Kauai - North Shore

Well we have a day with no plans. For months I’ve been asking the family repeatedly to check out the Kauai guidebook to find things they want to do. I haven’t received much input other than from Stephen who said he wanted to snorkel with turtles. With no other suggestions, we headed to a beach of Stephen’s choosing where we thought the turtles might be. Ke’e Beach is still closed due to flooding and rock slides over a year ago so Anini Beach was supposed to be the next best beach for turtle sightings. The beach itself was beautiful. There was so much shade from huge trees nearby. Mike and I enjoyed relaxing on the beach. The boys went snorkeling and were severely disappointed. Unfortunately, humans have destroyed this beach. The reef is dead and there are few fish left swimming about. Stephen never saw a turtle and gave up. Kyle gave up too and went out exploring on the land. He found a giant coconut that he insisted on bringing home. The boys appeared frustrated with Anini Beach so I suggested we head home to regroup.

We grabbed a snack at the condo then headed out to Ho’opi’i Falls. This waterfall was on my list of things to do while in Kauai. Kyle was not happy thinking it would be a long hike. I assured him that the hike was short and the payoff at the end would be worth it. He was not disappointed. What a great waterfall! The boys jumped off the rocks into the water below too may times for me to count. For over two hours they jumped and we watched the locals doing crazy dives into the pool below. I hadn’t planned to jump off the cliff because I’m a chicken but after watching everyone else jump and realizing nobody was hitting rocks below, I jumped. The first time my bikini top stayed on, the second time it didn’t! Word to the wise, triangle bikini tops serve no purpose unless you’re just lounging on a beach. I got adventurous after my second jump and I climbed up a rock embankment that the locals were using. Luckily, I didn’t injure myself. I followed Kyle’s lead and walked across the water at the top of the waterfall. Why did I follow Kyle?! I know better than that! I fell on my butt on the slippery rocks, grabbed onto a branch that was not connected to a tree and the branch ripped off my bathing suit top! Luckily, I didn’t give the kids a show. The local teenage boys were doing triple dives and cool back flips so nobody was paying attention to the train wreck that was me at the top of the waterfall. I decided it was better to keep my feet planted on firm ground after that and I left the jumping to the youngin's. 

Finally, Kyle tired out and was ready to leave. As we hiked back to the car, Kyle declared that he was ready to move to the island. He said he wanted to live like a local so he could walk around with no shirt, no shoes and so he could chew with his mouth open. I’m not sure where he got the last one. He’s right, shoes and shirts are optional everywhere including grocery stores and restaurants but we have not seen anyone eating with their mouth open. He’s so random.

We drove to Costco, stocked up on snacks, drinks and way too much food and we headed home. Nick, our boat captain yesterday told us we could find the best Mai Tai’s on the island at Tahiti Nui. We had to see if he was right. We left Kyle at home (his request) and Stephen, Mike and I went to dinner there. The restaurant is owned by a local family who has operated it for many generations. There were two Hawaiian woman singing songs about the island while playing guitars. Mike and I ordered Mai Tai’s which were delicious. Mike had the local catch of the day, Stephen had shrimp and I ordered a macadamia crusted chicken breast. It was all so good and the ambiance made it even better. There were two woman who got up and did traditional dances to the songs being sung. Stephen tried to follow along. The singers took notice and invited him up on stage to dance with them and he did! He had a big smile on his face the whole time. A couple of other woman joined in as well. At the end of the song some of the patrons told us that Stephen was a natural and the best dancer in the group. 

After dinner we headed home and packed for the boy’s fishing trip tomorrow. Mike’s birthday is tomorrow and the only thing he wanted to do while in Kauai was to fish. 

Best thing about today: Stephen – “watching people jump from the cliff and dancing on stage”, Kyle – “jumping off the cliff”, Amber – “seeing how happy the boys were jumping off the cliff and sipping on my delicious Mai Tai”, Mike – “eating at Tahiti Nui and watching Stephen dance on stage”