Our Hawaiian Adventure: The West Shore- Take Two

Prior to arriving in Kauai, I had every day roughly planned, except for our last day. I figured we would either go and do our favorite thing again, or we would determine something else we would like to do. I was very glad we left this day free.

On our boat tour, we passed Polihale State Park which is the farthest west beach on Kauai. It is also known by the fact that the road that accesses it is very bumpy and sandy and many cars have been known to get stuck. I originally did not plan for us to this because I did not want to get stuck. However, our boat guide assured us we would be fine. So, JP was naturally intrigued.

We headed towards the West Shore and stopped at Kauai Coffee on the way. JP, who loves coffee, enjoyed taste testing all the coffees.

 He ranked them all to help him determine which type he wanted to purchase.

 

Once we were loaded up with Kauai Coffee, we head to lunch at Ishihara Market followed by shave ice at JoJo's. Basically a repeat of our dining experiences from our first visit to the West Shore. We did pick up a bag of our favorite Hawaiian chips to enjoy with our meal. (We did laugh because we realized after looking at the bag in depth that they are made by an Illinois company).

 

 Once we were fed, we headed to Polihale. The access road was bumpy, but nearly as bad as I was led to believe from my research. Once we got there, I was so glad we had made the decision to check it out. It was pretty secluded, and the views of the NaPali Coast were breathtaking.

This was the first thing I saw when I got out of the car. It looks like a postcard to me!

 

 We were definitely thankful for the umbrella we got from our rental. The sun felt the hottest on this beach

 We arrived around 2pm and stayed until sunset. I love how the lighting on the beginning of the NaPali Coast changed throughout the afternoon. My favorite was as the sun began to set (the last photo).



 

 

 Seeing the sunset on the farthest west point in the US was truly miraculous. I truly cannot describe it other and all I could think was how amazing God is.

 Although I was sad to end our last day in Kauai, this was the perfect way to do it.

Our Hawaiian Adventure: North Shore- Take Two

We started Thursday by heading to the North Shore. There are so many different beaches on the north side of the island, so we wanted to check out some more.

Our first stop was Secret Beach. Thanks to the guidebooks, we found it. The GPS was no help at all. Once we found where to park we still had ~10 minute hike until we got to the beach. I think this was one of my favorite things about Kauai- the fact that so many beaches you had to hike to. The hike was just beautiful, and I loved when we started being able to see the ocean through the trees.

 

Secret Beach was one of the bigger beaches we went to. Thankfully there were trees along the back of the sand that provided us with great shade. JP swam a lot while we were at this beach. One thing I remember is how hot the sand was! To get from our resting spot to the ocean, running was the best option.

After our time at Secret's, we again ate at the North Shore Market in the Chevron station for lunch. We both got burgers, and again they were both satisfying.

After lunch we went to Ke'e Beach which is the beach farthest west on the North Shore. This is also where the Kalalau Trail begins. Our original plan was to hike the first two miles of the trail to a beach and then hike two miles inlan to Hanakapi'ai Falls for a total of 8 miles. However, plans changed
 due to JP's ankle injury. Instead of starting our day here with hiking, we made this our final beach destination of the day.

This beach almost felt like it was in the middle of a forest with all of the trees around it.

JP found that this beach had excellent snorkeling. While he snorkeled, I had to check out some of the Kalalau Trail. This is the most well known trail on Kauai. It is actually an 11 mile trail that is actually incredibly strenuous. There is one part that you literally have to crawl across.

 

 I walked about 45 minutes out on the trail and then back. Just on this short part of the trail I saw such breathtaking scenery.  I told JP we have to come back since we did not get to do our planned hike. (I'm sure my sister and her friend Caroline would have goals of doing the entire 11 mile hike).

JP was on the beach down there.



JP's ankle would not have done well.

After our time hiking and snorkeling, we changed into dinner clothes at the facilities at Ke'e Beach. We then headed to the dinner I was most looking forward to.

It is the most unique dinner we had while in Kauai. The food is all locally grown, raised or caught, and it all tasted fresh and full of flavor. Our meal consisted of 1) dish that contained beets and carrots 2) butter fish over roasted kale, 3) traditional green salad that used Kauai greens that were different than greens I get at home, 4) Pulled pork over purple sweet potato, 5) Chocolate Flourless cake topped with mountain apples-- At the end of the dinner the chef came out and spoke some about the meal. The mountain apples were actually growing right near our dining spot. He saw them and knew he needed to use them. So that was the inspiration for the dessert as well as the table decorations.

What made this dinner a must do for me was not just the food but the atmosphere. Several large tables were set up outside under a large white tent. It was communal dining, so we got to sit with a couple from San Diego and a couple from Texas. I loved eating outside and having a 5 course meal brought out to me. I felt it was very relaxing! Plus getting to sit with other people and share stories from our trips was a highlight for me.

Overall, we had a wonderful second day on the North Shore.

Our Hawaiian Adventure: Riding the Waves

Yes, it is taking me forever to get through our entire trip as I have not been blogging consistently. So, as I sit here on this cold November night, I think fondly of the time spent on the Kauai beaches.

Because we traveled to the North Shore on Tuesday, we decided to be low key on Wednesday and stay at the beach near our rental. I never fully adjusted to the time change and frequently woke up around 6am with the sunrise. On this day, I took advantage of my early awakening and walked along the beaches with virtually no one else. I also used this time to experiment with my "fancy" camera, which I haven't used much lately.

Once I arrived back to the rental JP was awake and cooking us breakfast. I was eager to get going on the day, but JP prefers to have some slow moving days while on vacation. He also had to shave off his terrible mustache. The deal was that he could have it for half of our trip. Once we were finely ready for activity we decided to check out the Maha'ulepu trail which was very close to where we were staying.

This trail runs right along the cliffs that look over the mountain. Unfortunately, we discovered on this hike that JP's ankle was still bothering him and a full hike probably wasn't ideal. Instead we contemplated joining the cliff jumpers that were jumping off the cliff we are standing on below. (If you know me, then you know that this is totally not true. Yes, there were people jumping off but no way did I ever consider jumping as I am moderately afraid of heights).

After our very short hike we headed back to our rental for a lunch that consisted of a smoothie made with Hawaiian fruit. We followed this with an afternoon spent on Brennecke's Beach. We spent our time at the beach body surfing, floating around the water, and reading on the beach- or in my case people watching.

We saw tons of sea turtles at Brennecke's Beach throughout our trip. Today in particular there were several. I actually rode a wave into one on accident.

After our afternoon on the beach, JP was wanting pizza and neither of us wanted to go far. Conveniently there was a pizza place in Koloa- the small town near our rental. We enjoyed sharing a salad and pizza at Pizetta's followed by ice cream at Lappert's. I had read that this ice cream place was really good and all the reviews were correct. This was some of the best ice cream I have had!

PS. Did you know that Kauai is full of wild chickens. The roosters crow all throughout the day. JP start impersonating them early on in our trip. It is quite an experience to have a chicken walk right by your towel at the beach. Why so many wild chickens? Some say that Hurricane Iniki, which hit the island in 1992 destroyed chicken farms which let the chickens out of the coops to roam free. Apparently all the other islands have mongoose that kept the chickens from getting out of control. However, Kauai there are no natural predators of these chickens so you see them everywhere.

Our Hawaiian Adventure: North Shore

After our relaxing day on Monday, we decided venture away from our rental area on Tuesday and head to the North Shore which was a little over an hour away. During the winter months, the North Shore gets a significant amount of rain. An incredibly green, lush area is the result. 

 The North Shore also has a large number of different beaches. We spent the day checking out three of them.

Our first stop was Tunnels Beach. Tunnels is known for its huge coral reef. The parking for Tunnels is incredibly limited so we ended up parking at Haena Beach and walking. While walking down the beach to Tunnels, we saw a Hawaiian Sea Monk. The creatures are so large. They are protected species so if you do anything other than take a picture from a far distance you get a large fine.

JP spent a lot of time snorkeling at Tunnels while I relaxed on the beach under the trees that surrounded the beach. The waves were almost non-existent in the summer. To show you how much the weather changes on the North Shore, in the Fall and Winter, when I'm writing the blogpost the waves are forecasted to be 6-8 feet!

 

 

After checking out Tunnels, we headed to east to Hanalei Bay. It was bright and sunny all around except for over the mountain where the clouds seemed to accumulate. We hung out the beach for a while, and JP used his engineering skills to get a puddle of water in front of us to drain out into the ocean.

Here we are at Hanalei sporting our rashguards I bought us before the trip. I had read that the sun is stronger in Hawaii, and I wanted to minimize the chance of getting burned. So, JP wore his pretty much all the time since he burns easily, and I wore mine probably half of the time. We both did get some sun burn but thankfully not too bad.

After Hanalei, we were both starving but wanted something quick and not too heavy because we had reservations at a nice restaurant for dinner. I had remembered reading on TripAdvisor about a gas station with really good burgers. Sure enough the North Shore General Store was inside the Chevron Station we had to pass to get to the next beach we were going to visit. And like all the reviews said, the burgers were really good and well priced. They used grass-fed Kauai beef. Anywhere else I've ever been you pay a high price for grass-fed beef, but not here. The fries were really good too with a large serving. Large enough for JP and I to share- which means it must have been a large serving!

After our quick lunch, we headed to Hideaways which ended up being our favorite beach. The parking for this beach is extremely limited, but we lucked out and someone was leaving when we arrived. Just to access it you have to climb down a very steep path that has ropes installed so to keep you from falling. The steep hike is worth it to get to this quaint tropical beach. We were there in the evening and got to see the changing skies. Unfortunately it was not the best sunset due to clouds, but it was still such a beautiful experience.

Once the sun set, we hiked back up the steep trail to head to dinner. I had booked a nice dinner on the East Shore- which we would drive through to get back to our place on the South Shore. However, after a day spent at the beach we were not nice restaurant quality. Unfortunately, Hideaways did not have any showers. So, I had asked on the TripAdvisor Kauai forum which beaches on the North Shore had outdoor showers. Anini beach did and was in the direction we would be going so, we stopped there to shower. We had brought shampoo etc. I air dryed my hair with the windows rolled down. Not how I normally prepare for a nice dinner but it worked.

We arrived just in time for our 8:30pm reservations at Hukilau Lanai where we had a wonderful dinner. To be honest I don't remember what we got and I did not write it down. However, I do remember it was delicious as was the chocolate dessert we had to finish off the meal.

After such a fun,but long, day we were ready to head back to our rental after dinner.

Our Hawaiian Adventure: Relaxation Day

After such a full day on the West shore on Sunday, we decided to take it easy on Monday and hang out at the beach near our house, Brennecke's Beach. JP and I have different travel styles. I love to be on the go every second (maybe I get this from my frequent Disney World trips as a child?) while JP loves to relax and just sit on the beach and read. The good thing about Kauai is there is ample opportunity for both of these activities. When planning our trip I tried always follow a high activity day with a low key day.

We spent the morning in our rental with JP making us what was our standard breakfast in Kauai- scrambled eggs with toast for me and spam for him. After spending some time reading the news- ok I was reading guidebooks while JP read the news- we made our way to Brennecke's beach. It was so nice to have access to the beach chairs provided by our rental.

We spent most of our time right here at Brennecke Beach, which is a small beach known for it's great waves for body surfing.

 

However, I did take some time to walk around the neighboring Poipu Beach. These beaches were different than any I've been to before. Instead of one long straight beach, it was little coves of beaches with a great grassy area meeting the sand.

 

 

 

 

We spent a ton of time in the water and, of course, JP spent a lot of time riding these great waves.

After a morning of relaxing on the beach with some wave riding action, we headed in for lunch. On our way to lunch we made a quick stop at the farmer's market. Trying local Hawaiian fruit was something I was very excited about. The mango was called an ice cream mango because it had very little starch (per the lady that sold it to us) and it was probably the best mango I've ever had. It was so good that after JP cut it, I ate the whole thing without sharing. (In my defense I didn't realize that the bowl he gave me was the whole thing). We got lychees, avocado, passion fruit and a few other things that I had never seen before and don't remember the names of. I would definitely recommend this if you are a fruit lover in Hawaii!

 

We originally planned to go to a hamburger place in Koloa- a town just a few miles from Poipu- but upon our arrival we discovered it was closed on Mondays. No worries, I remembered from my research that there was a great fish market in the same area. So, we headed to Koloa Fish Market where we got lunch plates to-go and some marlin for JP to cook for dinner.

 Our afternoon was a relaxing repeat of the morning. Such beautiful a atmostphere!

 

 As it started to get dark we headed in to our rental and JP prepared the marlin for us. He did a great job at cooking. I did not do such a great job of taking a picture of his prepared dish.