Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [403]
A good choice for couples or threesomes is Mauna Loa Helicopters (245-4006; www.maunaloahelicopters.com; 1hr tour $199-239), which also runs a flight school. Highly qualified pilots don’t skimp on full 60-minute private tours for up to three passengers. Small groups allow for more-personalized interaction between pilot and passengers. You can choose a doors-off tour for $10 to $20 more per person. Singles should choose another, nonprivate tour, as the cost would be prohibitive.
The following tours allow six passengers, which can seem crowded (if you get stuck in the middle), but they give hour-long (or close) rides and have well-qualified pilots:
Island Helicopters (245-8588, 800-829-8588; www.islandhelicopters.com; 50-55min tour $178) Long-time, small company.
Jack Harter Helicopters (245-3774, 888-245-2001; www.helicopters-kauai.com; 60-65min tour $229-259) You get your money’s worth of air time here. Choose from standard enclosed, six-passenger AStars ($229) or doors-off, four-passenger Hughes 500s ($259). Longer 90- to 95-minute tours offered.
Safari Helicopters (246-0136, 800-326-3356; www.safarihelicopters.com; 55-/90min tours from $160/250) Besides fair prices, this outfit offers a fascinating tour that lands on a cliff overlooking Olokele Valley in Waimea. The landowner, Keith Robinson (whose family owns Ni′ihau and 2000 Kaua′i acres), chats with passengers about his conservation work with endangered species.
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WHY FLY?
When did you last hear a helicopter overhead? Chances are, you can’t remember. Unfortunately, island residents have a different answer: chopper noise is a daily occurrence.
Noise pollution might seem piddly next to greenhouse gases and global warming, but if your ears are constantly barraged by droning helicopters (or, worse, loud biplanes), your quality of life surely suffers. Furthermore, crashes have occurred near towns, including Ha′ena and Wainiha, causing those on the ground to worry about their safety.
The Sierra Club and other island advocacy groups have long pushed for limits on commercial aircrafts’ freedom to fly over residential neighborhoods and FAA-designated noise-abatement areas. But for now it’s a voluntary system. Thus the Sierra Club recommends that passengers ask pilots to avoid sensitive areas, such as the Kalalau Trail and popular beaches.
To stop ‘disrespectful air tourism,’ a group called StopDAT (www.stopdat.org) is seeking to pinpoint the best and worst tour companies. Advocates emphasize common courtesy: would you want tourists constantly flying over your hometown? They decry those who come for Kaua′i’s rural serenity yet contribute to the opposite qualities by taking noisy tours.
In case you’re wondering just how much carbon you’ll need to offset that 60-minute tour: most helicopter companies fly Eurocopter AStars, which consume 38 to 40 gallons of fuel per hour’s flight, carrying seven passengers. Smaller choppers, such as the Robinson R44s flown by Mauna Loa Helicopters, seat up to four and use less than 25 gallons for a similar tour.
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Spas
The Alexander Day Spa & Salon (Map; 246-4918; www.alexanderspa.com; Kaua′i Marriottt Resort; 50min massage $115; 8am-7pm) strives to pamper guests in the most ecofriendly way, using biodegradable water cups, recycled paper products and CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs.
Swimming
Lap swimmers, get your fix at this open-air, Olympic-sized pool at the new Kauai Ohana YMCA (Map; 246-9090; Kaumuali′i Hwy; day pass $10; 5:30am-9am & 11am-7pm Mon-Fri, 7am-7pm Sat, 10am-6pm Sun). Teach tots to swim in a nifty learning pool with 1ft to 4ft steps. A weight room is also available. YMCA members from any state, show your card to pay only $5. It’s across Kilohana Plantation.
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
E Pili Kakou I Ho′okahi Lahui (www.epilikakou-kauai.org) Annual two-day hula retreat in late February features top kumu hula (hula teachers) from across the islands. Current venue is the Hilton Kaua′i Beach Resort.
Spring