Note: This is the 12th of 16 posts about our 21-day trip that included a 17-day (16-night) cruise on the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) ship SPIRIT from Vancouver, British Columbia to Honolulu, Oahu. This post has 26 photographs with captions and some narrative. I think I finally figured out the file naming/numbering scheme used on the Google Pixel 6 / 6 Pro phones and how to relate that to the EXIF date/time stamps on the phone and SONY a6400 photos. Which is to say, the photos in this post should be in the correct chronological order and I know what time of day (local) they were taken. Photos taken by me (Bruce) using a SONY alpha 6400 or Google Pixel 6 Pro unless otherwise indicated. (Photos by Linda taken with a Google Pixel 6.)
MONDAY 11 September 2023 — (T16,C13) Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii and McBryde National Tropical Botanical Garden.
After spending five (5) nights, four (4) full days, and part of two (2) other days crossing the North Pacific Ocean, we finally sighted land early this morning. It was the 16th day of our trip, and the 13th day of our cruise. By 6:30 AM we were making our way into the harbor at Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii, but we sighted land well before that. Although I had been to Hawaii once before, and Linda had been here twice, It would be our first visit to this island, as well as to Maui, and we were excited to see them.
Our main activity today was a shore excursion to the McBryde National Tropical Botanical Garden (McBryde Garden or MNTBG), with a stop along the seashore on the way there. Our guide for the tour of the Garden was a former director of the facility. It was obvious that he really knew his stuff, and still had a great passion for all things botanical.
The NCL SPIRIT enters the harbor at Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii. (Photo by Linda)
A golf course at the entrance to the Nawiliwili, Kauai harbor. Almost makes me want to take up golf. Nope.
The “Apa and Ama were here” photo from the harbor at Nawiliwili with the marina and mountains behind. (Photo by Linda)
A scenic stop along the coast on our drive to McBryde Garden.
Another photo from the scenic stop, looking in the other direction up the coast. (Photo by Linda)
Life seems to be everywhere in the Hawaiian Islands. (Photo by Linda)
Another scenic stop, this time after entering the McBryde National Tropical Botanical Garden property. (Photo by Linda)
The contrast of colors and textures caught my eye. MNTPG.
An interesting flowering plant at the MNTBG.
There are small frogs on the Lilley pads at MNTBG. (This photo is 900×600 pixels. Click to view full size on an appropriate device.)
This fruit was larger than appears (the leaves were really big!). MNTBG.
We don’t see plants like this back in Michigan, except in greenhouse environments. MNTBG. (Photo by Linda)
The variety of green plant leaves provides a nice backdrop for the very colorful flowers at the MNTBG. (Photo by Linda)
Our guide for the McBryde Garden tour was a former director of the NTBG. He was very knowledgeable, and clearly still had a deep passion for plants and for the Garden. Here he is cutting up a large piece of fruit, which grows there, so we can all try a piece.
A “walled” garden space at MNTBG, with the walls made of plants.
Another interesting plant at MNTBG.
And yet another interesting plant in flower at MNTBG.
Much of McBryde Garden had a very natural look and feel. There were places, such as this courtyard, that were clearly designed and built to provide architectural elements within the landscape. The wavy structure down the center of the photo carries running water.
Every now and then we have to stop and take a selfie. We are not very good at it, but it’s required, you know. MNTBG. (Photo by Linda)
A different view of the same end of the courtyard showing the statue and bench. The “walls” of this courtyard are plant material again. MNTBG.
These very large trees had amazing, exposed root systems. For a sense of scale, the little blue patch at the center of the base is me in my blue Columbia shirt. (Photo by Linda)
Linda stands by a different tree (same species) as the previous photo. MNTBG.
We encountered quite a few chickens on Kauai, including here at McBryde Garden. The egg-shaped rocks among the roots are referred to as “dinosaur eggs.” (Photo by Linda)
The green leaves with white dots caught my eye, and reminded me of “candy dots” that I would peel off of a paper backing as a child. A quick Google search revealed that they are still very much available. MNTBG.
This map of McBryde Garden should probably have come first, but we came across it at the end of our tour. As shown, a small river (creek, stream) runs through the full length of the property.
One last flower photo as we wrap up at McBryde Garden.
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