The vast majority of the people who kayak the Wailua River are there to hike to the least-secret Secret Falls we know. Being ourselves, we couldn’t limit our activities to the things on the beaten path.
We don’t know who put up the rope swing, but we’ll bet it wasn’t a tourist. Tourists just don’t carry around enough rope. Nor are they very motivated to leave behind something fun for the next person. Read more
We have a habit of spending holidays doing very non-traditional things, taking advantage of inexpensive hotels and less-crowded places. Thanksgiving 2011 was no different as we took the long holiday in our favorite island destination, Kaua’i.
Past adventures
We’ve been here several times together and have found it one of the absolute best islands to pursue adventures like we had hiking around Kaua’i in July 2011, and camping around Kauai in August 2009. We’ve covered most of the island that is accessible by foot and by car, with the exception of the Na’pali Coast, the enormous park that prevents the highway from circling the island. We’ve kayaked the rivers and coast and consider many islanders as friends, undoubtedly because they feel our enthusiasm for their home. Because Kaua’i is much less touristy than other islands, it doesn’t have the same distance between its visitors and the people who live there.
With the holiday dinner still a ways off, we had a few things to accomplish before sitting down to eat:
Sheraton Poipu
This is a great hotel. We wouldn’t rank it as fancy but it isn’t pretentious either. We have always been able to have a walkout room on the first floor that faces the ocean. Mornings and evenings feel like we have a personal patio on the sea in a way that is very un-hotel-like. It has been recently renovated (not that it was bad before) and has a warm and friendly feel in what could be a very touristy place. It sits on Poipu Beach but at the end where the lava reaches out to the sea and makes for great wave breaks so near to our room. From the hotel, there is an excellent five mile run along the sea to the north that we’ve taken many mornings. It passes Spouting Horn as well, a blowhole that spouts both water and makes a ghostly howl regularly.
Polihale
I don’t know why we love driving off road, whether it be dirt tracks or sandy beaches, but it somehow touches a need to do something out of bounds and maybe a bit unacceptable. Since we ride dirt bikes in the mountains and deserts around LA, we often feel too hemmed in when we leave home for places where we can’t take our motorcycles. Polihale Beach is one of the few that allow cars to drive on the sand, although you do so at your own risk. We usually have a four wheel drive (required) and reduce the air pressure in the tires to get better traction. Most importantly, however, we don’t stop unless we need to, and we avoid the deep, white sand that lies beyond the highest tide line. The part of the beach that can be driven is several miles long, mostly deserted, and great fun.
Flying over Kaua’i
After so many trips on the ground in cars, kayaks and on foot, we finally decided to take a helicopter flight. We had witnessed the helicopters dipping into the valleys and providing views of mountains and waterfalls that can’t be approached any other way. We’re no fans of noisy machines interrupting nature, but Kaua’i has such vast stretches that are uninhabited and essentially unreachable, we made an exception. Afterward, we agreed that it was a great exception to make. This was an exceptional adventure that we didn’t expect to have in a place where we normally do much more physically demanding activities.
The flight was what Island Helicopters called an ’earlybird special’ at 8:00am from the Lihue Airport, the main airport on the island. We were up at sunrise, which is never a bad thing on a tropical island. After a quick safety briefing, we boarded the helicopter and met our pilot. From the moment the flight took off, nose low and moving rapidly toward the northwest and back toward our hotel in Poipu, we knew this was no tame adventure.
Isaac, our pilot, was a young, native Hawaiian who was very comfortable skimming low over Kaua’i's jagged ridges and flying in tight to canyon walls to give us the best view. We saw more waterfalls than we could possibly remember, a feral goat perched in the center of an enormous, nearly verticle cliff, and circled over humpback wales breaching off the Na’pali Coast. The last waterfalls we viewed were some of the most amazing…the wettest spot on Earth at Mount Waialeale, where over 1000 cm (400 inches) of rain falls every year.
It was well worth the $173 per person ‘special’. If you go, request Isaac, an excellent pilot who chose the perfect music and provided interesting conversation through the flight. We can think of few better ways to spend a Thanksgiving holiday morning than with a great guide flying over an island paradise.
With a few adventures knocked out, it was time to decide how to have our meal.
Traditional Thanksgiving?
Maybe not, but a great way to have the holiday. We called around to several hotels and restaurants before deciding on the Thanksgiving buffet at the Grand Hyatt Kaua’i in Poipu. I doubt we could have made a better choice. This hotel and its services are truly grand. Of course, there were the standard turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and cranberry. There were apple and pumpkin pies as well.
But what about several kinds of ribs, crab, shrimp, omelettes, breads, cheeses, fruits, and many different salads. With a view of the ocean and lush gardens, it was a feast for the eyes and stomach. It would be hard to image a better place or setting for a holiday meal away from home. After several hours and too many trips to the buffet tables, we staggered back to our car for the short trip back to the Sheraton. Another holiday well-celebrated.
With Thanksgiving celebrated, it was time to explore more of the island:
North shore
Getting around to the North Shore of Kaua’i is like flying to another island. The wet side of Kaua’i is lush and the vegetation crowds the roads, a green wall only broken by beaches (where parking is anywhere under the trees on the shore) and one lane bridges with a local custom of 5-7 cars alternating passage in each direction. Just before the end of the road, there is even a place where cars cross a shallow stream, reinforcing how much water comes to this side of the island, thanks to Trade Winds that ‘collide’ with the high peaks that dominate the Na’pali Coast and center of the island.
Beach paradise
We decided to spend some time at Haena Beach Park, one mile short of the end of the road at Ke’e Beach, the start of the Kalalau Trail. We picked this spot because it has bathrooms, a lifeguard, and amazing views of the Bali Hai peaks just to the west and a fantastic surf break just to the east at Tunnels Beach. Tunnels, unfortunately, is where a female surfer lost an arm a few years back to a tiger shark. We stayed much closer to the shore than she did, not that we were worried.
Hanalei
Few developed places are more beautiful than the Hanalei Valley. The ancient taro fields that fed the islanders before better choices were introduced by outsiders were in abudance in this very fertile and well-watered valley. The local joke is that taro is only fed to tourists at luau’s, as the islanders find it awful and won’t eat it. If true, that has to be one of the funniest ironies in tourism. We haven’t had any yet, and this didn’t convince us to try it, either.
Seafood
Kaua’i isn’t the place to get hamburgers or even steak. It is the place to get some of the most creative and tasty seafood…especially the fish. It tastes just as good inland, but has a special flair when you can eat with a view of palm trees and blue water. Dinner at Brenneke’s in Poipu is a special treat if you show up early (by 5:30pm or so) and can get a seat along the windows. Our apologies for the low-quality phone photo, but you’ll get the idea. The wind in the trees and the open-air dining were enough to make this a delightful evening. Brenneke’s calls themselves a “beach broiler” and that’s exactly what you can expect, as the meals are simple and the alaskan king crab appetizer is perfect for two.
Sunset cruising
In keeping with our more ‘civilized’ vacation, we scheduled a cruise with Captain Andy’s Charters in Port Allen and ended up with Captain Rick, our boat captain who was part seaman, part stand up comedian, part encyclopedia of all things Kaua’i. From his pre-cruise briefing to being the last to say goodbye at the top of the gangway leaving the boat, he was absolutely great and helped make our trip very enjoyable.
Besides Captain Rick, we enjoyed an exceptionally friendly crew, including Tara, a hard-working mate who shared our passion for hiking and has many adventures similar to our. Our crew successfully brought us to Hawaiian spinner dolphins, humpback whales and nearly to Kalalau Beach on the Na’Pali Coast despite large swells and very strong winds from the north. We were able to look up the deep valleys that make up this wind and wind sculpted part of the island and to watch waves crashing into sea caves and rocky cliffs.
There were very few dry places on the luxurious 20 m (65 ft) Southern Star catamaran but if you didn’t mind getting wet (and who should in Kaua’i at sea?), it was a fantastic ride. We stayed in the very front of the catamaran for the entire trip, even during our steak, shrimp and asparagas dinner that was brought to us by the crew. Being in the front meant riding the swells more than any other part of the boat, and at times we were dropping and rising 3 meters or more with sea spray hitting us every few minutes. We don’t think sunset cruises are normally such a wild ride, and we were grateful that our captain was able to take us so far up the coast despite the conditions.
Sunsets
Sunset over Ni’ihau on the way back was a spectacular sight, as all Kaua’i sunsets are, but when you stand at the rail, wind blowing steadily, looking at only water between you and the sunset, it takes on a special meaning.
We love the island of Kaua’i and think every day in our lives should end like this. Now to figure out how to make that a reality…
We had a great plan for our trip to Kaua’i at the end of August 2009, knowing that our true target, the Kalalau Trail, was closed for a goat hunt. We planned to drive to Kekaha, on the western (leeward and dry) side of the island to pick up a kayak from friends and paddle north east from Polihale Beach to the Na Pali Coast. The plan was simple enough. Though the cliffs are steep and run right to the Pacific, there are coves and beaches along the way that make excellent remote camping sites, like Miloli’i Beach. We picked up the tandem sea kayak, purchased some last-minute supplies and were at Polihale well before sunset.
It was exciting to be so close to this rugged and remote coast of an island paradise like Kaua’i. Polihale Beach gets narrower as you go north until it simply runs out of flat and becomes an impassible cliff. The only way to continue toward the Na Pali Coast was to leave shore, which made it even more important that we had a seaworthy means of transportation. Our kayak would have to carry everything we would need for several days. We double and triple checked all of our gear to make sure everything fit, was watertight where it needed to be, was attached to the kayak and wouldn’t be lost by rolling over. We were truly ready. It was a very hot evening and no fire was necessary, though we made one just for the ambiance. We slept on top of our sleeping bags, which were wholly unnecessary on this side of the island.
Change of plans
An unscheduled goat hunt and then Mother Nature had a way of changing our best-laid plans. We awoke the next morning to the first northern swell that typically ends the summer of easy kayaking on mostly flat ocean. Undeterred, we packed up our camp and dragged our heavily-laden kayak to the water’s edge. As we drew closer to the shoreline, it became more apparent just how big the swell really was. The waves were breaking late and were powerful, causing a steep drop off to form where the ocean met land. Once over that drop, there was no protection from the incoming waves and no gradual way to get through the first set of breakers.
We tried our best to get the timing right and to move quickly, but Jeanne was battered at the front of the kayak by every approaching wave, and it was impossible to steer the kayak from the back. We were on our third or fourth exhausting attempt to launch when a local came up to us and at first offered to help but then declared it a ‘bad idea.’ Looking back, I’m glad he showed up. We were very determined and may have ended up in a dangerous situation if we made it through that first set of waves.
Plan C
So what do you do on Kaua’i when you have a car, a kayak and all of your camping supplies for the next three days? You go find water somewhere else. That was exactly the conclusion we came to once we got over the disappointment of missing the Na Pali Coast yet again. The best, protected water we could find on the map was the Wailua River, near the village of Kapa’a on the southeast side of the island. This is normally a place where tourists rent kayaks take short trips upriver. That simply isn’t our style, so we launched into the river and paddled up to the supposedly ‘Secret Waterfall’ that wasn’t at all secret. It was great to paddle on the very scenic river, but it wasn’t enough adventure for fun junkies like us.
The rope swing
Locals told us there was a spot up a branch of the river with a rope swing and we needed to check this out. There was also a place called “Fern Grotto” that most people visit by a large riverboat that chugs up the river several times per day. Once past the disappointment of the very unsecret Secret Waterfall (there were reasonably large crowds for a weekday in August) we relaunched to check out these other spots.
While the Fern Grotto was interesting and pretty, nothing made our day like being able to swing out over the water on a long rope placed by locals. We took turns on the rope, each time going a little higher and a little further out. We had fun doing this until the mosquitoes drove us away (we weren’t prepared for this problem). Paddling back down the Wailua River was the usual challenge of overtaking every other kayak we saw, no matter how far off in the distance. We’re a little too competitive in that way. After a dinner in Kapa’a, we headed to a beach we’d heard about but had never visited, Anini.
Anini Beach
A perfectly groomed and gorgeous beach, but not exactly remote or private, Anini Beach is a local park that locals use for family events. It was quiet on a weeknight and we found an excellent campsite just inside the treeline and quite close to the water. This part of the island is protected by a reef about 100 m (300 yards) offshore so there were no waves near enough to be a risk for sleeping right at the ocean’s edge.
Walking up in paradise, a few meters from the water is an experience everyone should have. The daybreak was cool and still in a way that made it very easy to sit at the water’s edge and soak in the atmosphere. We sat for only a few minutes before we became aware of movement in the sand in front of us. Sand crabs were busy digging holes, fighting over holes, and generally going about their early morning business. We probably passed thirty minutes just watching it all happen.
Not having a plan
From Anini, with no idea of what to do next, we stopped in a coffee shop to have a bite to eat and enjoy the morning. A group of ten or so people sitting nearby asked us to take their picture, which led to a conversation about their plan to hike to a nearby, truly secret waterfall. There was no way we could resist this opportunity. We parked blocks away and accompanied the eclectic group as we made our way through cow pastures and fields, crossing what was obviously private property, until we came to one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever visited. This ‘secret waterful’ is known to locals and not an easy place to get to unless you know the path and maybe the property owners that surround this slice of paradise. We were able to swim out and climb directly under the 25 m (40 ft) cascade. On a warm day, the water was the perfect temperature for a natural shower.
Kilauea
There were few ways to top what we’d done so far just that morning, so we decided to spend the day sightseeing the north shore. The first stop was Kilauea Lighthouse, a tall classic lighthouse that sits far out on a skinny point of land. It was a beautiful spot to watch the waves come in and crash against the nearly vertical walls of the cove below. It was easy to think it was the coast of Maine or California except for the warm trade winds and fantastic scenery in every direction.
Secret Beach
‘Secret’ seemed to be the theme of this adventure, and our friends from the waterfall gave us a parting gift of directions to Secret Beach, or “Secrets” as the locals call it. This is a beach that you’ll never find without good directions, as the trail involves parking in a very unlikely-looking place next to enormous houses under construction and then following a small footpath with no view of the stunning beach that lies at the other end. From the moment the trail opens onto the sand, it is a clearly exceptional place from the color of the sand, to the water, to the view of Kilauea Lighthouse off in the far distance. The waves are driven by an offshore wind that gives a savage look to the place and causes strange patterns in the sand. We spent a few hours in the magical place before heading off to our hotel for our last night on the island.
Spouting Horn
With our time on Kaua’i coming to a close, we made our way back to the west side of the island and to a popular blow hole in the lava rock known as Spouting Horn. Not only does it shoot water in the air as waves roll into its underground crevasses, but the sound it makes is other-worldly as it moans and howls. Fences keep the tourists far away, and this is understandable as the temptation to get closer is powerful.
We already thought Kaua’i was amazing even before we found these treasures, but this trip cemented its reputation with us. We plan to go back in November 2011 to finally hike the Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali Coast over Thanksgiving Weekend. We feel sure that no matter how many times we go back, we’ll continue to find more reasons to love this island.
Change of plans
Most people go to Hawaii to relax on a beach, but that would be too easy for us. Not enough adventure. Even on our wedding day in May, 2009, we managed to squeeze in a hike on the island of Maui (after the ceremony). Unfortunately, this trip was the second time we went with plans to hike the Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali Coast but weren’t able to. We were thwarted once for a last-minute closure for a goat hunt, and this year because they changed the permits to online-only, and no longer available from the grumpy guy at the State Office in Lihue. Lesson learned, and we now have permits for Thanksgiving 2011, but not in time for this particular trip.
New Plans
Last-minute changes are something we are used to…some of our best adventures come from an unplanned alternative. We did our research on the Hawaii State Parks website and found Koke’e State Park, at the top of the road to Waimea Canyon. We saw a great loop trail that would traverse the cliffs above the Na Pali Coast and give us views of our elusive paradise along the Kalalau Trail. Camping in Hawaii is all about changing weather, and at 1,000 m., Koke’e can be cold, wet, hot or dry, all in the same day. Being waterproof without being warm is the key.
Secret Beach
We usually start with the first and last nights in a hotel, just to help us get our gear in order both after and before our flights. We stayed at the Westin Princeville, which wasn’t a great choice in retrospect. It was the opposite side of the island from Koke’e and doesn’t have a great beach. To make up for this, we stopped by Secret Beach, between the Westin and Kilauea. Locals generally need to tell you how to get there, and we found out on an earlier trip. It is a slice of paradise, and even has an excellent fresh water source right on the beach, where delicious water trickles from the cliff face. The colors of the sand, the vegetation and the water create an overwhelming landscape, well worth the single track trail to get there.
Camping at Koke’e
Koke’e is one of the quietest places we’ve come across. It was nearly empty and unstaffed. The sites were grassy, had picnic tables and separated by significant vegetation. It was very easy to believe you were completely alone. Each site also had its own water and was just a few minutes walk from the parking lot. The Missing Person signs and the remoteness gave us pause, but we survived to write this.
Nualolo Cliffs and Awa’awapuhi Trails
Starting early while it was still cool, the trails were clear and except for a few tree roots and muddy places, very easy to follow. The views were excellent even before we reached the cliffs as we climbed and descended several times through canopy forests which gave way to low bushes and small trees at the cliffs. The colors of green, the red soil and the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean were the perfect reward for making it to the farthest points.
Na Pali Coast Overlook
Nothing could compare, however, to the views once we reached the Na Pali Coast overlooks. Each bend in the trail offered a new perspective on the enormous valleys that led down to the ocean. The largest valley was the famed Kalalau. The sheer size and depth of the valley made it clear why the end of the Kalalau Trail is the next hike for us in Kaua’i.
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