This is Hawaii! We spent 7 hours today on an excursion, The Na Pali Explorer. We had initially decided not to take this recommended excursion but changed our minds with the urging of other members of our tour group. We are so glad we did. It was another once in a lifetime experience.

The Na Pali Coast is considered the most beautiful scenery in Hawaii. It was used in many feature films including Jurassic Park, 7Days 6 Nights, King Kong and many, many other films and TV shows. It is only accessible and viewable from the water. The remote location, strong waves and tides require the use of high powered diesel raft-like boats that cut and skim through the water at high speed.

We spent 5 hours on our 40 foot Explorer watercraft. We were drenched at times and barely holding onto the boat at others. We were rewarded with spectacular scenery, 1,000 feet waterfalls, humpback whales, sea turtles and other exotic tropical fish in the clear turquoise water. We anchored in a quiet cove for lunch and snorkeling. Brett snorkeled while I stayed onboard. It was a peaceful hour surrounded by northing but nature and quiet.

If you are planning a Hawaiian trip, put the Na Pali Coast on your “must see” list. You will recognize the scenery that you see in most movies set in a tropical location. An added bonus is the sugar cane and coffee plantations along the 45 minute drive to the coast. From what I can tell, the resorts on this island are very nice. The scenery is lush green, water turquoise blue and the beaches very tropical in appearance.

We finished the day with a midnight Pied Piper mid-cruise Hawaiian themed party. It was a blast. We had bought matching Hawaiian shirts, leis and flowers. The turnout was great with several original costumes.