Peqoud

Howdy,

Going to Kuai in June with my girl. I'm a pilot by day and would love to rent a small plane to see the island and perhaps make a flight to Oahu. Anyone here ever done this? Anyone on Rennlist live in Hawaii? Would'nt mind driving a porsche there too! When you're in SoCal Laguna Beach area you can drive mine. Anyway would love some advice etc. Always nice to know some people when you get there. We're staying in Poipu Beach area. Can't wait - never been.


Cheers,

Nick

Father of 3

Kelly Kim is from Kauai.

g_murray

Went to Oahu and Kuai last May '06.
Kuai is quite small. You'd be better off hopping in a car or taking a local tour bus to see the sights -- like the Wiamea Canyon, Wailua Falls and the Spouting Horn (which sounds like a dragon.)
There are more golf courses on Kuai than you can shake a 5 iron at!

Renting a Skyhawk (or similar) would be overkill, IMHO. I also fly and entertained the thought - but decided to bag the flying and instead - 'car' it. Mucho better.

Oh yeah, when you're there -- watch out for the chickens -- there's hundreds wandering around!

Gerry
(CPL-A/S-MEL-IA)

Land Jet

I've been to Hawaii a number of times when I lived in California. Driving a Porsche there is kind of overkill, in my opinion. The police are very vigilant about speed, and on Maui, the limit is 45 mph. I'm not sure what it is on Kauai, but imagine it's the same. There are other things to be interested in while in Hawaii; beach, ocean, nature, etc. One of the most wonderful places I've ever been and am hoping to move there in the not to distant future. Enjoy!

Wilder

Nick,

What do you want out of your trip? I was in Oahu last month and we were going to island hop to Kuai or Maui but decided against it because we were there for just four days. We went there because we had a prolonged winter and needed to load up on the vitamin D and take a few days to chill out at the beach. In retrospect, we should've gone to Maui or Kaui for that. Oahu is more of a tourist trap. Good for restaurants/bars etc.

We rented a convertible and drove around the island which is great to do if you've never been there. A p-car would be great as there are a few twisties on the highway and some fairly deserted areas. If you've never been, be prepared for beautiful settings. Even the not-so-nice areas of Oahu can make one envious of the people that live in that part of the world.

Arrwin

Hope Kelly chimes in here. He is our Rennlist-Kauai ambassador.

993_Pilot

Nick,

I am a pilot too, and started my career over in Hawaii flying freight and doing tours. It has been years I have checked, but no one was renting light aircraft on Kauai at the time. They rent on Oahu and Maui, but you would have to bring an instructor with you or do a multi-hour check-out. What I would highly recommend instead, is to do a helicopter tour. Go to their office with your badge and request an industry discount. Most operaters used to offer it, but don't advertise it. If not, there are plenty of discounts available in the tourist coupon books. Make sure you tell the pilot that you fly for a living too, because he will make the seating assignments and probably put you up front, which is where you want to be. You will see things from the helicopter that you could never see from a Cessna. I did this with my wife on our hornymoon, and thought that it was worth every penny we paid, and a few more. If you like the tour (you will) tip the pilot appropriately, because they aren't paid that well relative to the cost of living. I would also recommend the zodiak raft trips which are a lot of fun too. Enjoy!

NEK

I 2nd the helicopter recommendation. I specifically recommend the service that features the small, more nimble helicopters without doors. I don't have the name of the service I used, but I was blown away by the experience. Plus they drop you off for lunch in a private lagoon w/waterfall. Man, I miss Kauai.

-NEK, Chicago

Kika

I LOVE Kauai!!! It is my wife's favorite island. Things to do/see:
Queen's Bath, near Princeville, bring lunch!
Ke'e Beach, lots of sea turtles just beyond the reef.
Kalalau Trail, starts at Ke'e Beach and takes you west along the North side of the island. BE careful, ground is damp and slippery, I broke my foot hiking there, 3 hours in, had to basically crawl out... OTOH I had the sympathy of my wife for the remainder of our trip....
Lappert's ice cream, unless you are on a diet, some of the richest, most fattening stuff made
Fish Express: right in Lihue, great sashimi, and smoked marlin...the BEST!!!
All the usual stuff Waimea canyon, take a picnic, and some wine, there are picnic spots on the way. go to the top of the look out, simply amazing view.

Lighthouse on the north side is nice too.

I forget the name, but just outside of Lihue is the waterfall where Fantasy Island was filmed (the opening scene) da plane da plane!!!

the beach where "From Here to Eternity" was filmed is on the north shore, near Hanalei. (the famous beach make out scene...)

There are numerous beaches where you and the woman can be by yourself, particularly on the north shore, truly and island paradise!
Captain Andy's catamaran is fun, take the early boat if you get seasick easily, water is less choppy in the AM. If you are lucky, you might see the sleeping dolphins in the AM.
PM me if you have other questions. or want to see pics, they are too big to post.

Peqoud

Thanks for all of the tips. Too bad about the no rental plane thing - it would have been nice to see the islands from the air. I have my list of sights now - thanks again. I will definitely be on the helicopter tour. - thanks 993 - pilot.

Nick