Vacation Post 2: Kauai's South Side

We landed on Kauai Friday afternoon. One of the joys of a small airport is that your bags don't take long to arrive and the car rental locations are just around the corner. We were on our way to Poipu before we knew it.

Something to note about Kauai: there is one main highway that goes from the northwest side to the southwest side, with a stretch of island that is inaccessible. This highway is mostly two lane and the speed limit is generally 35-45 mph, topping out at either 50 or 55. As a result, it does take longer than a mainlander would expect to get from point A to point B.

Even though there's only one main highway, it is still easy to miss a turn. Street signs and other road signs are rare (or are hidden by vegetation), and we missed the road to Poipu. As the navigator I take full blame, but it did allow us to stop at the Koloa Fish Market for our first traditional plate lunch (meat(s), 2 scoop rice, 1 scoop macaroni salad) and I was happy to introduce Tony to the original Hawaiian fast food. 

We spent our first two nights in Poipu at a Sheraton resort. We had a garden view room with a private lanai (terrace). The property was nice and rather large, with a great beach and beautiful sunsets. 

The Sheraton's beach at sunset

Our "south side" plan was to maximize our time seeing the sights so we didn't feel the need to make a trek down once we moved to the north shore. Friday was a bit of a wash -- little sleep, several cocktails and dinner out was all we could muster. 

On Saturday we drove to the end of the road on the south side of the island. Our final destination: Koke'e State Park (via Waimea Canyon and other stops along the way). We turned off the main road in Waimea to start our adventure. The road was, well, kinda scary for two people afraid of heights and afraid of cliff-type edges. I am grateful that Tony was driving (not sure I could have!), and even though he's generally unflappable behind the wheel, he commented on his white knuckles a few times.

Waimea Canyon. It's hard to see in this photo, but the canyon is quite deep.

One of the scenic overlooks

Scenic overlook after scenic overlook finally led to the above -- the Waimea Canyon itself. Wow. Breathtaking; an array of deep colors; worth the drive. But wait folks, that's not all! Continuing up the (still scary) road, we headed for Koke'e State Park. The park sits on the northwestern side of the island and features native rain forests and outstanding views of both the forest and the ocean. We took one of the trails out to Kalalau Valley, which is about 4,000 feet below us in the below photo. The mountains on either side are part of the famous Na Pali Coast. The terrain is so rugged that there are no roads through it, only hikers and those approaching from the sea can get down there.

Kalalau Valley along the Na Pali Coast

A little perspective -- it's a long way down!

The rain forest

On Sunday we drove to Spouting Horn, a geyser that forms along the coast when waves roll in. It was there that we finally got a photo of a sign we saw frequently on the island. There were chickens running around everywhere, making noise at all hours of the day -- and night. Noisy little birds! There are also a lot of cats. They seem to make themselves at home all over. Surprisingly, most of the feral cats look well groomed and clean, unlike the stray cats one usually sees roaming the neighborhood around here. 

Apparently someone is feeding them (though it wasn't us!).


As we made our way north toward Princeville we stopped at a couple of waterfalls and the Wailua trail along the eastern side of the island (see below...very beautiful). Much to Tony's dismay, our plans to visit the Kauai Costco resulted in a big *fail* as they are closed on Sunday. We did, however, swing by Walmart to pick up a few essentials. From my previous stay on the island I recalled that Wally World was a decent place for picking up souvenirs at a reasonable price -- and Tony is now the proud owner of a real Hawaiian shirt.

Across the street was a waterfall and down the road you could see the ocean. A great spot!

Tony took nearly 1,000 pictures on this trip so I've had to select a minimal amount to post. I'll leave you with this beauty as I sign off -- watch for the third installment soon!