Hawaii-Kauai

Earlier this year our best friends Brooks and Lindsey invited us to go to Hawaii with them on their 10 year anniversary trip.  I didn't think it would happen but Micah said "lets do it" so we worked on finding dates that would work for everyone, lining up babysitters, and starting the planning.  We were all so excited to have a fun kid free trip to Hawaii.

At last the day was here and we headed to the airport together to get on our plane in Dallas.  So excited! Thanks to all the loving grandparents that took care of our kids while we were gone.

B&L really wanted to see Pearl Harbor but Micah and I decided we'd prefer more days in Kauai.  After catching up and being on the plane together we landed in Honolulu and parted ways for a day and half.  It was a great way to have just a little "couple" time.  We had to catch another flight from Honolulu to Kauai. Once Micah and I landed in Kauai we picked up our rental car, stopped to get groceries at Wal-Mart (it's so strange to travel places that have Wal-Mart), and checked into our condo. By the end of all that we were starved so we walked down to Tiki Tacos. Yum!

The next morning since it was our day without B&L we set out for a long hike along the Napali Coast on the Kalalau Trail.  It was gorgeous even if it rained on and off on us the whole time. The rain made the trail extra slick on a trail that is already somewhat difficult. Luckily I only fell once, haha. Once you hike to the beach with all the warning signs telling you not to swim and about how many visitors have died here, you have three choices: to continue on the 11 mile Kalalau coast trail which requires a camp out, turn around, or hike inland to a beautiful water-fall (and then turn around and hike it all back).  We decided we had to see the waterfall so we headed inland.

The trail became even muddier and more difficult up to the waterfall but we walked through some cool bamboo forest and climbed over the streams and boulders.  It was fun! After arguing about how long this part of the hike was (I lost) and the waterfall playing peek-a-boo with us we finally arrived.  When we first arrived there were only about 8 other people there but we quickly found out there were lots of hikers behind us.  We found a good place to sit and view the falls and settled in for one of the most beautiful picnics ever! Of course no trip to a waterfall is complete without a swim.  The water was FREEZING! But we did it anyway and swam over to get pounded by the falls.

 Then it was time to head back. It was a little sunnier on our way back so even though it was the same views they seemed a little different. Even though it was gorgeous and lots of fun, I was more than ready to see the end of that trail and hop in our jeep.

 Kauai is such a beautiful island that even just riding around in the jeep is fun.  This evening we had to pick B&L up from the airport so we started making our way back to the condo and airport side of the island. First we stopped at the Queens Baths for another quick hike and swim in lava formed pools.  The ocean around the pools is crashing and swirling like crazy but the walls create this warm calm place to swim.  So cool! We were excited to have Brooks and Lindsey back with us. 

The first morning all together we decided to go big with a helicopter ride over the island.  It was an awesome experience.  Most of Kauai is not accessible even by hiking trail so it was neat to see the interior of the island from the air.  Kauai is covered in waterfalls!  This is the island used in lots of movies for the dramatic jungle scenes like in Jurassic Park. I struggled to get good pictures without my legs reflecting in the window.

Though the heli ride was super cool, it was only an hour so that left us with the rest of the day to figure out what to do.  We had a fun lunch at Duke's Beach Grill and then drove off to the West side of the island to find the sand dunes and the beach at the other end of the Napali coast.  It involved a pretty long dirt road ride and of course once we made it to the beach it started raining.  But that didn't stop us from having fun in the waves.  When we were sufficiently worn out it was time to head back for a stop at JoJo's shave ice.  It hit the spot.

Have I mentioned how incredibly beautiful Kauai is?  On the way back to our condo from the beach Micah saw a sign for a waterfall so we drove up, hopped out of the car and saw this:

The next morning we headed out bright and early to Waimea Canyon.  The drive up was interesting to watch the topography change from lush green to more "Grand Canyon" like.  The top of the canyon drive gave us another view point of the Napali Coast or the Kalalau Lookout.

Once we finished taking in the view and taking pictures we drove back down a couple hundred feet and started a hike to another waterfall.  Lindsey isn't as keen on hiking as the rest of us so she was excited to get her first hike started :) The beginning of the hike was through pretty wooded area and there wasn’t much to see but then all of a sudden the trail opened up into a clearing with some spectacular views.  The rest of the trail either had views or water.  We found the top of the water fall and a little spot to sit and once again had a picnic lunch with a fabulous view.

It's easier to get cute couple pictures when you aren't traveling alone!

This is about where we ate lunch

Taking it all in 

we made it

Our last day in Kauai was left open with no set plans so we all voted and ended up deciding on surfing lessons.  Our lessons were at Hanalei beach which ended up being my favorite beach of the whole trip.  Our instructor was exactly what you would expect of a surf instructor on a small Hawaiian island.  He was hilarious but a pretty good teacher.  After a few lessons on land we headed out to the beach and started surfing.  Standing up was one of the easiest parts of surfing.  Paddling and actually catching a wave is much more difficult.  Luckily during the lessons our instructor basically just stood out in the water and pushed us into the waves.   It was so much fun and an experience I’m glad we have.  When our lessons were over we went to get lunch and then decided to rent boards for the rest of the day and hang out on Hanalei beach.  It was the perfect end to our time in Kauai.

 Goodbye Kauai, up next Maui!