What to do in Kauai (and how to get there)?

Okeydokey

I think I am going to Hawai'i in the next few months with the Bahngerama. Since we are poooor graduate students, we need some advice on fun, cheap adventure. Have any of you been camping or done anything else on Kauai?

Any travel experience (and memories) would be appreciated.

-Thor

Hiya Thor:

Waimea Canyon, Awapuhi Trail, roosters, shave ice, Poipu, Kalalau Trail, Poliahu heiau, the "Bali Hai" beach at Ha'ena, surfing and snorkelling galore!

aloha,
em

The Kalalau trail is (or was back twenty years ago) worth checking out. It is a long hike, 16 miles if I recall correctly, but very scenic. Lots of mountain goats, views of whales, Hona Koa falls, and much more. The trail, no doubt, is used more now and zodiacs and helicopters bring non-hikers directly in to Kalalau beach. With that in mind, you need to decide if the rigorous hike is worth it. There are camping spots on the way in so you don't have to do the whole thing in one stretch.
Barking Sands beach, at the opposite end of the road, is nowhere near as scenic but is a place to get away from people. I heard you could get a permit from a military base near there to get access to a restricted beach. That sounds intriguing.

16 miles round trip? Half Dome was about that and a piece of cake.

If I decide to camp, is there anyplace on the island where I can rent equipment (tent, pads, stoves, etc)?

-Augusta Masters

http://www.travelnotes.de/hawaii/kauai/kalalau.htm
Thor,
I was wrong. It is about 22 miles round trip into Kalalau. The link is one of many sites about the area. Just guessing that in Hanalei or Lihue you could rent gear.

Thor,
A spectacular trip is a guided kayak excursion, counter-clockwise, around the Napali Coast. I have heard great things about this and plan to do it if I ever get back there.

I just saw an article today saying the "Best Beach in the world" is "Secret Beach" on Kauai.

Aloha!
There's some info here: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=216&forum=1

When you get back, be sure to post your tips on this thread. Have a blast!

-Weird Unc

Two words: Fish Express! It's on the old hiway in Lihue and is where all the (good) restaurants buy their fresh fish. Unbelievably cheap and tasty (an elaborate lunch spread cost us $11!). Also, best noodle place in the world, not that I've been to them all yet, is Hamura Saimen in Lihue. Ask any local how to find it.

Another cheap date is to crash the Hyatt pool. Not as hard as it sounds - just walk in through the lobby or around the side from the public beach. If you like the artifice of Disneyland and the beauty of Kauai, it's got both.

I'm not so sure there are any boat landings allowed along Na Pali. I did the kayak trip around the coast and we had only one beach very far around the coast that we were allowed to land on. Certainly none in the first 10 miles or so up from Ke'e. Thay say not to expect to do the 22 miles in one day. It's very hazardous, often very muddy and slippery, and the humid heat just saps your energy. Better off hiking in one day and out the next. What's the hurry?

Best snorkling when conditions are right is "Tunnels" just north of Hanalei. Ask anyone in town, they'll point you to it.

There is a campground at a beach park up on the north shore between Hanalei & Ke'e. Even has showers and real toilets.

Here's a couple old threads of mine, for what they're worth (sometimes I WISH this stuff wasn't archived, now that I re-read them :)

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=643&forum=1

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=1171&forum=1

Aloha!

Dudes,

How much should I expect to pay for airfare to the island in late June?

-Thor

If you have time, it is definitley worth island hopping. From the info I found online, I thought Kauai would be my favourite Island, but when we got there we were kinda bored (we were at a resort on Poipu). SO Mr. Tikifish talked me into leaving that resort, buying a cheap inter-island flight (dirt cheap!!!) and heading to the big island. We had a blast.

Not that Kauai isn't fun, but if you;re into tiki there isn't as much to see...

from todays ny times:

March 14, 2003
36 Hours | Kauai, Hawaii
By CHARLES E. ROESSLER

AUAI is a hot spot, and its beautiful North Shore, where majestic mountains meet the surging sea, is hottest. Twenty years ago, when Maui was the place, Kauaians grinned and thought, "Good, we got ours and we're going to keep it that way." Now, residents make their livings catering to tourists and pampering the movie stars and magnates who are collecting North Shore trophy homes. But with 60,000 people, this is still the least populated of the major Hawaiian islands, and its spacious white beaches ring a lush, untrammeled interior. Kauai roads may not be marked, and numbers are rarely posted, so it helps to memorize the two most important directional words — mauka, meaning toward the mountains, and makai, for toward the ocean. When you ask directions, be ready for an answer like this: "Go a mile to the big mango tree, take a left, and head makai."

Friday

5 p.m.

1. Big Stretch
   Loosen up with a visit to the Queen's Bath, a pool of crystal-clear ocean water cut off from the surging surf. Drive to the end of Punahele Road, park in the designated lot and hike down a narrow path to the sea and then left along the rocky shoreline. Pick your way atop the huge lava rocks until you see the pool. Except in times of unusually high surf, the water is safe for a refreshing dip or a quick snorkel. But it's enough to sit on a big rock and inhale the view. Varying shades of blue ocean crash on either side of you. Look for humpback whales spouting or breaching offshore. There's a good chance a honu (a sea turtle) will be grazing along the rocks.

7 p.m.
2) Seafood Feast at Sunset
When you enter the Princeville Resort (5520 Ka Haku Road, 808-826-9644) head straight to the terrace for the view. The mountains across Hanalei Bay stood in for Bali Hai in the movie "South Pacific." Have a mai tai or chi chi (each $8) and then step downstairs to the Cafe Hanalei. (If you would like the spot where Al and Tipper Gore celebrated their 25th anniversary in 1995, ask for Table 19.) There is a seafood buffet ($45) on Friday nights, but you can also order from the menu. Start with some poke (pronounced poky) — diced raw fish with limu, a Hawaiian seaweed ($17). Sample the Thai crab and shrimp cake with papaya, lime and aioli radish salad ($15). But the don't-miss-it item is tiger-eye sashimi, a thin piece of marlin or ahi studded with Japanese fish eggs, wrapped in seaweed and lightly cooked, tempura style ($32). After your apple-banana bread pudding ($7), walk down to the beach or take a short ride to the Happy Talk Lounge at the Hanalei Bay Resort (5380 Honoiki Road, 808-826-6522), where the music may include Hawaiian slack-key guitar.

Saturday

7:30 a.m.
3) Morning by the Sea
Take a stroll on the Princeville walking path, paralleling the road leading into the planned community of Princeville, and look out over the Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course. At this time of day there is a good chance of seeing double rainbows in the direction of the misty mountains. Move on to the Hanalei Bay Resort, above, and breakfast at its Bali Hai restaurant, which has a good selection of omelets, fruit dishes and smoothies — with an ocean view, of course.

9 a.m.
4) A Flyover
Board the Heli USA helicopter at the tiny Princeville Airport on Highway 56 and soar into the heart of Kauai. The trip takes just 45 minutes, but you'll revisit it in dreams. You fly along the dark walls of Waialeale Crater, home to the Hawaiian gods and shoulder to the wettest spot on earth (more than 450 inches of rain a year), Mount Waialeale (pronounced way-AH-lay-AH-lay). Among the waterfalls plunging around and below you as you sweep along the mountain faces is one that appeared in "Jurassic Park." You soar over Waimea Canyon; knife into valleys once inhabited by the ancient Hawaiians, now home to wild pigs and goats; and glide along the dramatic Na Pali Coast ($135 per person, 808-826-6591; reservations recommended.)

11 a.m.
5) Wildlife and a Backdrop
Jutting out from the North Shore, the Kilauea Lighthouse (end of Kilauea Lighthouse Road, $3 admission, 808-828-1413) provided a life-saving beacon for the first trans-Pacific flight from the West Coast in 1927. Now it is part of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge and offers both an unobstructed view of striking shoreline and a chance to spot dolphins, sea turtles and whales. Birders who visit here check off species like the red-footed booby, the great frigatebird and the nene, or Hawaiian goose.

12:30 p.m.
6) Saddle Up
Grab an ono (delicious) sandwich at Starvin' Marvin's (2430 Oka Street, 808-828-0726); a good choice is grilled eggplant with a house salad and homemade cookie ($7.95). The story has it that when the surf buddies of the owner, Cindy Marvin, returned from a day of shooting the curl, they would yell out, "We're starvin', Marvin." Take your lunch along to eat a few miles mauka as you listen to instructions for your two-hour horseback ride at the Silver Falls Ranch (2818 Kamookoa Road; 808-828-6718). Imagine what life must have been like for the cowboys who raised cattle for islanders in years past. As you meander through fern and eucalyptus toward Mount Namahana, the stately peak of an extinct volcano, listen for the small streams that trickle along, hidden by the ferns. This is the Kauai that most visitors miss and most locals love ($78; call ahead for directions and reservations).

4 p.m.
7) Kauaians' Favorite Beach
Another local favorite is Kalihiwai Beach, at the end of Kalihiwai Road, where a wide river empties into the ocean, and joggers, boogie boarders and dog owners share a piece of the shore. There are no amenities but you can take a dip or body surf in the shore break. And this late in the afternoon, you shouldn't need sun block if you want to stretch out and catch a few Z's or watch the seabirds work the ocean.

7 p.m.
8) Laid-Back Fine Dining
Postcards (5-5075 Kuhio Highway, 808-826-1191) offers mostly organic food in the picturesque town of Hanalei. Start with the taro fritters with pineapple ginger chutney ($9). You can't miss with the Shanghai ($21), roasted cashews and fresh vegetables in a tamari ginger sauce with tofu or giant shrimp. The modest portions leave room for a piece of macadamia nut pie ($6).

Sunday

9:30 a.m.
9) Botanicals

Limahuli Gardens in Haena (5-8291 Kuhio Highway, 808-826-1053), one of five National Tropical Botanical Gardens in the country, is in a valley where, 1,800 years ago, the first Hawaiians, with taro as their staple, developed a complex, hierarchical social system. On your self-guided tour ($10), amid native plants and imports from Polynesia like breadfruit and banana trees, you can see the lava-rock terraces where taro was grown, fed by a series of fresh-water canals. You will also find exquisite vistas; the Polynesians chose a lovely spot. Guided tours are at 10 a.m.; reservations are required ($15).

11 a.m.
10) Ship the Orchids Home
As you head back to the Lihue Airport, stop in the town of Kapaa for high-end aloha shirts and skirts at Hula Girl (4-1340 Kuhio Highway, 808-822-1950); glass art, such as above, at Kela's (4-1354 Kuhio Highway, 808-822-4527); or works by Hawaii-based artists at Aloha Images (4504 Kukui Street, 808-821-1382). At Mermaids Cafe (4-1384 Kuhio Highway, 808-821-2026), order a huge ahi nori wrap ($8.95), served in a spinach tortilla. Make one last stop at Orchid Alley (4-1383 Kuhio Highway, 808-822-0486) and have some tropical flowers shipped home to meet you on the mainland.

Visitor Information

Lihue, the Kauai airport, is a 25-minute flight from Honolulu. The North Shore is a 40-minute drive north from the airport along Route 56, the northern section of a highway that follows three-quarters of the island's roughly circular coastline. Rental cars are available at the airport; major companies charge $25 to $30 a day for a compact car.

Princeville, a resort community developed within the last 30 years, offers several different lodgings:

The Princeville Resort (5520 Ka Haku Road, 808-826-9644) overlooks Hanalei Bay and serves a varied clientele that has included Janet Jackson, Harrison Ford and Oprah Winfrey. Its 252 rooms and suites are $425 to $4,800 a night.

The Sealodge Condominiums (3700 Kamehameha Road, 808-826-6751) offer one- and two-bedroom apartments starting at $115 a night.

The Hanalei Bay Resort (5380 Honoiki Road, 808-826-6522) has 156 rooms and studio units, starting at $185.

Up on the north shore of Kauai, just after Haena State Park (aka Tunnels, with great snorkeling), if you look back behind you at the mountain, you see this...

http://www.goofspot.com/bamboo/features/ftri9906.htm

I always thought they looked like 3 moai on the mountain.

-Randy