Island hopping in Hawaii - Kauai

The third island on our trip is the "garden isle" of Kauai.  80% of this island is not accessible by land.   This is a tropical paradise!  Hikers and outdoor lovers will love this island.  This island has the only navigable river, Wailua river, available for kayakers.

We landed in Lihue, on the east side of the island.  It's the commercial hub of the island.

We wanted to hike the Kalaulau trail along the famous Napaali coast, but with the current storm, the trail was closed.  We had heard that some people were stranded on the other side of a river and had to be rescued due to the raging river water levels.  The Napaali coast, on the west side of the island, is best seen by helicopter or boat tour and this is our only hiking option.  We were recommended to hike the upper part of Waimea Canyon State Park, through Koke'ee State Park to get a view.

Driving down the highway from the north, we stopped in Hanalei town.  Such a quaint little town, you can see waterfalls from the mountains, just on the street, while you're having coffee and pastries!  Such an awesome view.  Can you count how many?  I'm sure I saw more than 20.

We drove around the north and east sides of the island exploring the the towns.  It's only 1 highway, and it goes almost all the way around, except in the northwest corner.  We saw Princeville, a resort town with golf courses.  We saw Anini beach, which had campgrounds, and has black lava rocks and golden sand.  We saw Kilauea lighthouse at the end of a wild bird refuge.




On the west side of the island, we went to the Hanapepe art walk, which happens every Friday night.  It's "the biggest little town" on the island, and this event is full of food vendors, open art studios and live music.  Great fun for a couple of hours.

On Saturday morning, the biggest farmer's market on the island is at Kauai Community Market.  I saw egg fruit and strawberry papaya that was new.

Waimea town and beach goes on for miles and miles, but we heard it's a spot for sharks, so no swimming!  The locals hang out here, as seen by the 4x4s.  I heard that locals drive Tacomas and tourist rents Hummers and Jeeps.

Waimea Canyon State Park is gorgeous.  No wonder it's called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific because it's just like it, but more lush and green.  It's a much smaller park that I thought, with several lookout points, a picnic spot and 1 trail at the northern end.  Still stormy, the Kalaulau trail was clouded in.

As recommended, we went to Koke'ee State Park and headed to the trails.  Wai'ale'ale trail is one of the wettest places on earth, with 500 inches of rain per year on average.  Pihea trail had great views of the coast and I saw people sitting on the edges!  Photographers with long lenses could be found trying to get the best picture.  I would highly recommend a visit.

In the south, we stopped at Poipu, a resort town and saw the Sprouting Horn, which pushes ocean water out through a lava tube sometimes reaching 6 ft in the air.  Poipu is a great snorkeling spot. There's so many hotels here, it's a great spot for families who don't want to travel too far with little kids.  There is a protected bay and 2 lifeguards.  Snorkel rental is available from Nukikomo surf Shop.  We stopped at Koloa town, which is more antique style.

To protect the fish and coral, reef safe sunscreen is recommended when entering the ocean for swimming or snorkelling.  And bring an umbrella if you need shade, most beaches in Hawaii don't have much shelter from the sun.

Next time, we'll have to come back to the Kalaulau trail, see the view from Canyon Lookout and visit Kapa'a town for the ocean views.