Day 6 -- Na Pali by Sea

Our Moloa'a sunrise on Friday morning was accompanied by a sea turtle who had crawled up to chill on the beach for awhile.

This is why we loved Moloa'a so much -- we had the whole beach, and the turtle, completely to ourselves except for a lovely woman from Vancouver BC who was visiting with her husband and late-sleeping teenage son. You know you're a grownup when you make plans to watch the sunrise!  

Mike had seen a cool time-lapse photography movie online, so I played around with the camera to see what I could do.   Here are the results:

Today was our day to see the incredible Na Pali coast from the sea.  The departure was from Hanalei, and we set out a little early so we could see the sights.  We ran into our first Kaua'i traffic jam -- when you have to pave the only road, it can create a bit of a backup.  We decided we'd rather be in traffic on Kaua'i than in traffic on the Tri-State, got out our books, and enjoyed the sun and breeze.  

Hanalei ended up being our favorite town.  It just feels homey, with the right combination of tourists and locals.  Even the maintenance guy at the shopping plaza was interesting and friendly. We split a plate lunch of quesadilla as an early lunch, dutifully swallowed our Dramamine, then checked out the shops until it was time to check in for our trip.  We loaded up our stuff into dry-sacks, hopped into the van, and rode to the beach where our captain was waiting with an outrigger to take us to the boat.  

Just as we were cutting through Hanalei Bay, our captains spotted spinner dolphins playing in the bay and stopped to let us watch them cavort.  This was fast turning into the Day of Sea Creatures -- with more to come.  

We headed out past Hanalei, to where the road ends at Ke'e Beach and the Na Pali Coast begins.  To describe Na Pali is really impossible.  It even seems surreal when you're there looking at it.  We pulled into a couple of amazing sea caves, including one that was open to the sky at the top.  Our captains, who conduct tours in the summer and surf all winter, did a great job of narrating and storytelling.  We got to our snorkeling destination and jumped in, to find ourselves just feet away from three sea turtles who were being cleaned by a bunch of small fish.  Talk about cool.  The water was so clear we could see to the bottom 30 feet down, and we were swimming in the middle of entire schools of fish.  

After snorkeling we had a sandwich lunch and then a quick "Hawai'ian roller coaster" ride through the waves back to Hanalei.  We were so glad we had done this trip -- I can't decide which was more amazing, the scenery or the sea turtle encounter.

Um, we did not eat dinner this evening.  I had no idea that Dramamine feels a lot like Vicodin in a not-fun way.  I laid down for a little rest before dinner, and woke up the next morning...

Day 5 -- Lydgate

On Thursday we decided we'd better start getting our money's worth out of the snorkel equipment we rented from the friendly gentleman at Snorkel Bob's in Kapa'a. Mike had never snorkeled before, so we wanted to ease in. We went to Lydgate Park on the east side, which is protected by a reef that makes for calm waters. Lots of families with kids were enjoying the beach. We didn't see a huge amount of fish, but we got used to our gear and comfortable with the whole mouth-breathing thing.

Also, snorkeling gives you really bad hair.

In the afternoon, we drove north in search of fresh Hawai'ian food for dinner. We headed to the Kilauea Lighthouse/wildlife refuge, but didn't get there in time to really enjoy it, as it closes at 4pm. The first overlook was as far as we could go, resulting in the following classic postcard view...


We made plans to return another day, and headed back to the town of Kilauea for the Sunshine Market. Kind of like our local Grayslake Farmers Market but without the eerily-tan olive oil lady. We picked up another avocado and mango, some cool-looking yams that were purple on the inside, and a coconut cut open so we could drink the coconut water through a straw. Then we went over to the Kilauea Fish Market and picked up 2 fresh mahi mahi filets for dinner. Back at home, we grilled them using the addictive marinade recipe we got from Cindy as a wedding gift. Simply divine!

Day 4 -- Wailua River Kayak

On Wednesday we headed to Kapa'a to pick up our rental kayak for our Wailua river trip.  Along with a family from California, we made our way from the rental company to the river with our kayak strapped to the top of the Jeep.  We put in and started up the river -- it felt like the jungle until we looked up to see the most beautiful mountain scenery all around us.

The river was pretty crowded with other kayakers, as well as giant barges full of Japanese tourists off to see the Fern Grotto.  Using our handy map, we found our way to the trailhead where tons of other kayaks were pulled up.

We did the same and started on the trail to Secret Falls, which starts with a muddy crossing of the river.  We had heard that this trail is 1500 years old.  It seemed more like Western Ave with all the people traffic -- so much for the "secret" part.  

The falls are sacred to the ancient Hawai'ians, a place to pray for blessings on others.  We sat and had a snack and watched braver (or stupider) people stand under the falls where rocks can plummet with the water.

We took a dip in the pool and then headed back to the kayak.  Paddling back was against the wind, but not as difficult as we'd feared -- the only hazard was a gaggle of Boy Scouts.   We took a detour into a bird refuge, which was the most beautiful and peaceful part of the trip.

That evening we decided to head south to see a sunset at Spouting Horn.  Spouting Horn is where the surf is pushed through a hole in the lava ledge and creates an amazing geyser.  There's also a blowhole nearby that makes a beautiful whooshing sound.

Sadly, the larger (200-ft) geyser was blasted away by a jerky plantation owner because it was getting salt water on 10 acres (out of thousands) of his crops. We didn't quite get a full sunset, as we weren't far west enough, but the sky and clouds were still beautiful...  

Our first dinner out was at Keiki's Paradise in Poi'pu.  The service was a little snippy, but the fish was great.  

Day 3 -- Lomi Lomi Massage

Tuesday morning we were up early again -- but this time we had coffee.

We walked on the beach and found a trail that goes up the hill on the north side of the bay to an amazing view over cliffs to the open sea.

After breakfast we were off to our lomi lomi massage treatment at Aunty Angeline's.  The entire experience was the best combination of physical and spiritual pampering.  We changed into sarongs and sat in the steam hut until the sweat was pouring off.  Then onto tables to be scrubbed with salt and sung over by our massage therapists.  Walking out of the steam hut into the cool air was the best sensation. A quick outdoor shower to rinse off the salt, and then -- an hour-long massage with two massage therapists for each of us.  Heaven...

Afterwards we hung out on the deck to drink cool water and savor the complete relaxation.  The whole experience brought us into the present moment -- it felt like we were finally, truly, on vacation.

Next we drove into Kapa'a to seek lunch and wi-fi, and found both at Mermaids Cafe/Java Kai.  The ahi wrap at Mermaids is transporting -- think of a sushi burrito.  

For the afternoon, we headed to the beach to score some sun, sand, and reading.  Snack time was guacamole from the giant avocado, plus pina coladas.  They go together much better than you'd think...

The evening was spent grilling steaks and watching a few episodes of Mad Men on DVD.

Day 2 -- Settling In

Kaua'i has roosters like Obama has votes in Illinois.  This, plus the 5-hour time difference, meant we were up everyday at or before sunrise.  It's not as bad as it sounds when the sunrise looks like this...

The first morning we went down to explore "our" beach, Moloa'a.   Moloa'a Bay is a perfect crescent cut out of the northeast corner of the coastline. It has lots of reef to explore at low tide and on the north side it gives way to a conglomeration of large, smooth, black lava rocks...

We watched our first Kaua'i sunrise and then, being without provisions at the house, we headed back up out of the valley to the main road to the corner fruit stand and grabbed some coffee and local granola.  Mike successfully fought off the proprietor's wish to feed him soy milk, and we picked up a mango and an avocado the size of my head (really).

While up out of the valley, we picked up a voicemail from our aerial tour guide, Bruce, letting us know that he recommended we change our flight time to the a.m. in order to take advantage of better weather.  So we headed back to the airport a little earlier for our tour.

Wings Over Kaua'i is run by Ellen -- the wife and office manager -- and Bruce, the husband and pilot.  They treated us like good friends with a flower and a lei and hugs and lots of conversation.  Ellen was excited that Will Smith had been spotted last week in the chartered jet area of the airport.

Bruce has his flight tour down to a science, which is no surprise given that he has a PhD in agronomy. He provided all the personal touches, down to a cooler full of drinks. We got strapped into the little Cessna (which had been shipped to Hawai'i from Rockford, IL!), and we were off.

Bruce was the perfect tour guide.  He showed us all the wonders of the island -- and there are many.  Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali coast were the highlights. Words and pictures don't do it justice. Kristy tried not to take too many pictures and just soaked it all in.  Mike even got to fly the plane for a little while.

Most of the afternoon was spent getting provisioned at Costco, Safeway and Snorkel Bob's. Groceries are *just* a little expensive on Kaua'i.  Try $6.50 for a 12-pack of pop.  Ouch.  We got back to the studio just in time to give in to the jet lag.

Day 1 -- Arriving in Lihu'e

Our journey to Kaua'i started out in the first class cabin.  Now that we know what happens on the other side of that little curtain,  flying coach will feel more like a cattle herd than ever.  I think we ate more on the flights than we did when we were actually on Kaua'i!

We hopped from Orange County to San Francisco and then on to the Garden Island, arriving at the airport in Lihu'e right about sunset at 7:30 p.m.  We picked up our red Jeep Wrangler and headed off to find our rental house.  This is when the one quasi-"Nate and Jen on The Amazing Race" moment occurred, as we tried to navigate in the dark without the benefit of a maplight.  Mike did a great job of not driving himself and Kristy into a ditch, and we eventually climbed the stairs to the studio to be greeted by our hostess and neighbor, Jude. 

The studio was the perfect getaway -- our own cozy place to retreat to after the adventures of the day...

Our "driveway":

Our lanai (open-air porch):

And our view east to the water...