Day 8: Leaving Hawaii - the last day

Waimea from the ocean (not my picture)







Mary showing the opening of Fort Elisabeth Condo kitchen and dining area
Beginning of Waimea Canyon We cast long shadows

My that week went fast! Next time, we decided, we'll stay for two weeks.
Our decision to only look at nonstop direct flights between Seattle and Lihue, Kauai meant that we had only one Airline, Alaska Air; and only one flight a day. Because of our unusual flight time, 11:30PM, we had the entire day to enjoy before going to the airport.

Our goal was to pack and be out of the condo by 10AM and drive to the far end of the island, Waimea. We had wanted to get more history of the Kauai and chose the Kauai Museum in Lihue
as our first stop. There are hours of pictures and artifacts from the 19th century and early 20th century Hawaii chronicling the transition from discovery, independent kingdom to annexation by the US in 1898.
We were so engrossed that we didn't leave Lihue until 3:00. After lunch at a park in Lihue, we drove southwest. We drove on past the Poipu turnoff and on to Waimea.

Waimea was the site of the first European landing on Hawaii, Captain James Cook in 1778.
The landscape and weather seems more like San Diego - warm, drier air. It was 83 degrees and low humidity. The landing site is near the mouth of the Waimea River which is also the site of the Russian Fort Elisabeth, built in 1816. The remains are walls of volcanic rock that were formed into a rough star shape. That is all that remains of the Russian bid to expand their fur trade from Alaska. The fort was cut off from support and the Russian entrepreneurs were forced to leave after less than 2 years. We next drove up, very quickly because the sun was setting, to the 1000' elevation overlook of Waimea Canyon. It's too bad we ran out of daylight, because the canyon at roads end (4000' elevation) is 3600' deep and over a mile wide. We did witness a beautiful sunset on the other side of the road looking out over the pacific.

In the tropics, the sun does not linger at sunset. It becomes dark very quickly, so coming off the ridge, post-sunset we were driving with headlights. We drove back to Lihue for dinner before turning back the rental car. We had a delightful meal at "Dukes Canoe Club" named for the most famous surfer of all time, Duke Kahanamoku. Lots of fun memorabilia of the 20's and 30's and a huge koi pond in the middle of the restaurant.
The airport experience was trying with three different inspections, plus redistribution of items in Mary's bag to get it under the 50 lb limit! Inspections: agricultural declaration and removable of any produce in checked baggage. (I removed two Kauaian limes), x-ray of bags @ $15 each after weigh in, security line - shoes removal, etc., additional agricultural inspection prior to entering the boarding area of carry-on items. The flight was completely full, but blessedly it left on time and had a strong tail wind that got us to Seattle in 4 hours 45 minutes. We arrived at 6:20AM.
It was both a short night and a very long day. It was also a very, very good trip!!

Day 7: Cliff walking

We really wanted to hike at least part of the Na Pali coast this trip, but alas, the weather conspired to keep us away once again. Torrents of rain last night made the trail too muddy and the streams too fast to ford. So off to the sunny south of Kauai - the Poipu Beach area. It's an hour and 10 minutes drive from the North Shore where we are staying. Our aim is to hike along the coast from shipwreck beach to Mahaulepu beach - 4 miles RT. There are lava flow cliffs between the beaches. Mary and I had last been to Poipu area in 1987, five years before the most devastating hurricane in Hawaii's recorded history, Hurricane Iniki.
Getting to shipwreck proved to be unsolvable by us, so we opted for starting at the other end of the trail, Mahaulepu - 2 miles over a rough dirt road to a clearing 50 yards from the beach. We ate our picnic lunch on the beach. After an hour we headed out, taking off our shoes and socks to ford a stream at the far end of the beach. Shoes back on, we headed up a path through thick brush. At a clearing we looked down on a scene that looked like a set for the TV series, "Lost". Lava caves! There was a clearing with a fire pit and ringed on 3 sides with cliffs and caves. We left the "scene" and walked out into a flat open area above the pounding surf. We noticed a nearby spot marked with white cardboard formed in a 10'x10' cross. It had to be a helicopter landing spot to move the "Lost" characters to and from the set! However, this is pure speculation on my part.
We hiked a couple of miles along the cliffs and then went back the way we'd come.
At the end of the hike at the beach picnic site, there was a comical scene of us trying to rinse our feet in the surf and then hop on one foot while drying the other then putting the dry shoe back on. I'm sure you can imagine that we didn't return to the parking area with dry feet and shoes!

The PT cruiser didn't fare too well in the muddy parking area either. It was coated in mud from other vehicles spraying it with spinning wheels in the mud puddles. And chickens. They are EVERYWHERE in Kauai. They are feral and have no natural predators and there is plenty for them to eat. The roosters are descended from escaped Philippine fighting cocks that were brought to the island illegally. They have beautiful plumage and long, sharp spurs. They're not particularly afraid of humans. We left in the silver and brown streaked PT and drove to highly developed Poipu Beach area. Nearly every foot of beach area now has condos and hotel resorts built up to it. It was not recognizable as the same place we had stayed for 10 days back 1987. Two miles away is the famed "spouting horn," a lava tube formation on the coast that spouts a geyser of water and foam with each surge of the surf. The rush of water in the lava tubes forces a rush of air out that sounds like moaning.




Our hour plus drive back to Princeville included a tropical downpour which washed off most of our festoons of mud.

Day 6: History

This morning it is pouring rain which gives us more time to contemplate our day's agenda. We roll out after our king's breakfast of oatmeal and tropical fruit with of course, the best coffee roasted by yours truly. There is a farmer's market about 7 miles from here and we NEED more fresh fruit!
I always get to sample what I'm going to buy, and the papaya that I tried is the best ever. I also bought a fresh coconut with the top machete'd off so that we could drink the milk inside with a straw. Mary and I shared the coconut milk which was delicious, then I took it back for the vendor to whack it in half so the we could eat the coconut meat. Quite a treat and show for $2!
I also bought some local bananas called "apple-bananas". They're banana texture, but with a sweet tart taste.

Our next experience was the Waioli Mission House in Hanalei, built by missionaries in 1834-36, to convert the heathen Kauaians. What a treasure! The house was built by New England missionaries , who were given the assignment to travel to Hawaii. They traveled by sailing ship around the Horn taking from 115 to 180 days to get to Kauai. Along the route they learned Hawaiian from the some of the Hawaiian deckhands. They established the mission and raised 7 boys. In 1868 at ages 52 and 54, the Wilcoxes decided to go back to New England to visit their parents before they died. The boys, who were grown young men, stayed behind in Hawaii. The newly completed transcontinental railroad enabled them to sail to San Francisco and travel by rail to the East Coast. Tragically, they both contracted influenza and died while traveling to the East Coast. The house in Hanalei was abandoned for 40 years. Amazingly it was undisturbed all that time, except for termites. The young men moved to different areas of Hawaii, and one of them trained as an Engineer, developed a successful sugar cane farm on Kauai and later became very wealthy. His daughters decided in the early 20th century that their grandparent's house should be restored. Flooring was replaced, furniture restored or similar antiques were brought in. All the books and papers are in place just they way they were when the Wilcoxes left in 1869.

Afterwards we went out on Hanalei pier to watch the surfers, some of which are professional surfers. Most though, are young people who surf by day and bus and wait tables by night.
We walked the length of Hanalei beach and recalled the time 40 years ago when I taught myself sailing on a rented day sail boat which I capsized and bent the mast on coral in Hanalei bay. Mary said later that she always thought I knew what I was doing until we were married for 2 days!

We had a romatic dinner at 8pm at "Bar Acuda" which serves expensive and extremely small tapas dishes that are expertly prepared. I learned to savor each bite slowly. Lemoncello for post meal was a great end. We dined on a veranda with tiki torches that really looked appropriate with the palms and tropical foliage.

Day 5: Life is a Beach

Left: Ke'e Beach at sunset
Mary swimming at Ke'e (recognize the hair?)
Today was beach day! Kauai has a higher percentage of sandy beaches per mile of coastline than any of the other Hawaiian islands. As the oldest of the island chain, the Pacific ocean has had longer to grind rock into fine sand. Each beach has it's own topology, wind and currents that define it.
All beaches belong to the public, so even multimillion dollar homes can't own the beach that they front. In most cases a public access point, usually between multiple owners and cordoned off with fences wide enough for a foot path, is provided. Our first beach of the day is known as the "secret beach" because it's hard to find.
About 7 miles from our condo to the turnoff, then 1 mile of dirt road to parking area at the end of the road. The path is about a 15 minute hike down a steep path to a beautiful beach that is secluded. We had a picnic lunch there, but I was reluctant to get in because of the reputation of the killer rip currents.

Secret beach: Mary braving the surf!

We saw maybe less than a dozen people while we relaxed on the beach. We hiked back to the rental car - did I mention earlier that it is a PT Cruiser? I think all the rental car companies got a really good deal on them because they are everywhere on Kauai. Most of them are silver and the license plates on them all start with KZJ. More than once I tried to open the wrong PT!
We drove back to the main road and Mary spied a thrift store, so naturally we stopped. I found a CD for $1 and a book, Mary found some shells and a book. Some day I think she'll become a garage sale queen like her cousin Merrie in San Diego.

Back in the "cruiser", we drove next to Hanalei. It was about 3:30 at this point, so we drove past the kayak rentals and drove to the end of the road where the Na Pali coast begins. This narrow 2 lane road winds around headlands and swampy valleys and rivers. All of the bridges are 1 lane, so you must wait and yield to oncoming traffic, if they got to the bridge first. I nearly plowed into a stopped car on one of the bridge approaches. Guess you shouldn't look at the scenery while 'cruisin'! Whew!! I hate to admit that, because I'm such a good driver ordinarily...
The end of road is the trailhead for the hike into the Na Pali interior valleys - it was way too late to start that. Instead we enjoyed the magical Ke'e Beach - a protected cove with a spectacular backdrop of the Na Pali cliffs. We could swim in this cove, because outer fringing reefs break up the surf swells. We stayed at Ke'e until past sunset - beyond words beautiful!

There are facilities there to rinse off the sand, so we were able to drive back to Princeville in the dark in relative comfort. We stopped at a market on the way and bought a fresh mahi mahi filet which I cooked in the condo kitchen. I was too tired to finish this post last night!

Day 4 – A sunny day and no rain at all! We stayed closer the condo today, focusing on the area around Kilauea. It is on the Northeast coast and has the western most lighthouse of the US – Kilauea Point. That’s also the most northerly point of the Hawaiian islands. It’s both a historical park and a wildlife refuge managed by the National Park Service. Another great opportunity to use my Golden Age Pass and get Mary and me in for free!
We had great views and saw lots of sea birds.

Next up was a reserved, paid tour of Na Aini Kai Botanical garden – an extravaganza of bronze statues of little mainland kids in tropical garden settings. All created by two rich retirees with a penchant for gardening. The owner,83, still lives on the 250 acres of former sugar cane fields. Her husband, who built or supervised all of the gardens and structures, died last year. But she carries on with her staff of 40 full time gardeners. The public can view the place with a volunteer led tour costing from $30 to $40. We did the 3 hour $40 tour (each) and got to see and hear about the owner’s whims about where the pool, the maze, the lagoon, the tea house, the waterfalls should go. We saw lots of Norman Rockwell-esk bronze sculptures of endearing mid 20th century children innocently enjoying being kids in a garden setting. Many vignettes were created with certain sculptures in mind. Mary surprisingly to me, loved them! Also surprising to learn was that the owner didn’t particularly like real children! There is also a bronze statue of her late husband.



I’m planning on a water day tomorrow with kayaking, snorkeling and beach-y times!

Day 3 - rain changes our plans

The day started promisingly with our first dose of sunshine in Princeville. After a somewhat leisurely breakfast of oatmeal and tropical fruit, we spent quality time planning with the guidebooks and more coffee. The website http://www.kauaiexplorer.com has daily updates of beach conditions. Today's report was that all of the beaches on our side of the island have high surf and dangerous currents. So it's off to the south end for snorkeling at Poipu Beach on the south end of Kauai. On the way, though, we can make a few stops - first is Anini Beach which is about 15 minutes from our condo. A reef protected sandy beach that looks like some that we saw many years ago in Tahiti. Further down the road is a botanical garden that supposedly is a must see. We'll see tomorrow.
The rain really kicked in hard as we stopped at the gardens, we're hoping for better conditions on Thursday. We rejoined the throng of travelers going up and down Hwy 56, the link between the North shore and Lihue. It was slow going. We stopped south of Lihue to eat the lunch we had packed and watched surfers while eating. Still raining. We continued further south, then saw the major shopping area of Kauai, so since it was still raining, we decided to look for more supplies and gifts. 2 hours later it was getting dark, so we bagged the beach idea until Friday.

Day 2, we settle in

Day two:
Woke this morning to heavy rains and crashing surf. Mary and I had good coffee this morning. Using the aeropress and beans I brought from home, and the condo’s coffee grinder, I produced a decent cup of Joe. – We had our usual oatmeal - also brought from home. If we had been young and ambitious, we probably would have planned an event like ziplining or kayaking or hiking the Na Pali coast in the mud, but it felt decadent to take our time and observe the rain and the wonderful condo.

Just before noon we left to explore our immediate surroundings, we drove over to the area near where we had honeymooned 40 years before, “Hanalei Plantation Resort”. It’s not there anymore. Hurricane Iniki destroyed it in 1992, and it was not rebuilt. We talked to a woman our age who works reception at the nearby Hanalei Bay Resort. She remembered the old Hanalei Plantation and the trams that were used to take guests to their bungalows. Mary and I took one of those tram rides to our bungalow and the memories came flooding back…
Speaking of flooding, the rain came down in buckets today causing the rivers to flow right up to the road. We drove down to the town of Hanalei which used to be a hippie town back in the sixties, but now it’s a surfer haven. This side of Kauai gets big surf from November to March. Snorkeling is out, surfing is in! It’s the opposite in the summer.

Kauai has farmers markets nearly every day of the week in different towns. Today was Hanalei’s turn – it starts right at 2pm and no one is allowed in early. The locals time their arrival for 2pm and there is a frenzy of buying. I thought the prices were moderately cheap to moderately expensive, but that was prior to visiting a supermarket (commercially packaged sandwich bread, $7/loaf). We love farmers' markets because the sellers are always friendly and let you try what you are buying. We went a little overboard. We bought sweet potatoes, fresh basil, a pesto sauce, goat cheese, the sweetest bananas I’ve had in years, a huge locally grown pineapple, giant avocados, limes and a tropical fruit that doesn’t ship well or have a long shelf life called a “rambutan.” It is red and spiny looking. The spines are soft and you eat only the inner part which looks like a large white grape. Study the photo above. We also bought a bouquet of tropical flowers that we’ll enjoy during our week here.
After the FM we were hungry, and our oatmeal breakfast was a long time ago. We found a Brazilian restaurant which featured key lime pina coladas and saucy Brazilian food. Mary pronounced it all as “fabulous”

We finished our supply gathering at the Princeville super food mart. I joined their “club” so we could get the discounts on the outrageously expensive food and wine.

Returning to the condo to dump the food ($200 including lunch), we hiked down to Hideaways Beach. It is at the base of the cliff of our condo. It was steep in the extreme. There are steps that are worse than Cinque Terra paths and a section of mud and roots that require hanging on to ropes which surfers have petonned into the ground or tied onto trees. The reward at the end is a beautiful cove of thick, tan sand. It didn’t even rain on us!