Day 2 started with another phenomenal breakfast at Illima Terrace. We seriously don’t see ourselves getting sick of this place! After finishing off our made-to-order omelets, we headed Northeast for our 9:30 appointment with Jack Harter Helicopter Tours.

With two other couples, we boarded a large 7 seat helicopter for a 90 minute tour spanning the entire island. We started on the south shore and flew right over our resort. Shortly after that we headed West toward some state property on the Island that is otherwise unaccessible. Finally, we made it to the Northwest corner of the island that is largely untouched and physically cannot be accessed unless it is by boat or air. The views were jaw-dropping beautiful. The colors of the vegetation were lush and contrasted the sharp lava cuts through these very steep mountains. Luckily for us a rain had just passed, so there were plenty of waterfalls pouring off the mountain tops into the valley beds. If you want an idea of what we were witnessing, watch the helicopter fly-in in Jurassic Park as it was filmed on the same helicopter route. It’s certainly an experience we’ll never forget…especially since Billy took about 400 pictures with our new camera.

As we were landing, the skies opened up with a surprise downpour. It rained bad enough that the tour scheduled after us was immediately cancelled (thank goodness it didn’t rain during our tour!). We viewed this as a perfect opportunity to run to Costco and another grocery store for reinforcements, and then explore the island by car.

Our first stop was Wailua Falls. The viewing area was a short, windy drive through a very rural part of the island. After dodging several wild roosters, we climbed to the top of the hill and parked off the side of the road. A short stroll later, we were able to take in the breathtaking views of one of the island’s bigger waterfalls.

We then headed North past Princeville and saw some incredible views from the beach-side route. Eventually we stumbled upon a wonderful little restaurant right on the water…at a perfect time for lunch. Scotty’s Beachside BBQ offered southern-style BBQ that could hold its own against the southern states. What was even better than the food was the oceanfront views and open air breeze. We sat, ate, and talked for over an hour just taking it all in.

Finally, we returned to the hotel in time for a quick nap by the pool, and a quick swim before sunset. Exhausted from a more adventurous day two, we decided to head to Stevenson’s Library to unwind and grab a quick bite before bed.

The view from Scotty’s Beachside BBQ. Not too shabby…