We were able to check into the hotel and after a nearby lunch, we decided to spend the rest of the day enjoying what the resort had to offer (five pools, waterfalls, and a waterslide... all within view of the ocean)! Our favorite touch was a shallow sand bottom pool perfect for Connor. Another early night!
Our Little Dude!
Tuesday was also Scott's birthday, so our main goal was to find a waterfall to jump off! Thanks to our guidebook Kauai Revealed, we found an unmarked trail through sugar cane above our heads and followed it to a secluded waterfall. Connor and I watched from the top as the birthday boy jumped! Then he managed to convince Mandy to jump too!
Tree overlooking the waterfall
We then continued to the south to Spouting Horn Blowhole, although it wasn't as impressive as could be because tide was going out. Connor was more amused by chasing the roosters (his favorite Hawaiian activity).
We then did a bit of snorkeling at a small roadside beach at Prince Kuhio beach. Scott and Mandy saw a moray eel here and there were lots of big beautiful fish. The water was a bit rough, so we didn't spend too much time snorkeling. After a deli lunch at a playground, we went to nearby Shipwreck beach for a little break. Connor and I took a nap in the grass under palm trees, while Scott and Mandy explored a short cliff hike. This is a cliff that supposedly some people jump off of, but there was not a chance in the world that anyone could convince me that jumping off would be a good idea! No one jumped while we were there, so clearly no one else thought it was a good idea either!
We passed a gorgeous overlook on our way home which illustrated the green lushness that Kauai is known for.
Dinner was a fun and delicious teppanyaki japanese style dinner and a bit of sushi at a great restaurant Kintaro in Wailua. It had been a very full day, so after a great dinner, we called it an early night (have you caught on to the recurring theme yet?)
On Wednesday, we decided to drive further to the north and the day started off with a double rainbow that we practically drove through!
Our next stop was Kilauea Lighthouse on a small penisula surrounded by a bird sanctuary on the northern most point of the island.
We then looked for Queens bath for a little snorkeling- we had not found many opportunities to snorkel so far, as the beaches were a bit rougher than we expected. We stopped at Secret Beach which was at the bottom of a steep trail which we climbed down in the rain...flipflops not a good idea!
We also stopped at Hanalei Valley Overlook- a beautiful vista of crops, mountains, and waterfalls. We could see helicopter tours circling around the waterfalls in the distance.
It took us a while to find Queens bath, but it was a rewarding dip... and Scott saw another eel, but there was not a lot of other fish to see. Tide was coming in, so we didn't spend too long swimming there. On the walk out, we saw six or seven sea turtles swimming below us! We weren't close enough to get a good picture and didn't want to disturb them by trying to get closer.
We ate lunch at Hanalei Dolphin restaurant where we sat outside beside a river, as kayakers paddled by. We needed to refuel before an afternoon hike along the Na Pali Coast, an 11 mile cliff trail that is the only access to this portion of the island. We planned to only hike the first portion to the first overlook... it was absolutely gorgeous and definitely a bit treacherous... many people coming back saw Connor in the hiker and suggested we turn back. We never felt like it was unsafe at the current conditions so pushed forward. The view each step of the way was breathtaking and at the overlook was like being at the edge of the world. Connor started fussing a bit and everyone (but us) thought he was scared... little did they know he just wanted out of the hiker so he could explore and see what all the excitement was about. None of us got too close to the edge...here's an idea of what we saw!
On the north shore, we also checked out two caves and a calm shallow beach before heading home for the evening. We were actually too tired to pick somewhere for dinner... and really too dirty to go in anywhere, so we just decided on room service (always a nice treat). Scott and I went out for a drink and let Mandy babysit after Connor fell asleep... but were so exhausted from the day, we still were in bed just after 10... probably the latest we stayed up all week. The time change really had done a number on us and we all adapted to Connor's schedule!
The rest of the story to come in the next post... stay tuned...
(remember you should be able to click on any picture for a bigger view, then use the back button to get back to the post)
