Kauai
– May 2018
Decided to visit
my friend in Kauai as she planned to be around
in May and is usually out travelling!!
Got a great fare on Alaska Airlines nonstop from San Diego, parked my car at Wally Parking and
took a free shuttle to the airport. Plane
left about 7:05 a.m. and arrived at 10:45 a.m.
My friend met me at the airport and we stopped by Costco to get some
fruit and cranberry walnut bread and then I settled in. She has a lovely home near Anahola and I
stayed in a little cabin behind her house.
Weather was balmy
with some rain the whole time I was there which was to be expected on a
tropical island. We had a nice lunch
together outside on the patio and then I took a walk to the beach nearby. In the evening we sat out by the fire pit and
had some delicious lentil soup which she had made and caught up with our lives…
Took a walk every
morning and then fixed breakfast for us which we ate outside on the patio
overlooking a field of goats and beautiful tropical plants. So much great fruit to be had!! She has papaya and mango trees and we found
some great blueberries and pineapple along the way. My first morning I headed to the sleeping
giant trail, stopping at the Opaekaa
Falls on my way. The trail was very muddy which made the going
difficult but it was a beautiful trail and took about 2 hours just to get to
the 2 mile mark. Stopped in coconut
plaza for a delicious mung bean, cucumber, etc. salad with grilled ahi at the
sleeping giant grill, a bit hard to find but well worth it!!!
The next morning
after breakfast we drove to Kapa’a and rented bikes. Rode a couple hours along the ocean which was
so beautiful. I felt like I could ride
forever. Met a friend of hers for lunch,
i.e. shrimp pad thai noodles at a little Vietnamese café and later that evening
we had dinner in Kapa’a at JO2, a little bistro in a shopping center I had read
good things about. She had the three
course menu, i.e. wild mushroom pasta, mahi mahi with fresh vegetables and
chocolate croissant bread pudding and I had a dish with poke and avocados on a
tortilla underneath which was ceviche, a kale salad with duck confit and
pistachios and a chocolate crème brulee.
Really nice meal.
Stopped by the
Farmer’s Market in the morning and it was filled with great fruits, vegetables
and all sorts of great things cooking.
We tasted some interesting macadamia nuts, cheeses, etc. before picking
up some fresh kale and Swiss chard for later.
She dropped me off at the Kilohana sugar plantation and I visited the
manor built in 1935 by Gaylord Parke Wilcox and learned all about sugar
cane. There is also a train you can take
around the grounds and even have lunch at Gaylord’s Restaurant if you like.
Afterwards we
spent a couple hours in the Kauai Museum which told the history of King Kamehameha
and his dynasty as well as the history of old Hawaii – how the islands came to
be and how they were ruled until Captain Cook discovered them. Also listened to some ukulele music in the
courtyard. Drove back “home” and made a
nice salad with the fresh kale we had bought and later we had lentil soup with
the Swiss chard outside under the stars.
Even though it
rained all night we got up early and headed to Waimea Canyon,
stopping at Starbucks on the way for coffee and banana bread. Entered the Koke’e State Park and stopped at
some viewing points along the way but it was too foggy to see anything. I hiked a beautiful trail down to Waipo Falls
which took about 2 hours and there were some lovely views along the way.
Stopped at the
Kauai Coffee Plantation to learn about the 4 million trees on the plantation
that produce 60% of the state’s entire crop and then drove to Keoki’s Paradise
near Poipu Beach for lunch on the veranda. We shared a couple ono tacos which were
delicious and so enjoyed the beautiful view of the palm trees, etc.
Got back just in
time to change for dinner at Hukilau Restaurant in Kapa’a. It was a five course menu, i.e. Sweet potato
ravioli, Island gazpacho with basil sorbet, ono with quinoa pilaf, sesame
linguini with crisp Kauai shrimp taro balls
and vanilla crème brulee. We sat outside
and it was so beautiful…
In the morning I
drove up to the Hindu Temple Monastery where I walked along the path to the
temple, stopping at the giant banyan tree.
Inside the temple the swami was conducting a shiava pooja which was very
interesting to see. The grounds are
lovely…A very peaceful place.
Drove down to the
cute little historic town of Koloa and then
stopped for lunch again at Keoki’s Paradise
and enjoyed a local greens salad with macadamia nuts, goat cheese and grilled
spicy shrimp followed by their famous hula pie, i.e. chocolate cookie crust,
topped with macadamia nut ice cream and chocolate sauce with whipped cream on
the side – decadent!!!
Drove to Poipu Beach
and parked near the Grand Hyatt and then walked down to the beach to follow the
Maha’ulepu heritage trail along the coast.
It was a challenging hike but very beautiful and took about 2 hours to
complete. Drove back and my friend made
us a delicious pizza for dinner which we ate outside enjoying the sounds of the
night.
Made a 9:30 a.m. reservation
at Na’Aina Kai botanical gardens about 15 minutes away and chose the walk and
ride tour which took about 3 hours. We
walked some and rode in a little cart through the beautiful unique gardens and
trees and our guide pointed out the different flowers and plants. There were also some lovely bronze sculptures
throughout the gardens which made it unique.
We even saw a couple albatross!!!
Stopped at the
Kilauea Lighthouse and wildlife refuge, an impressive 52 foot structure
situated on a rocky peninsula 180 feet above the pacific ocean. You can observe some red footed booby birds
as well as wedge-tailed shearwaters through binoculars if you are lucky. There is a lot of information about the wild
life in the little museum/gift shop as well.
Took a nice walk
in the afternoon and then we returned to JO2 for another nice dinner that
evening. We shared the seafood sampler,
scallops in phyllo, salmon with butter sauce and caviar and ahi with linguini,
the tempura vegetables and the warm chocolate cake. A nice final meal and my flight leaves
tomorrow…
Drove up to
Princeville in the morning and saw a few albatross which seem to like to nest
there. On to Hanalei Bay
to the pier where we parked and walked along the beach to see the flood
damage. So many houses were lost and
even the land underneath was washed away…Stopped for breakfast at a cute little
café and then drove back. I took one
last walk along the beach and then she drove me to the airport. Lihue is such a small little airport that I
was through security quickly so had enough time to have a couple delicious fish
tacos at a little café near my gate.
Called Wally
Parking as soon as I landed and the shuttle came in minutes and drove me
directly to my car. A bit of a drive
home, i.e. almost 1-1/2 hours but it went by fast. It was a great trip and much too short!!!
