Monday 6th July
Kauai
We love flying Business Class. We love flying with only on-board luggage. We love Kauai.
We're in our little Condo on the beach in Kauai and have awoken after a long nights sleep.
Last night we had dinner at a local bar where we were entertained by a vocal due ... two locals who sang and her played steel guitar and alternated between vibraphone and bass guitar – it worked!
Today turned out to be a little more strenuous that we originally intended.
We decided to drive to the North of the island and explore the beautiful beaches along the way. First stop (and last) was the picturesque local boy beach “Donkey Beach”. Then we headed north through the historic town of Hapaa to the Na Pali Coast. On the way we passed the beautiful Hanalei Bay and then onto Kee Beach which is the beginning of the Na Pai Coast. Then the adventure really began- a 12 kilometrer trek to Hnakapiai, a dreamy tropical valley with a river, caves and a sandy beach. Strenuous but great fun. The trek included our personal favorites, the 'edge of death' and 'windy peak' which were dangerously at the same spot.
Tuesday 7th July
Kauai
Today we explored the South side of the island. Headed off at a leisurely pace and wound up at the Allerton Gardens. These botanical gardens were started by a serious millionaire back in 1938. The garden is set in a secluded valley opening to the sea. The garden is recognized as one of the great masterpieces of landscape art. Basically, it was designed as a set of open air rooms that you could meander through. We spent over three hours there and if anyone ever comes to the island it's a must do.
Afternoon on the beach taking in a few more rays.
Wednesday 8th July
After some (not much) penny-pinching, we splurged out and went to the skies for an aerial tour of Kauai. Leaving Lihue, we headed south over Poi'pu and west to Hanapepe, the drier aspects of the island. Unbelievable beauty: the rugged red ridges of Waimea Canyon to the south (Kauai's Grand Canyon) with dramatic searing mountains and waterfalls to north, being the wettest place on the planet (Mt Waialeale, elevation over 5000 feet). Further west opened up the famous Napail Coast, accessible only by sea, air or a very hair-raising trail taking a full day to complete. This is what Kauai is most famous for, and not hard to understand why – beautiful ridged green cliffs, plunging into turquoise seas. The high light for us both was flying into the crater of the now extinct volcano of Waialeale – goose bump material (with the music from the Mission blasting through our headphones) and something we'll both always remember. Back on the ground we then drove to the Shrimp Station to put to the test the claim of the best coconut deep fried shrimp. Yum! A great trip up a winding road to see up close the Waimea Canyon, then back our favorite beach, Donkey beach with a few beers while the sun went down. Heaven. This is what holidays are all about!
