When we left Oahu we flew to Kauai for a little lovers holiday. We had never been to this island and were very excited. Kauai is the most beautiful of the three island's I've been to. But for the best Hawaiian experince Maui is still the place. Kauai is green as far as the eye can see. It's called the garden island and that is definitely a name that fits. We stayed on the North shore in Princeville. There is only one main road to get around the island so the traffic can get pretty heavy, but we never waited more than a few minutes. After we got to the hotel we went grocery shopping. First we stopped at the Chevron and had the best burgers ever! That's right- I said the gas station serves the best burgers on the island:) Afterwards we headed across the parking lot to the one and only store in Princeville. While there we ran into a girl that Jeff grew up with who now lives on the island. It's such a small world isn't it. After we bought our crazy expensive groceries we headed back to the hotel and watched a movie-Taken 2(horrible) and turned in for the night.
The next day was Sunday so we went to church in Hanalei. There were tons of church's all over Kauai- but only two Mormon churches. The church has a little blue tin roof so it was easy to find. Every Sunday in Hanalei there are more visitors at church then there are members of the ward. After church we drove to Ke E beach to see where the trail head was for our hike that wee. Then we drove back to our resort and walked down to the beach-Pu'u Poa.
Monday was one of my favorite days!! We got to go on a helicopter ride. If you go to Kauai this is a must because a huge part of the island is privately owned and not accessible, so the only way to see it is in the air. We got to the helipad early so we decided to drive to the end of the road and see where it went. There was a very cool lava rock pier that we got to explore. There were lots of crabs and some people fishing and tons of baby roosters. Then we headed to the helicopter office to start our flight. This was so so so worth the money!! We flew with Safari Helicopters. Our pilot was Tom and he knew everything about the island. We got to see the wettest spot on Earth that recieves over 400 inches of rain a year. Everything was super gorgeous!!! Afterwards we drove to Po'ipu beach to check it out and then went to Secret beach. On our way back from the beach we turned the wrong way and ended up at a perfect spot to watch a whole bunch of surfers. It was winter time when we were there so you really didn't see a ton of surfers because the tides are too high.
Tuesday we hiked part of the Kalalau Trail. This is an 11 mile long trail along the Napali Coast. We hiked two miles of it to the beach and then another two miles to Hanakapi'ai Falls. 8 miles round trip so it took several hours but was by far the best hiking we have done!! Everything is green, sweet smelling, fresh, cool, gorgeous!! It was like a jungle- so lush and green. This area use to be inhabited so we even saw a cool old stone fireplace. The falls were so beautiful. Jeff was brave enough to swim in the pool at the foot of the falls. It was freezing cold- so I sat that one out. At the beach there were tons and tons of cairns that people had made and we saw two ferral cats. After the hike we stopped at the beach that is at the bottom of the trailhead called KeE beach. Then we drove to Hanalei and rented snorkle gear for Jeff and I got a shave ice from the Wishing Well truck. The bottom was macadamia nut icecream- so divine!! We drove home to shower and rest and then went to the Kilauea Fish Market and stopped at the Kilauea lighthouse and lookout to watch the sunset.
Wednesday we went to Tunnels beach so Jeff could snorkel. This is the beach where Bethany Hamilton the surfer had her arm ripped off by a shark out beyond the reef. The reef makes Tunnels a great snorkel spot because the waters are calm. After we were there for a while we decided to drive back to KeE beach but snorkeling wasn't allowed there. Next we stopped at Ha'ena Beach Park and Jeff got some awesome wave action in the giant waves until the lifegaurd made him come in. I adore the ocean- but not so much getting into it because it's cold, dark, unknown and the water pops my contacts out so I got a lot of beach lounging in instead. Across the street was a giant dry cave that we explored for a bit before then moving on to Kephui beach for more snorkeling. On the way back we tried to find Lumahai beach and at first we couldn't but ended up at these cool lava rocks. We then did find the trail down to the beach and watched a boy beach surfing and saw more giant waves. Near our hotel was an area called Queen's Bath that is a natural lava pool when the tide is low- which it wasn't so we just walked around and explored here. Finally we drove to get more shave ice from the grocery store and then to Anini beach for a little more snorkeling.
Thursday was our last day there so in the morning we packed up and checked out and then drove to Opaeka'a Falls look out in Wailua on our way to Waimea Canyon. This is another DO NOT MISS thing on the island. They call it the grand canyon of the Pacific and it looks like a whole other world. We stopped at all of the lookouts along the way and took pictures. We collected some red dirt rocks. There were roosters everywhere. Back in the 90's following a hurricane a whole bunch of roosters were set free so now you will see them all over- hundreds. At the top of the canyon we got some awesome pictures of us where the clouds were actually beneath us. It was breath taking. On our way to the airport we stopped at the ABC store to buy some soveniers. Then we grabed a quick lunch and headed home.
This trip is one I will never ever forget! It was so nice to be with Jeff alone. We love being together. It was great to be home and see the kids. We missed them so much! The next time we go to Hawaii I hope to bring them with us. This truly was the trip of a lifetime!!!!
