The Rest of Hawaii

So after spending a day in Seattle, we made it to Hawaii (Kauai) and spent 4 wonderful days there. The weather wasn't the greatest while we were there. It was cloudy and rainy, but still warm. We were only able to go snorkeling one morning due to high surf, and even that snorkeling wasn't the greatest, due to choppy water and cloudy skies. Other than that (and the few places we didn't make it to because we spent a day in Seattle), all my Hawaii dreams were fulfilled.  Here are a few highlights from the trip: 

1. Boat Trip to see the Napali Coast and do some Whale Watching

This trip was awesome. We spent about 5 1/2 hours on a boat watching for whales and heading up the coast line. The first part of the trip was windy and full of large waves. I wasn't capturing anything whales on camera, so I put it away for most of the trip. I decided I needed to enjoy the trip instead of trying to get hard to predict whale appearances on film. I pulled it out for the Napali Coast and towards the end when it was sunny, warm, and smooth seas-so I got a few brief captures of whales. 

Anyway, we did see a lot of whales. It is the breeding and birthing season for Humpback Whales in Hawaii, so they were everywhere. We probably saw 30 whales-some far away and some close. We saw one breach 5-6 times, saw several fin waves, lots of air being pushed through blow holes, a few tails, and lots of backs. Some of them even came really close to the boat, to the dismay of the captain (it can get dangerous when they are that close), but to our delight. We also saw a school of Spinner Dolphins that we followed for a little while. They were right at the front of the boat and you could look over the edge at them. There were about 15 of them and some of them jumped out of the water for us. 

The Napali Coast is beautiful. It is an area that you can only see by helicopter, boat, or hiking. It is rugged, lush, and stunning. It was also cloudy, making for a cool mist effect. The clouds cleared off just as we were headed back. 

Napali Coast as the clouds were clearing out.

This is the back of one of the whales (and a random lady) that came really close to our boat. Not a great picture, but proof of seeing them and their proximity to us.

Here is a second whale picture-you can see a fin sticking up and the back of a second whale.

More coastline.

2. Hike a portion of the Kalalau Trail

This trail follows along the Napali Coast. We only went two miles in and then turned around. It is a 22 mile round trip hike that you need a permit for. Apparently there is a cool waterfall you can hike to at about 4 miles, but we didn't make it that far. It was raining, muddy, slippery, slow going, and we had shoes that were rubbing.  It was beautiful though. The trail follows right along the coastline and goes right through the jungle. 

3. Beach Time

We went to several beaches and spent some time there. We found one beach that we had to hike about 15 minutes to that was our own private beach. There were two people there when we arrived and they left shortly after we got there. It was pretty cool. 

Hiking down to one of the beaches with all the cool trees. 

Our own "private" beach. 

Our cool shells. These were tiny! The big shells were probably just a 1/4-1/2 inch across and the small ones were just a few millimeters. 

4. Queens Bath

This was a cool lava beach with a natural pool that was fun for swimming. 

This shell still had an inhabitant and was fun to look at 

On the way to Queens Bath.

5. Lighthouse

We took a trip out the lighthouse, saw some endangered geese, and some whales. Also, there were a whole bunch of Red Footed Booby's sitting on the cliff side across from the lighthouse. 

See all those little white dots? They are the Booby's nesting on the cliff side. 

6. Waterfalls 

We went to a couple of waterfalls. The first was Opaeka'a Falls, which was just a viewpoint. The second was Wailua Falls. This one is a view point and then a "forbidden" hike down. There isn't an official trail down, but a trail that has been made by lots of people. It is fairly steep and has some ropes to help you down as you go, but it was a fun adventure. 

Opaeka'a Falls

Wailua Falls

7. Shave Ice

We discovered the goodness of Shave Ice. We had it everyday that we were there. It's a new favorite. :) 

8. Waimea Canyon

We made the drive up to Waimea Canyon. It was cloudy, so you couldn't see a ton, but what we did see was pretty. We drove all the way to the highest viewpoint and you couldn't see a thing because of all the clouds and fog. 

Here is one of the MANY random chickens hanging out on the Island. They were everywhere and in large quantities.

Can you guess how many chicks are under this mother hen? 3, maybe 4 you say?

Nine! Can you believe that? I am impressed at this mother hen's hiding skills. If you look carefully you can see all of them (one is pretty well hidden behind another in this picture). 

Anyway, we had a wonderful time. A big shout out and thank you goes to my parents for watching Summer for a week. I think she had a grand time! Every morning since we got home she gets mad at me when I come to get her out of bed. I think she keeps hoping her Grandma and Grandpa will be back. :)