Capturing the Moment

  View from the drone. This aerial shot is of the channel leading out of the lagoon at Anini Beach, one of the north shores most well-kept secret beaches. When you visit the island of Kauai, it is worth spending an entire day driving and exploring the North side of the island. There are so many hidden beach, snorkel spots, photo and wildlife hot spots, the towns of Kilauea and Hanalei, caves, and beautiful scenery around every turn. In fact, you might need more than one day. We tried to stop at all the hot spots. We saw nesting sea birds at the Kilauea Lighthouse, walked out to the end of the Hanalei Pier, flew my drone at Anini Beach, and even hiked up the Kalalau Trail into the Na Pali coast at the end of the road. We stopped to see the biggest taro patches in the state, and roadside snack shops in historic plantation buildings. The rains definitely came in, the closer we got to the end of the road. But that just added more waterfalls to the cliffs. Everything was green as it usu...

  We were so lucky to get a clear morning at the top of Waimea Canyon here on Kauai. Looks at this view! Kalalau Valley expands below us, all the way to the ocean. This is where the famous Na Pali coast trail ends, 11 miles later. If you aren't going to hike into it, standing above it is the next best thing. And you can just drive up Waimea Canyon, park, and this view is only a few steps away from the parking lot. Last time I was on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, I missed the opportunity to drive up to Waimea Canyon. The rain and low clouds had settled in by the time I was there. So this time, it was high on my list. I was there with a film crew, getting material for an UnCruise Adventures promotional film for a new land-based extension for our Hawaii cruise. After coming with us on a seven day expedition cruise to the Big Island, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, guests could then opt to fly to Kauai for an extra five night package. We needed to get all of Kauai's best attractions and ...

  Hiking up verdant green hills, filled with wildflowers across from the deserted village of Unga. One of my favorite stops on our expedition cruise along the Alaskan Peninsula, out to the Aleutian Islands, has got to be the Shumagin Islands. One of these, Unga Island, has it all. It has incredible geological features like rock arches, steep cliffs, offshore rocks, and sea caves, so the kayaking is amazing. The offshore rocks are covered with seabirds like puffins and kittiwakes...so the small boat tours are amazing. There are no trees, just soft tundra covered in flowers...so the hikes are amazing. And to top it all off, it has the remains of a native village, deserted and dilapidated. And as long as you avoid any confrontations with the semi-wild cows, you should be totally safe from any animals, since there are no bears or other large predators on the island. We spent the whole day, kayaking, skiffing, hiking, and exploring. Its nice to be able to let folks wander at their own l...