Wailua Falls, Kauai

Photograph Copyright © 1994-2009 Michael Fenichel

These are Kauai's legendary Wailua Falls. In ancient times Hawai'ian chiefs were said to have dived from the top, into the pool of water 80 feet below, to prove their courage.

Today these waterfalls are widely known as the "Fantasy Island Waterfalls" because of their association with the opening credits of that television show. Of course, the Na Pali cliffs and other Kauian locations are seen regularly in adventure movies -- from Raiders of the Lost Arc to Jurassic Park -- and offer the perfect backdrop, so it seems, for car commercials. ;-)