North to the end of the road
[ Main Index ] [ Previous Day ] [ Next Day ] [ Photo Gallery ]
We woke up at 5:30 or so. Getting better. The roosters were crowing of course. We decided to get ready early and head to the end of the road at the north end of the island. Where all the ‘spectacular’ scenery is according to people we’ve talked to. The sun was just coming up so we pulled into a parking lot to try to get a picture. Back to Lihue on roads already travelled (although once again the light on the mountain ridges was beautiful), then north on new (to us) highway. A few towns and more pretty cool ‘Jurassic park-like’ mountains to the left. And some nice looking beaches on the right.
But even though the beaches looked nice, with Marion’s ankle, not much walking on soft sand was in our future. And we hadn’t brought swimsuits (oops). So on we went. We passed through Princeville (didn’t notice) and Hanalei, which prompted me to sing Puff the Magic dragon in my head for the next hour even though it’s pronounced differently (last syllable is ‘lay’) and wasn’t where Peter, Paul or Mary were singing about.
Hanalei Bay is very pretty. A half moon beach with the mountains that start the Na Pali coast from the north end behind it. The road narrows after Hanalei and winds through some houses for awhile as it nears the end. Some teasing views of the inland cliffs but no good place to get a picture. We stopped near the end of the road at what I think was Haena Park Beach for a brief walk around (mostly to use the rest room).
We got to the end of the road and there’s lots of people, cars and activity. They say the lot is full and you have to take a shuttle. What? Hardly anyone lives up here. I had blown it and didn’t stop for breakfast before we got out there like we had planned and so we were hungry and didn’t want to mess around with a shuttle and what not. So we didn’t get to see the beach at the end of the road. Something to go back and see next time.
We headed back to Hanalei where we found a nice cafe and refueled. We wandered around a bit but there wasn’t too much to see. It was still fairly early too so some things weren’t open yet. We went in a gallery that had some nice stuff (paintings and photos). The owner told us they’re filming Pirates of the Caribbean IV around there and that’s probably why all the activity. (I had thought the storyline and the monetary potential had been used up in Pirates III but I guess not) There were rumors the Black Pearl will be in the bay tomorrow (of course). But I doubt we’ll make it back up to see. But maybe.
We drove down to Anini Beach and got out for a walk (hey, chickens). There were a couple of young girls attempting to wind surf though they were not having a lot of luck. They managed to stay upright, which was pretty good. But turning was not going well.
There’s a nice ‘pool-like’ swim area, created by a long reef that protects the beach about 50 yards out. But we didn’t have our stuff. I walked out a ways up to the bottom of my shorts. It didn’t drop off much.
From the beach you could see the Kilauea Lighthouse, which I had read about. So when we left the beach and headed back south we stopped for a look and took the proverbial shot (it’s on all the postcards). We didn’t pay the $5 to go up to it. It didn’t look like there was much more to see.
On the way back we took a drive up the Wailua River valley for a stop at Opaekaa Falls. A 150 ft waterfall viewable from the road. Very civilized. The name means Rolling Shrimp in case you’re wondering. Back in the day there were shrimp in the river and they apparently liked to roll in the waters at the bottom of the falls. Or perhaps they couldn’t help it.
I got out the tripod and wielded that around a bit. I must admit, from a distance, even though it’s 150 feet tall, it wasn’t that impressive. Word on the Internet is there are ‘secret’ trails you can take up to it. But don’t get caught, it’s a misdemeanor. They closed it off after a couple of people got killed falling off the unofficial trail.
On the other side of the road was a very nice view of the Wailua River and the valley. We saw kayakers down there and it increased our desire to do a bit of kayaking ourselves. There were people selling baskets and things woven from palm fronds. They had a little goat with them who was sleeping under their truck. And of course, there were chickens.
Onward on the homeward bound trip. We skipped the other waterfall turn-off, which turns out to be the one in the opening of Fantasy Island. So I will need to go back and check it out.
Back to the room for a nap rest. Then up to Boss Frog’s in Koloa to pick up some snorkeling gear. The lady, a 25 yr vet of the island, did a good sales job on us and we got the ‘premier’ gear. She also told us the Kauai beaches are way better than Maui and we tend to agree. When we were on Maui 20+ years ago, we did not have a good snorkeling experience.
Rain had started falling when we headed out but it looked clear farther west. We headed back to Sand Pond, which we had liked the day before. The weather was still sunny but threatening when we got there.
My mask leaked of course (it always does, the moustache is a problem). Marion didn’t like hers and ended up swimming more than snorkeling. I snorkeled for about an hour and did manage to see 4 fish. But mostly it was fun just floating and swimming around. It started misting on us but not bad.
Back to the room to clean up, then dinner at Brennecke’s, a restaurant we had seen the night before on Poipu Beach. A nice place, no glass in the windows, nice view of the beach and ocean (and it goes without saying, chickens in the parking lot). It started raining again, fairly hard. But it cooled things down nicely and we saw a rainbow out the window.
Then surprise! A woman comes up to our table and says “I think I know you”. It took us a second to recognize her, but it turned out to be our neighbors from across the street in Oregon. Talk about a small world! They looked very relaxed and like they were having a good time. They’re staying at the Hyatt, which is very posh. But I still like our place.
[ Main Index ] [ Previous Day ] [ Next Day ] [ Photo Gallery ] [ Top ]