Kauai: The Best Laid Plans…

Tuesday we were ready for a new adventure. This was the first time we were going in the opposite direction around the island. The plan was to head over to a popular surfing town and stop and see some sights along the way. Everything seemed great until we encountered a literal roadblock.

Just a few mile before we were to reach Hanalei, our destination, the road was closed. Apparently part of the road had collapsed in previous months’ storms, and so crews were working to repair the road. To do so the road was completely closed for most of the day. It closed in the morning, reopened for about 45 minutes around 1:00, then opened again at 5:00. When it was open, there was only one lane so traffic was slow.

We arrived at about 10:00. At first we thought there might be a detour. No such luck. We finally asked what was going on and got the bad news. A small shopping center sat near the roadblock so we thought we might hang out there. However we eventually decided there wasn’t much to do there so we decided to start back with plans to return another day being better informed.

There was a well known lighthouse nearby that we thought we would check out. Unfortunately it was also closed, and when it was open, one needed to make reservations to go onto the grounds. There was a viewpoint of the lighthouse so we did get a few pictures, but that was about it.

On the road to the lighthouse, we had passed an interesting looking shopping area so we stopped by it on our way back to the main road. We discovered some nice shops as we wandered around. We ended up eating lunch there at a pizza place. It was relaxing to sit and eat outside in the warm air.

We drove back toward our condo, and we went just a little ways past it to see another waterfall. Opaekaa Falls is a bit off in the distance but it was nice. Across the road is a view of the Wailua River. We could look down and see the boaters on the river. Coming back towards town there was another viewpoint of the Wailua River. We stopped there to check out that view and encountered an interesting situation.

When you are on Kauai, one of the things you will notice are the chickens. They are everywhere. In fact souvenirs from the island often feature a chicken. When we stopped at this viewpoint, we noticed there were a lot of chickens. We didn’t think too much about it, but soon we discovered why.

While we were enjoying the view of the Wailua River, an older woman parked her car near us. She got out and took a shallow metal pan, and filled it with water. She then placed it by a picnic table for the chickens to drink from. As we observed this, we thought it was nice of her. Then, however, she brought out chicken feed and began to throw it around. The chickens came running from every direction. Some started fighting with each other. The woman just continued on as if this were a daily routine not paying any attention to us. She got out another pan of water and threw out more feed. It was obvious now why there were so many chickens in this park. We wondered how the parks department felt about her activities. We had seen a number of “Do not feed the chickens” signs around the island.

Returning to the condo we just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. In the evening, however, we did go for a walk. Just a few blocks from our condo is a nice path that follows along the shoreline. It’s official name is Ke Ala Hele Makalae which means “The Path that Goes by the Coast.” The trail starts out through a neighborhood, but then goes through some parks staying next to the coastline. We walked here a few times. This night we walked just past the edge of town. There was a little color in the sky for the sunset, but not much. Photographers call this the blue hour, and you can see why from the photos. It was a nice relaxing way to end the day.

We had one main event planned for Wednesday, and that was a boat ride on the Wailua River to the Fern Grotto. We found out later that this was their first trip of the season after the island had opened up for visitors. Having made reservations already, we arrived just a few minutes before departure.

The boat is a wide flat bottom boat with a roof over it so you aren’t sitting in the sun. Benches run around the side and down the middle. There were a few pads to sit on scattered here and there. On the trip over to the grotto a group entertained us with Hawaiian music and dancing. It was unique and our only real Hawaiian cultural experience on the island. They even had us try a dance at one point. Nothing like feeling awkward! Along the way we also passed various boaters paddling on the Wailua River.

The grotto is a cave, and what is interesting are the ferns that grow all over including down from the ceiling. There is also water that drips down from the top. At one point visitors could enter the cave, but part of it collapsed so now visitors view the cave from a large deck in front of the grotto. There is a presentation about the grotto and its features, and then the musical group does the “Hawaiian Wedding Song.” I was not all that impressed by the grotto, but it is a lovely area. Visitors walk along a garden path to get to the grotto so there is a tropical beauty to the area.

We eventually returned to our boat. On the trip back our captain told us a variety of facts about the area and Kauai. One thing I remember him saying was that on one of the island’s mountains it generally rains over 400 inches a year. Now if people complain about the rain in Seattle, I know where to tell them to go.

That afternoon we walked along the coast again to go into the town of Kapaa. We thought we would see what the town had to offer. Along the beach we saw a monk seal. These are unique to Hawaii and are considered endangered. There are various warning signs around about not approaching these seals. We kept our distance, but some others got closer than we thought was appropriate.

Unfortunately the town of Kapaa didn’t have too much to offer. We perused a few shops, but in general things seemed pretty quiet. I can’t say if this was a result of the long COVID shut down, or if this is the normal state of the town.

We ended our walk with an Hawaiian treat, shaved ice. Initially I didn’t have much interest in getting shaved ice. I remember as a kid having a snow cone, so I just assumed it would be pretty much the same thing. However, there was a difference. While snow cones seem like bits of ice, shaved ice seemed more like snowflakes. It practically melted in my mouth. The flavors they used were also more interesting and nuanced than the syrup used on snow cones. Finally these treats are presented as almost a work of art depending on the flavors one chose. This refreshing treat was a great way to end our walk in the hot sun. Have you enjoyed shaved ice in Hawaii? What’s your favorite flavor? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Thursday would be another busy day for us after two relaxing days. We would finally make it to the other end of the island. See you next week.

Credit: The cover photo of the sunrise was taken by Silvette Lee. (I’m never up early enough for a sunrise photo)