Kauai Trip 2007 - Day 6

Bye bye Kauai! Going back home to So. Cali.

Early morning breakfast, pack, clean up our cabin, fill up the rental car with gas, boarded the plane to Honolulu, Oahu.

Steve and Shy did have a relaxing, fun, wonderful, and blessed vacation. It was a great way to celebrate our 1-year wedding anniversary early. Kauai, by far, is our favorite Hawaiian island: it has beautiful landscaping, hospitable people, wonderful diving, awesome beaches, delicious vegan food, clean and quiet, not as populated and city-like.

As "gohawaii.com" puts it:
"The northernmost island in the Hawaiian chain is entwined with sharp mountain spires, lush valleys and jagged cliffs, all draped in a canopy of emerald. Kauai appeals to a wide audience because of its dramatic beauty, abundance of activities, and laid back atmosphere.
The verdant scenery will not disappoint you. Whether hiking the Napali Coast, sunbathing in Poipu, or exploring the expansive Waimea Canyon, the views are phenomenal... The timeless beauty and allure of Kauai is what makes it such a treasured destination."

We enjoyed diving and admiring God's creation in the water. However, as beautiful as it was, even the ocean has suffered from the course of sin. With global warming, pollution, sewage/chemical spills - the creatures and life of the ocean has suffered.
"Romans 8:22-23 says, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

Well, we had about a 5 hour lay-over in Honolulu, so we toured Oahu instead of staying at the airport. Tuti and Marcello went to Pearl Harbor. Steve & Shy went to Waikiki. We took the Reliable Shuttle over there & back. We ate vege sushi & inari at the International Market Place. Bought a smoothie and visited the local dive shop.

The plane trip back home was pretty smooth. We took naps and read out of the diving book Steve bought at Barnes and Noble.

We miss Kauai, but it's good to be back home.

Kauai Trip 2007 - Day 5

Today was to explore Kauai off the beaten path.
Roughly ten percent of Kauai is accessible by car.
The rest of the island must be explored by foot, bike, or helicopter.

Kauai ATV Tours

Staging area:
in Old Koloa Town - we checked in at the store.
We went to the site where we would gear up and get into our ATV's. We wore army style pants, T-shirts, goggles, and helmets. Since the sandals we bought protected our toes - we didn't need to borrow the boots. We had to change - because it was going to be dusty, muddy, dirty tour!

We took the ATVs through a test track - to make sure we were capable/comfortable riding them in the real tour. At first I (shylene) was uneasy driving it and on a downhill slope got off track and almost drove through the bushes. I toughed it out and made it through the test track. On the real track there were a lot of bumps, uphills, downhills, mud puddles, etc - very challenging, but a lot of fun! Steve was riding 2 ATVs behind me and would give him the "ok" sign so he'd know I was hanging in there.

Tunnel:
This was the entrance into the Haupu valley. It was 1/2 mile long and was made many years ago to transport the cane sugar much faster. We turned on our headlights going through the tunnel because it was very very dark and a bit cold. On the other side of the tunnel was defintely a scenic beauty.

Haupu:
(kauaiatv.com) "The Haupu valley is nestled below the stuing backdrop of the Haupu Mountain Range. The valley supports agriculture, ranching," and because of its scenic beauty many movies have been filmed here.

Bamboo Intake:
We stopped for about 15-20 minutes and walked through a lush & thick bamboo forest (1 of 2 waterfalls during the tour)



Kahili Falls:
Lunch break and swimming opportunity. Lunch was provided by Kauai ATV tours - we requested a vegan lunch and they gave us a fresh and yummy avocado/vege sandwish with a pasta salad and chips. The water was a bit cold, but it didn't stop us from jumping in and taking a few snapshots by the waterfalls.




Mud Splash:
On our way back were the "do something dirty" opportunities. We went through a few mud puddles, but not too many (we were going on our helicopter tour shortly after ATV and might not have the time to take a good shower to take off all the mud). One of the pictures off the Kauai ATV site shows much more than mud puddles - it's more like mud rivers! Fortunately for us it didn't rain that much to create Kauai's famous red mud.

Island Helicopter Tour of Kauai

"Your Island Helicopters tour over the "Garden Isle" is the most scenic and personalized tour of its kind. Everyone should experience such a tour at least once in a lifetime, and there is no better place than Kauai because so much of the island can only be seen from the air.

Over 80% of Kauai's diverse terrain is inaccessible making the helicopter the best way to see our spectacular waterfalls, canyons, mountains, valleys, rain forests and secluded beaches." (www.islandhelicopters.com)

The "Kauai Grand" tour is the most beautiful scenic adventure that you will ever witness. Manawaiopuna Falls in the Hanapepe Valley (as seen in the movie Jurassic Park)

Olokele Canyon, the gateway to the world class Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific", adorned in its multitudes of rich colors and deep valleys.

Explored the spectacular panorama of the isolated Na Pali Coast, featuring majestic mountains, pristine cathedral cliffs, secluded beaches, and cascading waterfalls.

Mt. Wai'ale'ale - Wettest Spot on the Earth

A common question is why Mount Waialeale is the wettest spot on earth averaging more than 460 inches of rain each year at the summit. The answer is three-fold. Its northern position relative to the main Hawaiian Islands provides more exposure to frontal systems that bring rain during the winter. It has a relatively round and regular conical shape, exposing all sides of its peak to winds and the moisture that they carry. Finally, its peak lies just below the so-called trade wind inversion layer of 6,000 feet (1,800 m), above which trade-wide-produced clouds cannot rise. (gohawaii.about.com)

The following 7 videos were what we saw from our helicopter tour (but wasn't the actual tour we took) - the videos were taken from youtube.com

*** please disregard some parts of the music. thank you =) ***

Waimea Canyon Waterfall


Kahana Canyon


Kukuiula Harbor to Spouting Horn





Cathedrals, Na pali Coast

Hanalei Beach


Honopu Arch, Napali Coast

Honopu Valley


Wailua Falls

Lotus Root
A little bakery/cafe in Kapaa
Peanut Butter & Pina Colada Smoothies
Coconut Lavendar Cookie
Live Pizza - pesto, tomatoes, red onions, mushrooms - so good!

Shopping in Kapaa
After our munchies we walked around Kapaa looking for some last-minute souvenirs


Caffe Coco Restaurant
A great last dinner on the best Hawaiian island!
Located in Wailua off the Kuhio highway - this restaurant "sits hidden among the vines in an artfully restored plantation era cottage." The dishes had a sophisticated flare to it and we enjoyed the charming ambience.

Tofu Pacific Rim Platter

Seared Tofu, Tofu Pot Stickers glazed with Jungle Jazz pineapple grilling sauce, served on a bed of Silver noodle salad with Peanut dressing & Rice
(this dish was so delicious! It had a sweeter tasted to it. The rice was even perfect!)

Charmoula

Moroccan spiced Seared Tofu, topped with Raiita, served with a Curried Veggie Samosa, banana Chutney, Rice, and Silver noodle Salad
(the seared tofu - tasted almost like the vegan chorizo burrito at Pokez)

Kauai Trip 2007 - Day 4

Wonderful Sabbath in Kauai

Lawai Seventh-day Adventist Church

Went to church - great message & good fellowship

This is us & Brandon - he was one of the crew members when we went rafting with Kauai Sea Tours. The funny story is: we ordered vege sandwiches for lunch when we went rafting. Brandon later told us that it perked his interest that he made 4 vege lunches. He later found out that we were from Loma Linda, Cali and but 2&2 together and figured we were SDAs. Brandon is SDA too. When we went to Sabbath School at Lawai Brandon walked in with his mom - pretty cool gathering.

Yum-o potluck

Rest @ the cabin

Wailua Falls
In southeast Kauai, Wailua Falls offer visitors an inspiring view of nature. Located at the southern end of the Wailua River, the tiered waterfalls plunge a dramatic 80-feet.




Kilauea Lighthouse
Perched at the northernmost tip of the Hawaiian Islands, the 52-foot Kilauea Lighthouse was built in 1913 as a beacon for traveling ships. The view off the rugged northern coastline makes this the perfect vantage point for photos. This is also the location of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, a sanctuary for Hawaii's unique seabirds.




One of the beaches along the Coconut Coast


Sunset & dinner at Poipu Beach
"There's no better way to end your day in Kauai than watching a stunning sunset in Poipu" (gohawaii.com)