KAUAI, HAWAII. May 2023
Firstly, here are some general observations about our 9-day trip (yes 9 days, oh joy to be retired!).
- It’s Hawaii, so it rains often, but unlike many places it just rains really hard for a short time, then stops and the sun comes out. We managed to dodge just about all the rain showers, by some strange coincidence we always seemed to be at a bar or in a brewery during the downpours.
- In May, Kauai is pretty laid back and not at all crowded. We had no problems visiting sites, parking or getting a table at restaurants. This is certainly a very different experience from Maui in August.
- Most trails were VERY muddy, the sticky red clay type of mud that leaves a half inch thick coating on your shoes. After reading online reviews of experienced hikers making rapid descents on their backsides, we skipped several planned hikes.
- I used to think of Hawaii as a very expensive place, and it is definitely not cheap. However, the sharp post-pandemic price increases in the Bay area have made it almost comparable. In most cases, beer was actually cheaper in Kauai.
Day 1
After arriving at Liheu airport we picked up the rental car. Apparently a bright red Dodge Charger is Hertz’s idea of what two retirees should be driving. This car is especially appropriate for an island where the speed limit is 35MPH with a few stretches getting to a giddy 50MPH. Not much charging to be done. The Charger was an ugly car to drive and had no CarPlay or navigation system. In protest my Google Maps decided not to speak to me.
Then off we set to the Airbnb via the Kauai Brewing Company (excellent ales and lunch, tremendous downpour outside) and, of course, Costco. The Airbnb condo at Princeville’s Pali Ke Kua was well equipped and spacious, but the lanai faced inland rather than seawards. The TV cable system supported hundreds of channels, had pages of instructions, but was completely incomprehensible. Chromecast to the rescue!
We took an evening stroll down the steep, winding path to the condo’s private beach. There was never more than six other people on this lovely spot.
Day 2
It is apparent that the local birds are very used to the residents. The lanai was inundated with crested cardinals, Nene, mynah birds, egrets and chickens at breakfast time. They seemed to like the rain.
After a quick morning trip to Hanalei for coffee and Ginger Julius smoothie at the Hanalei Coffee Roasters we strolled up the road from the condo to the much advertised “Makai Music and Arts Festival”. This turned out to be 4 arty stalls, a guy selling marijuana pain relief creams and a couple singing oldie songs from the 70’s. We didn’t return the following week, but at least it didn’t rain on us.
Day 3
I hiked the Sleeping Giant trail in Wailua while Alison caught up on her reading. It was challenging in places (the trail not the book) though only 4 miles round trip. Several people later expressed surprise that I made it to the top. I guess I look older than I feel.
We lunched at the Kapali Brewing Company in Wailua. It was surprisingly good considering they haven’t actually started brewing any beer yet (tremendous downpour outside again).
Later in the afternoon, I went snorkeling for the first of five times at the local Pali Ke Kua beach. Brilliant: the usual pretty things, many turtles and a large shoal of over 100 lowfin chub. There’s nothing quite like swimming in the middle of a shoal of fish, they don’t seem to care at all, or maybe I look like a bit like a fish. That would explain the hiking comments, as in (“I just met a fish who climbed the Sleeping Giant”).
Day 4
Google maps started talking to me today. That was handy for the long drive to Koloa (in Kauai a “long” drive refers to time not distance, remember 35MPH speed limits). At the Koloa Rum Company we joined the rum tasting room. There we sampled 5 different rums, but very small samples; you had to drink it quickly before it evaporated. I guess you get what you pay for (it was free).
I spent another late afternoon snorkeling at Pali Ke Kua beach. The turtles were a real nuisance: they just kept getting in the way of my watching the pretty things (you have to keep a 10-20 foot distance from them). The lowfin chub were nowhere to be seen, no doubt the turtles were bothering them as well.
Day 5
We had a lazy morning waiting for the rain to stop. Then off to the nearby Puu Pau beach (a 10 minute walk) for the rest of the day. The snorkeling was just OK, but really too shallow. This beach adjacent to the very fancy, very expensive Hotel Hanalei Bay (rooms from $1,507 a night), however, the beach bar was quite reasonably priced (I wonder whose room those drinks were charged to).
Day 6
The three hour time difference really messed up the English Premier League final day which started at 5:30AM local time. Afterwards we hiked the Wai Koa Loop trail; a flat 4 mile round trip but very muddy in places (lots of places). Fortunately, we were passing a horse stop during the heaviest rain so took cover. A Buddha kept us company as we ate our sandwiches overlooking the stone dam at the end of the trail.
Day 7
Today we drove way across the island to the artist’s town of Hanapepe. This is a small town with arty galleries, the fine Japanese Grandmas restaurant (beer and spicy edamame) and a long pedestrian suspension bridge. I managed to set up quite a resonance on the bridge, little kids looked worried.
We took a detour to the Salt Pond Beach for lunch, eating in the shelter of the covered picnic tables while avoiding the rain yet again.
Our romantic evening stroll to watch the sunset was abandoned due to rain.
Day 8
Yet another lazy day: we spent the morning in Hanalei drinking smoothies and shopping. Our afternoon trip was to Anini beach (a 15 minute drive). We found a nice spot on the grass next to the sandy beach which was just a few yards from the shelter of the trees (yes, it rained), and watched the wind surfers terrorize the swimmers.
Day 9
This was supposed to be the day of my big hike on the Kalalau Trail across the spectacular Na Pali coast. Unfortunately, since our last visit they have implemented a reservation system to hike the trail which was fully booked by the time we found out.
Instead we went to Puu Pau Beach again. Today I found the good snorkeling spot to the right of the beach; many pretty things and no pesky turtles. Coincidentally, we happened to be at the beach bar enjoying a beer during the heaviest downpour.
Summary
Despite the frequent rain showers, Kauai remains an awesome place to visit. As the oldest island in the Hawaiian island chain the lush vegetation is amazing. On the north coast there are many splendid beaches with lots of shady tree cover, wide sandy stretches and impressive snorkeling. There are also more breweries than last time we visited six years ago. We had a great time.