Kauai, in a word, is paradise. It's the most beautiful and the closest to untouched place that I've ever been, and as much as I’m sure Oahu will be a blast, I’m kind of heartbroken to be leaving this tiny little island in the Pacific.
We arrived on August 6th, and having decided to split our trip between the North and South shores, we headed up to Princeville to the Princeville Bed & Breakfast for the first half of our stay. The B&B was a beautiful home on a golf course, and we really got to feel as though we were part of a family as we got to know our fellow boarders and the sweet couple running the place over breakfast chats.
We began our time in Kauai with fish tacos, a bottle of wine, and a twilight dip in Hanalei bay before crashing into a deep sleep in preparation for hiking the Kalalau trail along the Na Pali coast. The hike begins at Ke’e beach in Haena State Park and winds along the Na Pali cliffs for 11 miles, ending at Kalalau Beach, but we opted to just do the first 2 miles out to Hanakapi’ai Beach and then back to Ke’e to sun ourselves (me) and snorkel (Colby) for the rest of the day.
The hike was definitely strenuous at times, and we were glad that we had stashed as much water in our backpack as we did, but we were rewarded with the most glorious views of the coastline and the ocean, and Hanakapi’ai Beach was definitely worth the trek. If we ever make it back here—which I very much hope we do—it is possible that I could be talked into the 11 mile hike with a sleepover at Kalalau before hiking back. I’m sure it’s a test of one’s mettle, but if the views we had over the first two miles were any indication, it would absolutely be worth it.
Saturday we got up with the chickens (literally, the amount of wild chickens roaming this island is absolutely astounding—and they particularly like to make their presence known in the wee hours of the morning), and drove down to Port Allen on the southern coast for our catamaran trip along the Na Pali. I was a little worried about seasickness, but I’m proud to say that I made a pretty decent little sailor (though a sailor who was sure to keep a firm grip on the railings at all times).
Once again, our views of the Na Pali were magnificent, and we stopped to sail for a little while before those who wanted to got out to snorkel and the rest of us (me and a French girl) chose to sit on the boat and hang our feet in the water. Though I didn’t snorkel (I'm still... working up to that...), I saw plenty of fish swimming around near the surface, and on our way out to the snorkel spot we saw a few sea turtles tumbling along and scores of adorable spinner dolphins earning their name. After lunch, we motored on back to Port Allen, and decided we were very glad we had woken up early to do the morning tour as the sea hadvgotten substantially choppier in the early afternoon hours.
That afternoon, we packed up our beach gear and headed out to Tunnels beach, which apparently has a reef so large it can be seen from space. I floated around a bit on a boogie board while Colby went in pursuit of undersea creatures, we went for a beach walk which led us to a sleepy Monk Seal taking a nap on the shore, and then we sat on the beach reading until we were met with a gorgeous beach sunset. All of that beauty and we were only 2 ½ days into our trip, as we would find out, Kauai just kept getting better and better…
Oh my goodness, all these gorgeous photos are making me want to hop on a plane to Hawaii!! I'm so glad you guys are having a lovely time though :) Enjoy the rest of your time there!
Posted by: Caro | August 14, 2009 at 09:19 PM
Ahhhh that sounds amazing. The views and water are just so breathtaking. Enjoy the rest of your time!
Posted by: Jass | August 14, 2009 at 09:49 PM
oh man i am so jealous right now. i love kauai! i went seven years ago and it really is like a hidden gem. so serene and peaceful and beautiful! ah! love it. hope you continue to have a fabulous trip in oahu! woo!
Posted by: katelin | August 15, 2009 at 01:40 AM
Those pictures are just beautiful. Sounds like a great time.
Posted by: Kate P | August 16, 2009 at 08:01 PM
Now I REALLY want to go to Hawaii! Your descriptions of places along with the photos are great! I'm glad you had a wonderful vacation.
Posted by: Melissa B | August 23, 2009 at 05:38 PM