loveliness.

Tag: kauai

• na pali coast: kauai

  Posted at 8:27 am by jasminedesirees, on August 20, 2015

  On our last full day on Kauai (we flew out later that evening) we did the Holo Holo Na Pali coast boat tour. There are a few different options, but we ended up picking that tour because we would get to go over to Ni’ihau.

  Ni’ihau is another Hawaiian island, it’s called the Forbidden Island because nobody outside of the people who live there are allowed to go. You need a special written invitation to visit, and it’s very hard to get one.

  

  

  

  The Holo Holo tour doesn’t land on Ni’ihau, but it does take you on a cruise around the island, and then stops for snorkeling at the crater just off the coast. The crater is supposed to be amazing to snorkel because the water is very clear, and it’s a sheltered area so there is great visibility and lots of fish.

  The tour leaves from the South side of the island, and at 7:45 am so we had to leave our place at 6:30 to get there on time. We arrived a little early and milled around a bit. After check in and a speech from our captain, we were off. There were about 40 of us on the boat, but it was plenty big enough, at least at first.

  

  

  

  

  It wasn’t the nicest day, it was actually kind of cloudy and windy, but the weather was quickly forgotten once we pulled out of the harbour and encountered a pod of wild Spinner dolphins. The ride to the start of the Na Pali coast was about an hour, and they chased the boat the whole way. By the time we were almost there, it was getting pretty windy, and everyone at the front of the boat was getting drenched from huge waves coming over the front.

  

  

  My sister and I decided to embrace it, and went to the front to get soaked and ride out the bumps. It was really fun for awhile, but eventually one of the deckhands came to get us off the front, because the waves were getting huge and apparently we were in danger of getting catapulted off the front.

  That’s when things started to get a little weird. Everyone was clustered inside or at the back of the boat to try to stay warm and dry, but then people started to get sea sick from the waves. By the time we got to the coast, about 1/4 of the people on the boat were sick. I was seasick one time on a ferry in Cozumel, when I was about 13, and it was scarring enough that I am pretty much religious about taking Gravol before going on a boat on the ocean.

  

  

  

  Once we got to the coast we were sheltered a little bit, and we slowed down to enjoy the view (it was gorgeous), so most people started to feel better. The sun came out, and we had a delicious lunch. Unfortunately, the captain had told us at the beginning of the day that because of the wind he would make a call later about whether or not we’d be making the journey across to Ni’ihau, and I was pretty devastated when he decided we couldn’t go because too many people were sick.

  

  

  

  But we made the best of it and cruised back down the coast, and the boat stopped for snorkeling in a little cove on Kauai instead. We didn’t end up getting in because the water was super murky, and there had been shark sightings in the area, and based on what we’d learned about sharks a few days earlier, I felt like drinking beer on the boat was the better option.

  

  

  

  The day was basically saved for me by the crew, they were a group of local Kauai guys, and we spent the day hanging out with them, and hearing all their crazy stories about their families and life on Kauai. One of their mothers had broken into their ex-girlfriend’s house and threatened her with a knife for trying to take his kid to live on the mainland.

  Kauai is so small, and everybody knows everybody else, so there were definitely some interesting tales.We ended up having a blast with them, and they let us sneak into the beer/wine stash a little early since we weren’t getting in the water.

  

  

  Overall the tour itself was great, we just had bad luck with weather and with people who hadn’t been out on a boat before and didn’t know to take precautions against seasickness.

  

  

  If you are going to do this tour, book it as soon as you can on your trip. When we arrived in the morning they gave everyone the option of waiting and going on a different day when the weather was better, but it was our last day so we couldn’t.

  If you book it on your second or third day, you can reschedule if it’s miserable, because you will enjoy it 10x more if the weather is nice.

  

  Posted in Hawaii, travel, USA | 0 Comments | Tagged boating, Hawaii, kauai, Na Pali Coast, niihau, travel

• na pali coast: kalalau trail hike

  Posted at 8:00 am by jasminedesirees, on July 27, 2015

  I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited for anything than I was to see the Na Pali coast in person, and to be able to do the Kalalau Trail hike. When I moved to Hawaii 7 years ago it was one of the first places I heard about, and even though I’d been to Kauai once before, it was such a quick trip that we hadn’t been able to get over there.

  

  

  

  So needless to say, the morning that we were finally going to hike there, I was pretty pumped. Not as pumped as I would have been if we hadn’t been out until the wee hours the night before, hitchhiking between bars on the island, but that’s a different story for a different day.

  

  

  

  We ended up getting up really early to walk (this seemed like a good idea until about 10 minutes after we left, when we realized we were still miles away from the restaurant, trudging in the blazing sun. Apparently it’s easier to hitchhike at night?) to this really delicious restaurant called the Kountry Kitchen, where we ate lilikoi french toast with coconut syrup.

  

  

  

  It was about a 45 minute drive from there to the coast. Parking is kind of a problem, so make sure you get there early, especially if you are going on the weekend, if not you may end up walking a few miles before you even get to the trailhead.

  

  

  

  The full hike is 11 miles long and you need to pack food and camping gear (which is still something I’m desperate to do), but there are shorter hikes which is what we did. There is one that is 2 miles in to Hanakapi’ai beach, and then you can go another two miles to Hanakapi’ai waterfall.

  Our original plan was to go all the way to the waterfall, but one of our group fell on the rocks at Hanakapi’ai beach (more on that later) which is actually quite treacherous, so we just ended up doing the 2 miles each way.

  

  

  The hike isn’t too strenuous, there are some definite uphill and downhill parts, and it feels a lot further than 4 miles (my mom’s FitBit actually said it was 6 miles round trip) but the views are pretty spectacular. You start at the trailhead just climbing up and all you can see are trees and mountainside, but after about 5 minutes you come up to the first cliff lookout and the view is absolutely breathtaking. I could honestly just have sat there all day looking at it.

  

  

  

  The water is so intensely blue, and the massive, craggy cliffs are incredibly green and they rise out of the sea and it’s so beautiful. It actually reminded me of some of the islands around Palawan.

  

  

  

  Hanakapi’ai beach, which is the turn around point for the shortest hike was not really what I was expecting, it was really rocky. Be very careful if you are walking on the rocks, because they are loose, and we saw quite a few people wipe out, a twisted ankle on that trail would not be cool.

  You also can’t swim there because the current is really strong and there is a shore break. There is a little cave you can climb into on the cliff though, and it’s a good spot to stop and have a picnic lunch on the rocks.

  

  

  

  Right when you come up to the beach, there is a stream you have to cross to get there. A lot of people were taking off their socks and shoes and walking in the water to get across.

  

  

  I don’t know about you, but putting my shoes back on when my feet are wet and sandy sounds pretty awful, and I’m pretty stubborn so I figured there had to be a better way, and I set off to investigate. It turns out, if you walk down almost to the ocean, there are a string of large boulders you can hop across to the other side without getting wet. You’re welcome.

  

  

  

  

  When I first moved to Hawaii I had a professor who was telling us about Na Pali, and how there are local Hawaiians who live back in the mountains but that if you do the full hike you will sometimes meet them.

  

  

  He told us that they aren’t keen on non-locals wandering through their lands, but he said to take chocolate with you as a gesture of friendship because their kids really love it, and they don’t get it very often. I’m not sure if that’s true, but it could be, and really, is bringing extra chocolate ever a bad idea?

  

  

  If you are going to Kauai, you absolutely have to visit the Na Pali coast, it’s mandatory. And if you are doing the full Kalalau trail, can I come with you? I’m sturdy like a little mountain goat, and I can carry a lot and I don’t eat very much and I’m pretty friendly. Call me?

  

  

  Posted in Hawaii, travel, USA | 1 Comment | Tagged Hawaii, hiking, kalalau trail, kauai, Na Pali Coast

• wailua falls

  Posted at 8:00 am by jasminedesirees, on July 20, 2015

  Wailua Falls is a pretty famous waterfall on Kauai. If you’ve ever been to Kauai, you’ve probably been there. There is a viewpoint right off the road, so if you want to go see it, it’s very easy to jump out of the car and take a few pictures.

  

  

  

  The first time I was in Kauai, that’s all we did. This time, I was with my sister who has spent a lot of time in Kauai, and she wanted to show us a better view. We ended up jumping over the stone fence and hiking down the side of the mountain to get down to the bottom of the walls, despite about 10 signs instructing us not to do that.

  

  

  

  Local people on the island do it all the time, and I had seen people down there the last time I visited, I just didn’t know how to get there, so I wasn’t that worried about it. The hike was pretty steep though, and there were a few parts that were a little tricky, so if you are going to try it, make sure to wear good shoes and take your time.

  

  

  

  The valley at the bottom was cool and green, with some really cool big rocks that were most likely brought here by aliens. Once we got down to the bottom we wound around the side of the riverbank back behind the falls. It was awesome to see such a big, powerful waterfall from the back, and we got a nice cool down from the hot day from the waterfall mist.

  

  

  

  It only took us about 15 minutes to climb down (there are some ropes, but they are definitely old so be very careful) and a little longer to climb back up to the top.

  

  

  

  We were walking back to the car when we saw some people coming back out from behind the fence the other way, so we went to check it out. You can walk along a little river to get to the top of the waterfall.

  

  

  

  There are a few times you have to shinny across a fallen tree, but it’s not very dangerous until you get closer to the falls, where the water starts flowing faster. You definitely don’t want to fall into the water there, because it’s a long way down, so watch your step.

  

  

  Wailua Falls was much more memorable my second trip, but if you aren’t into fence hopping, there are so many other waterfall hikes to do on Kauai, just pick one of those instead.

  

  Posted in Hawaii, travel, USA | 0 Comments | Tagged Hawaii, hiking, kauai, wailua falls, waterfalls

• kauai

  Posted at 1:13 pm by jasminedesirees, on July 16, 2015

  A few more snaps from my time in Kauai. I’d been there once before, but only for a short weekend, so I was very excited to go back. It’s such a beautiful place, and I was so glad to be able to spend more time there so I could really explore the whole island.

  Unfortunately, the more creeping around I did, the more I found that there was still a lot to see, so I’ll just have to go back again. How sad.

  Also, if I ever go missing, I am definitely, absolutely not hiding out in that green house on the North Shore of Kauai, so probably don’t look there.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Posted in Hawaii, travel, USA | 0 Comments | Tagged beach, beautiful place, Hawaii, hiking, islands, kauai, Na Pali Coast, travel

• hideaway

  Posted at 8:36 am by jasminedesirees, on June 22, 2015

  One night in Kauai we went out to Rob’s Good Times Grill, we ended up hitchhiking there from Kapaa (it seemed like a good idea at the time). We were going to hike the Na Pali coast the next day (we did, and it was amazing! More on that later) and someone at Rob’s told us we should also check out Hideaway Beach.

  

  

  

  

  Hideaway beach is on the north shore of Kauai. It’s supposed to be similar to the Stairway to Heaven on Oahu, but down instead of up. which is pretty much the only thing I want to do before I die, but unfortunately it was damaged in a storm this year and will likely be taken down. It was always illegal to do but it was possible, and I wish I would have done it when I had the chance.

  

  

  

  

  Hideaway Beach is pretty cool, but it’s hard to find if you don’t know what you are looking for. It’s right near the St. Regis resort, right before you get to the resort you’ll see a little parking lot surrounded by chain link fence, this is the parking for Hideaway. If you hit the gates to enter the resort, you’ve gone too far.

  

  

  

  

  You walk down a little sand alleyway to the edge of the cliff, and that’s where you’ll see the stairs. Be very careful with the stairs, they are old and rusted and broken in places. There are a few very jagged pieces where the railing has broken off, but it’s not a terrible hike down, only 5-10 minutes.

  

  

  

  

  The beach at the bottom is beautiful, and good for swimming. You can also do a little bit more exploring around the area, there are rock cliffs you can crawl up to keep going one way or another around the little cove.

  

  

  

  Hideaways can also be reached by Kayak, or by swimming around the point from the St. Regis, but descending the stairs overgrown with lush green plants against the backdrop of the bright blue ocean is pretty spectacular.

  

  

  

  Posted in Hawaii, travel, USA | 0 Comments | Tagged 808, beaches, Good Times Grill, Hawaii, Hideaway Beach, hideaways, kauai, Stairway to Heaven, travel, usa

• queen’s bath

  Posted at 8:11 am by jasminedesirees, on June 15, 2015

  On the way back through Princeville one day, we decided to stop off at the Queen’s Bath. My sister had heard of it from some of her local friends, and wanted to check it out, so we found our way over there.

  Queen’s Bath is on the northeast coast of Kauai. There is a little parking lot designated for parking, but don’t park anywhere else or your car will get towed.

  

  

  

  It’s about a ten minute scramble down to the ocean from the parking lot, I can’t really call it a hike? But there are stairs and a dirt path that takes you down there.

  

  

  Once you get down to the lava rocks, turn left, and keep walking. It’s further than you think it’s going to be, and if you don’t see anyone else coming back you will probably think you are lost, but you aren’t.

  

  

  

  Queen’s Bath is a big, rounded pool that is surrounded by rocks on all sides, and sits right against the ocean. Depending on whether you are there during high or low tide, or summer or winter, it can be varying levels of dangerous to swim there, but they dissuade people from swimming because there have been so many drownings.

  

  

  When a wave set starts rolling in, they break directly on the rocks surrounding the pool, and then there is a little break in the rocks that forms a tunnel, the water from the wave gets sucked back out to sea, and if there are any swimmers in there who are inexperienced or unprepared, they often get sucked out as well.

  

  

  

  If you are going to go in (my sister did, I didn’t have my bathing suit on? For some reason? On a beach day in Hawaii?) stay close to the higher rock cliffs further away from the ocean where the waves come in, that way you are farther away when the water gets sucked back out, and you have the rocks to grab on to. Also, bring a mask.

  

  

  

  It’s pretty crazy to watch people swim in there when the waves are coming in, these pictures don’t really do it justice. The waves are enormous, and come barreling ferociously over the rock wall really fast.

  

  

  Queen’s Bath was pretty cool to check out, but definitely don’t go in by yourself, or if you are not very familiar with the conditions.

  

  Posted in Hawaii, travel, USA | 0 Comments | Tagged Hawaii, hiking, kauai, queen's bath, travel

• waimea canyon

  Posted at 8:00 am by jasminedesirees, on June 8, 2015

  We flew to Kauai on a Sunday morning, and we were all checked in and ready to go by 1:00. We decided to jump in the car and go exploring. We were staying in Kapaa, which is on the NE side of the island, so we decided to head south to check it out.

  

  

  We drove all the way around the bottom, to the end of the road, stopping every once in awhile to look at the view or check out a beach. You can’t drive all the way around Kauai, the road stops at the beginning of the Na Pali coast, but we went as far as we could.

  It’s a lot quieter on the West side, and a lot less touristy. The drive along the southern road reminded me of driving to Waianae on the West side of Oahu, which isn’t that surprising, but I have some of my best Hawaiian memories in Waianae, so it made me happy anyway.

  

  We eventually turned around and came back, and drove up to the Waimea Canyon. It’s called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, which is pretty legitimate, since I was just at the Grand Canyon, and parts of the Waimea Canyon look exactly like it (although obviously nowhere near as big and deep).

  The road is really pretty, there are lots of places to stop and viewpoints. Our original plan was just to go to the canyon, then to go back to the east side to find some wine and a place to watch the sunset.

  

  

  

  But we kept saying “oh let’s just drive up a little further” until we were at the very end of the road. It’s a pretty long trip, just because it’s a windy road, and if you get behind someone going slow it can take awhile to get there, but it’s really beautiful.

  

  

  

  The best part was the Kalalau Lookout where we got our first glimpse of the Na Pali coast. I’ve been waiting years to finally see it in person, and I was not disappointed. It was so breathtaking I kind of wanted to just throw myself over the edge and stay there forever.

  I always think that on the road to Sandy’s just past Haunama Bay on Oahu. You round this corner and it’s just stunning blue ocean, and I always just want to drive straight off the cliff so I never have to leave. That’s normal, right?

  

  

  We stopped on the way up to the canyon to buy mango and coconut from a little stand, and then at one of the viewpoints we bought a bag of lychee, which my parents hadn’t had before. I quite correctly described it as looking like peeled eyeballs, but they are scrumptious.

  

  

  We were just cruising along this little road in Kauai, eating fruit, and the only radio station we could pick up was the Golden Oldies, so we were listening to “Peggy Sue” and “Mr. Bojangles”.

  I even had my window down, which I almost never do because the wind whips my hair in my face, and I’m always cold, but it smelled so good there, like dirt and sunshine and jungle, which might not sound delicious but absolutely was, that I didn’t ever want to roll it up. It was a great day.

  

  

  Posted in Hawaii, travel, USA | 1 Comment | Tagged Hawaii, kauai, Na Pali Coast, travel, waimea canyon

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