Kauai Vacation: Day Eight

Our last day in Kauai was my actual birthday. I turned 32 years old. It was an uneventful day that included packing and checking out; breakfast buffet; viewing of a statue commemorating the people who worked the sugar plantations; eating at Bubba's Burgers; shave ice; and driving around Kapaa. Overall it was a fantastic trip. I'm glad we chose to go there again and hope that someday we will go back.

statue of plantation workers from different cultures


shave ice and gross chocolate covered frozen banana

Kauai Vacation: Day Seven

On this day, we went on a boat ride up the Napali Coast. It was an awesome birthday present to me from Kelly. We got a view of the coast of the forbidden island of Malakai and a number of historical landmarks along the west side of Kauai where it is believed to be the first place the Hawaiian people settled. I loved hearing some of the history of the island and seeing where people once lived. It is quite impressive the terrain they had to navigate to make life possible in certain areas. We also got to see missile launching pads on one of the government controlled beaches that is closed to the public. Apparently they do weapons testing there sometimes. It was fun to see some areas we have hiked on before from the ocean. You get a different appreciation for the landscape seeing it from afar rather than hiking right in the middle of it.

We took the morning tour which is 6 1/2 hours and includes continental breakfast, snorkeling, lunch, and drinks. It seemed like a good idea to go the first half of the day so that we would have the rest of the day to do other things. My suggestion to anyone who goes on one of these tours - make sure you are a morning person who loves snorkeling if you choose the morning option. Otherwise, the sunset tour sans snorkeling would be a better choice. We ended up not snorkeling, even though other people did, because the water was quite choppy and the current was strong due to all the recent rain. We did have an excellent time taking in the sights and it was a unique experience; however, the initial check-in time was 7:15 am which meant we woke up at 6 am to be there on time. By the time we got off the boat and back to our hotel we were exhausted and ended up taking a nap for most of the rest of the day light hours (as is evidenced by the lack of any photos for that day after the boat trip). So, our logic for doing the morning tour was a bit faulty.

view from the boat





Kelly watching people snorkel - it didn't look very fun

Kauai Vacation: Day Six

The sixth day we were excited to go to the north shore again. Along the way we stopped off at the one quilt store on the island and got a Hawaiian pillow kit for my mom. Then we made our way through Hanalei where we stopped to eat at the Dolphin Fish Market again. We then went to Annini Beach where the water is always quite calm and it is perfect for snorkeling. After spending awhile there, we went to the end of the road to Ke'e Beach. This beach is known for sea turtle and seal sightings. There was a seal lounging on the beach while we were there. We timed our stay at the beach so that we would make it to Postdards Cafe right when it opened at six o'clock. There was no wait and we got a parking space right outside the door since we were the first people there that day. If you ever go to Kauai I highly recommend you try Postcards. All the food they serve is organic and locally grown and amazingly tasty.

Kapaia Stitchery
driving through Hanalei
Dolphin Fish Market

Annini Beach



Ke'e Beach

on the porch at Postcards Cafe

grilled walu with garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli, beet and raspberry relish, and lilicoi relish

Kauai Vacation: Day Five

Day five we headed over to the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. It was only about 15 minutes from our hotel and it was nice to not have to drive too far before being at our destination. They have two large gardens to choose from. In order to see Allerton Garden you must sign up for a 2 1/2 hour guided tour. We decided to go with McBryde Garden because it is self-guided and you can choose whether you wan to stay for an hour or more. After buying our tickets, we headed over to the shrimp truck and split a plate of shrimp scampi for breakfast. We got back to the garden and waited for the bus the takes you onto the grounds. It turned out we had missed the McBryde bus and waited for the Allerton bus for almost 30 minutes - that sucked. We decided we would just wait for the next bus since we had already been there so long. It was definitely worth the wait. We had a great time strolling around. It rained lightly most of the time but never got unbearable.
After that we went to see if we could get a look inside Kauai's Hindu Temple but it was closed to the public by the time we got there. Along the way, we stopped to visit an ancient Hawaiian temple as well as a birthing stone and a space where they used to perform human sacrifices. We also discovered a hidden Japanese cemetery on a hill top near the birthing stone.
For dinner, we ate at the Bull Shed where steak and potato is the specialty. Back at the hotel we sat in the hot ub for awhile and then we were done for the night.

outside the ticket center and gift shop at National Tropical Botanical Gardens
McBryde Garden






creepy bush hand

view from the road near the Hindu Temple
human sacrifice place
hidden cemetery
mai tai at the Bull Shed

Kauai Vacation: Day Four

We got up a bit later on day four. Went to the famous shrimp truck owned and operated by a nice lady who had a vision that God wanted her to move to Kauai. Now she has lived there and made shrimp scampi everyday from 11 am until 2 pm in the back of her truck for 8 years - not so bad. After splitting a plate of shrimp we stopped off at the market where we met up with a big, old duck that reminded us of a reincarnated homeless man. Then we drove up the east side to the north shore. At the Dolphin Fish Market in Hanalei, we got sushi rolls and sat next to the river to eat. It is the most awesome fish market ever-especially if you're a fish face like Kelly. We made our way to Haena Beach where we lounged in the sand and went in the ocean. At the end of the road, we stopped off at one of the wet caves and then drove into Princeville to check out Bali Hai. Then it was back to Duane's Ono Charburger for a Duane's Special with Onion Rings...again...we split it...don't judge. Once we got back to our hotel we got cleaned up and went to the Grand Hyatt for drinks at the hotel bar. We had a great time sipping our drinks on the veranda and then walking around through the huge maze of pools.

old man duck - will eat anythingsurfer lady with her plethora of dogs paddling down the Hanalei River
fish face
I ate Subway that day but realized I liked the spicy tuna roll
view from Haena Beach

yippee for outdoor showers!

wet caves near Napali Coast hike
Bali Hai
Charburger
creepy swan in the dark at the Grand Hyatt resort in Poipu
1950s horror film face
dead body pose
interpretive posing with sculpture at the Hyatt