Travelogue

Day 1 - Arrival on Kauai, stocking up at Costco, and checking into the Sheraton Kauai Resort in Koloa

Our arrival at the Sheraton KauaiA trip to Hawaii definitely made more sense now that we had moved to the West Coast. The flight from San Francisco is about 5 hours and you even gain 2 along the way, so we landed around 12:30 pm with plenty of the day left to settle in.

After picking up our rental car, we stopped at a Costco on our way to our hotel. We only had a mini-fridge in our room, so we had to be really disciplined as to what we purchased. However, we did go a bit too crazy on the non-perishables. I thought Herb was kidding when he placed one of those barrels of pretzels in the cart. Unfortunately not. We also stopped in a Safeway to get some more reasonably sized items.

Fully-stocked, we headed to the Sheraton Kauai Resort located on the beach in Koloa, Hawaii. It was even better than expected. We knew we had an ocean view, but not “the” ocean view - 4th floor balcony with a balcony overlooking the sunset gathering spot for the resort - adirondack chairs on a grassy knoll beneath a line of beautiful palm trees.

Sunset from our balconyWe were exhausted, so we took a brief nap before heading out on an exploratory walk around the resort. It was perfect - great fitness center, beautiful pool, its own private beach, and two restaurants - one casual and one more fancy. Plus we were in easy walking distance to several highly-rated restaurants in the other resorts nearby.

We got back to the room in time to watch the sunset from our balcony. It definitely seemed like the place to be, as crowds gathered (as they would do every evening) on blankets and the Adirondack chairs below us.

Much too tired to go out for dinner, we had cheese and crackers, walnuts, a wonderful salad, and a turkey sandwich - all ala Costco. Oh, and of course I made Herb eat some pretzels

I slept like a baby that night, lulled to sleep by the pounding of the surf outside our window.

Day 2 - Hike the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail, drive up to Waimea Canyon after helicopter ride canceled, and dinner at Holoholo Grill

Maha'ulepu Heritage TrailToday was supposed to be our doors off helicopter ride over the Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coast with Mauna Loa helicopter tours. It was quite windy with forecasted gusts over 30 mph, so I was a bit nervous. That wasn’t until 3:00 this afternoon though, so I decided to put it out of my mind for now and enjoy the morning (which hopefully wouldn’t be my last - just kidding). Herb said he wasn’t nervous, but I did see him checking the “Windy” app on his phone quite often.

So, as planned we drove the short distance to Shipwreck Beach to hike along the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail.

The trail departs from Shipwreck Beach, a beautiful stretch of sand surrounded by large rocky cliffs. We would definitely have to spend some time just relaxing on this beach some time this week.

Maha'ulepu Heritage TrailFrom the trailhead, we climbed up along sand dunes and then along the rocky coastline with several opportunities to step out onto the cliffs overlooking Shipwreck Beach and other beaches hidden between the surrounding coast cliffs.

As we continued on, the ground became a bit redder, with lots of volcanic rocks strewn about. From there, we followed a grassy trail at the edge of the Poipu Bay Golf Course towards beautiful red cliffs.

We had to get back soon for our helicopter ride, so at a mile and a half out, we turned around and retraced our steps back towards Shipwreck Beach.

Maha'ulepu Heritage TrailAfter a quick lunch in our room, we kept looking at the weather forecast to see if we should reschedule our helicopter ride. We had paid an extra $50 in insurance to allow us to do that in case we chickened out.

It was questionable, but we decided to go there and see what the pilot thought. We had only gotten about 10 minutes from our hotel when we received a phone call from Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours telling us that it was too windy and no more helicopters were going out that day. Whew! I’m glad they made the decision for us.

We looked at a long range weather forecast, which we knew wasn’t that accurate because of the volatility of the weather patterns here, and rescheduled for Saturday (4 days from now).

Waimea Canyon - Waipo'o FallsNow what? With nothing else planned for the day, we decided to take a drive to Waimea Canyon. If we couldn’t see it by air, we would attack it by car.

As I mentioned in the Trip Over, Waimea Canyon is pretty much what motivated us to come to Kauai. The colorful layers along the sides of the cliffs of this spectacular 10-mile canyon have earned it the nickname “the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.”

Waimea Canyon Waipo'o FallsIt is extremely wild and remote and only visible from the air or from lookouts along the 20-mile Waimea Canyon road that winds and twists its way up from sea level to over 4,000 feet at roads end.

As we started the drive up Waimea Canyon Road, the weather almost immediately shifted from sunny skies to atmospheric clouds drifting through the canyon. Well, at least it wasn’t raining.

We drove into the parking lot of the Waimea Canyon Overlook, which is supposed to have the most dramatic views. Unfortunately, it was completely socked in with clouds, and since we didn’t want to spend the $20 fee to park there to look at a wall of clouds, we continued up the road.

We had only driven a short distance when we saw a few cars pulled over to the side of the road, so we decided to join them and see what was up.

Oh, no wonder. There was some light on beautiful Waipo’o Falls creating a very atmospheric effect on it and the surrounding colorful cliffs.

Waimea CanyonWe had to act quickly though because the light was very fickle and if you hesitated, you could miss it. We just had to be patient and wait, because the light was constantly changing.

After capturing a few images, we continued up Waimea Canyon Road pulling over, if possible, whenever we saw some light.

We wound up driving all the way to the end to the Pihea Trailhead, but by then the lookout had nothing to look at except clouds, so we decided to head back.

Waimea CanyonThe drive had not been a total wash out though as I think we did capture some fairly dramatic photos. Blue skies can be boring.

That evening we walked about a quarter mile over to the next resort to the Holoholo Grill for dinner. We both had what became our go-to meal in Kauai - a Hawaiian Poke Bowl with raw ahi tuna, white onion, sesame oil, avocado, cucumber, edamame, ocean salad, crispy onion, sweet soy drizzle, wasabi aioli drizzle and furikake sushi rice.

It was delicious and very healthy too.

Day 3 - Relaxing on Shipwreck Beach and the Sheraton Aulii Luau

Shipwreck BeachToday we needed to be back at our hotel by 4:30 to get ready for our Luau, so we decided to spend the day where one should when on Kauai - at a beautiful sandy beach.

We returned to Shipwreck Beach, where we had started our hike on the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail yesterday. It was a lovely beach with water calm enough to swim in and there were shade trees if needed to get out of the sun.

There was a large group of college age kids on the beach who spent a good part of the day climbing up the cliff at the west end of the beach, called Makawehi Point, and jumping off it, over and over again. It was fun to watch and try to capture them in midair.

Jumpers at Shipwreck BeachAfter a few hours, we went back to our room for a light lunch, as we would be stuffing ourselves with an all-you-can-eat buffet later that night at the Aulii Luau, held on the grounds of the Sheraton.

We had never been to a luau before, so I started researching luaus on Kauai. To my delight, the one I selected was actually located on the grounds of the Sheraton Kauai Resort where we were staying, making it much safer to take advantage of the open bar with unlimited Mai Tais.

Aulii LuauThe Sheraton Aulii Luau is the only oceanfront Luau on Kauai, which I thought made it extra special. We booked the Aloha (standard seating) package which was $190 a person. I think the Premier seating was an extra $25 each.

It worked out great for us though, as our assigned “Standard” seating was right behind a Premier table, and we had equally good views of the stage where the dancing would be done.

Aulii LuauAfter a wonderful buffet dinner, the hula dancing began. It was phenomenal, far exceeding my wildest expectations.

The dancers belonged to a group called Urahutia Productions, started by a Kauain woman named Mi Nei, who spent many years in Tahiti studying Tahitian Dance. When she returned home to Kauai in 1998, she created Urahutia Productions and began offering Tahitian dance classes, which she has continued to do for the last 25 years.

Aulii LuauIn 2011, the Sheraton Kauai Resort partnered with Urahutia Productions to put on shows that entertained, as well as educated guests in the history, lifestyles, and culture of the Polynesian people.

Many of the extremely talented dancers we saw that night were multi-generational members of Mi Nei’s ‘ohana’ (family).

You could feel their energy, pride, and “aloha” (love and fellowship) as they put on quite a show for us. I was totally mesmerized.

My only regret is that Herb and I did not take advantage of the Hula Lessons offered each morning at our hotel.

Day 4 - Fitness Center Workout, Lunch at Kalaheo Cafe, Hanapepe Swinging Bridge, and another attempt at photographing Waimea Canyon

Too Old to ExerciseHerb and I were both reading a book called “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity,” so we decided to spend some time in the Sheraton Resort’s Fitness Center to add on a few quality years. When we are home, we are very active, exercising probably about 6 out of 7 days of the week. However, we usually slouch off when on vacation, but this time we were motivated.

The Fitness Center was quite nice - great equipment and a view of the ocean. I have always done a lot of cardio, but I just within the last year have added lifting weights to my regimen, as building muscle mass is very important at our age.

We did have a good laugh when we looked at the Aerobic Exercise Guide chart on the wall, which showed target heart rate zones by age category. What immediately came to our notice was that there was no age category over 65!!

Hanapepe Swinging BridgeApparently, we were now considered too old to exercise - despite the fact that I had just completed 40 minutes of cardio in the 35 - 40 age category range. I didn’t know whether to be proud or concerned.

After our workout, we decided to make another attempt at photographing the fickle Waimea Canyon.

On the way, we stopped at the Kalaheo Cafe, where I continued my new-found plan to live to 100 by ordering a delicious veggie sandwich, piled high with Guacamole, carrots, zucchini, squash, onion, mushroom, olives, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and clover sprouts. Herb had his standard go to - a club sandwich.

Hanapepe Swinging BridgeHawaii is known for its coffee, and in the town of Kalaheo there are over 4,000 acres of coffee farms. I had one of the best coffees of my life - Kahlua and Cream. My less adventurous husband had a regular drip coffee. I made him take a sip of mine and I could tell he was jealous.

Happily fed and caffeinated, we continued on, stopping first in the little town of Hanapepe to see and walk across its famous swinging bridge.

For over a 100 years there has been a suspension bridge spanning this part of the Hanapepe River, used by taro farmers and locals to cross the river. In 1992 Hurricane Iniki damaged the bridge and it was replaced with the one that is currently there. Built with reinforced cables and wooden planks, it is considered very safe.

Red Dirt FallsGood, because it really swayed a lot when we walked across it, especially because of the high winds we were experiencing today.

From there we continued on to Waimea Canyon Road. Right on queue, it began to rain and quite heavily too. The day was a bit of a bust. After stopping at several lookouts where we could barely see our hand in front of us, we decided to give up and head back to the resort.

On the way back along the Waimea Canyon Road, I asked Herb to let me out of the car to take a photo of Red Dirt Waterfall, which ran right alongside the road. It was pouring out, so I had to make it quick as water droplets were rapidly covering my lens.

Sheraton Kauai poolThe waterfall, which is relatively small, is carved into the canyon surrounded by bright red soil and lush vegetation.

Carved into the island’s iconic Waimea Canyon, this relatively small waterfall is surrounded by gorgeous red soil and the canyon’s lush vegetation.

This red soil here, and in much of Waimea Canyon, is a natural byproduct of the dark, iron-rich basalt rock that surrounds the canyon. These rocks have oxidized over time, giving the soil various shades of red.

Enjoying the Sheraton hot tubIt is thought that the red soil is what gave Waimea Canyon its name, as the word “waimea” means “reddish water” in Hawaiian.

Well, only one Waimea Canyon photo today. We still had another day to try as well as our helicopter ride over the canyon in a few days.

Of course, when we got back to our hotel, the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Who knows? It might have been like this all day and only the Canyon was covered with clouds and rain.

Since we had a big lunch out at the Kalaheo Cafe, we decided to have dinner (Costco salad and sandwiches) on our balcony and watch another beautiful sunset.

Afterwards, we headed down to the pool area to enjoy a soak in the hot tub.

Day 5 - Drive back to Waimea Canyon with thoughts of hiking, late lunch at the Kalaheo Cafe, hang out at hotel pool, work out in fitness center

Thwarted by cloudsHoping that three was the charm, we drove once again up the Waimea Canyon road with the hopes of getting some good light and being able to do at least one of three pretty long hikes we had researched.

• Awa’awapuhi Trail - a very strenuous 5.8-mile, out-and-back trail with over 1,800 feet of elevation gain, with a spectacular, but fairly dangerous ending
• Waipo’o Falls Trail - a strenuous 2.6-mile, out-and-back trail to the beautiful waterfalls we had photographed the other day.
• Pihea Vista Trail - a moderate 2.3-mile, out-and-back trail with good vistas along the way. This trail started at the very end of Waimea Canyon Road

Rainbow Waimea CanyonNormally, we would have left in the afternoon when the light on the canyon is much better, but since we wanted to get in a multi-hour hike first, we left in the morning, so we could get a hike in and then photograph from the lookouts later in the afternoon on the way back.

As we drove up the Canyon Road, we did get some good lighting, especially of the Waipo’o Falls, so we figured we would stop to photograph it now. Lesson we have learned: grab the light when you have it.

Light hits Waipo'o FallsWe stopped at the trailhead for the Awa’awapuhi Trail, but even the parking lot was deep in mud. The thought of slogging for over 4 hours along a muddy trail to get to a spectacular ridge ending that was probably scary enough when dry, convinced us to continue on and to the shorter Pihea Vista Trail, which started at the very end of the Waimea Canyon Road at the Pu’u O Kila Lookout.

Interesting story. They originally planned many years back to continue the road to Hā'ena State Park on the northern shore, about 7 miles further, as the crow flies. However, the ground was so swampy that construction trucks sunk in the muck and are supposedly still there. That didn’t bode well for any expectations of a dry trail.

Where Waimea Canyon meets the seaWhen we got to Pu’u O Kila Lookout, it started to rain. We decided to wait for 20 minutes for it to stop, but it didn’t.

We knew from people we had met at the Luau the other night, that the hike to Waipo’o Falls falls had been too muddy to get close to the falls.

That was three strikes against our hiking hopes, so we decided to cut our losses short and go back to the Resort where there was probably plenty of sun.

Another sunset from our balconySure enough, when we got back to the town of Waimea, the sun was shining brightly. We were half tempted to drive back up the Canyon road, but figured it could very likely just change to clouds and rain again.

We hadn’t eaten the peanut butter sandwiches I had packed for our hike, so we stopped again at the Kalaheo Cafe for another delightful lunch and great coffee.

Then it was back to our hotel, where the sun was shining, as it very likely had been all day. We hadn’t really spent much time yet at the lovely pool, so we got in our bathing suits, grabbed some towels, and spent a few relaxing hours poolside.

Afterwards, feeling guilty for not doing something physical today, I went to the fitness center to do 45 minutes of cardio on a stationary bike.
We finished the day with another beautiful sunset from our balcony.

Day 6 - Fitness Center, Sheraton Resort Pool, poolside lunch at Lava’s on Poipu Beach, Helicopter Ride, and dinner at Holoholo Grill

Poolside lunchToday was the big day, assuming that the weather cooperated - our doors off helicopter ride over the Waimea Canyon and along the Nāpali Coast. It was originally scheduled for a few days ago, but the high winds kept the helicopters grounded. Hopefully, today would be calm and clear.

If the pilots make the decision that it is unsafe to go up, they issue a full refund. We bought extra cancellation insurance though, just in case our opinion differed from the pilot’s. It might be safe to fly, but if the conditions were cloudy or rainy and still too windy (in our opinion), we wanted to be able to get our money back if we decided we didn’t want to go.

Our ride for todayFortunately, today looked perfect - clear skies and calm winds.

Our reservation wasn’t until 3:00 pm, so we had plenty of time to just relax around the resort, which was really quite lovely.

We started off with an hour of lifting and cardio in the fitness center. It was a really nice fitness center with lots of good equipment and big windows looking out at the ocean.

Happy HerbAfter that it was pool time. The pool was quite popular so it was always a bit challenging to get two lounge chairs together, but we managed to get the last two.

We spent a relaxing few hours reading and people watching. We ordered lunch from the poolside Lava’s on Poipu Beach restaurant and had it delivered to our lounge chairs.

This was definitely very different from our normal style of travel, but the contrast made it extra fun.

Lush valleysNo call from the helicopter tour company, so it looked like we were on for flying today. Herb had booked our tour with Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours because they were highly rated and offered private tours (just the 2 of us and the pilot) with the option of having the doors off to allow for unobstructed photography.

We drove to the Mauna Loa office near the airport to check in - sign forms, watch a safety video, etc., and then over to the heliport at Lihue Airport to meet our pilot Julien.

After greeting us, Julien gave us a headset, so we could speak back and forth during the flight, a strap to make sure our cell phones did not fly out the door opening, and the promise of an “Aloha” (barf) bag if we needed one. We had already taken 2 Bonines for motion sickness, and the winds were pretty calm, so hopefully those “Aloha bags” would not see the light of day.

Waipo'o Falls from the airI tried to hold back from asking Julien if he had ever flown one of these before, but we did eventually get around to asking him how many flying hours he had - 1,000, so I relaxed a bit.

Most importantly, we were instructed to keep all appendages inside the helicopter. Later, during the flight, I briefly learned how essential an instruction this was when my hand went slightly outside the door opening to take a photo, and the 100 mph wind force almost ripped my phone right out of my hand if it hadn’t been for the strap. That was the last time I got even close to that door opening.

Bank turn Napali CoastWe took off from the Lihue Heliport and started heading west towards Waimea Canyon, which had thwarted us with rain and clouds on three separate days that we had driven up Waimea Canyon Road. What a difference today, when the sun was shining, the skies were blue, and the water in the falls was raging. And, most importantly of all, no clouds to obstruct our view.

This island is so lush and green with dozens of waterfalls cascading over cliffs on their way to the sea.

Napali CoastWe cruised right up close to beautiful Waipo’o Falls, which we had photographed from the Waimea Canyon Road, but nothing like this!

We then headed north towards the Nāpali Coast, one of the most recognizable and beautiful coastlines in the world. These views of the colorful, rugged cliffs and narrow valleys ending abruptly at the sea are the reason we came to Kauai in the first place.

They are extremely remote and inaccessible, except by sea, air, or a very long backpacking trip. During the winter the seas are too rough for a comfortable boat ride, so helicopters were the best option.

Colorful Napali cliffsI thought I would be afraid during this ride and counting down the minutes until it was over, but instead I was absolutely at peace, mesmerized by the beauty on display below us.

We cruised along the coastline for a while, occasionally dipping into and out of several valleys.

Many times I felt like we were headed right towards a canyon wall, before Julien either turned or went up over it. There were times I felt like I could reach out and touch the top of a ridge. Helicopters are a lot more maneuverable than I would have ever imagined.

Rough winter seasI have a tendency to have crooked horizons in my photos, but now I had the perfect excuse. Everytime Julien made a banked turn, the horizon went close to a 45 degree angle. I kind of like the effect.

As we headed east along the northern shore, we passed over beautiful, crescent-shaped Hanalei Bay, which we would visit in a few days.

I didn’t make the connection until Herb informed me that this idyllic Bay was the inspiration for the mythical “Honah Lee” in the 1960’s song “Puff the Magic Dragon.” That was one of my favorite songs as a kid, and now I couldn't stop humming it.

Hanalei BayThen Julien turned inland - oh no, our trip was almost over. The hour was going far too fast.

On the way back to the heliport, we passed over inland forests, hills, and agricultural land. There were even some cows down there.

Before I knew it, Julien had expertly landed us back on our helipad.

Our helicopter routeAll I can say is Wow! What a way to spend our last day on Kauai's southern shore.

Back at the Sheraton, we watched one last sunset from our balcony before walking to the nearby Holoholo Grill, where we had had a delicious dinner a few nights ago. We even ordered the same exact meal as before - the Hawaiian Poke Bowl.

Before leaving for the north shore the next morning, we tried had a late breakfast at the Keoki’s Paradise, another lovely restaurant in walking distance to our hotel. I took advantage of the all-day breakfast and had a veggie omelet, while Herb I think made the better choice with a poke bowl that had both ahi and pulled pork.