Day 5 - Mahalo and Aloha

Day 5 marks the end of our Kauai adventure. We took it pretty easy; sleeping in; takin' in the beach and pool and doing little shopping at the Coconut Marketplace. We did make it out to Opeka Falls; which is only viewable from a lookout - but beautiful nonetheless.

Opeka Falls:



Across the street was a really nice view of the Wialuea River.

Wialuea River:



In the afternoon we spent some time at Lydgate Park where we were virtually the only people on the beach. It was a great way to begin to say goodbye to Kauai.

Lydgate Park:



We spent the rest of the afternoon poolside; enjoying a few drinks and our last bit of rest and relaxation before our big trip home.

All in all we had and excellent trip to Kauai. It certainly exceeded our expectations of what we had wanted to experience. We got to spend a lot of time a beaches; seeing amazing sights, swimming with dolphins, taking in a Luau; and admiring some of nature's unique landscapes.

Dave and Brian

Day 4 - Napali Coast and Luau

On our 4th day of our Kauai Adventure we woke up at 5:00 am and headed back to Waimea to meet our Napali Coast guides. Our Napali Coast bout tour began at 6:30 am. We boarded the 32 seater Zodiac high-speed raft named 'Sea Biscuit'. Our guides gave us a short briefing and before we knew it we were high tailing it out to see. The currents were too strong to allow us into any of the sea caves but we did get some great close up shots of some of the natural beauty of the Napali Coast.

Napali Coast:



Sea Caves:



More of the Napali Coast:



The highlight of our Napali Coast tour was when we got to not only see some of Hawaii's infamous Spinner Dolphins but actually got to get into the water and swim with them. It happened very fast and we were extremely lucky to have our guides get us ready. Below are some pictures from the boat we'll have to wait and see how the pictures from the waterproof disposible camera turned out when we get back state-side.

Spinner Dolphins:



More Dolphins:



After an incredible adventure we headed back to the hotel for a little R&R. Up next - our luau. The Smith's Family Luau is on a huge botanical haven next to the Fern Grotto. We took a short tram tour of the grounds before heading to the festivities. The luau is put on by the Smith family, with 4 generations working the event. They prepare the Kalua Pig traditionally with banana leaves , hot rocks and under the dirt. The food was great and was followed by some excellent entertainment. All in all it was another great day in beautiful Kauai.

Luau:

Day 3 - Southside and Waimea Canyon

Day 3 of our adventure was a little more low key and LOTs of driving. We headed to the southshore stopping on they way at an old plantation before making our way to Spouting Horn.

Old Plantation:



Spouting horn is a hallowed out lava tube that forces air and water out with the currents. It was a pretty magnificent sight on our southside tour. There were people out braving the elemnts to get their perfect Kodak moment, we opted to stay atop and just admire the beauty.

Spouting Horn:



We continued out trek through Hanelei and Waimea where we drove up the Waimea Canyon for awesome sights of one of the Pacific's greatest treasures - The Waimea Canyon. Dubbed the 'Grand Canyon of the Pacific' you can see why we enjoyed our little stop along the highway.

Waimea Canyon:



As we headed back to Lihue/Kapaa we made a slight detour to take a peak at the Wailua Falls - we weren't disappointed.

Wailua Falls:

Day 2 - Coconut Coast and North Shore

We started out our day pretty early yesterday - waking up at 7:00 am. We headed outside to the beach and then played in the pool (Photos below). Then we came inside made some breakfast and enjoyed a little morning dinning on the lanai. It was the perfect way to start a very fun and amazing day on Kauai.

Beach at our hotel:



The pool at our hotel:



After some morning swimming and beachcombing we decided to head up the Coconut Coast and up to the North Shore. Our first stop was at a beach off the highway, but we kept driving along up to Kilauea Lighthouse.

Kilauea Lighthouse:



Heading further north we came acorss the Dry Caves and Tunnels Beach - were we saw some Monk Seals sunbathing. In Kauai, Monk Seals are protected mamals and when they come ashore life guards will close off a section of the beach letting these fun animals have their space. It was a great thing to see .

Dry Caves:



Tunnels Beach - Monk Seals:



We got back into the Jeep and kept our barring North towards Ke'e beach. This is as far north as you can go. The road literally ends and those brave enough can begin their Kalalau Trail Hike of the Napali Coast. It's an 11 mile one way hike over rugged terrain with amazing views of the Napali coast. We are scheduled to take a rafting tour of the coast on Monday, so we decided to forgo the hike. We did take a little time to see the Wet Caves and Ke'e Beach.

Wet Caves:



Ke'e Beach:



On our way back south we stopped for some lunch at a little 'paper plate' diner in Hanalei. As we traveled through Princeville we stopped to see the infamous Queen's Bath. Its a little (un)known secret water spot on the rugged coast were it's said that Queen Amema once used. But now its a place were tourists and locals alike brave some of the most treacherous waves and currents to take a dip in the 'pool'. It's about a .25 rugged hike in and out but was the highlight of our day We even saw some very brave locals cliff diving into the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean.

Queen's Bath:



Local Cliff Divers:



When we returned to our hotel we took advantage of the happy hour at the bar and grill, did a little more swimming, took in the beautiful beach once more before night fell and then called it a night. We hit the sack a little earlier than our normal bed time, but we had a pretty full day.

Aloha

Brian and Dave

Day 1 - our hotel

Aloha friends!

After a 6 hour flight, too long of a wait at the rental car place - we finally made it to our hotel. We are staying at the Waipoli Beach Spa and Resort. It's a beautiful resort with a 2.4 acre salt water pool, Aveda Spa and located right on the beach. Our room/condo is AMAZING. It's a one bedroom garden view unit. It has incredible amenities; sub zero fridge/freezer, giant soaking tub and separate shower; two flat screen tvs; etc. See for yourself:









Well we are off to our adventures. Keep in mind that we are 3 hours behind all of you so our posts may come late at night.

Dave & Brian

Pre-Vacation Planning

Welcome to our Kauai Trip Blog. We will be using this to share our activities and pictures while we are on vacation in beautiful Kauai. Our hotel has free wi-fi so we'll be bringing our digital camera and netbook so we may share with all our friends and family our adventures. We will be arriving on the island on Friday, September 18 and returning early morning on September 23.

We have been planning our trip to Kauai for a little over two months now. Most recently, we've been looking at how we want to spend our days and what we want to see and do while on Kauai. We've been using 'The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook (7th edition)' and 'Fodor's Kauai (2nd edition)' to do some of our planning. These have been great resources as neither of us have visited the island before.

Updated: So far, we have booked our hotel, reserved a Jeep Wrangler, purchased tickets to a luau made a reservation on Na Pali Riders to tour the Na Pali Coast from the water.

Our Hotel:
Outrigger Waipouli Beach Resort and Spa

Luau:

Smith's Luau and Garden




Na Pali Coast Tour:
Na Pali Riders



Some of our other possible adventures include:

• Waimea Canyon Drive
• Kilauea Lighthouse
• Queen's Bath
• Ke'e Beach
• Wet/Dry Caves
• Jungle Hike
• Waimea River
• Wai'ale'ale Crater

... and much, much more.

So be sure to check our blog daily, starting on September 18, to see what wonderful sights and activities we have encountered during our trip to beautiful Kauai.

Aloha, Brian and Dave!