Our Kauaian Vacation

One of the things we have been really excited to do since we moved here is visit the other Hawaiian islands. Sarah is old enough now to be a little easier to travel with, so we decided it was time for a vacation. We were so excited to spend a few days on Kauai! We left the morning after my birthday, so it was kind of a birthday gift for me. Our plane left at 6:00 in the morning, which meant that we had had to start our first day of vacation really early. It seemed like a lot of trouble to go through the whole airport routine for a 20 minute flight. However, the plane put Sarah to sleep, and she slept for several hours, so it worked out for the best. 

We landed in Lihue and immediately started our exploring. The nice thing about Kauai is that there is really only one main road on the whole island, so directions there mostly consisted of "get on the highway and drive there." I like that kind of navigation. 

The LDS chapel in Kapa'a was so neat! It looked very Hawaiian.

Our first stop on our adventure was the Kilauea Point lighthouse. Sadly, we didn't do our research very well and arrived two hours before it opened, so this is the closest we got. It was still a nice view.

From there, we drove further up the coast to Haena to explore the caves there. They were so cool! The first two had pools of really deep, clear water in them and lots of frogs.

Sarah enjoyed the view from the carrier on Daddy's back. She was delighted with the idea of spending 3 days almost entirely outside.

The last cave was dry, so we could explore further into it. (Before you freak out, Mom, we could see the huge opening of the cave the whole time.)

The beginning of the NaPali Coast trail was near where we explored the caves. Falling Rocks? Flash Floods? Hazardous Cliffs? Sounds great! Let's do it.

The view from the trail was beautiful. I am a wimp, so we only hiked about 1.5 miles, but we saw some gorgeous coastline.

Kelson was super excited to snack on fresh sugarcane after we finished our hike. It was like chewing on sweet wood.

We ended our first day snorkeling at Ke'e Beach. The snorkeling was great, the temperature was just right, and the baby was sleeping. A perfect afternoon at the beach.

Apparently monk seals like to relax on the beach too. It was sleeping with the most contented look on its face.  At one point, a wave came up and splashed water into its little burrow and it got all upset and thrashed around all over the place. It was fun to watch.

Kauai is covered in wild chickens. They were everywhere, and they were not shy. They would come right up to you looking for a handout. There were lots of little chicks too, and they were cute.

Our first stop on day 2 was Wailua Falls. We saw a road sign giving directions to a waterfall a few miles away, so we decided to check it out. Definitely worth it.

Kelson is a rebel.

That afternoon, we drove up to Waimea Canyon State Park. It is also known as the Hawaiian Grand Canyon. The landscape was absolutely breathtaking.

This is one of the wettest spots on earth. We were also up high in the clouds, so we had to wait for the clouds to clear and grab our opportunities to see the good views.

We went for a hike into the canyon, but it was a little wet and muddy for my taste.

From this view point, you were supposed to be able to see Nihau, the smaller island just off the coast of Kauai. All we could see was mist and trees. Kelson held up Sarah so she could get a better view. She didn't let us know if she could see the ocean.

There is an observatory on top of the mountain. I bet the view of the stars there is incredible.

We loved the amazing natural variety on Kauai. Not what I imagined a Hawaiian island to look like at all.

Day 2 ended with snorkeling at Salt Pond Beach. This time Sarah was awake, so she got to go swimming too. She did lots of splashing.

Getting dried off is her favorite part.

 Day 3 started with early morning snorkeling and beach time. Its the best way to start a day. From there, we went out for brunch. I ordered the special, a pumpkin macadamia nut pancake. Holy moly. That was the biggest pancake I have ever seen. It was delicious, though.

After breakfast, we did some shopping and sightseeing in downtown Kapa'a and then went on a riverboat ride to the Fern Grotto. Cruising up the river listening to live Hawaiian music was lovely. We continued our relaxing afternoon with some shopping in Koloa Town and then a little more beach time at Po'ipu. Since our flight didn't leave until 11:00 at night, we had a long evening to spend before going to the airport, so we went back to Kapa'a for their 1st Saturday event. The town was full of artisans, vendors, and musicians. It was a fun way to end our trip. 

We had such a good time in Kauai! The island was so much calmer and less crowded than O'ahu. That is what Hawaii should be like.