Kaua'i - First Couple of Days on the Garden Isle

For the second leg of our Hawai'i vacation, we flew 300 miles to the northwest to visit the island of Kaua'i. This island came highly recommended by several friends. Kaua'i is known for its lush forests, sandy beaches, the Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coast. It gets about a million visitors per year, which is less than the other main islands (The Big Island, Oahu, and Maui). We planned a couple of hikes and set aside some time for lounging on the beach.

Flying over several other islands on the way to Kaua'i

First thing after landing we were hungry for some Hawaiian "shave ice." Shave ice is everywhere here! Basically, it's like a snowcone but with finely shaved ice and fruit flavoring (similar to Japanese or Korean shaved ice desserts). Most shave ice places use artificial sugar-based fruit flavored syrup, but a friend recommended a special Japanese style shave ice truck that makes homemade fruit syrups. It was delicious and hands down better than any other shave ice we tried in Kaua'i. If you're in Kaua'i we highly recommend you visit the Tege Tege Shave Ice Truck. Go early; they only make 100 per day.

Tege Tege shave ice masterpiece!

This stuff is so good it deserves a close-up. Homemade papaya syrup drizzled with condensed milk and topped with a lime wedge.

We found a place to stay in Hanalei on AirBnb just a block from the ocean on the north shore of the island. The north shore is less developed and more laid back - partially because there's a one-lane bridge coming in to Hanalei, so tour buses can't reach the north shore. There also aren't any large hotels past the bridge. We rented an upstairs apartment from a family of four. Since electricity is expensive in Hawai'i, we're "roughing it" without air conditioning. If you know David, you know his feelings about being hot. To top it off, the people we're renting from told us that the trade winds have been slow and it's been hotter than usual. Sigh. Only one thing to do, head to the beach! Hanalei Bay has a two mile long crescent of sandy beach, with stunning views of green mountains. It was the filming location for the 1958 movie version of South Pacific (the mountains near the beach are "Bali Hai" in the film).

Bedroom with a view! It almost makes the lack of A/C worthwhile...almost! ;)

Hanalei Bay. White sand beaches, mountains and waves. Just a block from our rental apartment!

It took 4 days in Hawai'i before David got to lay on a beach.  Seems ludicrous!

Coconut porter on a coconut. This is art, people!

After hanging out on the beach for a bit and wading in the rough surf, we walked over to a local bar and got some hamburgers and sipped on some stereotypical beach libations (mai tais, pina coladas, etc). Afterwards, we walked home and crashed for the night! Overall, a really slow and relaxed day, and a great introduction to Kaua'i.

The next morning we got up bright and early to hike part of the Kalalau Trail. This trail runs 11 miles total and connects the north side of the island to the Kalalau Valley. The trail was used by Hawaiians long ago to connect the habitations of the Na Pali coast. The coast here is steep and treacherous; there is no reef to protect the shore. In the winter, swells can reach 20-40 feet when storms are raging across the North Pacific Ocean. The Hawaiians created the trail to ensure passage to the rest of the island. Today, the trail is used for recreational purposes. Most people that hike the trail hike 2 miles from Ke'e Beach to Hanakapi'ai Beach. This beach is only accessible by kayak or by the trail. You need a permit to hike further along the trail because it's an extreme trek. As the Sierra Club puts it, "hike at your own risk!"

The trail was full of scenic vistas like this

Paul looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed early on the hike!

Na Pali Coastline

No reefs on this shore to protect it from the full surf

The trail wove in and out of valleys along the shore

Let's go swimming!

There was some stone hopping on the trail

Two miles into the trail, here's the Hanakapi'ai Beach

The Hanakapi'ai stream meets the ocean on the beach and provides nice fresh water to play in

We were told that in the winter the ocean comes all the way up to the rocks, hiding the stream channel

Hanakapi'ai Beach - we loved this place!

From there, we hiked up another 2 miles to the Hanakapi'ai Falls.This path was well shaded and lush, but tricky at stream crossings and required lots of vertical scrambles up slippery rocks. The reward for the effort was a pool of water fed by the 300ft Hanakapi'ai Falls. David swam in the pool and Paul lounged in the cool air at the base of the falls. If you like to hike, we highly recommend a visit up the Kalalau Trail at least as far as Hanakapi'ai Falls. The eight mile round trip is pretty strenuous, and we didn't bring enough water to stave off dehydration. All-in-all, we were hiking/exploring sites for around 6-7 hours. Make sure you start early, bring your bathing suit for the waterfall pool and bring tons of water!

The waterfall trail starts nice and easy...

Great mountain views through the trees

There are guava trees along much of the trail. The fruit was all smashed on the ground and was very pungent.

Half way in we got our first glimpse of the Hanakapi'ai Falls

Not so easy looking anymore...

Made it to the top!

David took a dip in the pool. The water was very cold but refreshing!

David swam all the way to the other side. On the way back he swam under the falls on his back and looked up to the top. Beautiful!

Paul claims this rock for the city of Atlanta!

Great views of the Na Pali coast on the hike back out. This part of the trail is the most exhausting - heading back uphill.

The Na Pali coast has amazing scenery

It took more than one shower to get all the dirt off from the trail.

After drinking plenty of water and relaxing for a bit, we went to the Hanalei pier to watch the sunset. Hawai'i sunsets don't disappoint!

The sun slips behind the mountains

Boat racing on the bay at sunset

Our first two days in Kaua'i were amazing - relaxing on the beach and eating shave ice, but also doing a tough and muddy hike. We've already seen a lot, and we haven't even left the north shore! Our next post will cover the rest of our time in Kaua'i.