Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii

            Tuesday, 5 Feb 2019 – Although Sally hadn’t slept well, we were up by 8:30 AM, and sat next to a window for breakfast in the Terrace Café.  While eating, we could see passengers outside boarding various “free” shuttles.  We did not purchase an excursion for this port since we had visited the island previously.  Kauai is the fourth largest and northernmost island in the Hawaiian group, and the oldest of the large islands.  It is the top of an enormous volcano rising from the ocean floor, with lava flows dated to about 5 million years ago.  Kauai’s terrain ranges from the volcanic slopes of Mt. Waialeale and the desert-like beauty of Waimea Canyon to the Wailua River’s lush Fern Grotto.

"Free" Shuttle to Wal-Margt

Multi-Colored Wild Rooster

            After breakfast, we went ashore and boarded a shuttle to Wal-Mart.  Jesse had a list of items that he needed.  While waiting near the Wal-Mart store for the return shuttle, a beautiful, multi-colored rooster was strutting about nearby.  A native of Hawaii sitting nearby told us that, ever since a 1946 tsunami that released a lot of penned-up chickens, many have been roaming wild.  When we returned to the pier, it was raining but we waited inside for another open-air shuttle that would be good for photos.  Although this second shuttle trip was only a 15-minute roundtrip ride, we took a few nice photos of the area.

            We were back on the ship by 2:00 PM, just in time for lunch in the Terrace Café before closing time.  When we returned to the cabin, Jesse called his friend, Janet, back in Iowa, and called and texted a few family members; then we napped.

Free Open-Air Shuttle

            Since a Chinese New Year celebration was taking place in the Terrace Café for dinner, seats were a little hard to find.  We sat at a table for four and were joined by Camellia and Mike from Ottawa, Canada.  Camellia retired in 2000, Mike in 2003.  Mike’s career was with the Canadian Army.  They use to travel a lot by car until they got older.  Now, they have been on lots of cruises, mostly Holland America and Princess, but this is their first on Oceania.  They have one son who is a diplomat in Sydney, Australia, and one granddaughter, who is attending school in Adelaide.  Camellia is originally from Quebec and her first language is French.  After dinner, we danced for 30 minutes.