Hawaii Vacation - Kauai

We went on a two week trip, just Joanna and me, to Hawaii last October. We agreed that I'd write about Kauai, and she would do another on our Maui experience

We spent one week in Kauai, and one week in Maui. The trip was very busy (so much to see!) and very relaxing (everything we saw was relaxing.)

I'll just hit on a few highlights from our Kauai stay. I can't imagine anyone would want to read our full many-page journal entry on it. I don't know that I'll ever read it again myself!

So, impressions about Kauai? At first it was very hot and sticky feeling. I mean, we were coming from Utah after all. But that was at the airport. And we had been on a plane, so we were already feeling a little, well, oppressed I guess you could say. We mostly got used to it, but it did pretty much remain hot and sticky. We didn't really notice when we were having fun though!

Another impression? Very green. I mean, really, very green. And that wasn't up north yet (which was beyond green.) Turns out it had been raining a little more than usual for Lihue when we arrived. We were staying just north of Lihue, at the Kauai Beach Villas. Funny thing is that we stayed here when I came just after my mission in 1997 too. I wasn't sure when I booked the place, but the memories confirmed it when we got there. I liked staying on the east side of the island because I just didn't know much about it, and it was a good home base for heading out in any direction.

Kauai was more relaxed, part of the land, run down than I am used to here in Utah also. Relaxed is never a bad thing. But "part of the land" and "run down" has both its appeals and its drawbacks. If you want the resort life, then no, the island doesn't feel like a resort. It is WILD, and it isn't groomed and manicured. Strange, a person would never expect that, but with all the talk of it being paradise, somehow that preconception had creeped in a little bit. No, there is rain, there is wind, you can't control the weather, there is mud, there is crazy growth. If you know and expect this, then I think one can have a blast. If not, you can get disappointed at first. I know, it is blasphemy to say Hawaii is anything but perfect. But there it is.

Okay, that said, it is an awesome place. That same "part of the land" feel is what makes it an exceptional experience. No pretentious, gaudy gardens or downtown areas. You really are leaving the world behind. You get to experience the greatest thing the world has to offer, God's creations. You can return to your roots. You can find yourself. There is nothing to distract you (provided you turn off the smartphone) and I really liked that. For the perfect environment to sit in a beach chair, read a book, and sip drinks this may not be it (maybe Maui instead) - well they had a few nice resorts, which we visited. And we did that a little here. But what we spent our time most on was exploring this amazing place. We didn't really rest. We could have done that for cheaper on the California coast or in Maui. We wanted to see jungle. We wanted to see amazing vegetation, cliffs, canyons, the power of the sea.

One of the highlights was our helicopter tour. Most of the island is very difficult to access, and sometimes it is hard to wrap your mind around how rugged and lush it is. So when we saw impassible terrain laced with waterfalls and teeming with thick vegetation from the window of the copter, we understood a little of what Kauai was about. A great overview. Here's a few pictures (these were all taken from the copter):

We snorkeled as well. Joanna had never snorkeled and I hadn't for years, so we practiced at Lydgate beach park. But with the rain and crazy waves, the snorkeling tide pool was very murky. We could see maybe 4 feet. We learned how to snorkel, and it was fun, but we didn't see much. Joanna still saw a few fish here and there, but when a guy yelled that he had seen a man-o-war (stinging jellyfish) we decided we knew enough.

A little later though we headed to Tunnels beach and snorkeled all afternoon. It was great, and there were lots of fun fish. We could see 20+ feet in the water, and that makes all the difference! We didn't take pictures of the fish (no underwater camera) but we did get a couple shots of the beach:


We resorted hopped. There are lots of resort-like places to stay in the south by Poipu, but one of them kind of overshadows the rest with its grandeur, this was the Grand Hyatt:


We also visited the Marriott in Lihue:


And the amazing St. Regis Princeville in the north:


Throughout the week, we drove all around the island, and tried to do a hike in several unique areas. We had plans, lots of plans, and we pretty much followed them, except we never got everything done. That was fine because we just picked a few and took our time. It was much better that way.

One amazing area is the Mahaulepu beach area. This place was awesome! It is dominated, between the wonderful beaches, by lithified limestone cliffs. The waves were strong that day and it was really fun to watch.

We also hiked up in Waimea Canyon. Some in the dryer part of the canyon:

...and some on the rim of the Na Pali coast between sheer cliffs and the Alakai swamp which gets hundreds of inches of rain in a year. It was certainly raining while we were there! And muddy! We had trekking poles and boots, and we still got a little muddy. Some people in tennis shoes had slipped a number of times and were slathered. Again, the beauty and greenery was beyond words.



We also hiked a very famous trail, the Kalalau trail along the Na Pali coast itself. There is nothing like winding along steep cliffs a hundred feet above the crystal blue water, with dense tropical foliage all around you and, again, plenty of mud. It was spectacular! We only made time to get to their first beach, about 2 miles in, but it was certainly a highlight of our trip! It starts from Ke'e beach (pictured looking down from the trail)...

... and we ended at Hanakapiai beach. From here you can hike to a falls (2 miles) or keep going on the Kalalau trail (with an overnight permit) for another 8 miles to Kalalau Valley and beach.

We also explored plenty of other areas, from some of the quaint towns like Hanapepe to the Kilauea lighthouse. Eight days total, and it seems like we just scratched the surface, though we did get to cover a lot of ground. Truly a beautiful and amazing place!