Our trip is over, and we had an amazing time. This post attempts to share some of what we learned as we traveled through Maui, the Big Island of Hawaii, and Kauai. If you're going, buy a guidebook!
1. It takes twice as long as you think it will to travel anywhere. There is often only one road to take you there, and you aren't the only one going. Kauai has the worst traffic, particularly in Kapa'a.
2. Jump right into island time. You don't have to see all the big attractions in a couple of days. The best part about being there is soaking up the ambiance, with an umbrella drink in hand.
3. Make sure your snorkel mask seals properly before you leave the snorkel shop. If it doesn't seal well, it won't keep out the salt water, you won't see as much, and you'll have a less than perfect time. If you have a mustache, bring chap stick to smear on it so facial hair won't prevent a good seal. I was amazed to find that they make prescription snorkel masks, for us nearsighted folks.
4. Buildings with cement block construction in general make for a quieter and more insect-free experience. Frame construction means thinner walls, more noise. And if you're on the first floor, you'll have more bugs.
5. If you would enjoy and are willing to spend a little more money, having a larger vehicle, ask your rental car agent if there is an upgrade available. If you're not traveling during peak demand periods (December through March and holidays) there will be cars available, probably for less than you think. This will of course add to the bottom line. For us it was worth the extra money.
6. Before you leave home, plan how you will handle all day excursions where a variety of stuff may be needed. Rental companies and guide books both suggest leaving no valuables in your car, even in places hidden from view. Thefts are rampant in places like beach parks, trailheads and scenic attractions. Our solution was to use the camera case for valuables or take a backpack. Car keys went into the water with us, double bagged in plastic. Ditto ID and credit card. Everything we left in the car was in plain view. We left umbrellas, rain jackets, beach mats and towels, and walking shoes. No packages that weren't open to show the contents. And we rented small SUV's with a clearly visible cargo area. Maybe we were just lucky, but we had no problems.
7. Pick up publications at the airport. There are a lot of them, and many have discount coupons. Usually a vendor will give you the coupon rate if there is one, whether or not you have a piece of paper. Always ask for a discount rate if you book your own excursion.
8. There is no substitute for a good guide book. We used mostly the Lonely Planet series, but also liked the [fill in island name]Revealed publications. If you didn't plan your trip around one, they are readily available in airports and souvenir shops. We picked up a AAA map and trip book, which were of very limited value and not worth the time it took to drive to AAA. Like everywhere else, Hawaii has been hit hard by the recession. We found that some restaurants and shops had closed since our guidebooks were published. Calling ahead will save you time.
9. If you're 62 or older, you can buy a lifetime pass to all National Park administered attractions for $10. It works for you and your spouse and is tied in to your driver's license. There are many national parks and scenic attractions on each of the islands. You'll need to produce the credit card sized pass and your driver's license each time you enter a park. It won't work for your spouse if you're not present. It saved us a lot of money.
10. If you're not 62 yet you can purchase an annual National Park pass for $89. It may save you money if you're going to several islands or have other vacations planned within the year. You can also purchase weekly passes for less money.
11. Inter-island flights allow less weight for carry on bags than the big international carriers. Check your airline requirements before you leave home. Hawaiian Airlines doesn't count a camera as an extra bag.
12. Flat rate boxes from the U.S. Post Office are great. We mailed home the island guides and literature we didn't need any more, along with shoes we brought and then didn't need. You can use the boxes for anything that isn't perishable, liquid, or fragile. The boxes can be tracked and insured like any other package.
13. The road to Hana: If you're going to Maui, don't let the rental company talk you out of driving to Hana in your rental car. It's true, there are hundreds of curves, and over fifty one lane bridges. But the road is well paved, with plenty of warning for the one lane parts and yield signs with lines help regulate traffic flow. If you drive to Hana, the $20 CD and map guide from the Shell Station at the start of the road is well worth the money. We bought the Haleakala guide for $10 more. It was good, but we didn't find it as helpful as the Hana guide. If you want to look out the window and take photos, take a tour bus. If you're driving yourself, get to the the start of the road, near the airport, by eight a.m. at the latest to allow lots of time for stops along the way and to return home. If you decide not to go back the way you came, the one lane road west from Hana is paved except for a couple of miles. The pavement is rough for most of it. The scenery is awesome, and for us worth the bumps and narrow curves.
14. We found that it was worth paying for shipping to avoid carrying small pieces of pottery and artwork. We did carry home some stone coasters, which caused the TSA security person to search the entire backpack. We were literally the only ones in line, so it didn't take long. But if we'd been cutting the time close it would have been bad!
15. If you have any medical implants (plates, knee or hip replacements, etc.), ask if there is a body scanner before you walk through the metal detector. If you set it off, they have to do a complete pat down. The Lihue, Kauai airport is the only one we visited with a body scanner right now, but the Kahului, Maui airport is getting one soon. I'm guessing that the Honolulu airport also has a scanner, but we didn't go through security there so I'm not sure.
16. For $5 or less, you can buy topographical maps of all the islands, published by the University of Hawaii Press. I ordered ours ahead of time, but that was totally unnecessary since every airport shop and national park sold them. These maps show all the roads, and sometimes mark which ones are private, as many up country roads are. Maps furnished by rental companies conveniently omit roads they would prefer you didn't use, like rural unpaved and one lane roads.
17. If you plan to hike lava field trails, bring a compass and get a trail map. Sturdy shoes are essential for all island hiking. Check conditions with the park rangers before setting out on longer hikes. Some of the trails are dangerous and many are poorly marked. Many of the national parks require registration (free) before hiking past marked lookouts.
18. Don't bring too much stuff. I brought everything I thought we'd need, even flashlights for night lava viewing. We ended up hauling things we never used. Everything we needed was readily available at reasonable prices near or in the national and state parks. Beach mats are $3 each everywhere, so you can just donate them to the next occupants of your lodging when you're done with them. A twin pack of flashlights was on sale in Volcano for $10, and our host had loaners available. Straw hats are inexpensive. You get the idea. However, if you're hiking, don't skip the hiking boots or shoes. They are essential, and worth bringing. We wore ours on the planes so they wouldn't add weight and bulk to our suitcases.
19. Dressing up means slacks or shorts and a clean aloha shirt for men. Ladies sometimes wear long floral dresses or sun dresses. Everyone wears sandals all the time, except for hiking. Unless you're staying at a really expensive hotel, you don't need dress clothes. Even at church or the fanciest restaurants.
20. Shop around for airfare. We found that there was a $5000 difference between the highest and lowest fares for our complete trip. We got the best deal on Orbitz.com. Surprisingly, Expedia was the very highest, even more than Delta Airlines. Priceline was close to Orbitz.
21. We got a $50 discount from Budget for pre-paying for our car on Maui. There are several web sites that will compare car rental rates. We found that the lowest rate we could find ourselves was the same as the comparison site's rates for the same company.
22. We found that overall renting a condo from a private person or management agent was the best value. We don't like to eat every meal out, so wanted a kitchen. Most condos have a private lanai, and the weather is almost always good for sitting outside. The research did take a lot of time, but we were happy with our choices except for the apartment hotel on Maui, which advertised a nice beach and told us we'd have a partial ocean view. The beach was small with coarse sand, and the slice of ocean was between two beachfront condo complexes. Our building was between the street and a beachfront condo. The apartment itself was fine, and the lanai looked out over nice tropical trees. Barking dogs in a nearby building were annoying. Homeaway and VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) are good places to start your condo search.
23. If you don't have the time or inclination to do a lot of research, reading and web searching, you might want to use a travel agent. Or just let Orbitz or a similar site pick your flight, hotel and rental car company and put it in a package.
24. As soon as the glimmer of Hawaii (or really any exciting travel destination) appears in your brain, subscribe to newsletters like Sherman's Travel, Travel and Leisure, and Budget Travel. They all send regular email newsletters, and Sherman's has a weekly deal newletter. Some great values, especially if you can be flexible about dates.
25. If you have to go back to work when you get home, give yourself a few days to get back on local time. Pat recovered faster than I did. It took about five days for us, but had we been forced to be functional early in the morning we probably could have done it in a couple of days.
Aloha, and mahalo for reading our blog!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Day Twenty-five: A Long Day!
We were mostly packed up by eight a.m. this morning, helped by the early sunrise streaming through our bedroom window. We ran out of coffee yesterday, so headed out for breakfast at Java Kai in Hanalei. We got out of the car into a light rain which turned into a downpour just after we got inside. This place is almost like fast food - limited menu, but they bring it to your table. Tables are outside on a wide wrap-around porch or picnic tables out front. We got lucky and got a table on the porch. By the time food came, the rain had stopped. We went outside to finish our coffee at a picnic table, which had mostly dried off.
Back at the condo, we sat outside for awhile, then Pat packed the car and found someone who was glad to get the remaining stock of Longboard Lager. Our plan was to simply kick around the area north of Lihue until our ten p.m. flight. I had looked into alternatives for storing our luggage during the day, but the only possibility I found was a late checkout for half the daily rate for the condo. We decided it wasn't worth the money (though we had a couple of hours mid-afternoon when we wondered...).
We stopped first at the Hanalei Valley overlook, just at the turn off to our condo. Next stop was Anini Beach, where we spent an hour watching snorkelers and a wind surfer. We drove up a couple of back roads and got some nice valley and mountain views northwest of Kapa'a. At the south end of Lihue, we stopped for shave ice, this time with ice cream at the bottom. I really wish someone around here would start a Hawaiian shave ice shop, maybe with some other Hawaiian food options. We only had shave ice twice, but both times really enjoyed it.
By now it was 3:30, and we had lots of time to kill. We drove to the beach park on Kalapaki Bay. This small bay is nice, but we found the park to be run down and not very inviting. The sea wall looked like it could fall into the water any time, and the access road was just big rocks that looked like they could kill the suspension of the car. We parked a few feet in and sat for awhile, looking over at the Kauai Marriott at the center of the bay. Finally I called the Marriott and was assured that we could leave car and luggage safely with a bellhop.
Relieved of luggage worries, we headed to Duke's Barefoot Bar for happy hour - $6 mai tais and decent local music made us feel much better! We had a drink, then ordered food. Pat had another mai tai, then coffee with dessert. I switched to iced tea. Duke's signature dessert is Hula Pie: a huge (4 inches tall) slice of vanilla ice cream on a thick oreo crust, with hot fudge and macadamia nuts on top and underneath, and a big dollop of whipped cream. We split one, and were glad we still had a few hours before we had to get on a plane. Happy hour and music both ended at six, and shortly after that we rolled away from the table. We walked the beach walk and through the courtyard garden, checked out the pool, and otherwise behaved like registered guests. Around seven we claimed our car, filled it with gas, and went to the airport.
Our flights were uneventful. The longer one, to Phoenix, was overnight and pretty quiet after the baby near us settled down. I took a sleeping pill and got about four hours of sleep in small bits. Pat was wide awake the entire time. He read by someone else's light for awhile, but didn't want to reach over his seat mate to turn his own light on. We were on opposite sides of the aisle in the same row. I had tried to change seats but couldn't find two together. We had breakfast at a sports bar at the Phoenix airport, and finally arrived in Detroit at four p.m. (ten a.m. in Hawaii). Josh and Katie picked us up. We came home to a very happy dog, and a completely cleaned house. Josh had even done all of our laundry, including the sheets and towels he had used.
We had dinner with Josh and Katie at our favorite local tavern, Brady's. Their mai tais aren't nearly as good!
Back at the condo, we sat outside for awhile, then Pat packed the car and found someone who was glad to get the remaining stock of Longboard Lager. Our plan was to simply kick around the area north of Lihue until our ten p.m. flight. I had looked into alternatives for storing our luggage during the day, but the only possibility I found was a late checkout for half the daily rate for the condo. We decided it wasn't worth the money (though we had a couple of hours mid-afternoon when we wondered...).
We stopped first at the Hanalei Valley overlook, just at the turn off to our condo. Next stop was Anini Beach, where we spent an hour watching snorkelers and a wind surfer. We drove up a couple of back roads and got some nice valley and mountain views northwest of Kapa'a. At the south end of Lihue, we stopped for shave ice, this time with ice cream at the bottom. I really wish someone around here would start a Hawaiian shave ice shop, maybe with some other Hawaiian food options. We only had shave ice twice, but both times really enjoyed it.
By now it was 3:30, and we had lots of time to kill. We drove to the beach park on Kalapaki Bay. This small bay is nice, but we found the park to be run down and not very inviting. The sea wall looked like it could fall into the water any time, and the access road was just big rocks that looked like they could kill the suspension of the car. We parked a few feet in and sat for awhile, looking over at the Kauai Marriott at the center of the bay. Finally I called the Marriott and was assured that we could leave car and luggage safely with a bellhop.
Relieved of luggage worries, we headed to Duke's Barefoot Bar for happy hour - $6 mai tais and decent local music made us feel much better! We had a drink, then ordered food. Pat had another mai tai, then coffee with dessert. I switched to iced tea. Duke's signature dessert is Hula Pie: a huge (4 inches tall) slice of vanilla ice cream on a thick oreo crust, with hot fudge and macadamia nuts on top and underneath, and a big dollop of whipped cream. We split one, and were glad we still had a few hours before we had to get on a plane. Happy hour and music both ended at six, and shortly after that we rolled away from the table. We walked the beach walk and through the courtyard garden, checked out the pool, and otherwise behaved like registered guests. Around seven we claimed our car, filled it with gas, and went to the airport.
Our flights were uneventful. The longer one, to Phoenix, was overnight and pretty quiet after the baby near us settled down. I took a sleeping pill and got about four hours of sleep in small bits. Pat was wide awake the entire time. He read by someone else's light for awhile, but didn't want to reach over his seat mate to turn his own light on. We were on opposite sides of the aisle in the same row. I had tried to change seats but couldn't find two together. We had breakfast at a sports bar at the Phoenix airport, and finally arrived in Detroit at four p.m. (ten a.m. in Hawaii). Josh and Katie picked us up. We came home to a very happy dog, and a completely cleaned house. Josh had even done all of our laundry, including the sheets and towels he had used.
We had dinner with Josh and Katie at our favorite local tavern, Brady's. Their mai tais aren't nearly as good!
 |
| Hanalei Valley |
 |
| Taro fields in Hanalei Valley |
 |
| Kauai has such lovely mountains! |
 |
| We found this protected forest on a back road west of Kapa'a. |
 |
| Anini Beach |
 |
| More jagged peaks |
 |
| The 25,000 square foot pool at the Marriott. |
Friday, May 20, 2011
Day Twenty-four: Around Hanalei
We've been staying less than ten miles from the beautiful and quirky little town of Hanalei, named for the perfect little bay it sits upon. We had a mellow start to the day, getting around to breakfast just before ten. We drove to the end of the road on the northwest corner of the island. The road ends at Ke'e Beach, just at the spot where the Na Pali coastline begins to head southwest. Ke'e has a lifeguard, showers and picnic facilities. It's all white sand, and wildly popular. The parking lot was overflowing, and cars were parked up to a mile away along the road. Pedestrians had nowhere to walk but the road, ducking between cars when someone wanted to drive down the road.
We made mental notes of beaches that were less crowded and closer to Hanalei, then found a parking spot in town and walked around the two major shopping centers, which are directly across the road from one another. We walked the half mile down to the public beach and watched people playing for awhile. Back in Hanalei, we had lunch at the Kalypso Bar, on the main road. We got lucky and got an outdoor table next to a small strip of garden. The coconut shrimp was outstanding, and the mai tais weren't bad.
After lunch, we decided to just head back to our condo. Neither of us felt like being on the beach. I read a book and Pat napped. Late afternoon we walked the grounds of Sealodge, our condo complex for the first time. And the last, since we have to leave tomorrow.
We drove back to Hanalei for dinner at The Dolphin, which has a pleasant spot on the Hanalei River at the east end of town. More fish for me, but Pat went for chicken. Back in Princeville, we stopped for ice cream at Lappert's, the Kauai dairy with fabulous ice cream. I had Kauai Pie: kona coffee ice cream with coconut, macadamia nuts, swirls of chocolate fudge, and crispy vanilla cake bits. Wow. It's a good thing Lappert's was a rather late discovery. We've been there three times since we got to Kauai. Many more visits and we'd be buying new clothes...
We have to move on by eleven tomorrow morning, but our flight isn't till ten p.m. I'll be back by Sunday to wrap this vacation record.
We made mental notes of beaches that were less crowded and closer to Hanalei, then found a parking spot in town and walked around the two major shopping centers, which are directly across the road from one another. We walked the half mile down to the public beach and watched people playing for awhile. Back in Hanalei, we had lunch at the Kalypso Bar, on the main road. We got lucky and got an outdoor table next to a small strip of garden. The coconut shrimp was outstanding, and the mai tais weren't bad.
After lunch, we decided to just head back to our condo. Neither of us felt like being on the beach. I read a book and Pat napped. Late afternoon we walked the grounds of Sealodge, our condo complex for the first time. And the last, since we have to leave tomorrow.
We drove back to Hanalei for dinner at The Dolphin, which has a pleasant spot on the Hanalei River at the east end of town. More fish for me, but Pat went for chicken. Back in Princeville, we stopped for ice cream at Lappert's, the Kauai dairy with fabulous ice cream. I had Kauai Pie: kona coffee ice cream with coconut, macadamia nuts, swirls of chocolate fudge, and crispy vanilla cake bits. Wow. It's a good thing Lappert's was a rather late discovery. We've been there three times since we got to Kauai. Many more visits and we'd be buying new clothes...
We have to move on by eleven tomorrow morning, but our flight isn't till ten p.m. I'll be back by Sunday to wrap this vacation record.
 |
| One lane bridge over Hanalei River |
 |
| Hanalei Town |
 |
| Historic church on Main Street |
 |
| Ke'e Beach |
 |
| Wai'oli Beach Park on Hanalei Bay |
 |
| The view from our lunch table |
 |
| Hanalei River at sunset |
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Day Twenty-three: McBryde Garden and Wailua Falls
We were out the door on the early side today, heading all the way to the south shore. We stopped in Kapa'a for breakfast at the Ono Family Restaurant. It's old and quaint, and a local hang out of sorts. I've never seen a more extensive breakfast menu. It has all the traditional breakfast fare, with local standards like fish tacos, ahi omelettes, and coconut syrup. I had plain french toast and Pat had a veggie omelette. Both good, but nothing to rave about. After breakfast we stopped at Hilo Hattie's, which our guidebook says is good for genuine Hawaiian souvenirs. Most of what we saw was made somewhere else, and we ended up with more free shell leis, but nothing else.
At the National Tropical Botanical Garden visitor's center, we signed up for the self guided tour of the McBryde Garden. The other choice was the Allerton Garden, a more formal landscape requiring a guide for a very expensive tour. That one was sold out anyway, so off we went on a shuttle bus into the Lawa'i Valley. The whole ocean end of the valley was at one time owned by Allertons and McBrydes. Allerton was interested in botany, and both gardens are planted with native plants as well as imports from around the world. We spent a hot hour walking the pathways, then took the shuttle back to the visitors center, which also has a nice small garden.
We stopped at Spouting Horn park, which has three large blowholes. Next we drove by all the resorts in the Poipu area, and concluded we like Princeville better than either Poipu or Kapa'a, even though it's a long drive to some of the interesting features of the island. We had a late lunch at Brenneke's Bar, on the ocean across the road from Brenneke Beach Park. It was the only sit down restaurant we found that was open for lunch. Most of the Poipu restaurants are only open for dinner, though there are a couple of taco vans and fruit stalls. And we saw a man with a Starbuck's cup, leaving a shopping center that we didn't drive into, so there are probably more options than we found.
On the way back north, we drove four miles up Highway 583 to Wailua Falls, a powerful double waterfall flowing into the Wailua River. We watched three teenagers swimming in the pool and walking around the falls. I hope they got home safely. The rocks are reportedly slippery, and some deaths have occurred over the years. We made a quick stop at Walmart to get a book for Pat to read on the plane home, and some chocolate covered macadamia nuts. I've been afraid to buy them till close to the end of our trip. I know they're addictive, and fattening.
Back in Princeville, we stopped at Foodland to pick up food for this evening and for breakfast. We're having a mellow evening at home. Hard to believe that in 48 hours we'll be at the Lihue airport turning in our rental car. It will be good to be home, but we'll miss the wonderful weather and lovely scenery of Hawaii.
At the National Tropical Botanical Garden visitor's center, we signed up for the self guided tour of the McBryde Garden. The other choice was the Allerton Garden, a more formal landscape requiring a guide for a very expensive tour. That one was sold out anyway, so off we went on a shuttle bus into the Lawa'i Valley. The whole ocean end of the valley was at one time owned by Allertons and McBrydes. Allerton was interested in botany, and both gardens are planted with native plants as well as imports from around the world. We spent a hot hour walking the pathways, then took the shuttle back to the visitors center, which also has a nice small garden.
We stopped at Spouting Horn park, which has three large blowholes. Next we drove by all the resorts in the Poipu area, and concluded we like Princeville better than either Poipu or Kapa'a, even though it's a long drive to some of the interesting features of the island. We had a late lunch at Brenneke's Bar, on the ocean across the road from Brenneke Beach Park. It was the only sit down restaurant we found that was open for lunch. Most of the Poipu restaurants are only open for dinner, though there are a couple of taco vans and fruit stalls. And we saw a man with a Starbuck's cup, leaving a shopping center that we didn't drive into, so there are probably more options than we found.
On the way back north, we drove four miles up Highway 583 to Wailua Falls, a powerful double waterfall flowing into the Wailua River. We watched three teenagers swimming in the pool and walking around the falls. I hope they got home safely. The rocks are reportedly slippery, and some deaths have occurred over the years. We made a quick stop at Walmart to get a book for Pat to read on the plane home, and some chocolate covered macadamia nuts. I've been afraid to buy them till close to the end of our trip. I know they're addictive, and fattening.
Back in Princeville, we stopped at Foodland to pick up food for this evening and for breakfast. We're having a mellow evening at home. Hard to believe that in 48 hours we'll be at the Lihue airport turning in our rental car. It will be good to be home, but we'll miss the wonderful weather and lovely scenery of Hawaii.
 |
| The private Allerton beach |
 |
| The Allerton house, heavily damaged in a 1992 hurricane. It's now occupied by a family friend who is a marine biologist. |
 |
| A typical grouping of native plants. |
 |
| More native plants |
 |
| A rally large orchid plant, which is growing attached to a large palm tree. |
 |
| The same orchid plant. It's just tied to the tree, with it's roots curling around the trunk. |
 |
| Most of the plants are well established, and huge. |
 |
| Red jade plant blooming |
 |
| This black-crowned night heron flew in and posed for us. |
 |
| Explaining the garden |
 |
| Mangoes growing near the visitors center. Amazingly, I can't find Hawaiian grown mangoes at Foodland. Theirs come from Guatemala or Mexico, |
 |
| Spouting blowhole. |
 |
| Wailua Falls |
 |
| Young adventurers. They were yelping and hooting loudly. |
Day Twenty-two, close to home base
Today we slept in, relaxed, and did very little. We went to the Kilauea Lighthouse and Wildlife Preserve, which has a very short walkway and viewing on three sides of a peninsula. It was a beautiful sunny morning, with lots of photo ops. The birds wouldn't pose for us, but we got a few shots of gulls and red footed boobies, and one of a cardinal. We ate lunch at the Lighthouse Bistro in Kilauea, and headed back home. Pat napped. I caught up with email and found a novel to read.
Pat awoke near sunset. We drove down the the "sunset beach" near the St. Regis Hotel. There were clouds near the horizon so once again we didn't get the full drowning of the blazing ball. But it was pretty, and the pink tinged clouds over the mountains in the west were beautiful. We had dinner at the Paradise Bar and Grill in Princeville. It's great to sit outside in a restaurant and not be either swamped with insects or cold. We'll miss that when we get home. Not that we eat out very often.
Pat awoke near sunset. We drove down the the "sunset beach" near the St. Regis Hotel. There were clouds near the horizon so once again we didn't get the full drowning of the blazing ball. But it was pretty, and the pink tinged clouds over the mountains in the west were beautiful. We had dinner at the Paradise Bar and Grill in Princeville. It's great to sit outside in a restaurant and not be either swamped with insects or cold. We'll miss that when we get home. Not that we eat out very often.
 |
| View southeast from the lighthouse |
 |
| 1913 lighthouse, being renovated now |
 |
| Mountains to the west. Our condo complex is on the far right. |
 |
| Small island off the tip of the lighthouse peninsula. Inhabited only by birds. |
 |
| The small light on the left is in service. It shines directly into our bedroom window. |
 |
| Sunset |
 |
| Another view to the east. Clouds are low over the mountains. |
 |
| Eastern sky at sunset. |
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Day Twenty-one: Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coast
Yesterday was so full of beauty that I took 368 photos and shot two videos. We left early for the south shore, where we drove up Rte. 550 to the spot where it joins the Waimea Canyon Road. The canyon and valleys leading up to it are gorgeous. Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands with no volcanic activity. The mountains are covered in mineral rich red soil and lush greenery. There isn't a bad view anywhere you look up here. We drove to the end, stopping at every turnout to take photos and just breathe in the clear air and look at the scenery. We saw several helicopters and one small plane in the brief time we were out of the car. At the end of the road, there is a protected overlook, and the start of a 17 mile trail that follows the ridgeline and overlooks the west (Na Pali) coast of the island. The only ways to get to the Na Pali shoreline are by kayak or boat. More on that a little later. Our time at the overlook delighted us with the varying weather conditions. We got peekaboo views of the coast through fast moving clouds. Sometimes we were standing in a cloud and couldn't tell there was anything out there. Other times it cleared up enough for a good view.
On the way down, we stopped at the only restaurant on the road, inside Kokee state park. Lunch was convenient if forgettable, but the lawn and pine tree vista was nice and reminded us of some spots in the Colorado Rockies. The Kokee Lodge Museum shares the grounds. It has lots of bird exhibits, some souvenirs, and a place to make tour reservations and rent cabins in the park. The mountains of West Kauai are so dangerous to hike and even camp in that everyone who wants to walk past the overlooks and a couple of shorter marked trails must register with the rangers.
After lunch we drove back down to the coast on the other road, Highway 552, which has some views of lesser valleys and some farmland. The lower elevations away from the shoreline resorts are paniolo country, with lots of cattle and horses in wide grassy fields. Grassy here is different from our Michigan experience of grassy. We could walk into some fields and be lost in ten seconds flat. Grassy roadsides sometimes meant that we had to get out of the car and find a low spot to see past the roadside.
We drove through the historic town of Hanapepe, which reportedly has over 40 buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places. It has an active community of artists and a few galleries, most of which were closed. There wasn't much happening here on a Monday afternoon, and we found it to be unappealing and run down. Everywhere we go we see signs of the poor economy of the last two years. Motels half built and roped off, empty storefronts, and poorly maintained buildings, especially away from the main resorts. The tiny church of St. Sylvester in Kilauea, where we attended mass last Sunday, supports over 400 people from it's food bank. A sure indication that here, as everywhere else, working people are hurting and many are unemployed.
Our last stop of the day was Port Allen, where we had reserved a dinner sunset cruise. The boat pulled out around three and cruised slowly up the Na Pali coast to the spot at the north end where the road (highway 56) ends just west of Haena, at a beach park. There are forty "cathedrals" along this coastline - tall spires of rock covered in greenery. There are also a few small sand beaches with little coves which can handle kayak and raft landings. We were amazed to hear from the guide that there are two native Hawaiian villages near the beaches, with 500 and 1500 hundred residents. Backed by the mountains, they are inaccessible from land, so necessary goods arrive by boat.
On the way out we saw a small school of spinner dolphins and were excited because they usually only visit boats in the morning. On the way back, just as the sun was low enough in the sky to produce color, a huge school of spinners arrived near the rear of the boat. Our captain slowed down and reversed, and we followed them for about ten minutes, watching the show as they leaped, turned and flipped for us. Fortunately, I had just come down to use the facilites, and arrived on the main deck in time to have a good view of everything. I shot 7 minutes of video (love the 32G memory card in the camera!). It's in the Picasa web album. If you decide to take a look, skip to the middle for the best shots. I'll edit it when I get home and learn how! Another camera note: On this sometimes bumpy cruise, near the end as I was shooting the dolphins, the problem with the lens disappeared. No more dark corners on the video, or on the last shots of the day, of the sunset and the full moon. I'm hoping the problem is really gone, at least for now. I guess I'll still have to look into it when I get home. Seems like a bumpy ride shouldn't rearrange the lens, especially when the camera is in hand, as it was last night, or in it's case in a car driving tamely on a well-paved road.
We had an uneventful drive back north, and got to Princeville in time to visit Lappert's for ice cream. It took over an hour to upload the photos (the long video was the main time hog), and we slept like children.
These photos are out of order. Waimea Valley is first, followed by Na Pali Coast, sunset, then full moon. Can't make them appear in the right order, but you get the idea! And if you can, schedule your trip to Kauai now. It's an amazing place!
On the way down, we stopped at the only restaurant on the road, inside Kokee state park. Lunch was convenient if forgettable, but the lawn and pine tree vista was nice and reminded us of some spots in the Colorado Rockies. The Kokee Lodge Museum shares the grounds. It has lots of bird exhibits, some souvenirs, and a place to make tour reservations and rent cabins in the park. The mountains of West Kauai are so dangerous to hike and even camp in that everyone who wants to walk past the overlooks and a couple of shorter marked trails must register with the rangers.
After lunch we drove back down to the coast on the other road, Highway 552, which has some views of lesser valleys and some farmland. The lower elevations away from the shoreline resorts are paniolo country, with lots of cattle and horses in wide grassy fields. Grassy here is different from our Michigan experience of grassy. We could walk into some fields and be lost in ten seconds flat. Grassy roadsides sometimes meant that we had to get out of the car and find a low spot to see past the roadside.
We drove through the historic town of Hanapepe, which reportedly has over 40 buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places. It has an active community of artists and a few galleries, most of which were closed. There wasn't much happening here on a Monday afternoon, and we found it to be unappealing and run down. Everywhere we go we see signs of the poor economy of the last two years. Motels half built and roped off, empty storefronts, and poorly maintained buildings, especially away from the main resorts. The tiny church of St. Sylvester in Kilauea, where we attended mass last Sunday, supports over 400 people from it's food bank. A sure indication that here, as everywhere else, working people are hurting and many are unemployed.
Our last stop of the day was Port Allen, where we had reserved a dinner sunset cruise. The boat pulled out around three and cruised slowly up the Na Pali coast to the spot at the north end where the road (highway 56) ends just west of Haena, at a beach park. There are forty "cathedrals" along this coastline - tall spires of rock covered in greenery. There are also a few small sand beaches with little coves which can handle kayak and raft landings. We were amazed to hear from the guide that there are two native Hawaiian villages near the beaches, with 500 and 1500 hundred residents. Backed by the mountains, they are inaccessible from land, so necessary goods arrive by boat.
On the way out we saw a small school of spinner dolphins and were excited because they usually only visit boats in the morning. On the way back, just as the sun was low enough in the sky to produce color, a huge school of spinners arrived near the rear of the boat. Our captain slowed down and reversed, and we followed them for about ten minutes, watching the show as they leaped, turned and flipped for us. Fortunately, I had just come down to use the facilites, and arrived on the main deck in time to have a good view of everything. I shot 7 minutes of video (love the 32G memory card in the camera!). It's in the Picasa web album. If you decide to take a look, skip to the middle for the best shots. I'll edit it when I get home and learn how! Another camera note: On this sometimes bumpy cruise, near the end as I was shooting the dolphins, the problem with the lens disappeared. No more dark corners on the video, or on the last shots of the day, of the sunset and the full moon. I'm hoping the problem is really gone, at least for now. I guess I'll still have to look into it when I get home. Seems like a bumpy ride shouldn't rearrange the lens, especially when the camera is in hand, as it was last night, or in it's case in a car driving tamely on a well-paved road.
We had an uneventful drive back north, and got to Princeville in time to visit Lappert's for ice cream. It took over an hour to upload the photos (the long video was the main time hog), and we slept like children.
These photos are out of order. Waimea Valley is first, followed by Na Pali Coast, sunset, then full moon. Can't make them appear in the right order, but you get the idea! And if you can, schedule your trip to Kauai now. It's an amazing place!
 |
| Roadside Waterfall on the way up to the lookout |
 |
| A long waterfall |
 |
| Another valley view |
 |
| Misty mountaintops |
 |
| View from the mountaintop lookout down to the ocean |
 |
| The almost full moon |
 |
| Na Pali coast |
 |
| Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Sea cave on Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Na Pali Coast |
 |
| Sunset |
 |
| Sunset |
 |
Waimea Valley |
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)