Anyhooo, Day 1, 26,017 steps.
We started our first day on Kauai with a little sleep in..........which means I slept in while my "always up early" husband, Terry, patiently waited for me to get up. Coffee was ready when I awoke and we lounged for awhile reading our Ipads. Me to see what was new in the FB world (I'm so pathetic) and Terry reading world news. Terrible story in the news today; 3 young female suicide bombers in Nigeria killed themselves and 12 others. The world is a sad place as we bask in the sun here in Paradise.
We arrived late last night so we had no groceries yet so off we walked to the local Kukui'ula (don't you just love Hawaiian names?!) Shopping Center for breakfast. Thankfully, I convinced Terry to share the breakfast burrito and side of spicy potatoes but it still cost us $27US once we threw in a couple of coffees. Another "yikes" considering the Canadian dollar is currently worth 71cents US.
Next we headed off for our first hike, the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail. The trail head was only about a 5 min drive from our condo. This was a lovely 3 mile trail along the coastline sometimes right on the beach and sometimes up on higher ground with occasional cliffs and constant beautiful scenery. We even walked right along the side of a posh fairway along the way watching anxiously for rogue balls.
One highlight was seeing a very large monk seal sunbathing on the beach. While observing a respectable distance we took some great photos. There are only about 1,200 monk seals remaining and many of them swim in the waters of Kauai. With the 3 mile return our hike today totalled about 6 miles and we spent just under 3 hours enjoying it.
Our next stop was Costco in Lihue to stock up on groceries for the week. We did well sticking to mostly healthy choices (I resisted all the chocolate and macadamia nut products--------flashback to circa 1988, when we spent 14 days in Hawaii and I gained 10 pounds------third yikes!) to keep us fed for most of our dinners and several of our lunches while we are out and about exploring the island. We were surprised to see that Kirkland now has their brand on some wines so we are giving one of their New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs a try.
Once our groceries were safely chilling in the condo refrigerator we walked down to the nearest beach for a nice dip in the ocean. A great first day here on Kauai.
Day 2 - 23,745 steps.
Today started with a nice breakfast of yogurt and blackberries due to the fact that we have to eat yogurt each and every day, at least once a day to use up the Costco size package that we purchased.
Then it was off to the Waimea Canyon, known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. This 14 mile long and 1 mile wide canyon is beautiful but realistically cannot compare to the Grand Canyon.
After our first stop for coffee at the cute historic town of Hanapepe, we continued on the lovely drive with stops at some scenic lookouts before arriving at the trailhead of the Awa'awapuhi trail, the main event of our day. This 3.25 mile trail, touted by some on the Internet as the "best hike on the Hawaiian Islands" was a little slippery at first but got drier as we went along so our footing got steadier and steadier. It was mostly downhill, starting at over 4000 ft and ending with a beautiful view along the Napali coast, a mere 2300 ft above the shore. Once we made the steady climb back to the car, we had done 6.5 miles in just over 3 hours which included our half hour picnic at the top. A wonderful hike with a stellar view!
As we headed back towards our home base in Poipu, we decided we might as well drive as far west as we could on the Island as we won't likely be coming back this way. We stumbled upon Polihale State Park. It was 4.8 miles off the main highway on a rough dirt road. The park's website recommended using 4 wheel drive so we weren't going to make the trek. But then when we saw the raving reviews on tripadvisor we decided it was a must see. It did not disappoint! The drive was not that bad since it was dry and nowhere near as bad as some of the roads we drove on in Costa Rica. The Park is a hidden gem in a remote area; 140 acres and a 7 mile long beach; the biggest gold sand beach on Kauai with beautiful views all around. There were 100 foot sand dunes, an amazing view of the end of the Na Pali coast and enormous crashing waves..........no swimming here!
On our return we stopped at the Kauai Coffee Company, catching it just before closing. This plantation is the US's largest coffee producer with over 4 million coffee trees grown on 3100 acres. We sampled some nice brews and bought some ground "Mundo Novo" to enjoy back at our condo.
Day 3 - 16,389 steps (although this is a bit of a cheat since I attached my Fitbit to my ankle so we'd get credit for biking)
Today we headed to the Eastern side of the Island and stopped in Kapaa where we rented bikes from "Coconut Cruisers", aptly named since this side of the Island is known as the Coconut Coast. We enjoyed an easy, relaxing and scenic ride along the coast on the Kapaa Bike Trail, a paved multiuser trail enjoyed by many bikers, joggers and walkers.
We rode about 10 miles today, to the end of the path and back, passing many beautiful beaches then went off roading down to Donkey Beach where we had a snack, enjoyed the seclusion and saw many whales in the distance. After a sudden but short lived downpour, we found a shady spot on Kapaa Beach and enjoyed our lunch all the while spotting whales frolicking once again. Today's refreshment complements of the Kona Brewing Co. was the Big Wave Golden Ale. Yum!
Next we headed north for more exploring stopping at the Kileau Lighthouse which is a particularly scenic spot and the Hanalei Valley Lookout which is a spectacular view of patchwork quilt fields of taro paddies.
It got rainier and rainier as we ventured to the north shore and by the time we got to the quaint town of Hanalei where we wanted to wander around for a look, there was "Deep Cove" like rain that kept us at bay so we headed home to Poipu stopping only for a quick look at Wailua Falls.
Day 4 - 17,085 steps
Today started with a 3 mile walk around our neighbourhood checking out the beaches in front of the Sheraton and other posh resorts before heading out to breakfast at TR, Tortilla Republic. Terry had read that this place had the best breakfast in the area and it was indeed very good.
Since the forecast was for rain in all but our area of the island, we had a local beach day. We packed up all the necessities and drove to Gillin Beach just 5 miles down the road. But what a road it was to get there! This time, the potholes were right up there in comparison to the road to Monte Verde in Costa Rica.........not for the faint at heart driver or for anyone who values their oil pan. 😉
We made it though and enjoyed an afternoon of snorkelling, relaxing and reading. Very
enjoyable.
Our evening consisted of an evening walk for ice cream; coconut macadamia nut fudge, yum! Then a walk to the beach to stargaze. Beautiful sky here since there is so little light pollution.
Fantastic day to mark half way in our trip.
