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miles later, we made it. Kauai.
The sunrise was beautiful, the breakfast somewhat rejuvenating, but we were still in a fog. Our first task was to go grocery shopping for a few items to put in our room refrigerator. We knew from our first trip that essentials in Hawaii were expensive. But it was still a shock to see my favorite cereal's price — twice what we pay at home. (Luckily I had brought a box in my suitcase.) And gas! It ranged from $2.20 - $2.35/gallon, about 60 cents higher than the mainland. How do Hawaiians afford this on a daily basis? The North Coast. Deciding to take it easy the first day we opted for a drive north and west, as far as the road went. Along the way we were wowed by the beauty of Kilauea Point, a bluff that extends out into the Pacific. There's a lighthouse and a perfect habitat for fantastic birds, none of which I'd seen before: tropicbirds, great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and wedge-tailed shearwaters. And finally, we saw nenes (nay-nays) — Hawaii's state bird. They are a kind of duck and rare, but a flock has been nurtured at the Point and they didn't seem to mind tourists. We stopped at the elegant Princeville Hotel to see how the other half lives. Overlooking Hanalei Bay and the start of the Napali Coast, the setting is spectacular, and for big bucks, this is a place where guests are pampered. We wandered around the seemingly all-marble lobby, and outside on the tile patios, taking in the grandiose views. [See Map for Route]
The road was narrow and winding with several one-lane bridges as we went west to Ke'e Beach, the end of the line and the start of the Napali Coast and Kalalau Trail. We just enjoyed the scenery — we'd be back in a few days with more energy to "do" the area. Boat Trip Along the Napali Coast. I'd been looking forward to this since we first planned the trip. So we scheduled a tour right away with the Blue Dolphin line. Their catamaran trips left from Port Allen on the south coast for 5 1/2-hour tours up to the Napali Coast. They also stopped for snorkeling (or scuba diving) along the way. [See Map for Route] As we arrived at the pier where the Blue Dolphin waited, the first request from the crew: Take off your shoes. All footwear was left behind to ensure firmer footing on the boat. And we're off! Breakfast was available (and a great lunch later), and the captain and crew were most accommodating and fun (not to mention, very cute). Rounding the southwestern coast we passed the last operating sugar mill on Kauai, and a missile range. And we could see Ni'ihau, the privately-owned island 17 miles west of Kauai. And ahead, and to our left — schools of spinner dolphins were swimming along with us. And not only swimming — leaping and spinning and twisting in mid-air — what acrobats! Some of them were tiny and did several jumps in a row. The captain entertained us with stories: supposedly James Cameron, the director of Titanic had taken this cruise. And gotten an idea for his movie as a result: having Rose and Jack dramatically "flying" at the tip of the bow. Well, that was our idea, claimed the captain. Don't know if he was kidding but, to the strains of Celine Dion's "My Heart Wiill Go On," we were all invited to pose on the bow. So much fun ... the music set a great mood for the dramatic scenery just ahead. This is bali hai territory ... many movies like South Pacific and The Thorn Birds were filmed on the Coast. The cliffs (pali in Hawaiian) got bigger, steeper, sharper and more colorful the further north we went. It was so spectacular, like nothing I'd ever seen before. Coastal caves were carved into the rock and waterfalls streamed down from way above into the sea. There were deep valleys cut into the 4,000- foot-high cliffs, and helicopters flying into them were dwarfed. The beaches on the Coast are only accessible by boat, or by hiking some distance of the rugged 11-mile Kalalau Trail. We saw an unusual sight on one remote beach: a woman doing yoga. She must have hiked several miles to get to that spot and was communing with some serious nature. There were a couple small rafts cruising close to the coast, and being bounced around pretty vigorously by waves. This time of year (November) the waters are rough and tours are limited (i.e., no kayaks). As we turned around for the return trip, the ride was rougher right away. We were riding waaay up on waves, then boom! crashing and splashing down. Peter was perfectly positioned to get drenched while I, sitting right next to him, only got sprayed. It was great fun, better than any carnival ride. (Some poor folks didn't agree and were very seasick.) The captain dropped anchor at a bay on the south coast so people could snorkel the 15-foot waters. Peter went in with a waterproof camera. He saw lots of fish, mostly yellow tangs, but couldn't prove it with his pictures. It was a nice break, the crew served mai tais and Jimmy Buffet serenaded us. As we arrived back at Port Allen the captain felt safe enough to play the theme from "Gilligan's Island" ... we thanked the crew, debarked and found our shoes. I asked the couple who had been so seasick if they were OK. Still shaky, "We'll never pay that much to be so miserable again." Too bad, they missed a great experience. Waimea Canyon Drive. Leaving Port Allen we decided to head up to Waimea Canyon since we were in the vicinity. The road climbs from sea level to 4,000 feet over about 20 miles. It's a great winding drive with beautiful views back to the Pacific below. [See Map for Route] We stopped at several overlooks, one was a great view of Waimea Canyon. Mark Twain described it as "the Grand Canyon of the Pacific." And it does have that look, but not the feel. This is a mini canyon in comparison at 10 miles, 3600 feet deep and only one mile wide. But it was a beautiful sight and one shared with a busload of Japanese tourists when we first stopped. This was our first encounter with a "crowd" of any size on the island. Now, we'd seen many wild chickens & roosters around Kauai, but this area was Rooster Central. These colorful, funny birds were roaming all over the parking lots and grounds, they seem to thrive in the higher elevation and cooler temperatures. As we reached the end/top of Waimea Canyon Drive, the last couple miles were blocked off to cars for some reason. And the best view was supposed to be at the end! So, with a misty rain falling, we put on our wind shirts, covered up the cameras and went the distance on foot. It seemed like a long way, especially at the end of a busy day. But once we got to the end and looked over the edge — wow — the magnificent Kalalau Valley stretched out and down to the Pacific beneath us. Wow, again — it was absolutely stunning. It's the deepest valley on the Napali Coast and was inhabited until just after the turn of century (that would be the 20th c). So there we were, on a narrow ridge of dirt atop a 4,000-ft cliff that we'd just viewed from sea level on the boat. The area glowed in the late afternoon light and none of the usual clouds slid in. We lingered there between Valley and a dropoff on the inland side. It was a place I wanted to savor for as long as possible. |
Slide shows — click on images
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