Flying high above Kauai -- splendors in the sky await in airplane tour

Hawaii's fourth largest island, Kauai, is captured from high above the coast in an Air Ventures plane.

SMALL PLANE, GREAT NARRATIVE WITH BIRD'S EYE VIEWS OF GARDEN ISLE

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

The "Garden Isle" of Kauai as photographed from an

Air Ventures Airvan, with large windows and fabulous views.

SOARING HIGH above the land where the musical "South Pacific" was filmed, we could feel the "sunlight on the sand, moonlight on the sea."

The mangoes and bananas the sailors in the movie sang about were out of sight.  It had rained earlier in the day, giving a gleaming patina to the hills. 

The sun flirted with us -- muted part of the time, with rainbows surrounding us.  But it was a gloriously sunny day for a few treasured moments.  

WE WERE truly "somewhere over the rainbow" as we flew high above the lushest of the Hawaiian chain, the "Garden Island" of Kauai.

The nurses help Mitzi Gaynor "Wash That Man

Right Out of My Hair" on Lumaha'i Beach.

--photo courtesy 20th Century Fox

We signed up for one of this verdant island's most popular air tours. There are several, but our choice was "The Big Kahuna," a delightful hour soaring above the clouds, wrapped in the splendor of some of the world's most spectacular scenery. 

  In more than 50 visits to Hawaii -- and a dozen plane and helicopter tours -- we've found the Garden Island to have the most breathtaking landscape of the chain.  We transited above the subtle curves of Waimea Canyon, admired the majestic Napali Coast -- which we've viewed from the ocean -- and sighed above Lumaha'i Beach, humming tunes from that  favorite movie, "South Pacific." ("What ain't we got? We ain't got dames!")

Bruce Keller and captain Nate give

thumbs up for the spacious GA-8 Airvan which offers spectacular views.

Hawaii's fourth largest island -- yes, the "Garden Island," -- earns its moniker. The oldest and northernmost island in the Hawaiian chain is draped in emerald valleys, sharp mountain spires and jagged cliffs, aged by time and the elements. We saw it all. And reveled in the views from above.

OUR PILOT Nate gave us a nicely narrated bird’s eye view of the spectacular landscape, with interesting anecdotes. (We didn't know Kauai is the only island not conquered by King Kamehameha as he tried to unite all the Hawaiian Islands.) -  

Keller and Cookie take a pose before boarding.

We had seen the entire island many times by land, so it was fun to see it from the air: the Menehune Fish Pond, the Eucalyptus Tunnel of Trees, Waita Reservoir (the largest reservoir on Kauai), Captain Cook’s Landing in Waimea Town, and the fabled Waimea Canyon.

Air Ventures planes offer stunning views, and

here, one plane can spot another above the sea.

WE WERE humming "Bali Ha'i" as we flew above the majestic Napali coastline and back over Lumaha'i Beach.  (Bloody Mary was almost visible!)

Then on to Hanalei Valley, with its silvery, cascading waterfalls, and Kilauea Lighthouse with one of the world's largest frigate bird sanctuaries.  

Mile after mile of stunning coastline and beaches offered visual treats galore.  We were sad when we quietly and safely landed, ending a spectacular time.

More about this Air Ventures Hawaii, and its options for an exciting view of a beautiful island: kauaiairtour.com

Patrick Harry Cosgriffe and his beloved daughter, Christene,

born with Down Syndrome and now left without a father.

UP NEXT: The sudden death of my baby brother Patrick has rendered me in an depressing state of inertia.  I am unable to write anything unrelated to him and our family, so I yield to this suffocating state. The next piece will focus on our beloved Patrick and my namesake, Christena, a Down Syndrome child. I'll use this period of intense grief to write about him and our family's traumas, love, sorrow and considerations for the future of his only child. Thank you for the indulgence. Please remember Patrick, say prayers for Christena's future and continue to love, explore, learn and live. Catch us weekly for a fresh twist on art, music, history, travel, culture, family and more:

www.whereiscookie.com