Rainbows and an Aerial Perspective on the Island

We spent about a week away at the end of September. The trip started simply, with a couple of drinks by the water. The weather was a mix of sun and clouds, a pattern that held for most of our stay, with the sun glinting off the ocean between passing cloud cover.

The most consistent feature was the rainbows. Almost every day, a bright arc would show up over the water, hanging there against the darker, rain-filled clouds. We watched it from our room as waves broke over the dark volcanic rock lining the shore. It became a familiar, daily sight.

Toward the end of the week, we took a helicopter tour to get a different perspective. Flying over the island, you could really grasp the scale of things—the harbor with a massive cruise ship docked, and the wide rivers carving paths through the green valleys inland.

The flight along the Na Pali Coast was the most dramatic part. The sheer, sharp cliffs drop directly into the sea, with small, inaccessible beaches at their base. Seeing it all from above, with clouds gathered around the mountain peaks, was a totally different experience than being on the ground.