Drove a couple miles on dirt road to get to this one, but it is well worth it.
A day of waterfalls
The Blue Hawaii helicopter tour of the island was simply amazing and we didn’t even get to see Jurassic Falls! It was too rainy this morning to get in the crater. But we did see lots of waterfalls and canyons and flew into a volcanic crater. One can not appreciate the scale of the craters and canyons until you see a tiny speck and realize that is a bird! The Na’pali coast line is spectacular and there are several beaches that you can hike too, but most of this part of Kauai is inaccessible by car. I did get a little air sick. Thought the “comfort bag” would have to come out, but I held it together. There was something about going backwards and turning in circles that I did not handle very well. I will have to take something before we do the flight on the Big Island for sure since it is twice as long!
We did a little shopping and had lunch at Eggbert’s, which is more known for their breakfast. While not amazing, the macaroni salad was tasty. I had some excellent shave ice at the Fish Hut. I might have to go back there before we leave!
We spent the rest of the afternoon chasing waterfalls. We saw two nice falls which were easily accessible. The first was O’peaka Falls. It’s right there beside of the road and plenty of parking. After visiting the falls, we continued up this road until it ended at a dirt forest management road. It was very much like a national park area (for my WV friends, think Chief Logan) — wooded, grassy, and a creek to play in! The creek ran over the road. It was probably 3-4 inches deep over it. Dan and I walked in it. The cool water was nice. I took in the clean air up there.
We then turned around and headed towards Wailua Falls. On the drive back, I thought we were going to hit some birds. These little birds were all over the road eating and wouldn’t get out of the way until we were right on them. I think they have forgotten they can fly away, as most tried to walk to safety! This waterfall was at the end of road and parking was limited. We had to wait on a spot before we could view the falls. Here I got to see a rainbow at the falls! Very pretty. 🙂
Look for the specks of people on the right side of the pool at the bottom of the waterfall.
We had an afternoon snack at Dude Dogs, a new restaurant. Better than Puka Dogs. I tried Maui Onion Mustard on mine and Dan got chili (which was pretty much bean stew) and pineapple relish. The lady said she had never made that combo before! She even came by to check to see if he liked it. He did, because none was left!
After our snack, we went to the beach — finally! I have had my toes in the Pacific Ocean. We stayed until sunset, which was spectacular with just a few clouds in the sky. A nice end to the day.
Dinner was at Poipu Beach Broiler. The highlight of that meal was the Mai Tai. YUMM-O!
Pics to follow…
Blue Hawaii
This morning we are taking the helicopter tour of the island! I’m so excited. I hope we didn’t choose to early of a time. I want to see the big waterfall from Jurassic Park. More to come later today after we get back….
I know why Blue Hawaii is true — the water is an unbelievable shade of blue. So deep and rich. Then there are the lighter shades which are kind of green but so bright and still intense.
Dogs
Dogs, hot dogs that is, seem popular on the island. So we had lunch at Puka Dogs here in Poipu. A little advice if we go back or you visit, be aware the secret sauce is mayo based and they put a lot on there. We wouldn’t get the sauce again.
But besides that, the dog is put inside a loaf of bread, not a split bun and huge. Think pigs-in-the-blanket but really scaled up. The hot dog was tasty which was a good thing because we both just ate that eventually. What was wonderful was the fresh squeezed lemonade. It was sweet and cold.
Best Pizza on the Island
We had dinner at Brick Oven Pizza in Kapaa. Voted best pizza by everyone it seems! The wings were spicy but good. Interestingly they were baked not fried. We got a whole wheat crust and the garlic butter brushed on it. Very tasty! We plan on going back to try the white crust.
Day 2
I guess the 4 o’clock hour is good for writing because here I am again up before the sun!
Yesterday began with discovering a shearwater bird on our lanai. It was injured, but could climb the screen door. That was pretty amazing to see. After much phonebook and internet searches we found where to take it. Dan got a towel and found something to transport it in. He went back outside and it had left the lanai. We couldn’t see it on any other lanai or on the ground below. I hope it made somewhere safe!
We had a good breakfast in Kapaa — Kountry Kitchen. I stopped at shoe store that provided amazing service. I even got a pair of birkenstocks and asked how I made it through 4 years at Hiram without getting a pair!
I had shave ice in Koloa. Yummy!
We visited Spouting Horn which is an interesting natural feature. There are holes in the rocks and the ocean is forced up through them making it look like a geyser or whale spout. But there is another whole which blows air and sounds like a horn. We saw sea tutles hanging out in the water near the spouts. They looked massive!
Spouting Horn
A few Pics and a movie from Spouting Horn. Spouting Horn is a couple miles West of where we are staying. See the images below or click Here for a movie!
The view from Whaler’s Cove
It’s 4 am….
On the flight to Kauai, we saw a rainbow over Honolulu/Diamond Head. That was a nice welcome! The interisland flight was quick and we were on our way to the condo before we knew it. Chickens are everywhere….kind of like black squirrels at home. They were brought here in small numbers and now are everywhere!
The view from our place is amazing. Pics to come later. We have internet available but is wired and of all the wires/cables we brought not an ethernet in the bunch!
Our first meal in Hawaii was at Poipu Tropical Burgers — chosen best burgers on the island. I had the Kalua pork burger and Dan had the Pineapple Kalbi burger. The spicy pineapple relish on them was so yummy! No shave ice yet. But we had some good gelato instead.
With the time difference, I’m messed up. We were up almost 24 hours. I did get about 5 hours hence it is 4 am and I am blogging!
I am adjusting to the no A/C trend but at least the rental has one!
OK enough for one post…
T 🙂
We are almost there!
After a very long flight, we are waiting on the final flight to Kaua’I. I’m excited and tired, but more excited. Temps are in the 80s and there is a nice breeze. Saw the Arizona on the decent into Honolulu. I can’t believe it is almost 8:30 est and we’ve been up since about 3:30 am! So worth it though. 🙂