Kauai Update, Part II - What We Saw

Dear Friends and Family,

First a quick update. I broke my retainer AGAIN this morning. I figured on average about once a year. But, I took time off in April this year to get that puppy fixed, and now it's broke again. Last time, it was Austin spring break, so I needed to wait two weeks before going down to get it fixed. This upcoming weekend is Austin City Limits. So, it looks like it'll be another long wait. Pain in the neck...

What We Saw

Tuesday, we changed on the plane, landed in the airport, picked up the rental car and headed to the beach! Since it was almost 5 pm, we risked passing on the sunscreen. Poipu Beach is on the south side of the island, a quick 15 minute drive from Lihue Airport. Actually, there are two beaches on the map labeled Poipu. We went to the east-ish one Tuesday night. We got there with about 40 minutes to sunset. The water was warm and we promptly went for a swim. The surf is manageable for your average swimmer. Mr. mouse thought it was the perfect level of surf. Also, no rocks or coral under foot, so you don't have to watch where you're stepping. We watched the moon rise and the sunset and then headed out for pick up supplies and dinner.



Wednesday, we slept in. It was a drizzly day, so we didn't feel guilty about it. Actually, we never really feel guilty about sleeping in. It's vacation, after all. We headed out to Waimea Canyon - Hawaii's version of the Grand Canyon. We weren't sure what we'd find, since it was overcast. The weather changes by the hour and is pretty different on the four coasts, so we figured we had nothing to lose by trying. It's about 2.5 hours to get from our hotel to Waimea Canyon - pretty much the two furthest points on the island. It was drizzly on the drive up the mountain and on-and-off drizzle during our 1 mile "hike" to the look-out point.


Well, the canyon was filled with fog and mist. And, you couldn't see more than a foot or two in front of you... But, it was otherworldly. We had the entire place to ourselves since no other freaks felt the need to hang out on a cold clammy mountaintop when the sunny beach beckoned. But, we did. And, we were richly rewarded for it. A strong wind started blowing from the south, and the fog and mist parted. It was like it was out of a movie. And, Napali Coast and the Canyon appeared before our very eyes. It was so beautiful with the lingering edges of mist hanging onto the mountains. Pictures can't do it justice, you had to be there. Oh, I forgot, NO ONE was there, but us. Okay, I guess you'll just have to trust me on this one. It was awe inspiring.



Then, the winds started blowing from the ocean again, and the mist crept back into the valley. It was as if it was a special gift just for the two of us for a brief moment in time.


We "hiked" back to the car and headed down the mountain. Halfway down, we stopped at a scenic overlook we skipped on the way up (it was pouring rain) and got to see the more classic view of Waimea Canyon with the red rock. Mr. mouse felt like the trip was complete after that. Me? I was completely satisfied after the trip to the top, so the red rock view was an added bonus.


It all worked out perfectly, but for others planning on heading out to Kauai, I'd recommend saving this for the last day. You're in the car and walking at high altitude, so you're not getting particularly dirty or sweaty. It would work well for boarding an afternoon plane vs. being covered in sunscreen, salt and sand. We managed, but, just remarking for y'all...

Thursday... Oh, Thursday... I wanted to head over to a beach called Queen's Bath. It's not really a beach since there's no sand. It's an area on the north side with lots of lava rocks. Some of the rocks form a natural basin that fills with ocean water. During low tide, it's swimmable. I was intrigued by the idea since we had seen a similar concept on a smaller scale in Hilo when we went out last year for my cousin's wedding. Well, the scale of it was completely different... man made vs. Mother Nature... who knew?


The hike down to the pool took a good 40 minutes through some slick red mud, but we managed well considering we weren't planning on hiking. And, then there's a fairly long trek through aa (Hawaiian for lava rock). I wouldn't call them boulders, but, definitely not a paved path. I'll see if I have any photos I can include, so you get the idea.


The pool is down about 10 feet from the level the rocks are at. So, we found a stop with some shimmy-able stones... I was more concerned about my ability to get back up the stones, but that turned out to be a non-issue. The water was too rough to really do any swimming in. I was able to spend about 2 minutes in it, but was constantly battling the tides to avoid getting smashed against the basin. And, Mr. mouse didn't venture in.


Still, the excursion was worth it. Queen's Bath is beautiful, and we were planning on a hike that day anyway. So, it worked well to combine the two into one activity. I wish we had brought a picnic basket for lunch, it would have been a perfect spot for it.

In the afternoon, we headed out to Kee Beach. There's some gorgeous views from there to the west. We found a spot with enough shade for me and enough sun for Mr. mouse. The water was good, but the preponderance of snorkels warned us that there would be lots of coral. Yep. There was. Great for snorkeling, less than optimal for body surfing. Still jumped the waves and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. We also had time for a rousing game of Scrabble. I bingoed on reneges and Mr. mouse got even with insides. Fun. Fun.


For sunset, we headed back to Hanalei Bay. The sand there is to die for. There's no tide whatsoever, since it's in a protected bay. We didn't go in the water, so I can't vouch for water quality, always something I check out when there are boats docked nearby. Sometimes it's fine sometimes it feels like I'm swimming in the East River. Oh wait, that's fine now too. Well, you know what I mean. Back to Hanalei... There were two outriggers racing in the bay. It was fun to watch. And, there was a person doing sunset yoga finding her inner peace. And, lots of couples sitting in the sand just passing the time. We sat and gazed at Mr. Sun as he made he way across the sky. A nice ending to the day.


Friday, our last day. We headed south again to the second of the two Poipu beaches, the west-ish one of the two. It's located right outside the Sheraton and also known as Kiahuna Beach. Lots of fun in the sun. The south side gets half the rain the north side does, so it's not as green.


We watched a couple. She had on a cute bikini, cute matching hat and cute sunglasses. She had a disposable camera. He had two fins that didn't fit, a brand new boogie board rented from Snorkel Bob's and a determined look on his face. We busted out laughing watching him go out time and time again while she waited for the perfect shot.


The sand was fine. The surf was even finer. It was perfect for me. There's also a sharp drop off, so you can jump the waves and not worry about constantly hitting the ground. Mr. mouse stayed closer to shore, but bodysurfed with the best of them. There were a couple of local kids enjoying the water, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're comfortable in the water. It bested me once or twice when I had my back turned.


We headed back to the hotel for a quick dip in the pool, some quiet time on the beach and most importantly to return our beach towels, rinse off in the shower stands and pick up our bags. Well, as luck would have it, there were two hammocks on the beach and one opened up while we were there. We nearly ran (discretely, of course) to ensure we got it before anyone else did. No problem. So, we took turns rinsing off and lying in the hammock. The view... sigh... I'll miss it.


Then, we headed back to the airport and our flight home.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: We're such geeks. Mr. mouse is tagging/uploading all the photos to flickr and I'm blogging. Time for bed.