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Saturday, May 2nd. 2009 AUSTIN- MAUI Flew Continental Airlines to Honolulu via Houston. 5:00 am – Got out of bed. Downloaded Trax to GPS Passed Papaea Road and the site of the “Kamikaze Commando” trail hike from a previous trip. 8:48 – 9:18 am – 30 minutes – Waikamoi Nature Trail. The Waikamoi Ridge Trail (0.8 mile) is an interpretive nature trail in a tropical forest. The trail climbs the dense vegetated slope to a grassy clearing and sheltered picnic area, offering great views of Ke’anae Peninsula and the ocean. A mosaic of tree roots crosses the trail through the lush rain forest that is adorned with groves of bamboo, paperback eucalypti, mahogany, heliconia, philodendrons and ginger. 10 o’clock ish – Visited the Ke’anae peninsula. We watched the waves crashing on lava rocks, bought banana bread and toasted coconut, and visited the Ihiihio Iehowa o Na Kaua church and cemetery. This church was built in 1856. 11:10 am – 12:55 pm – Waianapanapa Trail Hike (Waianapanapa in English means ‘Glistening Waters’) Big adventure of the day: Triology Sailing to Lanai At parking lot at 6:00 am for Trilogy tour to Lanai, Zodiac tour & BBQ lunch. Saw whale in distance and dolphins nearby on the way over to Lanai. The trade winds were not blowing and the haze (Vog) was really bad from the volcano. Our captain’s name was Patti. Denver & Gabe were the deck hands. We spent some good time at Hulopo‘e Marine preserve (beach) and had an island style Kiawe wood BBQ lunch, served at the Hale O Manele over looking Manele Bay, We got back to Lahaina harbor around 4 pm and walked around Lahaina. When back at the condo we gave Rick Tanner (manager) his Austin Texas style gift to thank him for keeping us informed on the reconstruction at the Whaler. He reserved us a cabana at the pool for the evening hours. At 6pm we left for Thai Chef (in Lahaina for a great Thai dinner). After dinner we spent some time at the cabana poolside. We were still tired from the jet lag, so we were in bed at 9pm. Lights out at 10 pm. ___________________________________________________________________ Up at 6 am, out the door at 7 am. Stopped at Long’s Drugstore and bought a single use under water camera, laundry detergent and Hawaiian Tropic sun tan lotion SPF 4. Stopped to get gas in Lahaina and left the gas station at 7:20 am. Marked noticed the mountain ‘layers’ in the haze and mentioned how pretty it is. We can’t see the colors like in trips past, but could see “the form” of the mountains and valleys. It sure is nice to ride in the convertible with the top down to better see the sights and smell the flowers. Got to downtown Wailuku @ 7:53 am and arrived at the Waihee Ridge Trail trailhead and parking lot at 8:09 am. The hike was 4.5 miles round trip and ascends 1,500 feet through lush vegetation. This hike is usually misty and muddy, but with the lack of trade winds, we have mostly sunny skies and no mud to speak of. It took us 1 hr 20 minutes to hike up (including stops on the way). We stayed 20 minutes at the top and then took 65 minutes to get back down to the car. There were no clouds when we were at the top, but they started moving in when we hiked down. We left the parking lot at 11:05 am. We then continued on the North and Northwest side of the island via the Kahekili Highway. The road ends up being a one lane very narrow road that winds around the coast. We were at mile marker 8 at 11:12 am and mile marker 13 at 11:32 am. You could see two main peaks as we approached the village of Kahakuloa. Pu’u Kahuli’anapa (547 feet) and Pu’u Koa’e (636 feet). We stopped in the village for shave ice at Lorraine Shave Ice (highly recommended). We got a couple of shave ice and some jerky and ate in the back ‘yard’ and chatted with the owner. At 11:56 am it was time to continue our journey. We were at mile marker 16 (on 340) at 12:03 pm and mile marker 41 (on 30) at 12: 07 pm and mile marker 37 @ 12: 16 pm. For lunch we stopped at the Honolua Store in Kapalua for a plate lunch. The store is really neat. It was built by plantation carpenters in 1929, but has had many renovations done since. Finished eating at 12:55 pm and arrived back at the condo at 1:06 pm. Mark went to the pool and Lyndon went to the beach. Showered, then napped from 3:30-5 pm. We got up and went the Cannery Mall and then to Maui Brewing Company. Split burger & fries for dinner. Lyndon had a very nice chili beer – “Fire Lager”. Bedtime today was 10:30 pm. Up at 6:15 am. Left at 7:20 for the Gazebo Restaurant for breakfast. The Gazebo is poolside at the Napili Shores Condos in Napili and very much worth the trip. Great views of Napili Bay and the islands of Lana’I and Moloka’i. Of the palm trees on the grounds has a “Whale Bell’ that you can ring if there is a whale sighting. We had a 20 min wait for breakfast. The specialty there is the macadamia nut pancakes. Very yummy. Stopped by Kahekili Beach Park at 9:15 am next to the Westin to see what the beach looked like on the north side of black rock. There was a very nice beach & pavilion here. We didn’t swim in the water here, but heard there are some hidden rocks in the surf. Went pack and packed a picnic lunch and left condo & 10:35. Stopped at the Lahaina post office to mail a package. At 11:30 am we pulled off on the wrong dirt road and ended up at the ‘wrong’ Makena beach. This one was north of Pu’u Ola’i (360 feet) and is called Oneuli (dark sands) Beach. The black sand was really cool. This is supposed to be a good place to see honu (green sea turtles). We will have to come back here on a future trip. We spent noon – 2pm at Little Makena Beach (clothing optional, despite being against the law). This beach is snuggled against the western base of Pu’u Ola’i. After leaving the beach, we got some Shave Ice in Kihei in Kalama Village…back on the road at 3 pm and in the condo at 3:50 pm. For dinner we went to our favorite haunt – Maui Brewing Company. ___________________________________________________________________ Rented beach cabana for the whole day. Went out from 9 am – 3:30 pm. Mark snorkeled by black rock and got some really good pictures of the honu (sea turtles). Went back to the room, showered, then washed clothes. For dinner we went into Lahaina and had a burger / fries and fish sandwich / fries at Cool Cats after waling around Lahaina. Mark watched “Brothers and Sisters” on TV. Lyndon was asleep by 9 pm. Mark has been having a problem with his right ear all week; appears that some water and sand wanted to go back to Texas. Packed and left the hotel @ 8:25 am. Got gas and arrived at the airport at 9:04 am. Very long line @ check in so had a tight time frame through security & to the gate. Changed planes in Honolulu. Mark made a doctor’s appoint at a clinic in Lihue (1:15 pm) to get his ears cleaned out. (WOW, Mark can hear again!!) Stopped for a fish sandwich from Fish Express on Kuhio highway across from the Wal-Mart. They had items such as Cajun style grilled ahi with guava basil and fresh fish grilled in a passion-orange-tarragon sauce. There weren’t any tables there, so we ate in the car. We got to the Kiahuna Plantation in Poipu around 2pm, but couldn’t check in until 3 pm. We had rented unit # 177 from the owner. We highly recommend this unit. We have stayed at the property several times and decided to splurge for an ocean view room and it was worth it. We had some beach time and them at 6:15 pm went to Pizzetta in Koloa town. Brad was the bartender there and he was also the bartender there on a previous Hawaii trip. We met a local Hawaiian – Sean. He was a very colorful character and made us feel very welcome visiting his home. Dinner was 4 beers and pizza. We were back to the condo and in bed by 9 pm. ___________________________________________________________________ Had eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast on the lanai. Left condo at 7:50 am. We passed the Eleele Shopping Center at 8:10 am where we love to eat Thai food at Toi’s Thai Kitchen. We saw a sign for Art Night in Hanapepe on Friday nights, so made a note to go there and Friday and eat at Toi’s before seeing the art. We passed the Waimea Brewpub at 8:21 in Wamiea, then turned off on 552 in Kekaka at 8:25 am. 8:48 am – 9:00 am stopped at the main Waimea Canyon Lookout. Arrived at the hike trailhead at 9:35 am. Pihea Trail / Alakai Swamp Trail: Total distance 4.8 miles. Total time 2 hours 47 minutes (stopped 37 min). Began at Pu‘u O Kila Lookout over Kalalau Valley in Kokee State Park and followed the back rim of Kalalau valley to a viewpoint (Pihea Vista 4,284’) that had amazing panoramic views. We linked up with the Alaka‘i Swamp trail in 2 miles at the Alaka’i crossing. The Alaka’i Swamp trails lead us across the Alakai Swamp. We saw lots of native plants and birds as we passed through rain forest and bogs. The views from this vantage overlooking
the swamp and pali are amazing. We hiked another .4 miles Usually this hike can be very muddy and foggy, but due to the lack of trade winds, we had rare and excellent views and no mud. Clouds were moving in at the end of the return trip.
We left the parking lot around 12:20pm. On way back down stopped at the Lodge at Kokee at 12:32 pm for lunch. We had the Kalua Pork BBQ sandwich (Hawaiian style pulled pork) and iced tea (we were very thirsty). Lunch was over at 1 pm and time to begin the drive back down to the coast. At around 1:15 we were back at the Waimea Canyon lookout. The light was different since we were there at a different time of day, so we stopped for another look. We passed the 550/552 split (taking 550-Waimea Canyon Drive) at 1:27 pm and made it down to Jo Jo’s Shave Ice (the one on the highway) at 1:41 pm. At 2:26 we were at Snorkel Bob’s in Koloa to do a week rental of snorkel equipment. We drove down to Spouting Horn (didn’t stop) and made it back to condo at 2:48 pm where we promptly went to the beach and stretched out on the lawn. For dinner we made sandwiches and ate at the condo for dinner. We almost ate at the Kiahuna Plantation, but ended up walking to the Sheraton Hotel’s bar where the bartenders Bengee & Noel waited on us. ___________________________________________________________________ Up at 6:45 and left at 8:30 am. Had bagels and coffee for breakfast. At 8:50 we passed the mall in Lihue and by 9:13 am we were in the heart of Kapaa. We took a small detour to Hanalei Bay at 9:44 am and walked out on the pier. The view of the water and mountains from here is awesome. We love Hanalei. We got to the ‘parking’ lot for tunnels beach at 10:15 am and stayed there until 12:33 pm. GREAT snorkeling beach. Went to the beach lawn and did some good reading under the palm trees. Very relaxing. Showered and went to Casablanca and had local beer (Sunset by Keoki Brewing Company) and appetizers and listened to Mike sing and play guitar – mostly Hawaiian music. Mike is a friend of Sean’s. Sean is the very nice Hawaiian guy we met at Pizzetta in Koloa on Friday Night. Sean met us there and brought us a very fragrant gardenia. We think Sean likes us. :) After dinner we went back to the condo, relaxed and went bed at 9:45 pm. ___________________________________________________________________ Up at 7:15 am (slept late today!). Mark made a wonderful breakfast: Scrambled eggs, bacon and toast with guava jam. We even had papaya salsa to put on the eggs. We walked to Spouting Horn and got back to the condo at 10:35 am. The round trip including stopping time at the blow hole and the shops was 2 hours and 15 minutes. Spouting Horn is a stop on the Koloa Heritage Trail. We also passed Prince Kuhio’s birthplace and park on our walk. BEACH TIME! Ate sandwiches at the condo at 11:25 am and then off to the Koloa Farmer’s market (Sunshine Market) at the baseball field. The popular items there were pineapples, mangos, papayas, bananas, avocados, tomatoes, coconuts, lettuce and carrots as well as other produce. There was a long line waiting for the noon opening. We bought papayas, lettuce (2 varieties), apple bananas, carrots and arugula lettuce. Mark dropped me off at the condo at he went to Wal-Mart. For our beach time during the afternoon, we went to Shipwreck Beach. The waves were better here, so Mark had a great time playing the waves. The shipwreck that the beach was named for is no longer here. Lyndon did the short hike up a nearby hill which is actually a lithified sand dune called Makawehi Point. About 3:30 pm went back to the beach lawn at the condo. 5pm we showered and starting making our dinner. Sandwiches and salad made using produce we purchased at the farmer’s market. Mark got some yummy passion fruit dressing from the Plantation Gardens Restaurant to put on our salad. We then loaded the dishwasher and reviewed today’s pictures on the laptop. 6:45-7:15 pm, drive time down to Waimea Brewing Company. Talked to a lady at the bar from Michigan about her and her daughter. This was a 4 beer (for each of us) kind of a night. They had just started their IPA back running and it was yummy. Being Kauai, it didn’t surprise us that the bar closed at 8:30 pm! Drove back to the condo and went out to the lawn to take some nighttime pictures (9:45 pm). Something bit Lyndon on the arm when he was lying on the grass with his head on a palm tree. After doing some research, we think it must have been a centipede. We were in bed at 9:45 pm, but hey, we closed down a bar tonight! ___________________________________________________________________ We got up at 7:15 am and had bagels for breakfast. Left at 8:42 am. Got gas in Kalaheo at a Conoco Phillips 66. They actually still pump the gas there and take your credit card inside to process the charge. The price of the gas was $2.63. Got to turn off for Poli Hale Beach park at 9:25. The next 5 miles is a potholed dirt cane road, but the trip is worth it. At 9:57 we made it our 5 miles down to the ‘parking lot’. This is a beautiful beach with sand dunes (up to 100 feet high), mountains and the beginnings of the Na Pali coast and cliffs. We left the beach at 1:11pm and Lyndon used the outdoor shower in the parking lot. We left the parking lot at 1:24 pm. We stopped at the Original Jo-Jo’s Anuenue Shave Ice near the pier in Waimea. Got back to the condo at 1:28 pm, so the total time back from Poli Hale Beach park to the condo including the shave ice stop was 2 hours and 53 minutes. Our favorite late afternoon pastime was again enjoyed today – beach time on the lawn. At 5:15 we left for Lihue to see the new Star Trek movie (6:10 showing). After the show we went to Pizzetta for beer and pizza. Left for home at 9:35 pm and in bed at 10:15 pm. ___________________________________________________________________ Up at 6:45 am. Mark made his own Hawaiian Style grand slam breakfast: Bacon, eggs, toast, guava jam, papaya, banana, yogurt and coffee. Left the condo at 9:05 am and shopped at Wal-Mart at 9:29 – 9:38 am. Stopped at Hanalei and bought a Koa seed Lei at an artist shop (Artists Gallery of Kauai) in Ching Young Village. At about 0.75 mile past the 4 mile marker, we parked on the side of the road and went to Lumaha’i Beach. This is a very beautiful beach and one of the highlights of our entire trip. We were there from about 11:15-1:00 pm. Our laying out spot was on the second part of the beach that we had to walk over a small cliff covered in ironwood trees. This the beach made famous in the movie South Pacific where Mitzi Gaynor "washed that man right out of her hair". Back in Hanalei at 1:07 pm. For lunch we got a salad from the salad bay at Papaya’s Natural Foods & Café ( very neat place to pick up organic food / snacks or high quality health and beauty products – think mini original Whole Foods in Austin in 1980) and supplemented that with a Combo Fried rice from Panda’s Kitchen. On any other future trip to Kauai, we would stop at Papaya’s in a heart beat. They have a location in Kapa’a also, but we haven’t been there. Stopped at Hawaiian Blizzard Shave Ice in Kapa’a. This is our favorite shave ice in the islands. You can find him (Aaron) at the Kapa’a Shopping Center just outside the Big Save grocery store near the makai entrance. Mark had a Strawberry, Coconut and Guava with cream. Lyndon had Lychee & Passion Fruit. We left there at 2:16 pm and made it back to the condo at 2:55 pm for beach time. Mark watched 2 episodes of Amazing Race and Lyndon read part of a book. For dinner we ate at the Plantation Garden Restaurant where we were staying at Kiahuna Plantation. Dinner was a sample PuPu platter and the Island Stir Fry. We ate at the bar were Brad (also works at Pizzetta) was the bartender. Bed time tonight was 10 pm. ___________________________________________________________________ Up at 7:15 am. From 9-10 am switched rooms from 177 to 163. We were renting 177 directly from the owner, but couldn’t reserve for the whole stay. Rented 163 from Outrigger. Unit 177 is a great unit, decorated nicely, clean with nice ocean view and great view of the grass lawn. Our beach of the day was Maha’ulepu Beach (just a short drive from our condo). We got to the beach dirt ‘parking lot’ at 11:30am and set up our umbrella and picnic lunch at 11:45 am. Maha’ulepu Beach is on the southeastern shore o Kauai at the foot of 1,500-foot-high Haupu Ridge, just beyond the Hyatt Regency Poipu and the McBryde sugar cane fields. This beach is remote and hotel free. There is only one rental property here – Gillin Beach House. To get to this beach you have to enter private property. A gate is usually closed by 6 pm, so you need to leave before then. We were back at the car at 12:59 pm and drove to the “Glass sand’ beach in Port Allen. The far sand of the beach was full of polished small pieces of colored glass (from glass bottles). This is a beach only to see the glass in our opinion. It is located next to ugly large industrial tanks and is accessed by driving down a very rutted dirt road. The beach itself because of the glass was really cool. Left the beach of 2:22pm and drove back to Kapa’a to get some more shave ice. On the way there, we stopped at the Harley-Davidson Shop in Lihue to buy a t-shirt for Lyndon’s brother’s birthday. We got to Hawaiian Blizzard Shave Ice at 3:17 pm. Lyndon had Li-Hing Mui and Liliko’i (Passion Fruit) and Mark had Raspberry, Pineapple and Mango with cream. Drove back to the condo for some late afternoon reading on the lawn at our condo. After spending about 45 minutes there, we came in around 5:15 pm, showered and went to Pizzetta for dinner. Brandy from Kaui was the bartender. We saw Sean there, a local that we got to know on a previous visit. After getting back to the condo we went out to the lawn to see the stars and take some nighttime pictures. Bed time tonight was 9:30 pm. Last full day on Kauai. Spend day at ‘our beach’ at the condo. Up at 7:20 am. Mark made another yummy breakfast. Read an article in the paper about Lahaina noon. Here is some trivia. Over the course of the next 2 weeks the sun will be directly overhead somewhere in Hawaii. This happens twice a year. Objects such as flagpoles will not cast a shadow during Lahaina noon. Mark made sandwiches to eat at the beach. Mark spend a lot of time snorkeling and Lyndon spend the same time on the beach in a chair reading a book and listening to his iPod. We stopped by the National Botanical Gardens gift shop to buy someone a stick of plumeria. For an afternoon treat, a vist to Lappert’s Ice Cream in Old Koloa Town was in order. For dinner (5:45 pm) we ate at Toi’s Thai Kitchen in the Eleele shopping center near Hanapepe. We then had a very enjoyable time at the Hanapepe Art Night. The galleries there host Art Night every Friday. This is highly recommended. We walked across the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge and visited the Banana Patch Studio where we bought a tile to hang on the wall at home. The tile had a hale (thatched roof house) with palm and banana trees a canoe, mountain and water written on it “Hawaiian Blessing: May there Always be Warmth in your Hale, Fish in your Net and Aloha In your Heart.” For dinner, we went to Waimea Brewing Company. Don’t plan on drinking late there, they close at 9 pm! They had live entertainment, a duo singing songs – many in Hawaiian. Lyndon finished reading a book his niece gave him: The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. Up at 7:30 am for a morning hike at the Wa’ahila Ridge State Recreation Area. We hiked the Wa’ahila Ridge trail which connected to the Kolowalu Trail. We hiked a small portion of the Kolowalu Trail. Just the Wa’ahila Ridge Trail portion was 4.8 miles round trip. We were back at the car at 12:05 pm: total time of 70 minutes up with a 15 minute stop at our turn around point to drink some water and eat a cashew butter bar and 57 minutes back down. This was a very nice hike with great views of Honolulu and the Manoa Valley. Along the way we passed ironwood trees and wild strawberry guava (which Lyndon snacked on during the hike). This ridge is between the Manoa and Palolo valleys. After the hike we were very hungry and stopped at Fresh Catch (11:23 am) on Waialae St in Kaimuki. It was too crowded, so we left without eating. The food looked good and they had poke, plate lunches, seafood, etc. Instead we ate at Teddy’s Burgers at the Koko Marina (12:42-1:09 pm). At 1:35 we were at Waimanalo Beach were we only stayed about 10 minutes. We stopped in Waimanalo at Keneke’s Plate Lunch & BBQ where Mark got some shave ice. We left at 2 pm and stopped at the Pali Lookout (Nuuanu Pali Lookout) at 2:30 pm. Here you can get great views of Kaneohe Bay. As was typical of this trip, no trade winds were blowing, so it wasn’t very windy up in the pass like it usually is. We walked about 25 minutes up and down the old road. Left at 2:52 went back to the condo and spend some brief time at the beach and walked to the International Market Place. For dinner we had some excellent Vietnamese food at Pho Bistro 2 (1694 Kalakaua Ave # C). Mark had Oxtail Soup which he loved and Lyndon had Beef Pho and Winter Rolls. After arriving back at the condo at 7:40 pm, we went up to the rooftop to see the view of the ocean, Kapiolani Park and Diamond Head. Next we went to Hula’s (8:45 pm) where Lyndon had 2 beers and Mark had 2 Mai Tais. We got back to the room at 9:35 pm and didn’t have far to walk since Hula’s is on the 2nd floor of the same building our condo was in. Left room at 9:25 am and at 9:40 am we were at the turn off from H1 to Highway 63 (Likelike). Passed through Kaneohe around 9:50 am and stopped at 10:08 to see Mokoli’i Island (Chinaman’s Hat) from Kualoa Park. Left the park at 10:23 am and passed through Punalu’u at 10:38 am and Hu’ula at 10:44 am. We took a brief potty break at Kokololio Beach Park at 10:46 am. We passed the Polynesian Cultural Center at 10:50 am (for reference only, didn’t stop). We detoured to Laie Point State Wayside park were we were treat to great views of the ocean and the arch in Kukuihoolua Island. We spent from 10:53 am to 11:09 am there watched the surf crash on the rocks and the great view of the coast. We ate lunch at Giovanni’s Original White Shrimp Truck in Kahuku. We had the garlic shrimp plate and the hot shrimp plate. There were several other shrimp trucks in this area, and if we ever visit in the future we would like to try a different shrimp truck. We left at 11:34 and rounded Kalaeuila Point and passed several beaches on the North Shore – all of which did not allow swimming. We turned around briefly at Pupukea Beach Park and then looped around again passing Waimea Bay Beach Park which had nice waves and lots of people in the water swimming and body surfing. We then continued down the coast to see the view from Haleiwa Beach Park (12:21 pm). For an afternoon treat, we stopped by the famous Matsumoto’s Shave Ice in Haleiwa for some good shave ice. Next it was on to some beach time on the North Shore at Ehukai “Reddish Tinged Water” Beach Park at the Bonzai Pipeline. From 1:10 – 3:20 pm we enjoyed the sun and watching the surfers. Lyndon walked up and down the beach and picked up some good sea shells. Left for home and turned off from Joseph P Leong Hwy and Hwy 99 at 3:35 pm, Wahiana@ 3:49 pm, H2 @ 3:52 pm and H1 @ 3:59 pm. Exited at Punahou @ 4:24 and back to hotel @ 4:42 pm. For dinner, we went to Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch and Crab and Big Aloha Brewery. We barely caught the end of happy hour for pupus and beer. After dinner, we stopped by Ala Moana Shopping Center. The two places we stopped at was Shirokiya department store and Longs Drugs. Made a pit stop at Longs Drugs for coffee and snacks and Shirokiya for some Japanese food treats (for example, Lyndon bought two kinds of Furikake – Toasted Sesame and Nori and Toasted Sesame, Nori & Bonito). For late night entertainment (at least late for us), we went to Hula’s for a beer. |
