More of our adventures in Kauai:
.
We spent a total of 2 days on the North Shore of Kauai and loved every second of it:) Matt and I feel more at home there in the slower paced north shore where everything is a little greener and more relaxed. We took my brother Peter around to see the sights that we loved best from our last stay in Kauai. We enjoyed showing him our favorite spots and just spending time with our youngest little brother.
.
Matt and me at our favorite beach on the north shore, Hideaways.
Rolling waves and coarse sand make this place special.
The steep hike down the volcanic cliffs make it secluded.
The small parking lot at the top makes it exclusive :)
.
The steep climb back up to the car from Hideaways.
.
Snorkeling at Queen's Bath, a natural volcanic pool by the coast that is full of tropical fish and coral that can withstand the pounding surf.
.
Day 2 on the north shore took Matt and me into the town of Hanalei while we were waiting for my family to wrap up at their zip-line excursion in Princeville, just down the road. While we waited, we enjoyed the warm but overcast day and walked the length of the town center. This church stands at one end of the town and is beautifully framed by the lush, towering mountains behind it. Just perfect.
.
A view of Hanalei Bay from Blackpot Beach. Blackpot Beach is where the locals drive onto the sand to BBQ, play and watch the sunset. On the other side of the pier is the rest of this "C" shaped bay that is ringed with towering, green mountains.
.
The perfect walking beach! You can walk on soft sand and in gentle waves forever and never need to turn around.
Just so relaxing!
.
As the sun began to slide behind the clouds, the boys (left to right- Dad, Matt, Kyle, Jose and Peter) thoughtfully gazed at the beauty around them and contemplated their place among the cosmos.....
.
Or Not.... ;)
They did have fun jumping for this shot and building sand castles in the sand.
.
On the east shore of the island there is a turn off that takes you to Wailua Falls. It is not just some small fall (it is 173 feet from the top to where the water crashes in the pool at the bottom) and we caught it at a time where the light was just right to create a clear and vibrant rainbow at the bottom. Since it was on our way to our next location, it was quite nice to stop and gawk at.
.
Mom, Dad, Pete, Matt and I were were up for another adventure and made the trek to the Wailua River to enjoy some lazy river boat riding up to the Fern Grotto. This natural cave was once a popular place for mainlanders to get hitched but because of the danger of falling rocks, it is not longer used for that purpose.
.
Although it doesn't look like anything special, the Fern Grotto used to be spectacular. However, a hurricane wiped out all of the ferns that had hung from the cliff faces. (Some ferns were estimated to be up to 10 feet in length!) Conservationists have transplanted in new ferns but it wont be the same for quite a while longer. Still a fun afternoon spent exploring more of this beautiful garden island.
.
Lastly, we took a short drive from our hotel to this field. Why? Because of the rusty, old mill which stands in the middle of it. I thought that the combination of man-made machinery and natural wonder was just beautiful.
(Thank you Matt for pulling over and helping me get the best shot!)
