This morning I woke up to very wet and rainy weather at my house in Lihue. My girlfriend had to work and I really wanted to do something more exciting then messing around inside on my computer all day. I got out my checklist of activities and immediately Kipu Ranch ATV stood out on the list. As I picked up the phone to make a reservation I thought to myself how perfect an ATV ride was going to be on a muddy day like today.
As I pulled my truck into the parking area at the Kipu Ranch ATV headquarters I could see the guides pulling the ATVs and side by sides out of the garage, and lining them up in front of the office. As I opened the door and got out of my truck I could feel a steady flow of small raindrops drizzling down on my forehead. I couldn't help but smile as I thought about how fun the trails were going to be with a healthy layer of mud on top of them. After our group had all arrived and was ready to go, we gathered around our guide for instructions on how to operate the machines.
Operating the ATVs was very simple. There was an automatic transmission so there was no shifting of gears or clutch that the rider had to deal with. There was basically a throttle, brake and handlebars for steering. We took a practice lap around the headquarters to get acquainted with the controls. After we were all warmed up, we journeyed onto the ranch to explore the trails.
The terrain of Kipu Ranch was absolutely amazing. After touring the grounds and seeing for myself the beauty of the area it does not surprise me that such major Hollywood productions such as: "Jurassic Park", "Outbreak", "Mighty Joe Young" and "Tropic Thunder" all used the ranch to film on during production.
We found all kinds of mud during the tour and even got an opportunity to wash it off in the river. There was a rope swing at the swimming hole that had some interesting history behind it. In the opening sequence of the film "Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark" Harrison Ford escapes the cave that is booby trapped with blow darts and giant boulders only to get robbed of his treasure by a rival archaeologist. After he hands over the gold statue from the cave, he makes a daring escape on foot down a hill while being chased by a huge group of native warriors. Just as you think he is gonna get caught he grabs a rope swing and launches himself out into the river where his friend in a seaplane picks him up and they fly off into the sunset. Do you remember this part of the movie? That rope swing was the exact same rope swing used in the movie. Our guide even joked around and said:
"Wanna see why they should have cast me as Indiana Jones?"
Immediately after saying that, he launched a huge flip off of the swing and came down with a tremendous splash. I definitely think he outdid Harrison Ford's jump (especially if the judging criteria was based on splash size and acrobatics). We all took turns doing our own Harrison Ford impressions on the swing before we made our way back to our ATV's to go to a different waterfall for lunch.
As we pulled up the the waterfall that we were going to be eating our lunch at one of our guides explained that this exact location was recently used by the popular television show "America's Next Top Model" to film one of their photo shoots. After seeing the falls it makes sense why they chose this location, it's beautiful.
After our lunch we got back on our ATVs and visited another waterfall before we mounted our ATVs again for the final segment of the ride. We ended back at the headquarters where we started. We took off our helmets and ponchos before we said our good byes and went our own ways. On the drive home I couldn't help but smile as I thought about how even on a rainy day I can still manage to find a way to make the absolute best of it. I think that the mud made the ride much more fun then it would've been if it was dry and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Kipu Ranch.
Every time a new zipline is built in Hawaii it seems like they're always trying to out do all the other courses by having a longer or a faster zipline. The designers of the course at Just Live Ziplines on Kauai decided to outdo their competition with a different criteria. So, they designed the course that is the highest zipline course off the ground.
The Just Live Company started out as a ropes course that was created to help teach teamwork and serve as a “challenge course” for the youth of Kauai. Over the years they have been able to help thousands of local youth learn to overcome their fears and work together. The facilities steadily grew in size, incorporating more and more elements as time went by. Eventually, the management of Just Live began designing programs that allowed the islands visitors to also take part in the activities that happen here.
The excursion that we did today was unique from any other in the Hawaii zip line industry. Most lines are set up so the rider begins and ends on firm ground. At the Just Live course, riders begin by climbing a large tower and then zip lining across a line that crosses a gulch and lands on a wooden platform that was built about 70 feet off the ground, in a massive ironwood tree.
From this platform we crossed to other platforms built in neighboring trees using other zip lines as well as suspension bridges. Eventually, we traveled through a circuit that wound its way through the trees before launching us on a massive zip line onto a tower that has been constructed far away in the pasture located across the gulch from the grove of ironwood trees.
Once we got onto the tower (which was constructed like some sort of element on a military training ground) we climbed up a ladder to the top level where another large zipline began. We clipped into the final line and at the end of it our feet struck hard ground for the first time since we climbed up the tower where we clipped into line one.
I’ve done quite a bit of rock climbing as well as almost every zipline course in the Hawaii so I am pretty experienced with being in high places and relying on ropes and harnesses. That doesn’t mean that I don’t still get a rush of adrenaline every time I climb up something high and then look off of it towards the ground. Each and every time it gives me that fear in the back of my head that slows down my movements and makes me become hyper vigilant about exactly what I am doing right then. As long as the danger is not too real I can have that feeling in small doses, I really enjoy it. Being scared really brings my consciousness into the moment and then overcoming fear brings with it a feeling of personal accomplishment. I like both those feelings, and the feeling of being really high off the ground (but clipped in) the entire time made it more fun for me. I think this is a great tour for anyone who is a thrill seeker, and I think that this is a great tour for anyone that wants to work on any issues with heights as well. We had a great time.
Today we went on a helicopter ride with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters around the island of Kauai. The views were incredible and there were smiles all the way around the cabin of the spacious ECO-STAR helicopter. Click here for more information
Ziplines are a phenomenon that is rather new in Hawaii. The first ziplines were created on Kauai, and then they spread throughout the state. The Kauai Backcountry Zipline is located in Hanamaulu, and is one of the originals. Hanamaulu us very conveniently located, close to the airport and the cruise ship harbor. Kauai Backcountry Adventures is the same company that we did the inner-tubing tour with. We checked in at the same place, right at the Kauai Backcountry Adventures headquarters building (you can’t miss it, it’s bright yellow).
After we checked in, we were issued harnesses and taken out front where out guide was waiting for us, in a 6-wheeled military troop carrier. We jumped in and began our trip up to the zipline course.
Our guide explained that the ranch we were on has a rich history behind it. At one point it was part of a gigantic sugar plantation. Then, in 1999 when the sugar plantation went out of business the land was purchased by America Online Co-founder Steve Case. Mr. Case vowed to never allow the land to be developed (to keep Kauai from suffering the same overcrowding such a problem where Steve grew up on Oahu) and has since allowed only low impact developments such as: activity companies, video productions and farmers to lease the land back from him to use.
The area is absolutely beautiful, after seeing it for yourself there will be no question left in your mind why such films as: “The Thin Red Line”, “Tropic Thunder”, “Jurassic Park” and “Mighty Joe Young” were filmed here. This lush environment was a pleasure to the eye.
When we got to the top of the road we got out of the troop carrier and made our wat towards the top of the hill. As we walked towards the first zipline and crested the hill we could see the zipline course extending out into the distance, crossing back and forth across the valley beneath us.
One of our guides went down first and the other stayed at the top and helped us clip our harnesses into the zipline. After we zipped down the second guide helped us unclip. We repeated this process for each zipline throughout the trip.
*Simone requested to get bounced.
Some of the lines were long and others were much shorter. One of the shortest ones (line #6) actually turned out to be my favorite. The zipline had a great deal of slack in it. Before you went down it the guide would ask if you wanted to be “Bounced”. If you agreed, then the guide would pull down on the cable sending a wave through it that gave the rider a free fall sensation when they went over it. It was really fun!
After we finished the final zip line of the course, our six wheeled transport was already there waiting for us. We did not load up to go back down the hill right away. Instead, we sat under their pavilion and ate lunch. After we ate a few members of the group went for a swim in a pool in the nearby stream.
Unless you went up to the ranch with Kauai Backcountry Adventures, (or someone else that had the key to Mr. Case’s property) you would never know that there was this kind of beautiful terrain, so close to the islands busy commercial center. If your on Kauai (even for just the day) and are looking into finding something exciting then to do then you should definitely consider checking out the zipline with Kauai Backcountry Adventures.
It is not often at all that I go on a tour and am completely and utterly impressed with the experience that I have. Today, when I went on the sunset sail with Captain Andy’s Charters up the Napali Coast, was one of those days. The weather, the service of the crew, and itinerary of the trip were all flaw less.
We started out at the harbor in Port Allen where we checked in at the Captain Andy’s store. After the group was gathered, we proceeded to make our way down to the pier where Captain Andy's luxurious “Gold Coast” catamaran awaited us. We took our shoes off and put them in the rack before boarding the boat and making our way into the cabin for the safety briefing.
After the briefing was over the crew untied us from the pier and we were off. Our journey began by touring the coastline of the west side of Kauai. As we passed the town of Waimea and continued towards the far west town of Kekaha, we enjoyed the views of the rolling hills that at one time were all covered with sugar cane.
Once we got to Kekaha, the coastline turned to sand. This stretch of sand continued, uninterrupted for 17 miles. The beach stretched from Kekaha, all the way to the far western end of Polihale State Park. Here, the 100+ foot tall sand dunes of Polihale were completely dwarfed by the cliffs of Napali that put their foot in the ocean, and extend upwards to over 3000 feet into the sky.
As we were in sheer amazement of the spectacle of the cliffs that were hanging over our heads, some friendly creatures decided to pay us a visit. At first we saw one jump in the distance, then another one came and swam up right near the boat. All of a sudden with a giant spout of water a humpback whale surfaced next to our boat. After swimming near us for about 30 seconds the whale showed us its tail before it dove down into the depths, never to be seen again.
After our whale sighting we continued up the coast admiring the cliffs, hidden beaches, and lush tropical valleys that we passed by. We continued up the coastline until we reached the mouth of the Kalalau Valley. After admiring the enormous beach and waterfall here we turned around and made a course due south, back towards the harbor, and out away from the cliffs.
Once we turned around the ride of the boat smoothed out immensely and the crew was able to set up our buffet dinner (which tasted incredible). Remember earlier, when I said that we had amazing cooperation from the weather? We had literally one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. I even got a picture of the elusive “Green Flash”. Drinking cocktails and watching the sunset was an amazing finale to an already amazing evening out on the boat with Captain Andy’s.
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