Travel Date: Tuesday, Nov 24 2015
I woke up early in the morning, 20 minutes or so before sunrise. The Marriott Courtyard at Coconut Beach hooked us up with a beach front view. So I took a peek outside our balcony, and then decided to experience the sunrise from the ground level of the hotel.
After a very short deliberation, I walked away from our hotel and towards the beach. All beaches in Hawaii are accessible by the public.
The changes in colors of the clouds as the sun rose was delightful to watch.
Being grounded in the earth and feeling vibrations of energy all over my body.
In the distance I noticed a bunch of people being led by what appears to be some native Hawaiians in a chant or song. I equate them to giving thanks for the beauty of the sunrises. I don't really know what they were doing.
Justin and I take our time getting ready. And then, we head out on the road to see the Northeast part of the island.
We stop by a lookout of the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge. It is a conservation area of endangered plants and animals.
The views remind me of my Indian homeland.
We continue on driving and then begin to see edges of the Na Pali coastline.
We encounter a one lane bridge with a sign.
The sign reads: "Local Courtesy is 5-7 cars". I think "how cool!"
We continue on.
We stop by a random beach.
Nothing eventful there, so we continue on.
And stop at another beach.
Justin decides to open up the airflow and detaches a portion of the jeep roof.
We continue on until we reach the Northern part of the island at Ke'e State Beach Park and find parking in the general parking lot.
As we walk from the general parking lot to the Ke'e State Beach Park we come across interesting views.
And caves.
We continue walking and get to the Kalalau Trailhead.
The Kalalau Trail is an 11 mile trail that leads from Ke’e Beach to Kalalau Beach along the Na Pali Coast.
So we begin walking just to get a taste of the 11 mile trail. We didn't plan to walk the entire stretch.
As we begin to turn around, we begin to see the start of different views.
We come to a stopping point and enjoy our last view of the Na Pali Coastline.
And then we head back down.
And then walk towards out car.
And as we enter our car we are doused with lots and lots of rain. Perfect timing!
We head into town. Using google, I search up breweries and find a meadery. Near this 'brewery' I also notice a taco place nearby (Tiki Tacos), so after we park we walk towards it.
Looking at the menu there is lots to choose from, and it from organic farms in the area. With so many choices I tell the owner to pick the tacos for me.
They have mason jars with some kind of soft drink.
He gets me Paniolo beef steak taco and Kalua pig taco with guacamole on both.
After the lunch nourishment we head back to the brewery I found: Nani Moon Meadery.
We walk in and I don't see any beer.
And then Justin explains to me that a meadery is a winery that produces wine from honey. Ohhhhhhh! I get it now!
Stephanie Krieger, the owner and operator was warm and receptive to us and told us a lot of about the meadery, the area, her story and living on the island as a transplant from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
So after our intro to the meadery, we decide to get a sample and go down the list of six choices, and get another one.
- Laka Nectar
- Pineapple Lime
- Winter Sun
- Ginger Spice
- Cacao Moon
- Deviant Beehavior
Delicious stuff. I highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area.
We head out and I debate with Justin whether we should kayak on the Wailua River. In the end we decide to check out the two waterfalls by road.
First up is the Opaeka'a Falls.
A closer view.
And then we head over to Wailua Falls, which was very very beautiful and stunning.
I really wanted to walk down and see it. There are two trails to get to it, but the weather has been wet and rainy and based on various factors it was probably not safe to walk down to the falls.
Along the way back to the car we stopped by the local pig who greets visitors as they pass by and entices them to give him food. Total charm magnet.
Looking at the time we have a lot of time to waste till our next flight. We still have time to sneak in a kayak trip on the Wailua River but we didn't want to risk missing our flight or something crazy happening.
We head to the airport and pay the extra $30.00 to change our plane ticket to catch an earlier flight. Leaving the beautiful island of Kauai.
Arriving in Oahu.
Leaving Oahu for Maui. "Aloha... Welcome Aboard."
The plane is very empty so Justin decides to leave me alone and sit by himself.
I love watching beautiful sunsets as you fly.
Arriving in Maui. And witnessing the sugar cane fields and the ones that have been scorched.
Time to pick up the rental car, drive to the hotel and rest. We have to get up early in the morning to watch the epic sunrise at the peak of Haleakala National Park.
Reflections:
The sunrise at Coconut Beach was amazing. I was so moved and feeling energetic after watching it. I cannot imagine what it is like to see such beautiful sunrises and sunsets on the island over and over and over again.
Justin and I had a great conversation in the car ride around the island on life in general. Some good bro-bonding time. The short hike of the Kalalau Trail got me very excited about my future in walking it. Stephanie from Nani Moon Meadery, suggested that when I go back to Kauai that I should walk the trail and stay at the beach for 4 days for the 'magic to happen'. I am not sure what she means but I am ready to experience.
It was great to meet her and the owner of Tiki Tacos. Great people, great food, and great mead (honey wine).
I really really liked Wailua Falls. I wish I could have walked down to it. I found Opaeka'a Falls a little boring, but then again everything on the island of Kauai has been beautiful. I also wanted to kayak the Wailua River but that will have to wait on a repeat trip.
I'm glad we got earlier tickets to Maui. It was a great suggestion by Justin. Originally, I didn't want to spend the extra $30.00 to change it. But sometimes you have to let go, and go with the flow. We got our rental car earlier, checked into the hotel earlier, and had a better night's rest. Great suggestion Justin!
Expenses: $128.18
Breakfast: $22.35 (Kauai Coconut Beach Hotel)
Lunch: $19.32 (Tiki Tacos)
Beverages: $25.00 (Nani Moon Meadery)
Airline Fee: $30.00 (Ticket change fee - Hawaiian Airlines)
Beverages: $11.70 (PS Bar Lihue Airport)
Dinner: $19.81 (Courtyard Maui Kahului Airport)
Car: 9483 Points (Alamo)
Hotel: 70000 Points (Courtyard Maui Kahului Airport)
