Allerton Garden (Kauai)

Copyright May Rogers 2011.
All rights reserved.
Photos shot using Sony DSLR

Find MM.Rogers Photography on Twitter.

Remember those giant trees in the movie Jurassic Park? Now popularly called "Jurassic Trees", they can be found on Kauai's National Tropical Botanical Garden - Allerton Garden. Without a doubt one of the most photographed attraction on Kauai, they bring more and more tourists to the garden everyday to complete a very interesting 2-hour botanical garden tour.

Experience Allerton Garden tour for yourself. To visit, call (808) 7422623. Reservation is required for the tour. Cost per person: $45 adult; $20 children 10 years and above. Kamaaina (Kauai residents) rates are also offered with free entrance on Sundays.

READ! Wear comfy shoes and long-sleeved shirts and pants for your protection against mosquitoes. Don't forget to carry insect repellant with you at all times when touring around Kauai.

See Kauai and NTBG's most distinct plant collections through my Sony camera. 

Note: I researched the taxonomy and species the best I could. For more information on these plants, go to NTBG website.

Moreton Bay Fig Trees are well-known on Kauai as Jurassic Trees. They can grow to 50 meters with roots as tall as 6 feet. This tree produces sweet figs up to 2.5 cm in diameter.

 This is 5'6 tall me.

Cacao trees grow to about 12-15 feet high, beans are mainly used as food by drying them out in the sun and then processed to become our most-loved heavenly chocolates.

Pachypodium Lamerei or Bontaka is a very interesting cactus-like tree from Madagascar. It has thick trunks and scary spikes all over that can grow leaves and white flowers . Our guide also warned us that this is poisonous.  

Indian Mulberry or Noni is a shrub less than 10 feet high used for medicinal purposes such as treating sores, infections, cuts, sore throats and toothaches. Read more here.

Red Ginger (also called Eileen MacDonald) is a very attractive plant with large leaves and oblong petals very common in Hawaii used mostly as decorative or ornamental. They can grow very long and surprise you in a place like this (see below).

Our guide called this lily on a tree (almost resembles a Jamaican Poinsettia). It's a tall shrub with green, long pointy leaves and orange flowers. I couldn't find its taxonomy so feel free to comment and give information on this beautiful plant.

Ever-blooming Ixora is a common tropical plant, a native of Asia, this species bloom in colors red, pink, yellow, white and orange. It grows ball-shaped flower clusters with sweet nectar that bees love.

A pond statue from Pompeii from the owners' travel souvenirs collection

Autograph Tree. I autographed it with our funny name.

*All photos are property of MM.Rogers.

Please enjoy them but do not copy.

Anini (Kauai)

Copyright May Rogers 2011.
All rights reserved.
Photos shot using Sony DSLR

Find MM.Rogers Photography on Twitter.

Life on Kauai is a story to be told. All of it. No matter how short, how long. There was never a day with the same sunrise nor same sunset. And that to me is just unique. These color palettes are always worth documenting, worth the pictures, worth motivating myself to get up everyday at 5am.

One day I came across this blog by an old man of 70, a visitor on Kauai. He wrote the most heart-warming photo-blog about camping to see the sunrise in Anini Beach with his loving wife. He said this place in the most romantic in all of Kauai. And I couldn't agree more. But I didn't know about it until we decided to get up at 3am, made the trip from West to North Kauai which took us 40 minutes. We planned our "sunrise in Anini" trip for more than a year. The day came, and what do you know, typhoon came with it.

All photos below were taken on a very rainy day. Still, no good amount of rainfall is enough to conceal a real beauty.

Anini Beach at 5am. We sat and watched how the sun struggled to peek in through storm clouds and this is the result. See the lighthouse? That is Kilauea Lighthouse shining its light until today.

It mirrored a sunset beauty the minute rain clouds took over

Anini Beach is located on the North side of the island, popular for surfing and snorkeling. It has clear water, sightings of turtles' heads bobbing in and out of the water, great sunrise with a huge family park.  

 Campers at the park in tents or green bug-van. Take a pick.

Sea view along North side leaving Anini

Don't you just love this color? 

Next: Iconic San Francisco Sights

Na Pali Coast (Kauai)

Copyright May Rogers 2011.
All rights reserved.
Photos shot using Sony DSLR

Find MM.Rogers Photography on Twitter.

 

I can tell readers of a myriad of wonders about Na Pali Coast. But words pale in comparison, and I won't even try to express an island in writing. But some of it you've probably seen in the 4th Johnny Depp movie "Pirates of the Caribbean". Na Pali Coast means "the cliffs". Where in the world is it? It's on the island of Kauai, not reachable by land so all it takes to be in one of world's best islands is by air or by sea.

For me, I took the Holo-Holo aboard Leila (a sailing catamaran) on my last weekend living there. In 5 hours, I experienced intense sun, blinding fog, brief pouring rain, unnerving wind, endless violent boat-rocking and deep deep sea. But like everybody who has traveled to Na Pali, I was in awe.

Spinner dolphins are inhabitants of the deep waters of Na Pali. They love people and by instinct they know the appreciation and applaud they receive each time they spend 5 minutes of spinning and flying mid-air.

Two men and a giant (cliff). Our catamaran passed these two campers fishing. In minutes, a fish took the bait and he was happy-screaming waving the fish at our party.

Every turn is a breathtaking sight of cliffs in different shapes and sizes.

We stopped here to snorkel. Complete with gears, everybody experienced the buoyancy, the colorful fishes swimming around and the cool deep sea. Except me. I was not comfortable using a water noodle in all honesty.

Na Pali Coast weather is as unpredictable as a woman's mind they say. One minute it's sunny and the next (literally) it's foggy, rainy and windy. I managed to get myself together and not think of seasickness but the minute I smelled food on board, I was defeated.

Na Pali sheds all its colors the second rain clouds pass over.

Before you know it, rain's over and the promise of a sunny day is possible again

Double Door Sea Cave. This was where Johnny Depp stood looking for the fountain in a scene from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

Cathedrals of Na Pali. The main attraction of Na Pali Coast. Even the best photographs do not substitute for seeing it in person. Everybody should be able to see this even once in a lifetime.

*All photos are by MM.Rogers.

Please do not use any of the images without permission.

Next: Anini Beach

Waimea Town (Kauai)

Copyright May Rogers 2011.
All rights reserved.
Photos shot using Pentax

Find MM.Rogers Photography on Twitter. 

My Waimea Town walking tour for iphone and ipad was published early this year. This guide works offline, hence no internet connection is necessary, nor the costly roaming charges when traveling to foreign cities. This guide can be downloaded via the Free City Maps and Walks iPhone app. Download it from itunes here.

Excerpts and some photos from the app.

At the foothills of Waimea Canyon in the island of beautiful Kauai lies the historic Waimea with prized landmarks located within the very heart of the city. In 2006, Waimea Town was listed in Dozen Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historical Preservation and was included in New York Times #1 bestseller book "1,000 Places To See Before You Die" by Patricia Shultz.

iphone download

Waimea Pier

Lucy Wright Park

Old Stone Church

Waimea Reacreation Park
 

Next: Na Pali Coast