Kauai, part 1

Justin and I won our trip to Hawaii back in September 2019.  We already had a Hawaii trip planned with a few couple friends and we did that in October 2019.  While we were there, we just kept thinking how awesome it would be to bring our kids back and let them experience the beauty of the islands.  We decided then that we would take the trip we had won + whatever personal funds it would take so that we could take our whole crew.  We researched islands and knew that we wanted to go to Kauai.  Of course Covid hit right after that and Hawaii closed down pretty tight.  We had tried to make it work a couple times, had even looked into going to Mexico instead, but everything we tried didn't really work.  I had set my sights for this March when the kids were out of school for Spring Break but found myself dragging my feet a bit.  It just seemed like such a big thing to commit to on lots of different levels.  About six weeks before, I finally told Justin I was just going to book it and not continue to second guess myself.  The kids are not getting any younger and I wanted this experience as a family.  I do not regret it.  It was an incredibly amazing week and I am so grateful for all the memories we made.

We started our voyage on Justin's 40th birthday, March 14th.  We flew to Seattle first.  Molly and Stockton had both been on airplanes (twice before for Molly) but it was a first for Brynn and Ivy.  Just being at the airport was an adventure for them.  They loved pulling that wheeled carry-on bag.  When we got to our terminal we watched some airplanes take off before boarding our own.  They both gave thumbs up for the flight.

 

Ivy had woken up that morning at 3:30 because she was so excited.  She didn't crash until our plan had literally landed and come to a complete stop in Seattle.  I was gathering up all of our stuff and looked over and she was out.  She had already put her backpack on and everything.  Go figure.  I let her sleep as long as possible and waited until I was the last one off the plane.

 

We had a three hour layover in Seattle before boarding for our long flight to Lihue.

photo for Uncle Aaron, a Seahawks fan

 Look at Brynn being so diligent and working on some school work even though the term was over and it was Spring Break.  I don't think it came out again and the kids were mostly just plugged into devices for the entirety of the flights.

Ivy fell asleep again for the last couple hours of this flight, thankfully

We had a little bit of a stressful night as we collected our luggage, found our rental car, realized Justin had lost his wallet with his ID and credit cards, found our condo, checked in, drove back to the airport to file a missing item claim, picked up a few groceries, drove back to the condo, got everyone in bed, and unpacked our suitcases.  It was dark when we arrived so we didn't really get a good look at our surroundings.  With the time change (4 hour difference) we had been up for a really long time so all we wanted to do was go to bed. At this moment I was stressed but trying to be cheerful and, honestly, I was a little worried that we had made the wrong decision to bring everyone.

Tuesday: It was an early morning since most of us were still on Utah time.  And the birds were up early and woke us up with their singing.  It was a gorgeous morning and I knew everything was going to be just fine.  And it was.  We were in Hawaii!!  The girls ate their eggs and bagels on our lanai with a pretty great view.  Justin took the kids exploring around the complex. 

I had read and read and read and read all about things to do in Kauai.  I had a list about 6 pages long that I took with us everywhere.  It was all a bit overwhelming, I didn't want to miss any of the must-dos.  But, as you will see, I think that we accomplished a lot in our week.  We went all over the island and saw a lot of amazing things.  We kind of planned as the week went along and that worked really well for us.

I knew the first day that we would probably want to be more relaxed so I just had a beach day in mind.  We were staying in Lihue on the southeast side of the island so we drove to Poipu Beach on the south side of the island that first morning.  The island is lush and every where you look is green, green, green.  Our first view at an actual beach was pretty amazing too and right as we were walking up, we saw a whale jump out in the water.  We saw him several more times over the next hour or so.

 

Justin had the job of setting the kids up for snorkeling.  Molly caught on quick it seemed but we realized later (when I went out) that that snorkel had a leak in it...she did much better after we fixed that.  Stockton didn't love it at first because there was some rocks that you had to get over before you could get out to the good snorkeling.  We did find a spot that was close to shore to see some different fish.  Someone close by was feeding the fish so they were swarming that area.

 

I walked down the beach with the girls where we saw a seal beached on the sand.  This happens regularly at this beach and they have rope to keep the visitors back and give the animals some space.  It's neat to see. This beach also had a kiddie area where we saw a turtle in the water.

 

Playing in the sand, snack breaks, jumping waves.  We stayed here for a few hours before we went in search of some lunch. 

We took the kids to a restaurant for a late lunch that afternoon.  I had read about this place that was close and was known for its Hula Pie.  We shared one for dessert...oreo crust, macadamia nut ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, and more macadamia nuts on top.  It was really good and we pretty much inhaled it.

 

We continued with our beach day and headed a little further west to another beach, Salt Pond Beach.  The snorkeling wasn't great here, we barely saw any fish, but there was still sand and water and waves so that made all my kids happy.  We played here and watched the sun set before we headed back to the condo, after we made a stop for lunch supplies for the next day.

Ivy being lifted by Justin

Brynn

 

Wednesday: We woke up and decided we wanted an adventure.  I consulted my notes and everyone decided that hiking to a waterfall sounded like a fun morning activity.  We got ready, packed lunches for the day, and loaded everyone and everything in the car.  We drove more inland-east of the island to hike the Ho'op'i Trail.  I was a little unsure about this excursion but it definitely exceeded my expectations.  The trail was beautiful, again so lush and green everywhere.  It was also shaded the entire time.  At one point you hike a little trail off the main trail and you come to the first waterfall, upper Ho'opi'i Falls.  We watched another family jump from the top and then decided that we wanted to do it as well.  Justin went first and then all the kids followed him in...Molly, Brynn, Stockton, then Ivy.  Ivy stood there for a while trying to decide but then she slipped and about scared me to death.  She was smart enough to just jump while she was slipping and she made it right to Justin who was waiting to catch her.  After she went, I had to go as well.  It was so fun and thrilling!

 Molly and Justin sure were proud of their selfie game this trip.  They took some good ones!

 

*Bummer that I don't have a picture of Ivy jumping. She scared me too much.  I have a video of everyone.

We continued on with our hike.  This was a cool stretch, with hanging vines and even an old tractor that was buried in the dirt.  Wonder how long that has been there?

 

We eventually came to the lower falls.  This one emptied into a pool where there was a rope swing that we could try.  Molly and Brynn got especially good at it.  The water was cold.  Stockton chose not to get in here but everyone else did.

Brynn

Molly

 

We hiked back out.  Justin, Molly, Stockton, and Brynn stopped at the cliff jumping spot but Ivy and I continued onto the car and our lunches.  They jumped a few more times before meeting back up with us.  This was such a fun morning and I'm so glad we did that adventure!

 

We were close to a waterfall and lookout point so we went there next.  The waterfall was called Opaeka'a Falls and it was pretty but we walked across the street to the Wailua Valley overlook...and wow!  What a beautiful and peaceful setting!

Another helpful tourist offered to take our picture...then forgot to get the waterfall in the background!

There it is!

 

*Remember that river because 5 days from this day, we are the people down there kayaking.

After that, it was a visit to another beach.  We were already on the east side so we went to Lydgate Beach.  This was a favorite.  They had a rock wall that protected snorkelers from the surf.  Stockton really liked this one because there were no rocks so he could walk right out and start snorkeling.  This is when he really caught onto it and he stayed out for a long time.  The little girls enjoyed putting on the flippers and goggles and their muscles and swimming around without the snorkel. They played in the sand a lot here since there were no waves to jump.

Justin did walk the kids over to where there was no rock wall and the waves came up to the shore.  They played there in the waves for a while before heading back to the protected part for more swimming.

Molly thought she was just going to watch but the pull was too strong and she found herself playing with the others after a while

 

This was the night we discovered the Coconut Marketplace on the east side of the island.  We stumbled upon it when we were looking for a spot for dinner and this is where we ended up.  We had some delicious Thai food, walked around some shops, and had our first taste of shaved ice from Jojo's.

  

Thursday: It was another early start to the day.  We caught the sunrise and it was pretty!

 

This was another beach-hopping day, but we drove to the north end of the island this time. Our first beach was Anini. If you ask Stockton, he'll tell you this was his favorite beach.  Just like at Lydgate, there was a rock wall that protected you from the surf but you could go out really far.  Stockton was out there for a long time and even found a couple of turtles to swim with!  Justin went even further and came back saying he had found 15 turtles.  Luckily there was one closer to the beach so even Brynn and Ivy were able to swim out and see a turtle.  We stayed here and ate lunch and left when the tide started creeping up on us.

 

We drove a little further north and west, to the town of Hanalei.  We stopped at the Hanalei Overlook where we saw pristine taro fields, mountains, and a quiet river that meandered through the whole scene.  It was beautiful.  The drive to Hanalei was fun too-there are about nine one-way bridges on the way over.

We wanted to go to Hanalei Bay.  A woman at Anini had told us not to waste our time because the waves were too high and you coudn't snorkel but we wanted to check it out anyway.  We left most of our beach stuff in the car and walked down to the beach.  This ended up being my absolute favorite beach!  I think I walked back to the car three or four times to get more and more of our stuff.  Go figure.  The backdrop of this beach was just breathtaking and the pictures really don't do it any justice.  But I couldn't get over just how amazing the scenery was.  The sand was wonderful.  And the waves were just perfect for jumping and swimming and that is how we spent the rest of our afternoon-playing in the waves.  Justin and I mostly stuck with the little girls but we did send them into shore for a while so he and I could go out further to jump waves and swim in the waves like little kids.  It was a blast.

One of the waves was more powerful than Justin had estimated-it knocked him down into the sand, causing the bloody spot on his head.

 

Hanalei Village was a cute little town that we wandered through when we were done swimming.  We had learned to bring a change of clothes and were much more comfortable being dry.  We meandered through shops and ended up actually eating at a sit-down restaurant there called Hanalei Gourmet.  It was St. Patrick's Day and there was a very rowdy group inside at the bar but we were seated outside, luckily.  A shop-owner had recommended this place for their fish and chips and Justin and Stockton were very pleased with their meal.  Everything that we ordered (fish 'n chips, fish sandwich, burger, chicken nuggets) was delicious and we shared the specialty for dessert-chocolate cake and mint chocolate ice cream.  So, so mouth-watering good.  We didn't leave even a crumb behind.

 

We definitely wore the kids out each day!  The hour drive back to our condo had everyone asleep in their seats.  We stopped at the store for more breakfast and lunch supplies and Ivy was so relieved and happy to see that the leprechaun had not forgotten to visit us in Kauai like she had thought that morning.