Kauai: Wailua River & Na Pali Coast

On Saturday morning, we set out early for a kayaking adventure down the Wailua River. The scenery inspired our awe and the 4 mile trek up and down the river challenged our muscles. To save money, we rented our own kayak without signing up for a guided tour. Ha! The mapmakers seriously lacked cartographic skills and the "Secret Falls" to which we intended to hike remained secret from the Hohns' perspective. Nevertheless, we had the experience of a lifetime! Since we left so early, we avoided the masses on tour and basically enjoyed the river to ourselves. Here is a photo which captures the serenity if not the majestic views:

After the refreshment of our hotel's amenities (beach, shower, rest), we drove to another side of the island for our chartered boat tour of the Na Pali coast which disembarked from Port Allen.

In the few minutes we could spare before arriving on site, we took a detour to the Glass Beach, the name of which is derived from all the multicolored seaglass which washes ashore to form sand, quite safe for bare feet.

Anyway, our 5 hour sunset dinner cruise set sail on a most beautiful afternoon.

Dolphins playing in their natural environment:

We witnessed both spinner and bottle-nosed dolphins, as well as humpback whales, though the photo above is the only one worth sharing.

A cave along the coastline:

Several views of the Na Pali coast:



A lovely waterfall... and TENTS! The owners of these tents hiked 13 miles to this remote beach - can you imagine?


Confession: both of us experienced seasickness (in the form of adding to the ocean's contents) and only one of us was able to gorge [herself] on the luau-style buffet.