MY GOD Day 7: Movies Filmed on Kauai

From Worldometer (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):

          DAY  USA  WORLD    Brazil    India    South Africa

June     9     1093     4732         1185        246       82

July    22      1205     7128         1293      1120     572

Aug    12      1504     6556        1242        835     130

Sept     9      1208      6222       1136       1168       82

Oct     21      1225      6849         571        703       85

Nov    25       2304    12025        620        518      118

Dec    30       3880    14748       1224       299      465

Jan     14        4142    15512        1151         189      712

Feb      3       4005    14265       1209       107      398

Mar      2       1989     9490        1726       110      194

April     6        906    11787         4211       631       37

May     4        853     13667        3025      3786     59 

June    1        287    10637         2346      3205      95

 July    7         251      8440        1595        817      411

Aug     4         656    10120        1118         532      423 

Sept   22      2228      9326          839       279     124

Oct      6       2102      8255          543       315       59

Nov    3        1436      7830         186        458       23

Dec     1       1633      8475          266        477       28

Jan     7        2025      6729         148         285     140

Feb     2        2990   12012          946        991      175

Mar     2        1778     7756          335         173       28 

Apr     1          439      4056         290          52       12

May    5          225      2404          151            ?       64 

         12          222      1995           136           9       21

         18          273      1734            99          10       55

         19          201      1801           115           20      31

         25          317      1651           157           18       41

         26          217      1528          136           14       49

Summary:  Maybe the latest wave has peaked.

I can't say I'm sorry about the fate of the National Rifle Association, but earlier this month a federal judge ruled against it, allowing them to be sued in New York.  They wanted to incorporate in Texas, of all the places.  Then, just before their annual meeting in Houston, 270 miles away, the Uvalde massacre occurred.

• This is a big deal with 70,000 gun advocates in attendance.

• 
  Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz plan to speak, but Governor Greg Abbott, after getting the heat from his Democrat rival in the next governor's race, Beto O'Rourke, skipped his presentation so he could spend more time in Uvalde.

The New York Times this morning provided the following:

Names and words are unnecessary.

The New York Times also provided a map of how the Ukraine War has changed:

So back to the Pride of America in Nawiliwili Harbor.  Last night, a broadway show, dinner under starlight and breakfast this morning.

Both meals were on our balcony.

Don't want to take any tour, today.  Not much to see by walking outside the ship.  One day left to remain healthy.  Here is my posting of six years ago.

MY GOD Day 7: Movies Filmed on Kauai

On this seventh day of my Grand Ocean Destination (GOD) journey, I took a tour which stopped by sites where movies were filmed on Kauai.  For the past few years I have watched 100 movies/year, half in theaters.  Maybe for this reason, this tour was my best of this cruise.  In particular, at each location, there was a clip from that film, perhaps 25 in all.  The picture and sound quality were terrific.

There have been 60 movies produced, at least in part, on Kauai.  The first was White Heat in 1933.  Rotten Tomatoes gave it 40/57 ratings about a young sugar planter.

A partial list:

Wailua Falls –Fantasy Island, Dragonfly, Castaway Cowboy and The Amazing Race, Tropic Thunder

Hanamaulu Bay – Donovan’s Reef, Pagan Love Song, Six Days, and Seven Nights and Voodoo Island

Opaekaa Falls (right) – Donovan’s Reef, Lt. Robin Crusoe, USN, and Seven Women from Hell

Kapaa Town – Jurassic Park

Aliomanu –Six Days, Seven Nights and Voodoo Island

Moloaa Bay –Gilligan’s Island and Castaway Cowboy

Tahiti Nui –George Clooney’s, The Descendants

Hanalei Valley – Uncommon Valor

Hanalei Bay –Miss Sadie Thompson, South Pacific (right)

Hanalei Pier (right) – Miss Sadie Thompson, Wackiest Ship In The Army, South Pacific, Beachhead and Acapulco Gold, South Pacific

(the list goes on and on)

Or, another way to look at this, just the beaches:

Anahola Beach: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blue Hawaii

Anini Beach (right, where we once picked up shells and Japanese glass globes): Honeymoon in Vegas
Haena Beach: South Pacific
Hanalei Bay: The Descendants, South Pacific
Hanamaulu Bay: Donovan’s Reef
Kalapaki Beach: Honeymoon in Vegas, Miss Sadie Thompson
Kalihiwai Beach: Throw Mama from the Train
Kee Beach: Throw Mama from the Train, The Thorn Birds, Lord of the Flies
Kipukai Beach: Hook, The Descendants
Kukuiula Harbor: Islands in the Stream

Lumahai Beach (right), with Mitzi Gaynor): South Pacific
Mahaulepu Beach: Castaway Cowboy, Islands in the Stream
Makua Beach: South Pacific, Body Heat
Moloaa Bay: Gilligan’s Island
Menehune Fish Pond: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Poipu Beach: Lt. Robin Crusoe
Wailua Beach: Pagan Love Song

My ultimate Kauai film is South Pacific, which used a dozen spots, some not mentioned much in the media.  For example, that King Kong mountain area (next segment) was prominent.  Best of all, the backyard where Pearl and I lived in Kilauea, 53 years ago, the Slippery Slide scene, with Bloody Mary singing Happy Talk to France Nuyen and John Kerry, is rarely detailed.  My wife Pearl was born in the same year as France, and they could have passed for twins.  Here below, Pearl and Pepper at the falls:

Sorry, you now can't go there:

Unless you like to take chances.  Here is a clip.  And another.  This one doesn't show you how to get there, but if you want to be touristy adventurous, here is what one couple did in one week on Kauai.  I can't believe I watched the whole 27-minute thing.  

Elvis Presley made three films here, and Blue Hawaii is one of my very favorite, filmed at Coco Palms and vicinity.  However, Rotten Tomatoesreviewers gave it a 17% rating.  Shows how much personal meaning can make the difference in what you like.

Looking up from Coco Palms, you will see Kalalea Mountain:

Yes, no clouds....and this is Kauai.  But, further, do you see a profile of King Kong?

The 1976 version of King Kongwas filmed here.  See that white spot in the right/middle?  Rossano Brazzi and John Kerr hid out from the Japanese here in South Pacific.

We stopped off at Ahukini Pier, which was Kauai's first port.  A whole host of films used this location.

Note Sleeping Giant in the background.  At the back of the top of the head is Opaekaa Falls:

This is an amazing photo, with the Moon, bougainvillea patch, the Falls, plus the highest peak, Mt. Kawikini, to the left, and Mr. Waialeale to the right.  Just below the Moon and to the left...can you discern what looks like a Frigatebird?  Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Outbreak used this spot.  Jurassic Park also utilized:

• Kapaa town
• Hoopii Falls 
• Limahuli Garden in the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Poipu
• Na Pali Coast
• Hanapepe Valley
• Puu Ka Ele Reservoir at the 22 mile mark approaching Kilauea (also used for the next two Jurassic Parks)
• Kealia (Valley House Plantation Estate)--also used for Romancing the Stone, Tropic Thunder, George of the Jungle and Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides
• Mount Waialeale
• Allerton Garden, Lawai
• Olokele Valley near Waimea
• Kualoa Ranch (Oahu)

During the last day of filming, the strongest storm in Hawaii history, Hurricane Iniki(1992), came roaring through and destroyed most of the movie sets.  Steven Spielberg's camera crew filmed some of this devastation, and were edited into the movie.  Click on that link:  21 minutes of the action behind the film.  You absolutely must watch this!!!

We then went through Kilauea and saw the Lighthouse, where I was attacked by a TRex:

Two birds also entertained me there, a feral rooster and the Hawaiian Goose, Nene:

Hanalei Valley and Buffalo Ranch:

Yes, real bisons.  At one time Bill Mowry had 70, now down to 50 because people are shooting them and stealing the carcass.  It is rumored that the meat is sold for drugs.  There is a $1000 reward.  Call 808 826-9208 if you see anything suspicious.   I just had to take this photo of a girl with blue hair at this view site:

Pagan Love Song, Bird of Paradise (1951--here is the full movie), Miss Sadie Thomson, Beachhead, Naked Paradise, She Gods of Shark Reef, Wackiest Ship in the Army,  Paradise Hawaiian Style, Acapulco Gold, Behold Hawaii,Uncommon Valor, Dragonfly, The Descendants...and more, were filmed in Hanalei. There is Nothing Like a Dame at Hanalei Pier from South Pacific:

We had lunch at Tahiti Nui.  My cheeseburger with wheat beer was not worth a photo.  However, an adjacent small mall had a shop called Kauai Nut Roasters.  They had 20 different kinds of macadamia and other nuts which you were encouraged to taste.  As much as you wanted, apparently.  I felt so guilty for tasting more than a dozen that I bought two packages of Coconut Kona Coffee Macadamias, with the nut grown in Kilauea.  Hmmm...great marketing sense.

Well, we finally returned to the Pride of America, and here is what the top of the ship looks like:

We left Kauai, and, instead of heading for Honolulu, turned north and took a photo tour of Na Pali Coast:

And Kalalau Valley from the ocean side (tourists have the view facing the ocean):

The sun was just setting.  Only on the Pride of America.

For dinner, it was Teppanyaki:

How, novel.  They first made and served the garlic rice.  I had chicken and filet:

Green tea cake and ice cream.  Excellent, with good showmanship.  My breakfast before leaving the ship.  Couldn't waste the Coppola Claret:

I'm home, and....no butterflies.  The cleaning crew yesterday must have released (I hope) it or them.

There have been several new films since my tour, one being Disney's Jungle Cruise.  Click on this to read about the most popular movies from Kauai.

If you're following the series of land purchases by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan on Kauai, they're now up to 1412 acres for $185.6 million.  They donated some of this land to the county, but have mostly been criticized for their indulgence.  However, they did earlier this year donate $50 million to the University of Hawaii for climate change and ocean preservation, the largest charity gift ever to this institution.

Final short story related to Zuckerberg's ownership of Kaloko Reservoir and Dam.  In 1963 our dog Pepper was still almost a pup, and had never swam in his life.  We drove up to this reservoir, and he just jumped into the water, swam to the middle and came back.  We were startled, frightened and relieved when he returned.  Unfortunately he not long thereafter passed away.  Still feel the loss.

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