Welcome to Kauai!

Aloha! And thanks for joining us on our travelblog to Kauai. You will want to start here and scroll down, as the pictures are (more or less) presented in chronological order from the top of the blog to the bottom (unlike most blogs, which are bottom up).

Our family, in spite of brief illnesses among the 4 of us, had a wonderful time on Hawaii's Garden Isle. We managed to snorkel, sail, eat lots of food, play at the beach, and simply enjoyed the beauty of this island.

It certainly won't be our last visit!

So sit back, relax, and enjoy this virtual vacation!


The mauka view from the lanai of our condo at the Plantation Hale.


Opaekaa Falls, just a couple of miles from the beach.


The Wailua River valley. On the left side is the field on which Indiana Jones ran escaping the villagers in the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The village in the right hand side was used in the Dustin Hoffman film, Outbreak; it was the village that was destroyed due to the ebola outbreak.


Page and Margaret snorkeling in the waters of Lydgate Park.


Page and Margaret at the Kauai Coffee Company. Good java here, and beautiful fields of coffee plants.


Margaret at Kamalani Playground at Lydgate Park. The beach is about 100 yards from the play structure.


Henry and Margaret ready to tackle the swimming pool!

The Wailua River and the Fern Grotto

On Saturday, we travelled by boat up the Wailua River to the Fern Grotto.


The boat dock.


Getting ready for the ride upriver.


One of the Smith's boats returning to dock as we pulled out.


The trail leading to the Fern Grotto.


The Fern Grotto (stock photo "borrowed" from elsewhere.)


Hula entertainment and music on return from the Fern Grotto.


If this looks familiar, this was the field where Indiana Jones ran from the villagers during the opening minutes of "Raiders of the Lost Ark". The rope swing, however, was filmed elsewhere on the island.

More from the Fern Grotto

View of the approach to the Fern Grotto, from inside the Grotto.


Ferns hanging down from the Grotto's ceiling.


Smith family members perform the "Hawaiian Wedding Song." The Fern Grotto is a popular Kauai locale for weddings.

 

Inner Tubing!

Page and her dad went inner tubing on Monday. I was going to go, but alas, that was the day that Kamehameha's wrath was incurred on my poor digestive system. Here are a few shots that Page took from Hanama'ulu, where they went inner tubing down an old plantation irrigation canal.


View from the starting point.


The start of the canal adventure.


Page lazily floating down the canal.


More folks headed down the canal.

Apparently, at least 3/4 of the tubing adventure occurred in shade or in tunnels, which explains why they had to wear helmets and head-mounted flashlights.

Still, looks like it was a fun time. I will have to do this the next time I'm in Kauai. 

Old town Hanapepe

With Grandma and Grandpa in tow, the family tackles the Swinging Bridge in Hanapepe.


The river that runs underneath the swinging bridge.


The Swinging Bridge really did swing! The kids were a bit nervous crossing it.


The kids found a banana tree outside the Kauai Kookie Company in Hanapepe. 

The Sunset Sail from Poipu

On Valentine's Day, the four of us sailed on the "Spirit of Kauai", a 55 ft catamaran, for a sunset sail out of the port at Poipu Beach. We left at 4:30 pm, and sailed east along the coastline, searching for humpback whales.

We succeeded - it was on this sail that we sail a whale breach. As Henry said, "I saw his face!"



Awaiting departure.


Page, Henry and Margaret relaxing before our departure.


Andy and Henry relaxing on the trampoline.


Hanging loose with very silly faces.


Our Hawaiian Jimmy Buffett...


Page, Margaret and Henry relaxing on the trampoline.


Family shot, with Poipu in the background.

More of the Sunset Sail

The mountains of southern Kauai.


The kids relaxing on board, watching the sunset.


A Hawaiian sunset. 

Kapa'a Farmer's Market

The small, yet crowded Kapa'a farmer's market, complete with pineapples, papayas, and other tropical fruit.


The kaimito and chitco - two fruit we'd never tasted before. Delicious!

Luau!

On our final night in Kauai, we attended a luau at Smith's Tropical Paradise near the banks of the Wailua River. Fabulous meal, with kalua pork, teriyaki chicken, salad with choice of papaya seed dressing or lava guava dressing, fried rice, sweet potatoes, macaroni salad, vegetables, cucumber salad, and more wonderful dishes too numerous to remember.

I'm typically not a fan of rice pudding, but their rice pudding for dessert was outstanding.

And no...I still don't do poi.


Family photo in matching outfits just prior to the luau, taken outside our condo.


The entrance to the "tropical paradise."


The schedule of events. A fantastic show followed the meal.


The grounds of Smith's Tropical Paradise.


Peacocks walked around the grounds amidst the guests.


Guests begin to congregate around the imu.


Page and the kids on a pedestrian bridge in "paradise".


The imu. The pig is buried in there.


The imu ceremony. The pig is being lifted from the pit.


Hang loose...


Hanging loose with some of the cast members.


Page and Margaret with some of the ladies from the cast.

The show that followed the meal was a fantastic homage to Polynesian, Hawaiian, Filipino, Chinese, and Japanese cultures, full of wonderful dances. We highly recommend this luau if you go to Kauai.