Hawaii Kauai

Posted: Dec 2021
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The Hawaiian islands are made of seven inhabited islands. Kauai sits on the western end of all the Hawaiian islands, around 150 km northwest of Honolulu. It is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands and is also known as the “The Garden Isle”

Chapters

At-A-Glance

Kauai was an hour’s flight away from Honolulu, we landed at night to settle into our Airbnb and stocked up on groceries to last the next 5 days! We looked forward to breathtaking hikes – from the dramatic cliffs and pinnacles of its Na Pali Coast, to Waimea Canyon also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific; from the accessible Wailua’s Falls to the inaccessible Weeping Walls – these trails are ranked as one of the most beautiful in the world!

Main Highlights

Queen’s bath: A muddy trail leads down a hill, past a mini waterfall, to the “beach” made of igneous rock. Queen’s bath is a tide pool and you can wade in it when waves lower than 4 ft high, but watch out for the huge surfs that come fast and furious!

Wailua and Opaeka’a Falls: The most accessible major waterfalls (literally by the road!)

Waimea Canyon: Dubbed The Grand Canyon of the Pacific, this is a canyon nearly 1000m deep and it’s lush with greenery! We even spotted a few mountain goats balancing precariously along the several look outs on Highway 550

Mount Waialeale and Weeping Walls: Mount Waialeale is one of the wettest spot on earth, receiving 450 inches of annual rain. This creates the Weeping Walls water that “cries” out of the walls of the incredibly lush mountain. This was a full day hike, extremely challenging with water crossing and rock climbing. We took help from a professional guide but still unable to complete the trail… unfinished business to return to!

Na Pali Coast: The Kalalau Trail weaves through one of the world’s most famous natural wonders, the Na Pali coast. We attempted the first section of this trail to Hanakapi’ai beach where we played cautiously with strong surf and rip currents! The full trail is 22 miles (return) and requires overnight camping… another unfinished business for an excuse to revisit Kauai!

Photo Reel

Na Pali Coast Queens Bath Waimea Canyon Waialaleale Opaekaa Falls
Na Pali Coast Queens Bath Waimea Canyon Waialaleale Opaekaa Falls
View from the top:

On the edge of the cliff, beside a waterfall, dropping 1000m below into the lush green

Family:

3 generations on the Canyon Trail (1.8 miles
each way)

Contrasting worlds:

Boy takes on the Canyon trail half
naked while the girl puts on an extra mask

Gates to Jurassic Park:

This was the site of the actual
gates to the original Jurassic Park

Start of the Trail:

Bamboo forests welcome us as we
complete our first water crossing

River Crossing:

One of many to reach the very end – it
is not uncommon for clear, ankle-deep water to turn
into a chest-high rushing torrent in less than an hour

Daddy Daughter:

On the way to the waterfalls, the
little lady’s mood mirrors that of the dark clouds

Wailua Falls:

This set of waterfalls drops 80 feet and is
the starting scene of a long running series from the late
70s/early 80s “Fantasy Island”

Just before Dusk:

The most accessible waterfall,
literally by the roadside!

Warning Signs:

Watch out for the huge surfs that come
fast and furious

Sea of Calm:

Tide pool deceives with false tranquility as
huge waves crash behind the rocks

At the Trailhead:

Off to take on the Na Pali Coast on
foot – over muddy trails and across rushing rivers

Dramatic Cliffs:

Seeing these razor-sharp ridges tower
above the Pacific Ocean off the helicopter, it was
exhilarating to take on this trail on foot

Hanakapi’ai Beach:

Running from strong surf and rip
currents

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