16mm on fuji).

This is where the boat ride ends (if you come from the North).  I'll point out this rocky outgrowth later in the helicopter pictures.  The people on the beach here were likely hikers of the Na Pali Coast trail and needed to camp to get here.

This was taken on the way back from the boat ride.  This is right at the north west corner of the island.  Best to do this boat trip near the end of the day for the best light.  They also offer dinner boat rides too I think, although I've never done that.  12-24mm lens here too. I took long lenses and was never really happy with anything I got with them in Kauai.  I think it's because Kauai is so green that when I zoomed in, it just was a bunch of green and it really lost the expansive feeling of the island.  That said, I was never great at taking landscape shots with zoom lenses and so maybe I'm a bad spokesperson for this.

Ok, finally, lets talk helicopter ride! 

Helicopter rides usually have to be booked well in advance and will likely be leaving in Lihue (although the meeting spot might be in Kapa'a).

Let's get the scary stuff out of the way first. Helicopters have crashed. It can be windy in Kauai. It's understandable if you don't want to do this. We all have different tolerance level for risk. No judgement. That said, I can't imagine that a helicopter ride is not safer than skydiving. There are many helicopter companies to choose from. Each of them fly several times a day. Crashes happens about twice a year. There have been 54 between 1984-2022, with 15 of them being fatal. In those 15 crashes, 57 people have been killed.

Now according to TripAdvisor, there are 15 companies that offer helicopter rides.  It looks like 2 of them don't have rides currently offered.  I went and I looked up how many rides they offer a day.  There were 66 rides offered total by the combined 13 companies per day.  66 times 360 days (minusing a few holidays) is 23,958 rides a year.  If my math is right, that's a 0.008% chance of crashing.  Also remember that only 15 of the 54 crashes were actually fatal (I assume most crash into the water) and so that's only 27.7% of the 0.008% lead to death, which by my calculations would be 0.0018% chance of death.  Please check my math though.  I only passed Calculus 1, and that was years ago.  I'm no math genius.

Also the TripAdvisor link changed after I did the math for some reason (full disclosure).

One important caveat is that these flights are often cancelled due to weather conditions and so there are likely way fewer flights available than the math I calculated above.   If we do the math again with half the flights, it would still be a minuscule chance.

Again please check all this information for youself.  Don't do anything that you're uncomfortable doing.  Read the reviews.  Read up on the risks.  Don't let me pressure you.  I'm just presenting my testimonial.

Also these helicopter rides are expensive!  $294 for 45 minutes!

I've always opted for doors off (so that I can get better pictures not shooting out of a window) and I usually opt for something closer to an hour.  That bumps up the price too.  If I have a choice, I tell them to focus on the NaPali coast.  There are photography specific tours tours where you get to tell them how much time you want to spend where.  

I think the standard trip is fine, but I would also say that I'm obsessed with the Na Pali coast and if they spend more time on the NaPali coast and rush through the before and after parts of the NaPali coast, IMO it would be time better spent.  For my first time, I would likely just do the standard trip.

So why do I recommend doing the helicopter ride so much? Well to be perfectly frank, every time I've gone, it was literally the most exhilarating thing I've ever experienced in my life.  I went up once and immediately knew it was the highlight of my life and immediately booked another ride before I went home.  

If this was an alternate universe and they said that I could do my first helicopter ride in Kauai for $300 and then they said from then on it would cost me $1000 for each ride after, I would gladly pay it.  Just make sure I have a window seat (on the right!).

The above photo is of the Five Sisters Waterfall.  This and 80% of Kauai is only visible by helicopter.  Kauai is the most underdeveloped island of Hawaii.

The middle part of Kauai is one of the most rainiest places on earth so the island is LUSH in the middle and full of waterfalls.  It is truly out of this world beautiful.  

I have done four helicopter rides in Kauai total.  The first two were the generic ride offered by the company.  The last two were customized for photography so that I could tell them where I wanted to go and stay at that location for as long as possible (and explore different angles).

All four pilots were ex-military and had thousands of hours of flying under their belt (if I remember correctly). Ask the company beforehand if that's important to you!

The companies I used were Jack Harter (twice), Mauna Loa, Ail'i Air Tours.  I thought they were all super professional and I felt safe each time.  

Diane was scared when I took her on the Ail'i Tour.  She said she was scared the first 20 minutes, then got used to it, and then said it was by far the highlight of her trip.  That was a windy day too.  Also keep in mind that you'll want to have a windbreaker or rainjacket (and probably pants) because it will be windy and cold in the sky with the doors open (if you choose that option).

Be sure to read all of the FAQs about how to handle your camera properly too.  If anything falls off of your camera (like a lens hood) it could fly into the rotor and that could be extremely BAD!  May be worth it to invest in a lens cloth that you can tie to your jacket, since you may get mist on your camera lens.  It will also be worth it to have a fully charged battery an empty SD card in the camera, because you'll be taking a zillion photos and you won't be allowed to change those things in the air because it's critical that stuff does not fly out of the helicopter and hit the rotor!

On the way to the Na Pali Coast, you'll fly over Waimea Canyon.  The view from the Helicopter is WAY better than from the drive we talked about earlier.  The picture above, the one before it, and the one after this one are all of Waimea Canyon from the helicopter.

Honestly, if you do the helicopter trip, seeing Waimea from the ground is way less impressive.

Ok, now we're at the Na Pali Coast.  This photo was on the front page of Reddit for awhile.  I actually didn't post it.  Someone stole it from my Flickr Account and reposted it and I dunno, what can you do lol.

This rocky outgrowth at the bottom of this picture (it's actually an arch if you look closely) is the same one that the boat ride (from the north) ends on (which I mentioned above).  This is immediately north of the previous picture.

It's actually best to sit on the right side of the helicopter.  So if you could both sit on the right side of the helicopter (one person in front and the other in back) that would be the best view for the both of you.  Now that's not to say it would be the best experience, because then you'd be disconnected a little bit.  Sitting both in the back is a better couples experience.  I would say let the photographer be on the right side, so that they can get the shots of Na Pali Coast.  This is the same arch (on the bottom left) from the last picture. 

This arch is the first thing that drew me to Kauai and made it my #1 bucket list destination for photography.   It was the second place I went to strictly to photograph a landscape location.

Here it is again lol.

Now here it is when I went the 3rd time.  The helicopter pilot knew I was in love with this place and so he got me a very unique angle (I've never seen this angle in any photograph).  That thing right in the middle is the same arch from the last 3 pictures.

Once past the Na Pali Coast, we fly up north before heading back.  This is Ke'e Beach here and on the left side is Haena Park (where the snorkeling is).  This is, again, around where Barbara Streisand's house is.  Maybe Oprah has a house here too?  I might be making the Oprah part up.  

This is on the way back.

I must say that it is extremely difficult to get shots that accurately convey the beauty of the island.  It's tough to take pictures that look impressive when it's all just one color (green).  And it's all just so massive too, it's hard to convey the scale of what you'll see.

One thing to know to convey scale is that these trees at the bottom are absolutely massively tall.  They're an invasive species from Africa and they colossally huge.  They are called African Tulip Trees and in Kauai they are 75 feet tall.  Look at how tiny they look! 

(not my photo)

(Don't know why this font is different here, but too lazy to retype this, sorry)

There is also a place that is really interesting on the way back called the Wall of Tears.  This is part of the wettest part of Hawaii and the top of the mountain is almost always in a cloud.  And that cloud just feeds into all of these waterfalls. This is only a fraction of the waterfalls (if my memory serves correctly).  It's a stunning, moody, surreal scene.  I couldn't get a good photo of it, and I couldn't find a great photo of it on the net.  When I went with Diane, it was actually one of the rare days that there was no cloud there and so it was actually dry...no tears.  So the helicopter just traced the side of the mountain face and raised up slowly all the way to the top and over, kind of like a roller coaster going up.  When we finally got to the top and over, it was a revelation to see the other side.  Diane said that was her favorite part of the whole ride. She's nuts, nothing compares to the Na Pali coast.  That said, she did sit on the left side of the helicopter lol.  And her taste in scenery is...debatable.

I'd say a 16-35mm (10-24mm for Fuji) lens is the way to go for the helicopter ride.   Any wider and you will get the propellers.  Any longer and you'll just get details and not the grandeur and vastness of what you are seeing.

You aren't allowed to change lenses, but you can take two cameras.

If you do end up doing the helicopter ride, then please ask me about camera settings.  Mucho importante!

Okay, I think that's it!  Please let me know if you have any questions.  Kauai is my favorite place in the world, and so I'm always happy to talk about it!