Kauai: The North Side
Kauai is not large - driving all the way around the island is less than 80 miles - but our 12 days on the island was split into two chapters: the first 5 days exploring the north and east shores, followed by 7 days soaking up the sun in the south and west. The north side of Kauai is slightly cooler and notoriously more wet than the south, but STUNNINGLY beautiful. It is known as 'The Garden Island' and rightfully so. Clear blue saltwater meets coastal coconut trees as further inland, the rising monkeypod and eucalyptus trees point toward the lush green peak of Mt. Waialeale. Winter is the rainy season on the north side of Kauai. This time of year the beaches can be quite rough and the prime snorkeling reefs are rendered unsafe by the large crashing waves. We were lucky enough to have good weather most days.
Here are some highlights from our 5 days spent on the north side of the island.
The Palmwood
During our time on the north side of the island we stayed at a charming little B&B in the mountains called The Palmwood. I recommend you check it out in my previous post here. Or better yet, go and visit for yourself. You won't be disappointed.
Hanalei
The charming town of Hanalei, lying between the beach and the mountains, is an especially inviting place to stop for a mai tai or dinner in one of several open air restaurants. We found ourselves returning several evenings in a row. Drinks and a game of cribbage at Northside Grille, tapas dinner at Bar Acuda, or picking up a pizza on the way back from the beach, the main drag through town has many shops and restaurants to suit whatever you're craving. A walk through the adjacent neighborhood of cozy little beach homes and out to the beach also makes a pleasant way to spend the evening and watch the sunset. If we were to live on Kauai, Hanalei would be our first choice.
Helicopter Tour
One of the first big things we did on the trip was to take a helicopter tour around the island. It. Was. Incredible. We were blessed with good weather and treated to unbeatable views. The title photo above is a bit of a teaser, but I've decided to devote a later post entirely to that tour for two reasons: 1.) Brad took a huge number of photos and there are just too many good ones to plug in here, and 2.) after I have shared our other activities around the island you can get a feel for the layout from above and have a few meaningful reference points. So stay tuned! Unfortunately, Brad's camera broke towards the end of the helicopter flight (or at least became much more cumbersome to use) so a large portion of the pictures you see in this post were taken from our phones, which thankfully have pretty great cameras. It turned out to be a bit of blessing because for the rest of the trip he did not feel the need to lug the camera around and see the island through a lens, but was able to just let go and enjoy the view without feeling required to capture it.
Anahola Farmer's Market
After our helicopter tour, we stopped at the small but charming Anahola Farmer's Market. The vendors were clearly passionate about their products and very generous with their samples. We tried pomelo, navel oranges, avocado, pineapple, honey, salsa, egg fruit, and lilikoi. We traded a guy a few dollars for a coconut which he then opened with a machete while his dogs lounged in the back of his pick-up truck and a few small children ran around barefoot. He stuck a couple straws through the hole he had made and we enjoyed some of the best coconut water I've ever had. When we had finished the water he lopped the nut in half, sliced a "spoon" off the outer fibers, and we scooped out the meat. Fun fact: coconuts grow everywhere on the island and are free to be harvested by locals such as our young machete-wielding entrepreneurial friend. We left with a couple of armfuls of produce and homemade goods to sustain us over the next few days. The most interesting thing we tried was egg fruit. It looks like a yellow avocado and was described to us as being similar but sweet. The meat is orange and sweet and has a similar consistency and flavor to squash or pumpkin.
Trailride @ Silver Falls Ranch
Horseback riding was not on our list of must-do activities for this trip, but at the recommendation of our helicopter pilot we decided to visit Silver Falls Ranch in Kilauea. And it turned out to be lovely. The morning threatened rain, but as we arrived at the ranch in the early afternoon the clouds broke and the sun shone brightly through. We saddled up on Hekili and Alika, and followed Greg and the group around the beautiful grounds - lush green lawns, palms, eucalyptus trees, blue skies, and surrounding mountains. After about an hour's ride we stopped at a great little swimming hole at the base of a wide cascading falls, where we took a dip and dried in the sun before enjoying a trail lunch. If you're looking for a rugged ride through the wilderness, this isn't it. But if you like to see pretty things from the backs of large gentle horses, then a ride through Silver Falls Ranch is quite a nice way to spend an afternoon.
Kalalau Trail - Napali Coast
We had intended to hike the daunting Kalalau Trail, which extends 11 miles up the Napali Coast, and camp at a beach that can only by reached by foot. We were well aware that this trail is difficult and can be closed at times during the winter as rain can cause flash floods in several of the stream crossings, but we were hopeful that it would work out in our favor. Our camping permits were in order and we had figured out how and where to rent backpacking gear so that we didn't need to haul it all from Alaska. At the Palmwood, we met Shawn and Katie who had hiked the first two miles of the trail a couple of days earlier. Katie had sprained her ankle on the slippery trail and was hobbling around on a cane when we met. We then discovered that the forecast was for rain and storms for our entire first day on the trail. We had also seen a good portion of the trail, which runs right along the coastal cliffs, from our helicopter tour. After a little soul searching, we decided it would probably be neither safe nor fun to tackle the trail in that condition, and so we gave it up. For now.
Kapa'a
Kapa'a is a bustling town on the northeast side of the island, and seemed to be the culprit in any traffic back-ups on the one main road that stretches around the island. Kapa'a is where we ended up when we decided not to hike Kalalau. With rain in the forecast, the first thing we did instead is go to the spa! This was a first true spa experience for both of us and we went all out: 90 minute couples massage, pineapple body scrub, hot oil scalp massage, steam shower, and lunch. We came out feeling like newborn babes. We did the requisite shopping in downtown Kapa'a, but our favorite thing while we were there was our morning and evening walks along the coastal path to Java Kai for excellent espresso and macadamia nut lattes.
Hiking Sleeping Giant
We still managed to get a couple of hikes in, even though we were unable to do the long trek up the Napali Coast. This trail was just outside Kapa'a and exactly what we were looking for - a couple of miles up to a nearly 360* view of the island.
Wailua Falls
This was another spur of the moment stop on our way toward the southern side of the island - and well worth it. Wailua Falls lies at the end of the road and is officially only available to view from the lookout in the parking lot at the top, but if you're willing to get a little messy, you can hop the fence and make your way down the steep and muddy slope to the pool at the foot of the falls.
And after ALL THAT, we realized we still had a full week to spend on the island. We went to sleep with smiles, and then we headed towards the sunny south.
