Archive for the ‘Hawaii’ Category
Opaeka’a Falls is a short drive from Lihue … we saw a flock of Nene grazing nearby.
Wailua Falls is also near Lihue. Make a day of it; see them both!
We had this vision of Kauai as a rustic tropical paradise — the least developed of the major islands. It sounded like the perfect place to celebrate our 30th Anniversary.
In previous posts, you learned about our 30th Anniversary plan, which started in Honolulu and then continued onto Kauai. We spent 5 days there … again, not nearly enough time, but it was enough for us to find what we were looking for.
We’d never been there, of course, so we were relying on the recommendations of friends and guide books. We made a few mistakes: we didn’t go to any of the paid gardens (who knew that they were really, really pretty?). We didn’t go to the best luau on the island. And we didn’t find 3 of our 4 favorite restaurants (more on that later).
What did we do? We celebrated our 30 years of marriage in grand style, and found our new favorite getaway. We have since returned 3 times in 4 years. Get the picture … for people that didn’t go on vacations, we discovered a reason to do so!
So what’s on Kauai?
Waimea Canyon is gorgeous. Maybe someday I’ll shoot a picture as nice as this one! There are plenty of hiking trails and lookouts around the Canyon; explore to your heart’s content.
Waimea Canyon: The Grand Canyon of the Pacific. That’s what Mark Twain called it … and it is without question one of the best sights in the islands. On the other hand, I’ve never been able to take spectacular photos of it … so the photos shown here are from a Hawaii tourist website. The view is spectacular, but we didn’t hit the weather right to get spectacular photographs.
This sea urchin hotel is one of my favorite pictures from the south shore, on Maha’ulepu Beach.
Beaches, of course! There are all manner of beaches, but we most enjoyed visiting Poi’pu Beach on the south shore. We found a secluded spot, with no other humans visible … anywhere. We found beaches for sunsets, beaches for surfing (well, for watching surfing), and beaches for relaxing.
Good news: they will ship your purchases home, so you can freeze and then savor Kauai Coffee for many months following your visit.
Exotic foods are grown … in exotic places, naturally. We enjoyed all manner of tropical delicacies, and especially enjoyed touring the Kauai Coffee plantation. It’s a great couple of hours for a coffee connoisseur like Velda. And I tolerated it, too.
If you haven’t tried Shave Ice, then you don’t know what you’re missing. Try it with some sweet cream and tropical flavors, just sayin’.
Unique foods were also tried. After days of searching, we finally did find some malasadas to taste. And we ate shave ice for the first time in a place called Hanalei.
Love this bush growing in red dirt near a creek on the way to Waimea Canyon. I take a picture of it every visit!
You need an icy beverage and a flower in your hair while on Kauai. Check!
A rare photograph shot by Velda, at Maha’ulepu Beach. We lost our car in the 20′ tall bushes separating the beach from the sugar cane field. We still made our flight, though!
I still haven’t taken the perfect sunset photo, but I am not going to stop until I do.
To paraphrase my good friend Dennis, “Married 30 years, and those have been 25 of the best years of my life.” You can see me winking, right? Right???
We just didn’t do it. Most people do vacations. They go to exotic places. Tropical places. Far away places. Disney places. Velda and I … not so much.
Stanley Kubrick got it right in Stephen King’s “The Shining” … you need to get away or you’ll go crazy (or, in this case, be dead!).
No honeymoon. One SoCal theme park tour when I was in that business. One long weekend to Santa Barbara on our 10th anniversary. Family camping trips. One long weekend to the Grand Canyon. And rather infrequent trips to the midwest to see family, when we could. And that was it.
People work for a living; that’s nothing special. But I do think its essential that you GET AWAY once in a while. Vacations are good for the soul.
They grow unusual trees in Hawaii.
We talked about going to Hawaii for our 25th Anniversary … didn’t happen. Kids were still at home and in school; there was just too much going on. I think we went out to dinner somewhere. So, by the time we were nearing our 30th Anniversary, it was clear that we had to make something happen. I’m the guy that likes Big Hairy Audacious Goals, right? Time to go big.
Neither of us had ever visited Hawaii, so we decided to visit 3 of the islands: Oahu, Kauai, and the big island of Hawaii. We only had a dozen days, so we had to make a lot of tough choices.
Which part of paradise to see? Right, tough choices.
The Memorial building — that you reach after a short cross-harbor ride on a US Navy launch — is over the sunken Arizona. You see oil drops rising to the surface, and you see wreckage extending above the water.
We ended up only staying two nights on Oahu; long enough to only get a taste.
Waikiki was very photogenic, and I regret not having more time there.
We visited the USS Arizona Memorial, which to me was most like visiting the cemetery at the Gettysburg National Military Park. At Pearl Harbor, you are literally visiting the final resting place of many sailors lost in battle … and even more sailors that survived the battle chose to return there for their final resting place. The whole experience is sobering and humbling. This kind of emotional catharsis isn’t a common goal for vacations, I believe, but you will plumb the depths of emotions at this Memorial.
The USS Missouri, now basically a floating museum, faces the memorial for the USS Arizona. The peace treaty ending World War II was signed with the Empire of Japan on the deck of the Missouri.
Should you go there? Absolutely, just be prepared for the experience.
Next to the Arizona is where “Mighty Mo,” the USS Missouri, is on display. Nice to see those big guns that helped us win WWII. And, those are the same guns that Cher used in her video. Pretty amazing, when you think about it!
A much more “vacation-like” experience was wandering through the International Market Place in the heart of Waikiki Beach. I’m not a shopper … but Velda did get some new jewelry.
I’m pretty sure that’s when I was forgiven for not getting to Hawaii until our 30th anniversary.
We used our 2 days in Honolulu to get into vacation mode for our “real” vacation on Kauai. We definitely accomplished that, but I do regret that we have not yet taken the time to explore Oahu. There is much more to see there … and I’m now pretty sure that I need to buy some koa there.
Maybe next time!
I’m a woodworker, but I never considered holding my workpiece with my bare feet. And this craftsman is even using a sharp chisel!
The statue of “the Duke” is very visible on Waikiki. You see it in every episode of Hawaii Five-0! There’s a webcam pointed at the statue; we had fun texting the link to family & friends, and then posing for the poor people stuck back home.
Who hasn’t dreamed of lounging on Waikiki?
As I’ve previously stated, you should plan on doing five things when you visit Maui. Read about that idea as I describe the Haleakala Adventure.
This is one of a series of guidebooks that I highly recommend to anyone planning a trip to Hawaii. Andrew Doughty has a book about each of the islands, and he’s an entertaining read as well as an informative one. You need these books. About $15 on Amazon.
Another grand adventure was the search for the World’s Best Banana Bread. It’s promoted as such in the Maui Revealed guidebook, and the baker has created a small local business (which her niece has put on the internet!) based on that recommendation. Read about it on Yelp. World’s Best Banana Bread? Best I’ve ever had (and Velda even agrees!).
You can debate about why it’s so good on the drive back. Personally, I think it’s the bananas; I had not had “apple bananas” before this trip to Maui. Is that what Julia uses? No clue. Good news: you can debate this all the way home.
And then you can talk about the wonderful scenery you see on the journey!
Olivine Pools is a great place to bath when the tide is right. Hope you brought your suit on the drive!
We were staying at the Westin resort on the Ka’anapali Beach, near Lahaina on the west shore. The drive to Kahakuloa is not as long, nor as difficult, as the Road to Hana, but it is a somewhat challenging drive, nonetheless. We chose to have a leisurely lunch in Kahana, and then proceed on the drive to Julia’s.
On the way was the location that’s christened the “Olivine Pools” by Andrew Doughty; that is pictured at left. Double click the picture (and any of the pictures in my blog) to expand it to full size.
Back on the road, you’ll eventually see signs directing you to Julia’s that freely promote her status as the maker of the World’s Best Banana Bread. The signs even show the Doughty book cover and cites the reference as page 62!
When you arrive in Kahakuloa, you’ll see a lovely, rustic valley with a bright green shack on the opposite hill. That’s Julia’s. Drive through town (avoiding or supporting the other vendors as you choose).
The drive itself is largely a two-lane road. However, the last few miles do have a number of one lane bridges and narrow one lane passages around the bluffs that face the sea. Well worth an afternoon’s leisurely drive! Sit back, relax, and see the beauty around you.
Here’s a shot of Kahakuloa, with Julia’s green shack in the background. When you get there, you can also buy coconut candy and taro chips, which are great. The banana bread, with the homemade butter, is simply heavenly. Buy one loaf to eat and one for tomorrow, and …
These lovely flowers were growing on a tree not far from Julia’s shack. Don’t know what kind of tree this is … please tell me if you do!
- Mushroom Rock is another of the sights you’ll see if you — or better yet, your passengers! — keep your eyes peeled.
The road is not too narrow, and shouldn’t cause you any serious concerns. Take it slow and enjoy your day … and you’ll have wonderful banana bread to celebrate!
A baby albatross, hanging out in a public garden in Kauai. Taken near the north shore, 2011.
In yesterday’s post, I talked about things you must do when visiting Maui. Implicit in any itinerary is the search for the Perfect Sunset.
OK, not the perfect sunset, but definitely my best afternoon, under the umbrella reading on Ka’anapali Beach.
These young ladies were having a lot more fun than I sharing the sunset … immediately! The wonders of WiFi on the beach, creating instant jealousy among the friends back home.
Perhaps not the Perfect Sunset, but I’ll take it any day. Ka’anapali Beach, Maui.
Cue the sailboat….
We wanted our first trip to Maui to be special, so we did our research.
I told Velda one option was to watch the sun rise above the Haleakala volcano, knowing that Velda would never approve that idea. I’m the early riser. She’s the late riser. So on vacation, would she want to get up early enough to see the sun rise?
This is one of a series of guidebooks that I highly recommend to anyone planning a trip to Hawaii. Andrew Doughty has a book about each of the islands, and he’s an entertaining read as well as an informative one. You need these books. About $15 on Amazon.
Absolutely.
If you’re going to Maui, I think this is one of the 5 things you MUST do. Here are the 5:
- Go find the World’s Best Banana Bread
- Take the Road to Hanna
- Eat at Lahaina Grill
- Go to Warren & Annabelle’s Magic Show
- See the sun rise over the Hale’akala Volcano
Now, of course, there are many, many other things you should do. Cook fresh fish on the grill, drink your favorite beverage on the beach, see every gorgeous sunset (which is every one) … many things to do. But this is the story of Haleakala.
Velda was blanket-wrapped with multiple layers, including her UCLA hoodie. She regretted not having gloves, and wearing Capris instead of long pants.
To enjoy the trip, it’s all about the prep. Know this: it will be cold at the summit. Bring layers of clothing. Long pants, gloves, hat, heavy socks, shoes. Yes, you’re going to a tropical paradise, but the summit of Haleakala is 10,023′ above that paradise. You’ll be in the dark, faced into a stiff wind, and it will be bone cold. Be prepared, or you won’t enjoy this wonder.
Get the car ready the day before, with a full tank of gas. Have breakfast preset, or eat in the car. We got up at 2:30 am in order to get to the summit before sunrise, and we did not get there any too early. We had time to get there, figure out what we should be doing, take a bathroom break, and then claim our spot on the observation rail.
When you arrive, the parking lot is pitch black. You really just have to know where you’re going. You can just go to the east … which is the larger, lower observation position. There’s also a gate that’s opened a few minutes before sunrise, allowing you to go to the upper observation area near the Haleakala Observatory. It’s higher, but the view of the sunrise is pretty comparable. (After sunrise, make sure you go there to see the silverswords.)
I brought a monopod to steady my DSLR. I held it steady against the metal handrail (I was there in time to get in the front row). Some of the photographers did bring tripods, but I was fine on the monopod; the slowest exposure below is the first one, which was 1/30 of a second. The pictures below are not color enhanced.
You watch the sun rise above the edge of the Haleakala crater. You stand above the clouds, and watch the sunrise. The views are simply astonishing.
