The Helicopter Ride

This was the only thing I insisted on if we went to Hawaii, to fly the island in a helicopter...and WOW! It was the ride of a life time!!!

They load you right up with the turbine running

Susie and I were in the very front with the pilot

Who promptly turned us on our side for a double EE ticket take off

 

Which Susie actually handled better than I did :)  :) Even though her headphones failed her

Out over beautiful lagoons and into the mountain range on the South over the area Raiders of the Lost Ark's opening scene was filmed

When I say right into the mountains...I do mean, right into the mountains

sorry about the reflection off the canopy, that's my leg and life jacket too

The helicopter took us right down the cliffs and into the bays you couldn't see any other way

 

We then turned up the Northern Mountain range flying right against the mountains through small draws enshrouded with clouds...very glad he had GFR!! Freaked one of the guys in the back out thinking we were flying blind and it was a little creepy to see a cliff suddenly loom out in front of us in the clouds. This mountain range goes up to 5,000 feet and the crater we are headed for is one of the wettest places in the world with a place in the records for the most rain fall (700 inches one guide said) in one year.

 

The Northern coast is inaccessible in any other way and is completely unspoiled

 

After flying in and out of dozens of mountain ranges we headed into the water fall areas

He'd actually fly us right into the water fall canyons until we were nearly under the falls

with the spray covering our wind shield

We went through several of these fantastic water falls then headed through the clouds up to Princeville's coast

Up through luscious green canyons and tranquil coves...

Down to the beach they filmed the second King Kong on

Along the coast

 

Then back into the interior to the wettest place on earth...the crater water falls

 

Once there we flew right into the crater

 

Once in the crater the mist parted and WOW! What a view!!

The water falls were every where...all around us as the pilot took us right into them

 

 

My cheezy photos don't do it justice of course but we did purchase a video of the actual flight we hope to have soon and see if it will upload.

 

Leaving the crater and the falls we headed back out over the center of the island

 

Susie and I had an absolute blast!