Exploring Kauai

I'd dreamed of visiting Hawaii ever since I used to watch Elvis movies as a kid. So, when my brother invited us to celebrate his birthday with him and his wife on Kauai, the Garden Island, I couldn't have been more excited.
Among the highlights of our Hawaiian holiday was a morning kayak paddle along a tranquil river filled with unusual birds, snorkelling amid tropical fish and sea turtles at Poipu beach - once named America's best beach, and taking in jaw-dropping views of Waimea Canyon State Park.
For me, the standout experience was a catamaran tour along the Na Pali coast, a key filming location for several Jurassic Park instalments. We marvelled at soaring, wave-like cliffs, waterfalls and arches etched into the rockface before arriving at an islet populated by Hawaiian monk seals. Endemic to the Hawaiian island archipelago, they're an endangered species; only around 1,570 remain. They might look cute but, like any wild animal, don't even think about approaching them. We went for a reef snorkel off the islet and spotted dozens of different species of tropical fish, including the unusual Squaretail Filefish and Lemonpeel Angelfish. As I was filming one seal that was hanging out close the edge of the island, exclusively populated with males, another seal appeared and attacked him, potentially to claim his turf; who knows. But I knew better than to hang around. I slowly moved back towards the boat, keeping an eye on both seals. In this video, I zoomed in for a better shot, so it looks like I was much closer to them than I actually was.
What I do know is that I fell in love with Kauai over those five days and can't wait to return to Hawaii and explore more of this wondrous natural beauty, which literally feels like heaven on earth.
#Hawaii #Kauai #snorkeling

[@rouilliew]

Miss it, tons. But I'll keep my memories, visit and move to Africa. Mahalo for this.