Honeymoon - Kauaii

Kauaii was the second island we visited. We picked this island mostly for Waimea Canyon, but also because it was supposed to have one of the more spectacular white sand (normal) beaches in the world. Fortunately, we weren't that attached to the beach part, because it never really got warm enough for beach-bumming. Apparently, all of Hawaii experienced an unnaturally cold spell while we were there, caused by a weather pattern blowing wind out of the north. Down to the 70s most days. Bummer.

Day 4

Day 4 was all about the air travel. We got up in the morning and checked our tickets against our itinerary and discovered that they DID NOT MATCH. In fact, we had 20 minutes to make the flight that was on our ticket. We called our travel agent. This was news to her. So, we missed our flight and spent a large chunk of the day sitting in the airport. Eventually, someone was able to find a couple of seats in first class to get us to Kauaii.

Then we wandered along the beautiful shore of the ocean at dusk, talking with our travel agent on the cell phone. It turned out that the vacation company the travel agent had used had rearranged a lot of our flights to something entirely different and less convenient than what the agent had actually reserved for us. This included a 4-hour layover in Honolulu on our return trip. She was going to work on fixing that for us.

After we checked into our B&B, which we didn't photograph because it was entirely forgettable, we did salvage the day with a lovely stroll through the area and a great Italian fusion meal at Casa di Amici (great tuna carpaccio!)

Day 5

We were feeling a bit wiped from our whirlwind days on the Big Island, so we took the day fairly light. The day was too windy to beach-bum, which was really what we'd hoped to do. Instead, we did a bit of life maintenance, discovering both Wal-Mart and Kmart for various staples.

Then we headed out car-touring and visited some sites recommended by our host. We visited Alekoko Fish Pond, a couple of the many picturesque waterfalls you can see in the area, and the Kilauea Lighthouse (lower left picture). The lighthouse is often a prime whale-watching site, but it was just a picturesque lighthouse and avian preserve while we were there. We also discovered a nightmarish traffic jam going north in the middle of the day. Kauaii is getting more tourist travel than its infrastructure can handle at this point.

In the evening, we returned to watch the Spouting Horn at dusk, then ate at Tom Cat's Grille, where we discovered macadamia-encrusted ono and macadamia nut ice cream. Wow.

January, 2003 -- Honeymoon. Waimea Canyon on Kauaii

Day 6

We drove up along Waimea Canyon to the the visitor's center, looking for a good hike. There were several overlooks to visit on he way. Waimea Canyon was created by geologic action rather than river erosion, which gives it a Grand Canyon feel in a relatively small area.

At the park visitor's center, we were drastically limited by the fact that we didn't have a 4x4 vehicle. Many of the longer interesting trailheads require a 4x4 with decent clearance. However, there was an interesting hike over the Alaka'i Swamp that could be reached by a front-wheel drive vehicle. Or so she claimed. When we reached the part of the drive to the trailhead that involved leaving the paved road, we discovered that the going was extremely rough, and we certainly wouldn't consider it safe for 2-wheel drive. But we pressed on. This is known as "breaking your can rental agreement."

But, we made it to the trailhead with an extra lift through the last impassable bit from some folks who had rented an SUV and were making the most of it.

So, down the hobbit hole. Alaka'i Swamp is the highest-altitude swamp in the world, in the caldera of Kauaii's old volcano. This was a fascinating hike. The first half of it was almost entirely on boardwalk, since the swamp could extend down 50' in places, but the second half got a lot more challenging.

January, 2003 -- Honeymoon. Hiking the Alakaii Swamp on Kauai

We reached the end and were treated to a breathtaking 270-degree view of the river emptying into the sea. Above is a rough attempt to give you an idea of the view in some sort of order. The clouds moved in quickly after we arrived, so it soon clouded over the tops of the peaks. Ah, well, in hiking getting there better be more than half the fun. We had about 15 minutes good look at our destination and a brief rest with trail mix before we headed back.

When we exited the swamp and stopped to use the facilities at the picnic ground, we discovered that the view from the edge was a small 180-degree version of what we'd just seen. And so, with apologies to Tim and Louse, here is the Privy with the World's Second Best View.

We trudged back to our car, which turned out to be more of a trek than we'd realized, since we'd had the nice lift on the way in. So we ended up inching our way agonizingly back to the road. On the way down, we drove by Kalalau Lookout with just enough light to appreciate it. We had dinner on the way back at Green Garden in Hanapepe, where I tried taro root. The fact that I actually wanted to try it surprised the staff. After I tried, I could see why, but at least I have an idea of what the Polynesian Hawaiians used to eat.

Day 7

We spent the morning frolicking on the beach in spite of the chill (70s) air, which meant we had it mostly to ourselves. There's a fish in the middle picture. You have to look for it.

In the afternoon, we took the Sheraton Caves SCUBA dive, which is a fantasic beginner's dive if you ever get the chance to try. The center picture is a sea turtle swimming right up at me. The right-hand picture features an octopus wrapped around our guide's leg.

We drove back along a famous Eucalyptus-lined road, a testament to non-native species planted by well-meaning landscapers taking over. For dinner, we treated ourselves to grilled marinated ono. Again!

Day 8

On the advice of our guidebook from My Island Inn, we visited Prince Kuhio's Birthplace Park. It hasn't been kept up, but it's a fascinating step into the history of Hawaii in the last century. Then we headed to a pleasantly uneventful flight to Maui

On to Maui


Day 6 We drove up along Waimea Canyon to the the visitor's center, looking for a good hike. There were several overlooks to visit on he way. Waimea Canyon was created by geologic action rather than river erosion, which gives it a Grand Canyon feel in a relatively small area.

At the park visitor's center, we were drastically limited by the fact that we didn't have a 4x4 vehicle. Many of the longer interesting trailheads require a 4x4 with decent clearance. However, there was an interesting hike over the Alaka'i Swamp that could be reached by a front-wheel drive vehicle. Or so she claimed. When we reached the part of the drive to the trailhead that involved leaving the paved road, we discovered that the going was extremely rough, and we certainly wouldn't consider it safe for 2-wheel drive. But we pressed on. This is known as "breaking your can rental agreement." But, we made it to the trailhead with an extra lift through the last impassable bit from some folks who had rented an SUV and were making the most of it.

So, down the hobbit hole. Alaka'i Swamp is the highest-altitude swamp in the world, in the caldera of Kauaii's old volcano. This was a fascinating hike. The first half of it was almost entirely on boardwalk, since the swamp could extend down 50' in places, but the second half got a lot more challenging.


We reached the end and were treated to a breathtaking 270-degree view of the river emptying into the sea. Above is a rough attempt to give you an idea of the view in some sort of order. The clouds moved in quickly after we arrived, so it soon clouded over the tops of the peaks. Ah, well, in hiking getting there better be more than half the fun. We had about 15 minutes good look at our destination and a brief rest with trail mix before we headed back.

When we exited the swamp and stopped to use the facilities at the picnic ground, we discovered that the view from the edge was a small 180-degree version of what we'd just seen. And so, with apologies to Tim and Louse, here is the Privy with the World's Second Best View. We trudged back to our car, which turned out to be more of a trek than we'd realized, since we'd had the nice lift on the way in. So we ended up inching our way agonizingly back to the road. On the way down, we drove by Kalalau Lookout with just enough light to appreciate it. We had dinner on the way back at Green Garden in Hanapepe, where I tried taro root. The fact that I actually wanted to try it surprised the staff. After I tried, I could see why, but at least I have an idea of what the Polynesian Hawaiians used to eat.

Day 7 We spent the morning frolicking on the beach in spite of the chill (70s) air, which meant we had it mostly to ourselves. There's a fish in the middle picture. You have to look for it.

In the afternoon, we took the Sheraton Caves SCUBA dive, which is a fantasic beginner's dive if you ever get the chance to try. The center picture is a sea turtle swimming right up at me. The right-hand picture features an octopus wrapped around our guide's leg.

We drove back along a famous Eucalyptus-lined road, a testament to non-native species planted by well-meaning landscapers taking over. For dinner, we treated ourselves to grilled marinated ono. Again! Day 8 On the advice of our guidebook from My Island Inn, we visited Prince Kuhio's Birthplace Park. It hasn't been kept up, but it's a fascinating step into the history of Hawaii in the last century. Then we headed to a pleasantly uneventful flight to Maui On to Maui