35b. Hike the Na Pali coast continued (exploring Kauai)

Original Plan

While I was planning our trip to Kauai, my intention was for our 5-day trip to follow something like this:

Friday, March 25
-Fly over to Kauai in the early morning
-Head immediately to trailhead and begin hiking
-Hike all the way in
-Camp overnight at Kalalau Beach

Saturday, March 26
-Explore the camp and relax
-Camp overnight at Kalalau Beach

Sunday, March 27
-Get up really early to begin trek all the way out
-Check into hotel, eat dinner, sleep

Monday, March 28
-Explore North/West Kauai

Tuesday, March 29
-Explore South Kauai
-Fly back to Oahu in the evening

Now take all of that (my itinerary was detailed almost to the hour) and throw it out the window. This is how it really happened:

Friday, March 25
In the early hours of the morning, around 2:00am, we checked weather updates once again to assess current conditions. There were alerts of flash flooding and weather tracking radars that showed no signs of the storm dissipating or moving away from Kauai (insert the sound of my heart sinking). Jack convinced me to change our car rental reservation so that we would have a single car booked through our entire stay in Kauai. I wasn't sure how the car rental agency would charge us since we couldn't cancel our other reservation so that was on my mind. Our morning was further stressed by the misunderstanding of our ride to the airport thinking it was a different day, so arriving later than anticipated to pick us up. And to top this all off, when we were checking in at the airport, we realized Jack forgot his wallet and cell phone in the car and we had to run around getting folks at the airport to lend their phones to us to call and catch our ride in time before he made it back home to Kaneohe. Luckily, Hawaii is full of good people and our ride got the message to turn back to get our essentials to us. We got the wallet and cell phone, passed through TSA without any issues, and everything seemed all right at the gate for our flight. On the plane ride though, the attendants updated us of bleak weather conditions in Kauai, including lightning and heavy rains.

We were welcomed with dark skies occasionally brightened with streaks of lightning when we landed at Lihue Airport. Although the rains weren't harsh, they remained constant throughout the morning. Luckily we didn't run into any issues at Hertz, despite the fine print saying we would be charged for any reservations that were kept within 24 hours of our arrival time. We checked the DLNR website to find updates on the closure of the Kalalau trail for the day, a huge warning outlined in bright red. Since we couldn't begin our hike on this day, we decided that we would pay a visit to our hotel, Kauai Palms, to see if we could change our reservations to our first two nights instead of last two nights of our trip. It wasn't a good sign that the motel looked like a little ghetto on the outside. Our impression was not improved by the lady who greeted us; she didn't seem too friendly and told us to come back in the afternoon after the check-in time starts to see if there would be rooms available. Since we had to wait, we decided to kick off our sightseeing in the meantime.

 One good thing to come from all the heavy rains

  Like this picture of Jack and me freezing in the 50-degree weather

 

 

  Niihau in the background in upper photo

 Rain started to clear up at this point

 Kalalau Lookout

Our first point of interest was the Waimea Canyon. Because of the rainy weather and our early arrival, we didn't have to compete with too many other tourists there, so that was nice. Additionally, the fog wasn't too thick and didn't hinder our view; in fact, the view was more superb with the myriad of waterfalls flowing from the many crevices of the canyon. The temperature was also a brisk, chilly 50 degrees, which added to the experience. There were three or four various scenic points along the canyon that we stopped at, including the Kalalau lookout at the end of the road. Since we didn't go on the hike yet, we had no idea what part of the trail we were looking at. We then headed to a nearby black sand beach, which the sand was in fact more brown than black. We could see all the runoff from the heavy rains, which made the waters look unappealing, but we hadn't plan to take a dip anyway.

 

 Lovely runoff in the water

It was a little too early for lunch still, so we went ahead and checked out Aunty Lilikoi's to see what kinds of treats we could bring back home. We determined that their selection was not for us and headed out. We then headed to the Kauai Coffee Company to try out some roasts as well as go on a guided tour. The lady who served as our guide was a very proud Kauai resident and Kauai Coffee Company employee. I don't typically drink coffee, but felt obliged to try the varieties available at the shop. I honestly could not tell them apart. The only "coffee" I enjoyed was anything that I had added some cream and sugar. Coffee connoisseur I am not.

  Kauai Coffee Company

 The Original Brick Oven Pizza

By the time we finished our visit at the coffee farm, it was appropriate to head to lunch. I was really looking forward to stopping by the original Brick Oven Pizza for some of their famed fare. We ordered a pizza and garlic bread. Unfortunately, I must have had high expectations because I felt they didn't deliver on the flavor. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything mind-blowing or memorable. The staff were all very friendly and nice and service was all right. Afterwards, we went back towards the south end to Hanapepe. I wanted to check out Taro Ko's farm for their famous taro chips. When we went to the door and knocked, we heard a grouchy man say he wasn't open so we left empty-handed. Slightly let down that we experienced the man but not his chips, we trekked on to the nearby Hanapepe Swinging Bridge. I was amused by the bouncy travel across. At the other end was a guy selling scenic photographs out of his home. While I checked out the photos, Jack was preoccupied by the roosters. We then headed back across the bridge.

 Hanapepe Swinging Bridge

Jack sporting his Crocs

We figured it would be about the time of check-in if we headed back to our place of stay, so we headed there. Fortunately, when we arrived, there was a shift change in staff since we were greeted by a different, more happy woman named Mokihana. She was very accommodating and helped us to change our reservation swiftly, even upgrading us to a room with air conditioning. When we opened the doors to our room, we were delighted to see a clean and modern interior, which was drastically different than what we expected based on the exterior conditions.

 First thing Jack goes for is the TV

 Not much room, but sufficient for our purposes

  Clean bathroom is a strong indicator of comfort level of hotel

We unpacked and settled in a bit. At this time, Jack discovered he had packed two pairs of Crocs for this trip, the set he wore on his feet and one in our baggage. I rag on him about this (in jest) for two reasons. The first is that he had qualms about my wanting to pack Crocs for the hike and then regular slippers for the days we played tourist because he wanted to save on luggage space to bring back more omiyage. The second is Jack's affinity for Crocs. We didn't exchange wedding gifts when we got married, but this was his first gift to me after we tied the knot. He also bought them as a Secret Santa gift for one of his cousins and has convinced his mother to wear them as well. Also, he once forgot shoes on one of our hikes, and did it instead in Crocs. Of course the guy would subconsciously pack two pairs of his favorite footwear on a trip like this. But back to our trip.

 Trailhead

 Sunset at Ke'e Beach

It was approaching evening by that time, but decided to head all the way to the trailhead of Kalalau to check out how conditions were since the weather seemed to improve elsewhere on the island. The drive up was long, but we were glad that it seemed the rain had finally passed. We caught sunset at Ke'e beach at the trailhead, then headed back to the hotel. We walked to the nearby Hamura Saimin for dinner. I was looking forward to trying the lilikoi chiffon pie. I still remember the tender, flaky crust and soft, light airiness of the pie. We bought a slice to bring back to Mokihana as a thank you for her assistance early that day.

 Hamura Saimin

 Lilikoi chiffon pie

Saturday, March 26
Our first stop of the day was the Tip Top Bakery and Motel for the oxtail soup for Jack's breakfast. Being vegetarian, I passed on that and instead searched for breakfast at the Kauai Community College Farmer's Market. We arrived before the official start time, and hung out under a tent to wait for the vendors to get ready. As soon as it hit the dot for the opening time, the flurry of people hurriedly making their way to certain vendors caught Jack and me unexpected, since we were getting used to the laid-back culture of the island. Innocent-looking women who were lurking at the edges of the waiting area made a mad dash to a nearby anthurium vendor and wiped them clean of their inventory in the first two minutes of the market (no joke). We slowly strolled among the tents/stands in search for the Hanalei Taro and Smoothie Company since I had previously visited their farm on my first trip to Kauai and wanted to eat their food again. I ordered a taro hummus wrap. While we were waiting for my food, we saw this lady buy out all of the food truck's kulolo. Apparently the locals know what they want and mean business when they come to the farmer's market. We made our round through the vendors, tasting whipped pineapple and buying some roasted nuts to bring back home to finish off our farmer's market experience.

Jack enjoying his soup for breakfast

Afterwards, we tried to go back to Taro Ko's in the hopes of catching him early enough when he might still have inventory from his chipmaking of the day. He must have taken the day off because his doors were closed again. We then went to the Salt Ponds. The sands were blazing hot! After a short while there, we traveled to the Kauai Kookie Kompany. We felt like we hit the jackpot because there was a huge selection of goodies that we could bring back home. The lady was kind enough to give us a discount since we purchased quite a bit. Always appreciate a nice gesture like that!

 Salt Ponds

 Not sure why the car was there

We headed up back towards Lihue. Somewhere along the highway, a car passing us in the opposite direction flashed its lights at us. I told Jack to check his speed limit since that signaled police up ahead. Jack was excited beyond belief as he had never known about that. I found that worthy of noting down because Jack doesn't get this excited much, so to see how he was spilling with it was kind of cute.

Our destination was Sueoka's. The prices of their food cannot be beat! I ordered six spring rolls for a whopping $1.50. On our way back to Lihue, we traveled through the Koloa Tree Tunnel. We made a stop at Costco because Jack was suffering withdrawals (if Costco were a person, it would be Jack's BFF). Bummed that we saw the same cookies that we bought an hour earlier were cheaper by $1/box at Costco, but still managed to buy some goodies there. We found one of the ladies giving out free samples of creme brulee to be memorable. She was a funny, upbeat local girl who wanted to make sure everyone got their fare sample of the dessert.

 Outside Jack's favorite store

 

 Tax in Kauai is slightly lower than on Oahu so we got a deal

By this point, I was starting to get a headache from being out all day in the heat. But since it still early in the afternoon, we didn't want to waste our time on Kauai. We headed up north, our next stop the Opaekaa Falls. Then we went to get lunch for Jack at Duane's Ono Char Burger. I indulged in a strawberry milkshake. We didn't want to eat our lunch there, so decided to head to the Anahola Beach Park. On our way, we saw these two adorable girls enthusiastically selling bananas by the roadside. After finishing our lunch at the beach, we went back to the hotel so I could rest my pounding head. Jack took a nap.

 Opaekaa Falls

 Cows in pastures

 Enjoying my strawberry milkshake

 Anahola Beach Park

It was time for dinner when Jack awoke, so we headed out to find food. Surprisingly few places were in operation around 6-7pm. A Thai food truck close by was supposed to be open according to Yelp, but it was not. We drove around to find an open restaurant, and decided to go to a nearby shopping mall. I got Taco Del Mar since most other establishments were closing up. Jack wanted to try a place called Smiley's, which is known for plate lunch style food. We also stopped by Times to purchase some food items since we would be heading out for the trail in the wee hours of the morning the next day. When we arrived back at our hotel, the dryer was not working so we had to travel to a nearby laundromat. While we were waiting for our clothes to dry, we checked out the bowling alley. Then after we collected our garments, we went home, prepared our bags for the hike, and tried to go to sleep.

Sunday, March 27
Our plan was to leave for the trailhead around 5:30/6:00am to start the hike by 7:00/7:30am. We got up early, got ourselves ready, packed up, returned the room key, and then got into the car to head out. Except that we couldn't find the car key. Turns out Jack forgot it in the hotel room. But I had already dropped the room key in the return slot so we couldn't get it back. There was a family who arrived the evening before and was having trouble sleeping due to a mix of jetlag and crying roosters. They were kind enough to give us the after-hours emergency number. No one picked up when we called several times, so we basically waiting around until the front desk opened at 7:00am. It was an agonizing and frustrating wait for me (which Jack did not hear the end of for a good 45 minutes), but we finally got the key and headed out!

 Tree outside our hotel that we would have otherwise not have known existed had we left as scheduled for the hike on Sunday morning

 Heading up the trailhead

Find details of the actual hike here, but I'll continue with our adventures following the hike.

Tuesday, March 29
Once we got back in the car, we tried to lay out some of our wet clothing to dry up a bit before we packed it into our luggage. Our first stop in civilization was the farm site of the Hanalei Taro Company. There, I ordered a taro burger and taro smoothie (couldn't really taste any taro in the smoothie). We then backtracked a bit so Jack could try our Chicken in a Barrel (which he found to be overpriced and not that appetizing). I still had room in my stomach so I ordered an acai bowl from the Juice Bar, which did not disappoint. I topped my bowl with coconut flakes, almonds, blueberries, pineapple, and bee pollen. My stomach appreciated the nice change from preserved foods to fresh fruits and veggies.

 Juice Bar, the stand where I got my acai bowl

On our way back to Lihue, we made a stop at the Hanalei Scenic Overlook. The scenic overlook was not as beautiful as I remembered in the first time, probably because there was more mud and less taro than the last time, but it still turned out nice in our pictures. We got back in our car and headed towards Kilauea. I was a bit bummed that the lighthouse was closed, but glad that we were able to stop by the Kilauea Bakery to try the chocolate eclair with coconut cream that people were raving about on Yelp. It was a bit pricey at $4, but fully satisfying. Jack also ordered a lilikoi cream puff as well, which was all right.

Hanalei Valley Scenic Overlook

 

 Jack had a fascination with the roosters on Kauai

Since we still had time, we decided to head back to the Kauai Kookie Kompany to buy some toast since it would be more fresh today than it would have been had we bought it a few days prior. We visited their storefront in Kalaheo, didn't find what we wanted there, and headed to their factory in Hanapepe. It was about time to head back to the airport, so we stopped by Costco for gas, back to the rental car company, and then to the airport.

 

 Lilikoi cream puff and chocolate eclair with coconut cream

 Jack approves of the eclair

Although we deviated so much from our original plan, we managed to accomplish almost everything we wanted to do, most importantly, the hike. All in all, I'd say that it was a good trip. Certainly a memorable one in many ways! If we were to go back to Kauai, I would really want to get some taro chips from Taro Ko's since everyone raves about them. The other thing I would like to do if the opportunity presented itself would be to hike the Awaawapuhi Trail to view the Kalalau Valley from the top view. Until next time, Kauai, if we ever have a chance to see you again.