Tee.Gee.Eye.EFFFFF.
I don’t know if it’s because of daylight savings or jet lag, but sleep has been a nightmare for me since I got back from Hawaii. Not only am I nowhere near tired by the time my regular bedtime rolls around (jet lag), but I’ve also been waking up before the crack of dawn (noooo idea about this one)… Pretty soon I’ll be needing a coffee IV just to be able to function at the most basic level. But life is good! The sun is shining, the weather is gorgeous [for us… in March], and I get to spend one more day talking about my trip to Hawaii 
Sorry to bombard you guys with recaps, but I promise this is the last one… I just had to give this a post of its own because I seriously loved it that much. So what was “it?” A helicopter tour over the entire island…
We saved this for the end of our trip, but it’s something that I really wish we did at the beginning, since seeing the entire island in one go gave us a great idea of the places we might want to visit later. Either way, I’m still glad it happened.
There are several helicopter tours to choose from on Kauai, but we went with Jack Harter Helicopters…
Not only do they have a stellar safety record and great reviews, but they guarantee a full 60-65 minutes in the air, whereas a lot of other companies count loading times, so you only spend around 45 minutes up in the sky.
Jack Harter offers two different flight options — the AStar (a 6 passenger heli with floor-to-ceiling windows), and the Hughes 500 (a 4 passenger heli with no doors). We chose to go with the Hughes 500…
Having no glass separating you from the gorgeous landscape that you’re looking at not only makes it easier to take better pictures, but it also makes for a great rush — which the adrenaline junkie in me loved. It was my first time in a helicopter, and I was smitten.
The tour starts at the Lihue heliport and goes counter-clockwise around the entire island. You see things like Hanapepe Valley, Manawaiopuna Falls, Waimea Canyon, Nā Pali Coast, Hanalei Bay, Mt. Wai’ale’ale, and Wailua Falls.
Seeing the island from the air is probably the best way to experience Kauai because only about the outer 20% of the island is habitable and readily accessible — leaving 80% that you can only get to by air.
There’s honestly no way I can accurately convey how awesome of an experience this was, so I hope you don’t mind if I sit this one out and let the pictures do the talking…
And that wraps up the recaps of Spoons in Hawaii 2014. Despite the rain, roosters, and rashes, it was still an amazing trip and I would go back in a heartbeat. For now, though, I need to catch up on some sleep… either that or look into that coffee IV. Happy Friday, friends! Stay safe if you’re celebrating this weekend!
Have you ever been in a helicopter? Would you go on one?
Are you an adrenaline junkie?
What’s your favourite part of visiting some place new? The food? The culture? Outdoorsy stuff?
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Wow such an amazing trip, The Photos are so gorgeous oh my god
Wow! What a gorgeous way to see the island. I hope you’re planning on framing some of those pictures!!
I’ve never been in a helicopter, but I have been parasailing and skydiving, so that counts for something, right ;)?
WOW!! I swear, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say at least half of those pictures were fake! So amazing…especially that rainbow!! Love it! I’ve never been in a helicopter before, but I’d definitely want a flight over a gorgeous island like that to be my first!
I love exploring new areas and just soaking up as much of the culture as possible. I’m not really a list-maker (you know this) so I just try to seek out locals and ask what some of their favorites are! And I am definitely a bit of an adrenaline junkie…though you’d never get me to go skydiving. There’s a fine line between a love of the thrill and a love of the preservation of life! ha!
Amanda, these pictures are amazing. I want all of them as desktop photos! Ahh! I love it. I now know 3 people who have visited Hawaii and I’ve decided I need to do it so so very soon. I hope your sleep starts to get better. Mine has been all over the place the past couple of weeks; I don’t think I’ve had the same bedtime/wake-up time for weeks! I think tonight’s the night to get back on track! Can’t wait to hear more from you!
I can’t get over how beautiful those pictures are. I bet you were in complete amazement.
I think seeing a new place in a helicopter is the best way to go. You get to see it all in a new perspective.
I’m happy to hear that you had an amazing time.
Wow does it ever look beautiful where you are.
A helicopter ride over the entire island would have been incredible, so yes I’d absolutely take a chopper ride. Your pictures are stunning.
I’m a big adrenaline junkie as well. I laugh in the face of fear or open helicopters.
Hope you get your sleep worked out soon.
These photos…I can’t. Oh my goodness, so much beauty!! I have always wanted to do a helicopter tour like this, but was always too cheap to fork over the pennies. WHAT A ROOKIE move by me. Lately I have been less frugal (on things like this) and would DEFINITELY splurge for the tour. I guess I have to get my booty to Hawaii..or…Ireland.
Ahh, it looks like LOST! Seriously though, I’m pretty sure some of those pictures are of places that were on the show.
I’ve been in a helicopter before, but never to see this kind of scenery. I think I just did it as a Girl Guide activity once when I was younger haha. Helicopter rides are about as extreme as I get though… I’m so NOT an adrenaline junkie haha.
I keep meaning to actually start watching that. I think I’ve been putting it off for like 6 months now
It’s seriously like a dream… I don’t know how you made yourself get back on the plane to leave! I always love getting outdoors and exploring whenever I am on vacation. It’s probably my favorite way to experience a new place.
Whoa! What INCREDIBLE views! That is amazing! With my running I travel all over the country, but I am not sure it comes even close to some of the views from that helicopter…..guess now I have to try it
So jealous of you!
i miss living in hawaii. I think i’d go broke again just to move back. ya, it ain’t cheap. But dang, those views!
Breathtaking. And now I’m dreaming of Kauai. *sigh*
Wow! My jaw dropped when looking @ these photos. What a crazy, awesome, exciting, & once in a lifetime kind of experience. I’m so glad you decided to share this part of your trip with us – since I’m now able to recommend doing this adventure to our best friends who live in Hawaii.
I’m not quite sure I’d hve the balls to get in a plane. I mean sure the views are probably worth it.. but ugh, I’m kind of a whimp :-X LOL
Your photos are AMAZING!! I have never been to the island of Kauia, but my family went to Hawaii in 2007 and we went to the big island, Maui and Oahu. It was so beautiful! I want to go on a helicopter someday but I don’t know if I could handle the turbulence. I already don’t like the small island planes.
I actually didn’t find the turbulence to be too bad at all! There were a few spots where it was a little bumpy, but overall it was a pretty smooth ride.
These pictures ate incredible! I cannot imagine how it felt to see this up close. Just gorgeous! I’ve always wanted to do a heli tour. It’s just not happened yet!
Absolutely gorgeous photos, Amanda!
These pictures are incredibly stunning! The terrain there is so diverse and unique! You need to frame a bunch of these! Thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous photos! I can only imagine how beautiful it was in person.
Have you ever watched the Shaytards videos on youtube?? You should check them out – Shay and Colette were just in Hawaii, probably the same time you were, and even went on this same helicopter tour!
I just checked them out aaaaaand now I wanna go back
Spoons…these photos are amazing. AMAZING. I can’t believe how amazing they turned out while up in the air! What a great way to see a beautiful part of the city!
When I travel, I definitely love abit of everything and YES- outdoor crazy junkie to the max. Except in some instances like bungee jumping. no dice.
so jealous!!! My husband and I booked a helicopter ride for the last day of our honeymoon in Maui last summer and it was cancelled due to high winds. I was so sad! Glad to experience it through your pictures!