Heaven On Earth in Hanalei!

North Shore & Hanalei: (Otherswise known as Heaven on Earth!)

Kilauea Lighthouse was one of the first stops we made on the north shore. We felt that it was a waste of $20 bucks for our family as we only spent about 15 minutes there tops. Yes it’s pretty but there are so many other prettier places on Kauai & they are FREE!!

So much for a cultural experience, it’s all about the boobies!

We had way more fun for FREE at Queen’s Bath in Princeville! Each of us loved the short hike through the “jungle”…it was shady & cool and had a small stream with water fall too. It was such a treat to see the incredible views from the lava rocks at the end of the hike. We also were in luck as there were 4-5 sea turtles swimming close to shore. I would definitely recommend good water shoes for the slippery rocks here.

The trail to Queen’s bath is narrow & steep so wear good shoes!

The walk over the lave rocks was fun & the “Bath” was warm, Jordan jumped right in!

We went to Hanalei Bay 3 times during our 7 day stay (& that was even with the threat of sharks that week!). We just absolutely fell in love with that little slice of paradise. I can’t put it into words that could do that place justice, it’s just magical!

Hanalei Valley Lookout was breathtaking!

It was never crowded, each person we encountered, local or otherwise was super friendly, and the water was warm and calm.

Taylor & Jordan at Hanalei, with the pier in the background

We met lots of families with dogs that we played with In the water. Our two favorites were “Koby” a full grown Great Dane who is a recent cancer survivor & had a front leg amputated. This dog didn’t miss a step and was playing as happily as the kids were. What an inspiration!

Our friend Jay with Koby, the happiest dog on Kauai!

The other was a VERY hairy black/white Australian Sheppard who seemed as though it lived on or near the beach. We never met the owner but the dog seemed to be waiting a lot under a truck, perhaps for an owner who was at work on one of the boats giving tours. Anyway, when we brought the Paddle ball set out, this dog ran over and watched the game, moving it’s head to follow the serve of the ball diligently!

This shaggy dog never took its eyes off the ball as we played on the beach!

The girls wanted to jump off the sides of the pier like so many of the local kids that were like 5 yrs old! After they got rid of their fear of Hammer head sharks possibly lurking in the atwer, they decided to try it. The water was crystal clear & you could see schools andschools of fish…but thankfully, no sharks!

Here’s Jordan & Kayla enjoying their jumps!

To the End of the Road we go!

The clouds cleared just in time for us to receive this magnificant view of the falls at Waimea Canyon.

Waimea Canyon: We went up early, getting to the end of the trail by about 10:30am. By “end of the trail”, I mean past mile marker 18 to “Pu’u o Kila Lookout. It’s definitely worth the extra few turns to go all the way to the end! Past the lookout, there are some trail options that I wish we would have been more prepared to do at least some of…we ventured about ¾ of a mile down the trail before our common sense that we had nothing on us & the rain was getting heavier turned us around! Even though it was an early morning and the kids felt like the turns were getting to them in the back, in the end, they said it was one of our more memorable & fun road trips on Kauai! I was surprised by this because let’s face it…it’s all about scenery and 2 out of 3 of my girls are teenagers!

Our 3 goof balls, making the most of the scenic drive!

This is the “treat” past mike marker 18! There is a trail here that brings you to the coast.

Here’s John about to embark down the trail a bit. The weather changes quickly here & the rain turned him around!

The Lodge at Koke’e & the meadow it sits in was so inviting on our way back since it really began to rain hard…so we stopped! We’re so glad we did as their menu was just what we needed for an early lunch or late breakfast, they were flexible! The Banana cake was one of the yummiest we have ever had anywhere. The service was very welcoming & the shop had some different tourist trinkets that we hadn’t seen yet. The one thing that surprised me here was that this was the only place we came across that sold chicken feed to feed the chickens! We couldn’t resist & bought a bag…which we proceeded to throw on our children’s bodies and hair as they got surrounded by 50-100 hungry chickens..in the pouring rain!! We all had a good laugh about it but no more then the warm dry bodies in the Lodge watching our crazy family as they ate their meals!

This place was such a “scenic’ surprise! No one imagines Pine trees and meadows in the tropics!

We had one of our best meals here & the staff was very welcoming. I had a local tell me that the chickens are allowed to be fed here in Koke’e as they are considered sacred..so I guess that means the beach front chickens arent?!

Koloa Town Kauai

Koloa’s quaint downtown area

Koloa Town: Definitely stop here for a lunch at Sueoka’s Snack shop (Teri burger was the big hit for us!) next to the market . Lunch had to be followed by dessert at Lappert’s Ice Cream (I had the” Island Sensation”, which was vanilla ice cream, brownie bits, & small bits of macadamia shortbread!)

Taylor & Jordan enjoying their lunch from Sueoka’s snack shop, which is near the corner of Koloa Rd. & Po’ipu Rd.

Not your typical tourist spot, we also visited the Kauai Humane Society in Lihue. We love animals & the building & surrounding park looked so inviting we had to stop in! We’re so glad we did! We were so impressed with it’s cleanliness & obvious love for nurturing homeless critters! We gave as much love as we could w/o packing one or two in our suitcases! To help support the society visit www.kauaihumane.org or be sure to stop in when driving between Lihue & the Po’ipu area. It’s located on the main highway 50, not far from mile marker 3.

Here’s Jordan with one of the many cats we encountered!