Kauai by Sea

The sea is blue in Kauai. Very blue. Here is an overlook shot of our favorite beach on the island called Hideaways. 

This. is. real. Borderline unbelievable.

Keith taking in the view and the sounds of the small waves rolling into the beach.

All smiles here. I breathed easier on this day. It was heaven on earth.

And we took another special photo for the kids - this time an "M" for Madison!

The view from the pool at our hotel was a dream. I could have spent day after day in this spot alone!

While our time in Maui was all adventure, our time in Kauai was part discovery and part relaxation. We spent some time Paddle Boarding along the Hanalei River and then ventured out into the rough, wave-breaking bay. Such fun! 

"Just" another beach along the road.

We visited the Kilauea Lighthouse which is located on the northernmost point of the main Hawaiian Islands. This was the perfect place for bird watching.

An Albatross bird taking flight.

A pair of Red-tailed Tropicbirds.

We celebrated our anniversary with a superb meal and a great view at the Beach House in Poipu. The large windows were drawn open letting in fresh air and a great view, and we enjoyed watching surfers while we dined.

Spectacular.

On our last full day we spent some time relaxing and playing at Anini Beach which we had all to ourselves! The low hanging Kamani trees and fringed reef makes this beach unique.

Another moment of bliss.

So long Kauai. Until we meet again.

Kauai by Land

After we arrived and before we departed from the airport, we stopped at Chicken in a Barrel for the most delicious chicken we have ever had. Who would have thought that we would have found it here? It's a roadside eatery with barrels full of smokin' meats (see them there on the left?) T-A-S-T-Y!

Our first morning at the St. Regis Princeville Resort we woke up and enjoyed some yoga beachside. Usually you close your eyes some of the time when you practice yoga so you can create a peaceful image in your mind, but with this view, our dream location was right in front of us!

Ahhh...

We definitely had our fair share of "Shave Ice" which is made by shaving a block of ice as opposed to crushing ice like a snow cone. And, the best part is always the scoop of ice cream underneath! Our favorite tasting was from Ono Ono Shave Ice pictured here.

One of our favorite restaurants was Postcards Cafe in Hanalei which prepares its meals with organic ingredients and island-grown produce. Unique menu with a whole lotta YUM!

Cute town of Hanalei just down from the Cafe.

Kilauea, Kauai - View of the center of the Kong Lung Village Center from the Lighthouse Bistro.

While on the plane, we met some new friends from Texas who were also celebrating their 10 year anniversary so we met up with them for breakfast. Turns out they also have three children, graduated the same year as us, both boys went to Harvard Business School and we have a handful of mutual friends. So fun!

The view of the Hanalei Bay from our hotel was beautiful. We also had a perfect view of the expansive Namolokama mountain range and the numerous waterfalls cascading down the mountains.

And a rainbow? Seriously, God was surely smiling down on us as he revealed the splendor and beauty of his creation.

We had a visitor one morning as well. It was a brave Northern Cardinal who took advantage of our open windows. Hmm, he thought, what shall I eat?

The biscotti it is!

While we didn't have the greatest experience with a luau in the past, we chose to participate in the Mailani Dinner Show offered at our hotel. It was indeed interesting and entertaining and provided us with a little history on the area.

 

The "band."

What show in Hawaii is complete without hula dancing?

The Tree Tunnel down Maluhia Road is the gateway to the Koloa/Poipu area. These eucalyptus trees are a hundred years old!

Keith and I attended a golf clinic at the Makai Golf Course in Princeville. 

While I am not a golfer, this course made me want to be!

Each time we entered and exited the Princeville area and headed east we got to take in this amazing view of trees from the highway.

Kauai by Air

Of all the things to do in Kauai, we knew we had to experience a helicopter tour which is just what we did on our first day on the island. Our friends rave about it and we were certainly not let down! This was my first time in a helicopter and it sure set the bar high! That's me in the pink in the front. Does it look like I'm already near the edge? Yep, Keith still has to fit next to me. Where are the doors, you ask? These Hughes 500s  are flown with the doors off!

Somehow I managed to squeeze in between two 200-lb men, one being the pilot on my left. It seriously looked like he was flying the thing with a video game joystick! I'm not scared to fly but I certainly didn't need to be this close to the controls and to be reminded of how much could go wrong! One time, while in the air, Keith shifted his position and the whole helicopter shifted as well. Thankfully we had a fire extinguisher in case we went down. I'm sure that comes in handy when you fall 1,500 feet into the mountains!

The density of the trees is remarkable and it seems as though you could run across the top of these treetops.

Can you count the waterfalls? I spy at least nine.

Over sixty major films have been filmed in Kauai and it's easy to see why! Here is a 360-foot high waterfall located in the south-central part of the island. Its' Hawaiian name is Manawaiopuna Falls but it's better known as Jurassic Park Falls for its' spotlight in the film it's named after.

It's a long way down!

We saw waterfall after waterfall but never tired of them! The tallest waterfall in Kauai is 2,600 feet!

This is heading out of the Mount Waiʻaleʻale Crater. The top of Mount Waiʻaleʻale is known as the wettest place on east, averaging some 450 inches of rainfall annually. A portion of the inside wall is known as the Weeping Wall because water just oozes out of the wall itself. It was drizzling on us while we were inside the crater which definitely made a wild experience even more remarkable.

The Waimea Canyon is known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific." It stretches 14 miles long, one mile wide and more than 3,600 feet deep. Like the rest of Kauai, most of it can only be viewed by helicopter.

Ahh, the Nā Pali Coast, a seventeen-mile stretch of rugged coastline on the northwest shore of Kauai. Your heart skips a beat when you turn the corner and first see the view. The majority of its' coastline can only be viewed by boat or air.

Can you see that small sea cave in the middle? The first helicopter tours in the 1960's flew through that cave. Seriously! 

White sand beaches, blue waters, dramatic cliffs - it's U-N-B-E-L-I-E-V-A-B-L-E!

This is the way to be welcomed to Kauai!

Maui's Road To Hāna

After spending Day 1 in central, south and west Maui (and upcountry in the center of east Maui) - yes, all in one single, long day (up at 2:15 am, asleep by 9:15 pm), it was time to give the east coastline some love. We once again hit the road from the Grand Wailea, headed north, hit the coastline, turned right and began the Road to Hāna. There are approximately 620 curves and 59 mostly one-lane bridges along the Hāna Highway that forces its' way through the thick, lush, tropical rainforest. 

Here are the Haipua’ena Falls and pool. This was a modest, albeit muddy and slippery, start to an amazing adventure ahead (and the location where I found my beloved walking stick that I would use that day).

Here is the Honomanu Bay. While the blue waters and rock formations were more impressive on the northwest coast, the density and variety of plants in this area is remarkable. Nearly every large curve revealed new characteristics and a variety of plants. This is quintessential Hawaii!

Keith was loving being a man behind the wheel of a Jeep on the winding paved and unpaved roads. Note the open back window - that will come to play in a later story.

See that horizontal line cutting through the mountain? Yep, that's the road. At least this one has guardrails, unlike the Kahekili Highway we took the day before.

Down on the Ke’anae Peninsula, the fresh water stream propels itself into this little cove where the waves crash against the jagged lava rocks forming unique rock formations.

This type of tree is one of the only plants that can grow and hold it's ground on the lava in this geologically young area.

On our way back to the main road, we stopped at a little roadside fruit stand that was selling local Hayden Mangoes (see last two lines in red). We took a picture for Hayden!

After a few more stops, it was time to visit the most remarkable place in all of Maui. While I will leave it unnamed because of recent controversies, some of you know just where I am talking about. This road leads the way and is marked with unofficial signs like "No Parking" and "Beware of Dog!"

This palm tree that is loaded with coconuts is proof that this is relatively untouched territory.

At first glance, you would think that all there is to see is a rocky beach. Beautiful by itself, yes, but if you cross the creek and look behind the grassy area, you will see the most spectacular waterfall you have probably ever seen. 

This place was breathtaking. Magical. And even felt spiritually significant. God gave us a glimpse of heaven on earth.

We couldn't fit the entire waterfall or pool into one photo, but envision this: it was a circular pool with a crescent shaped wall that held this large cascading waterfall on the right side and another slimmer waterfall on the left with water trickling down along the sides and in between. Luscious plants grow all around with tall trees near the top reaching towards the sun which forced its way through the vegetation to put a shimmer upon the waterfall. Behind us was the beautiful blue ocean and under our feet were large light gray rocks with the ocean waters softly pounding along those closest to the sea. Sound idyllic? I can't even begin to describe the wonders of this place. And, we had it all too ourselves for an hour.

The sound of the waves hitting the beach and pulling the large pebbles back into the water is hypnotic. Over time the crashing waves break down the lava rocks creating a black pebble beach.

That morning we decided to take the road less traveled: the back side of the Road to Hāna. This is the portion of the Piilani Highway that most people miss when they visit Maui. But, Keith was drawn to check it out (and eventually we were short on time and thought it would be faster). It starts with one-and-a-half-lane blind curves hugging the cliffs and then eventually opens up to wide-open paved and unpaved portions of the road. It was quite bumpy which proved especially true when we hit down on a cattle guard and our back window (remember that it was open?) slammed down onto the spare tire and shattered into thousands of pieces. Oops. But Keith had a great time driving the challenging terrain in a hurry as we *safely* rushed to get back to our hotel so we could grab our bags before our 5:30 pm flight to Kauai. We didn't make it. To the hotel that is. We had to call the bellman and request to have our bags put in a Taxi that could meet us at the airport. Yes, we made the flight. And, yes, we have a new travel experience that will be forever etched in our memories. 

Go ahead, ask around. We've since heard many stories of travelers misjudging the time it takes to discover the Road To Hāna (and its' backroad) and having to cancel dinner reservations, rush back to make flights, etc. Take it from me, it does take a full day even if you only make a handful of stops. Make a day of it and start early!