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Today we are docked at Hawaii’s island, Kauai. Of all of the Hawaiian ports we’ll be visiting in our time, this is the one I was most excited about. Kauai is Hawaii’s Garden Isle. When I did my research on the island, I read about lush jungles, green mountains, deep valleys, flowing waterfalls and stunning coastlines. It sounded like a mystical and majestic place and I couldn’t wait to explore it.
The guidebook I read said that the not miss thing to do in Kauai is to drive along it’s North Shore. It said that especially the Na Pali Coast is gorgeous, but you can only truly see it by boat, helicopter or multi-day hikes. A multi-day hike obviously doesn’t work with a cruise schedule. I tried to find a boat tour to go along the coast, but none matched up with our port schedule. I’m budgeting my money, so I ruled out a helicopter ride. So I decided to settle for driving along the North Coast and going as far as the road would take me.
First thing this morning, a small group of us got off the ship and picked up our rental car. Again I was
the driver (it’s easier for me with my North American license). Off we set.
We made a couple of scenic stops on our way out. The first overlooked a beach and had views far down the East Coast of the island. The second was the Hanalei Lookout, that viewed over the Hanalei National Wildlife Reserve; it was a beautiful valley. The valley was lined with Taro fields. Taro is a plant that the Hawaiians use to make Poi, a mushy-looking dish. The roots can be cooked like a potato and I’ve seen Taro chips on sale here. The far side of the valley had rising green mountains. It was stunning.
The incredible beauty really started there.
The rest of the drive along the North Shore was stunning. It seemed like around every bend of the road, one (often all) of us would exclaim aloud at how beautiful it was. At one point I turned to Gary beside me and said that I realized that I kept holding my breath I was so taken with the scenery. It literally “took my breath away”. We drove through sections of forest so lush and green. I thought that it was
like we were driving through Ferngully. We past numerous beaches with sparkling blue waters - not the light blue of the Caribbean, but a deeper, stronger aqua shade. Beaches of different colours - beige, brown, black - all of them lined with trees. One of the beaches is where the movie South Pacific was filmed. We worked our way over small one-lane bridges. Always there were the green mountains that were both moody under the shade of the clouds and almost sparkling when the sunlight hit them.
At the far end of the North Shore’s road is Kee Beach. We parked there and got out to explore on foot for a bit. First we explored the Waikanaloa Wet Cave. You could walk - or even wade - right into the cave. The light was funny in there though so none of our photos quite captured that spot. Then we hiked a bit into the Na Pali Coast. To truly see that coast line, you would need to hike for hours - or days. We just went 20 minutes to the first lookout spot. It was mostly uphill and it was misting with rain so it was slippery and slow
going. But it was beautiful when we got to the stop. We could see back to Kee Beach and to the mountains where we’d come from. Below us was the ocean, but a shallow section that sparkled bright blue. We sat and just admired the view for a bit, then headed back down. We spent a bit of time on Kee Beach taking pictures but decided we wanted to spend our time in the water at one of the other beaches we’d passed.
We began backtracking, intending to take our time with lots of stops on the return trip. Only a couple miles down the road we stopped at the Haena Beach Park. There was a road-side stand that sold fruit and shaved ice so we could get snacks while enjoying the water. Gary headed off for a swim while us girls lined up for food.
It was while we were at the food stand that I realized I didn’t have the car keys in my hand anymore. I’d locked them in the trunk. I’ve been driving for 13 years and never have I locked, lost or misplaced car keys! Bless the friends who I was with today.
I immediately began to panic and cry; they were assuring and understanding. My cellphone was locked in the car. The pay phone at the beach park did not work. But I did find taped to the pay phone a business card for a North Shore auto locksmith. Some kind strangers allowed me to use their cellphone so I could call the locksmith, Ryan. The girls ate their food and decided to go explore the beach. Gary swam a bit more, then kept me company. I sat by the road to watch for Ryan - I wasn’t going to miss him and mess up the day further! It was 45 minutes and extra money out of my budget, but we got back into the car and retrieved the keys. While Ryan was working on the car, he assured me it happens all the time - though usually at the end of the day when people are ready to head home. The last thing he told me was to go and enjoy the day and to not let that mistake define it. So, it was mentioned here now, but I’m moving on to the rest of the beautiful island.
Once back
on the road, our next stop was in the village of Hanalei. This picturesque and charming little country village had us gasping and exclaiming when we drove through it the first time, so we were excited to stop. We took time to grab some food and explore the shops. I took some pictures around the village. And I concluded that if I were ever to pack up and move to Hawaii, it would be to the island of Kauai and to the village of Hanalei.
Outside of Hanalei, we passed through the valley that we’d looked down on earlier in the day. There we detoured down a little side road to see if we could find the Nene. The Nene is a Hawaiian goose and Hawaii’s state bird. It lives only on the islands of Kauai, Maui and Hawaii (“The Big Island”). I’d read that scientist theorize that the Nene came from Canadian Geese who ended up detoured to the Hawaiian Islands and adapted to the climate here. We found the Nenes! They were hanging out along a river and in the taro fields. So we got out of the car and snapped lots of pictures there.
Next
we passed through the village of Kilauea and turned off the highway to go to the coast where a lighthouse stood. The Kilauea Lighthouse is in a nature sanctuary that sits on a cliff that juts out in the sea. The views there of the coast in both directions were stunning. And there were more Nenes!
After we left the North Shore and began headed South again, we stopped in another village - Anahola. The Hawaii specialist and naturalist for the ship had recommended a burger stop to Alison so we stopped so the girls could get their burgers. I wandered to the fruit stand up the road. I love love love mangoes and I am on a mission to get fresh mangoes from a fruit stand. But no luck.
Our last stop of the day was at the Opeakaa Falls. They were close and very accessible - just a few miles off the highway with lookouts at the side of the road. It was a great final stop.
Then it was time to return the car and head back to the ship - “back to reality” for us who had to get back to work. Luckily,
my activity back on the ship was outside, so I was able to enjoy the sail away. After the key incident and some stressful driving moments, I was relieved to be out of the car and done for the day. But now that that stress has passed, I’m just left with the memories of that absolutely stunning island.
I’m falling in love with Kauai!
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swills82
Sarah Willett
Were you singing "Take My Breath Away" and "Back to Life..." throughout your day, cuz I was singing them while reading this blog. lol. Miss ya Netter!