Fun things to do in Kauai

In Hanalai Valley there is a beautiful old church called Wai'oli Hui'ia Church that is a deep green matching the surrounding countryside. Kauai's first settlers from the "outside" world were a pair of missionaries, Reverend William Anderson and his wife, Mary Ann. In 1837, they built the Waioli Mission House which still stands today and is one of the many tourist attractions in the Hanalei area. By 1841, the congregation was sufficient to build an impressive structure, the Waioli Church, which still stands as a tribute to early Hawaiian/American architecture.

Great photo op. I wanted to explore this location and walk around the mission that is behind. Since there are no public facilities at the mission we didn't stay for very long. By this time we had been on the road for a little while.

This is a historic lighthouse in the small town of Kiluaea on the north shore of Maui. The lighthouse is on the most northern point in the state of Hawaii. Built in 1913 it has the largest clamshell lens that shines 90 miles into the sea. It is also a national wildlife refuge where you can see many birds such as albatross and red-footed boobies. (It is hard not to laugh you say that name! Sounds like something out of Flintstones)

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The first thing I remember from Kapaa town is the colorful front walls of the several stores. It used to be one of the previous century plantation towns (till 1960) but now is more focused on tourism. There are many stores to rent a surf board here or book other tours and even pubs for you that prefer to live during the night (but you’ll miss the real attractions in Kauai). It seems most of the tourists choosing the east side are here. Just a few miles before Kapaa you will see rows of coconut trees, the place is called Royal Coconut Coast (pic 1). Our hotel was located near here where the Coconut Market Place also located.

There are several beaches near Kappa. There is a scenic view stop just north of Kapaa (pic 2). It is the spot where the Kapa’a beach is and as you can see in the picture there is a path for bicycles and joggers. The Kapa’a beach park is located next to the town’s center, a 1.3km long beach with picnic shelters and bathrooms.

Further north you can swim at Kealia beach (pic 3). It means salt land and there are many small areas of salt because of the waves. It is a 1.2km sandy beach with no facilities at all. The high waves didnt allow us to enjoy it much but the bodyboarders seemed to have fun there.
We continued drive north to Anahola for the Anahola beach park. It is located at the town of Anahola, a 1km long beach with many facilities like picnic tables, bathrooms, lifeguard etc I have read that it gets packed the locals but what we found was a deserted beach.

After mile 14 we tried to see the King Kong’s profile on the mountain but still when I look at my pic 4 I try to understand where he is :) Just a bit north from there, after mile 15, you can also see the Hole In The Mountain spot, where depending the time of the day you can see the sunrays go through it It used to be bigger and more obvious.

There is always traffic betwen Lihue and Kapaa so use the bypass road after mile 6 on Kuhio Highway.

Na Pali (Cliffs in Hawaiian) is beautiful awe inspiring site! Kalalau Valley, the largest valley on Na Pali. This point and the less frequented Pu'u o Kila Lookout provides the greatest views of the Pacific. The Kalalau Valley was inhabited until 1919. The Kalalau Trail, an 11-mile hike down steep seacliffs, through waterfalls and to the ocean, is one of the most popular in the world. Views from the lookout change minute to minute depending on the ever-present clouds. If the clouds are coming from inland, they usually disappear quickly. However, if there is a cloud bank moving in from the ocean, it usually lasts indefinitely. At 4,000 foot elevation, the air here is much cooler than along the coast or in the valleys.

There are two viewing points past the Waimea Canyon observatory. Go to the upper one and walk carefully down the slippery path to the right. That is where the best pictures can be taken.

Also called Grand Canyon of the Pacific. To get there you have to drive up a 19 miles winding road and you never know what the weather is going to be like at the top of one of the wettest spots in the world. We got there and the clouds were hiding the view so we drove to the top to see the Na pali view. When we came back down the clouds had lifted slightly but what we saw was worht the wait!

There is an old lighthouse up on the point.
It is a national Wildlife Refuge.
There are so many seabirds that you can spend hours watching them.
Red-footed Boobies, Great Frigatebird, red and white tailed Tropicbirds, & Aaalbatross,
You will see the Nene here also.

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Secret Beach is so deserted! If you are looking for a beach that isn't crowded, then this is it. On the flip side of that, there are some people that get a little too comfortable with all that privacy.....we stumbled upon some naked sunbathers.

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Sprouting Horn is a well known phenomenon on the south shore of Kauai. It is a dual lava tube about ten feet from the shoreline that is powered by wave action. One tube breathes air, making a loud eerie gasping sound while the other tube sprays salt water, sometimes up to 30 feet or more. The sprout is said to be more dramatic at high tide, and on large south-swell days. It was fantastic when we were there.

According to Hawaiian legend a giant female lizard or dragon once terrorized the entire south side of the island. A brave young warrior named Liko was fishing along the south shore one day when he was attacked by the dragon. Liko speared the dragon in the mouth and the wounded beast chased him into a lava tube. Liko escaped, but the poor dragon was trapped there forever. The dragon's breath can still be heard coming from the tube to this day.

Visitors are warned to be very careful if they venture onto the rocks around the blowholes. Some unwary souls have been either sucked into one of the lava tubes, or washed out to sea by an unexpected high ocean wave.