Oah'u // #theonewhereweallgotoHawaii
Kaua'i // Coconut Coast + North
Kaua'i // Favorite Memory + Hike
Kaua'i // The Na Pali Coast
Kaua'i // Hiking Highs
Kaua'i // South + West
"Vacations are more than vacations, and that island is more than an island. Vacations are the act of grabbing minutes and hours and days with both hands, stealing against the inevitability of time." -Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines
Kaua'i. The Garden Island. I have been dreaming about it ever since we left. After returning home, I may have suggested to M that we move there for a season. He's not on board. Yet. But this island. Oh my goodness. I cannot even put it into words. It sure is beautiful in and of itself, but what made it even more so was the people we were with and the memories that were made in this place. That vacation was more than a vacation, and that island is more than an island...
It was a quick 20 minute flight from Oah'u to Lihue on Hawaiian Airlines (booked through United using points). From the moment our feet stepped off the plane, the island felt like a home away from home, at least for the next six days.
First stop, Costco. Burgers. Brats. Chicken. Eggs. Greek Yogurt. Fruit. Veggies. Kettle Chips. Bacon. Tillamook Cheese. Sandwich fixings. Oatmeal. Peanut Butter Pretzels. Sunscreen. We were set for the week.
Back in January, we had decided to rent a house outside Kapa'a. The drive to the house was an adventure by itself; into the countryside, down dirt roads, and through the trees. But my oh my, was it a treat.
I cannot tell you how many times we got lost going back, but when we finally made it, the palm-lined driveway was always a welcome sight.
The house was beautiful, quiet, and secluded. As night came, the island breeze put our tired bodies fast asleep, and in the middle of the night, raindrops dancing on the roof serenaded us back to sleep. There was no need for an alarm clock here. At about 4:30 a.m. every morning, the roosters made sure to give us a wake-up call with no option to hit snooze.
M and I had a room with balcony that overlooked the backyard, a gorgeous view to wake up to. Mountains to the left. Pool and palms to the right. For whatever reason, I kept expecting to awake to Nick cannon-balling into the pool each morning (his room was on the main level just off the pool), but that never actually happened.
The pool was in use almost every evening for what the guys called compression sessions. Translation: they stripped down to their compression shorts for a quick dip.
The grill got a lot of use too, and the guys made some delicious dinners.
Since there is one main highway on the island, it can take a while to go from end to end. Part of the reason we selected a rental in Kapa'a was that it is central and allowed for flexibility to go either north or south and west. So for the rest of this post, I'm going north.
Just north of Kapa'a is a town called Kilauea, and the guidebook Kauai Revealed had mentioned a shave ice place there called Tege Tege. When Skyler and I read the description and practically started drooling over the words organic shave ice with honey, real fruit + syrup, and no artificial colors or flavorings, we just had to try it.
Tege Tege is open five days a week from 11:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. but closes early when sold out. It is Japanese-style shave ice and a little different than the regular Hawaiian shave ice, but oh SO good.
Skyler and I had our eye on the Mango and fingers crossed for two of the limited 20/day that they make.
It was everything we had hoped it would be.
We completely fell in love with the north part of the island. It was lush and green, and swept us away.
Hanalei is a small, charming town on the north shore and exactly what I would imagine a sleepy town in Hawaii to look and feel like: surf shops, shave ice stands, small colorful boutiques and cafes.
But this church was my favorite building of all.
With sweeping mountains and clear water, Tunnels Beach was a lovely place to snorkel, play and catch some rays.
We even have our very own Joey among these Friends.
Afternoon treats became a routine.
M and I shared mango/pineapple/lime/blue raspberry shave ice over Macadamia ice cream.
Nick ordered the rainbow shave ice.
Skyler loved the Macadamia shake.
One of Adam's favorite places is Hanalei Bay. In his words, "it is magical." The sand was so hot!! Not just here, but at a lot of the beaches. We had to run as quick as possible to prevent our feet from burning, and the water felt so refreshing after the scorching sand.
Except for this one. Poor M had to sit in the shade and nurse his sunburn. Yikes. He claims he was "working on his base," a common phrase used on this trip as we all tried to catch up to Pete and his tan from being in the fields of Iowa all summer.
Many of the beaches on this island were tucked away, and I loved that you had to first drive a dead-end road, find the trail, and then hike to the end destination. It was a constant adventure.
Secret Beach was another place that we visited in this area. There were only a few other people there when we arrived, and they left shortly after, which meant we had the place to ourselves.
In the winter, these waters are for the surfers and locals. But for us, on this summer day, it was the perfect place to body-surf, which resulted in a whole lot of fun and sand everywhere and anywhere.
Queen's Bath was another gem on the north side. Depending on the surf, it can be unrecognizable and a very dangerous place to swim. Don't believe me? Check out this video. Absolutely crazy!! The surf was calm on our summer evening visit, so we swam. The water really is quite clear but looked almost green at that time of day.
Little sea urchin lesson while there too. ;)
But one of the most glorious moments of the trip was seeing and enjoying the sunset here, reminding us that from the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised (Psalm 113:3).
So that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at Your signs; You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. Psalm 65:8
"This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on seas and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls" - John Muir
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