Like this:

The international dateline worked in our favor as we flew overnight into Hawaii.  Traveling east from Australia, you actually gain a day.  Therefore, we left Sydney Sunday night, flew 10 hours and arrived into Oahu Sunday morning.  The flight was uneventful, although a typical bumpy ride over the Pacific Ocean.  Tim slept a lot better than I did, so my eyes were pretty glazed over once we landed around 9am.  Hawaii is made up of 5 primary islands:  The Big Island of Hawaii, Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Molokai.  Oahu is the most populated of the 5 and therefore, the most crowded.  Flying into Honolulu, where Pearl Harbor was bombed, we then had to go through customs, gather our luggage, and find the domestic Hawaiian Airlines terminal for check-in.  The only real way for inter-island travel is by flight, as the faster ferry system was banned due to environmental concerns.  Otherwise, you could take a Hawaiian “cruise” around the different islands.  Inter-island flights are more expensive, but you get there between 50 minutes – 2 hours.  We flew into Kauai in Lihue.  Very small airport with only a few gates, and the rental cars are just outside the terminal for pick-up.  As I waited for Tim to get the rental car, I noticed the wild roosters in the parking lot.  Odd.  We loaded up the compact car and were starving.  Along the main highway, we spotted a couple restaurants.  We parked the car and excitedly found Mexican food.  Let me note that is had been 15 months since we had a proper tex mex meal, so yes, we were ecstatic.  We walked into Mariachi’s and chose to sit outside on their balcony overlooking the ocean, ordered coke to stay awake, followed by a taco and enchilada lunch.  Satisfying!  We walked across the street to take in the azure waters in Nawiliwili Bay, a sheltered swimming cove surrounded by a resort.  It was a sunny, warm day.  Since it was around 2pm now, we decided to drive west to check-in at the Strawberry Guava Bed and Breakfast in Kalaheo.  How to describe this place.  Wow.  This family inherited this small bed and breakfast from their parents and while also maintaining the property, had also added onto it through the years.  The drive to get there was incredible.  After turning off the main, windy highway, the road becomes more narrow, windy, and filled with potholes.  And I forgot to mention the steep uphill drive from another turn-off.  It is also a shared driveway among 3 different houses, but we finally made it.  We were in the jungle now.  Surrounded by ferns, trees, wildlife and an incredible view at the top looking down.  Simple accommodations, but filled with nature and personality, which was what I was looking for.  The innkeeper told us to arrive before dark; otherwise, we would never find it.  Traci and her 3 kids greet us and show us to our room.  There is a slight cabin feel in the inside, although there is one other room to the left of us.  We are at the end, and there are 2 rooms facing out our front door, with a breakfast lanai in the center of the home.  Stunning views below in the Lawai Valley.  Our windows are already open and letting in the fresh warm air.  We listen to the wildlife in the wilderness that surrounds us.  A no frills place but perfect for us.  We take a much needed nap and wake up 2 hours later trying to decide what to do at the end of the day.  With only a few hours of daylight remaining, we drive west, through the town of Hanapepe, stopping shortly to observe the Russian Fort Elizabeth.  This fort is the last remaining Russian fort on the Hawaiian islands just outside Waimea built in the 19th century.  Continuing on the only main highway through Kauai, we take the road as far as we can, as it turns from asphalt to dirt.  Beautiful countryside, as we drive along the ocean on one side, and views of Waimea Canyon to the right.  Our plan was to follow the road until its end near Polihale State Park, but after a few miles of driving on dirt roads slowly in a rental car, decided to turn back around.  It was also almost dark, and although we no longer had to be concerned for kangaroos, didn’t want anything to happen in an area we were unsure of.  We decided to get dinner at the L & L Hawaiian Barbecue place near Kalaheo, and since dinner options were slim, there was a line to get in here.  It is a chain eatery throughout Hawaii (and now has locations within the US) featuring a mix of Asian and American fare.  One word: Delicious.  Completely worth the wait.  There is a standard chinese hot bar near the counter where you pick 2 items, etc or you can order off the menu.  Some people came in for cheeseburgers and fries, but we made the best decision by ordering the Hawaiian Kalua Pork.  Yum.  It comes served with rice and macaroni salad, and we literally could not get enough of its flavor.  We had dirty laundry with us, so we decided to go to the local laundromat and chat with the locals.  There is an ice-cream shop next door and while Tim and I shared a sundae, we also enjoyed a great conversation with the owner.  Driving back to our B & B in the dark was interesting, since no streetlights anywhere, and the jungle looms on all sides of you.  The house is dark when we arrive, so we park and navigate our way carefully back to our room.  Hello geckos!  They are everywhere outside, and a few little rascals made it inside.  The house is only so sealed, so you almost have to expect it.  We squished a huge roach before we went to bed, which made sleeping the first night questionable.  Hello roosters!  The sun was not even thinking about rising the hour they started yapping.  Welcome to vacation with only wildlife around you!  The next morning we had a colorfully presented breakfast of fruits, pancakes, and yogurt on the lanai.  Traci handpicks the fruit from her trees, and fills the melons with raspberries, blueberries, and papaya.  She also had star fruit, which she placed around the plate.  Nice display.  Good start to the morning.  Traci offered advice on our sight-seeing for the day, to which we thanked her and were off on a full day’s adventure on the north side of the island.  If you look at Kauai on the map, you will notice that the northwest side is inaccessible.   Pictures of the Napoli Coast are simply breathtaking, but again, unless you’re in a helicopter or on foot on an unmaintained trail, you will not be seeing it for yourself.  Certainly preserves its natural beauty.  Therefore, we had to drive out the way we came in.  We spotted two waterfalls nearby, which our car will always brake for.  The first, Wailua Falls, is an 80 foot tiered waterfall which was featured in Fantasy Island.  Easy stop off the road for several photos.  I enjoyed watching the egrets flying below near the falls.  It is strongly discouraged to hike down a slippery trail to the pool and swim, but we did observe two people jump in as we were there.  Opaekaa falls is within the  Wailua River State Park and is tucked away where slightly visible on the path.  Hawaii is as lush and green as we expected.  September weather here is about 70′s with moderate humidity.  We continue our drive north and realize Kauai is a bit more touristy than we originally expected.  You will not find high-rises on this island, and the towns are scattered; however, the main highway is filled with cars.  And the convertibles!  More than I’ve ever seen.  All rental cars, which you can tell by the stickers on the backs of them.  We first decide to drive the highway until its end, which is at Ha’ena Park.  The road literally stops.  This area is crowded with cars, as people have parked not only in designated parking spaces, but also along the dirt path into the park.  This is insane.  The end of this road also marks the start to the 11 mile (one way) Kalalau Trail, which is the only accessible entrance on the Napoli Coast.  Tim and I found a 10 minute only parking space to observe two wet caves within the park.  Interesting indeed.  There was just enough light that as you stepped down into the cave entrance you can see the crystal clear blue water.  Houses just outside the park also designate their yards as parking “garages” for cars and will pack them in for $10 fees.  And several of these houses were filled with cars.  Can’t believe just how busy this area was, especially during Hawaii’s off-season.  Kauai’s North Shore is really spectacular.  Much of Kauai is mountainous, so the views of the Pacific Ocean below are really indescribable.  Our 10 minute parking is up, so we drive back to Hanalei Bay for lunch and decision-making.  We ordered burgers and sat outside enjoying the sunshine.  While eating, we eventually agree to go kayaking together for the afternoon.  Mistake #1:  Didn’t put on sunscreen.  #2:  We were in a double kayak.  After listening to several recommendations from the locals for the best place to kayak, it was unanimous that Hanalei River was more scenic than Wailua River.  Therefore, we rented a kayak for several hours and paddled down the river.  Tim was seated in the rear and I in front.  Aside from the voice behind me continually saying “You’re doing it wrong,” we had a great time.  The sun was warming up fast, and my legs were burning that much faster.  We  paddled under a beautiful bridge, admiring the mangroves, and the lush mountains above.  There were turtles sunbathing along the route, and when we weren’t taking photos of the wildlife (yes, there were roosters!), we were taking pictures of the flora.  Hawaii has beautiful, vibrant flowers.  After traveling down the river as far as we could go before it got too shallow, we turned back around and made the trip back passing only a few other kayakers on the river.  Tim got very brave towards the end and suggested that now the river met the sea, we should take our kayak out for a wave or two.  Oh, that’s mistake #3.  We were soaked and luckily, we had rented a dry bag for the cameras.  There was a little time left before we were to return our kayak, so we brought it up to the sand and walked the beach at Hanalei Bay.  There is a pier here, which even allows places for swimmers to jump off.  A quick stroll and back in the kayak to return our gear.  My body has heated up 30 degrees from a severe sunburn and, now it’s beginning to hurt.  We go buy sunscreen, which is pointless at this time.  Deciding to change into bathing suits, we drive back to the Hanalei Bay parking area for a late afternoon swim.  The water feels great!  No waves in the bay, so very sheltered and calm.  Nice for swimming.  And it feels good on my hot burn, so I stay in until the sun began setting.  We got out, wrapped up in towels and with a rather large influx of people now, observed a magnificent sunset on the North Shore.  Changing back into our clothes, we now drove back to Kalaheo.  We stopped at a strip mall which offered a Panda Express.  It was late and we were hungry, so this familiar US chain was satisfying.  Back to the room, we talk to the geckos and I wince in pain over my sunburn.  Sleeping for the next full week proves to be terrible, well actually, walking in general does.  Our final day on Kauai, we woke up to a different assortment of fruits and breads.  I chose to stay in Kalaheo, because it is close to the entrance of Waimea Canyon.  This morning was cooler than yesterday and slightly more overcast.  I would be staying out of the sun as much as possible today.  Impressive sight, as this canyon measures 1 mile wide, 14 miles long, and 3500 feet deep and is nicknamed “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific.”  We have also been to the Grand Canyon, and although that is much larger, the Waimea Canyon offers dramatic views inside.  The dynamic colors of the red rock and green grasses were also quite striking.  We observed a 3-tiered mini waterfall on one of many overlooks, and the water gushing was reddish brown.  At one of the main overlooks, we happily notice a vendor selling fresh Hawaiian pineapple.  Yum.  Should have purchased another container.  Ripe and deliciously sweet.  Unbelievable, more roosters.  They are everywhere on this island.  The canyon is on the southwest side of Kauai, and as you drive further north of the canyon, you are now in the forested Ko’kee State Park.  And it is slightly cooler now.  We drive the windy road through the park to stumble upon the Puu o Kila hiking trail to its lookout.  Steep hike.  We hiked for a few hours and learned from other hikers just how muddy it got towards the end, so we decided on hiking a bit further before turning back around.  Phenomenal views of the Napoli Coast to our left.  The Kalalau Trail takes you through the Napoli, where this trail does not, but still offers incredible views of it from a distance.  In fact, we spotted a scenic helicopter tour taking place as we paused to take in the scenery.  It’s so hard to describe just how beautiful this landscape is with emerald mountains and the teal ocean sparkling in the sunlight below.  I am not exaggerating here.  Well worth the exhausting hike.  Hours later, we stop for another couple overlooks before taking the other exit out of the park, a more scenic, less-traveled route.  Today is what I imagined Kauai to look like.  We were starving, so for a late lunch back in Kalaheo, we found ourselves back at L & L for more Kalua Park before turning into our lodging.  This late afternoon we wanted to go swimming, and Traci had mentioned that Poipu Beach was worth snorkeling at.  As it was getting later, we put on our bathing suits and drove down to Kauai’s south shore.  We passed the blow hole, Spouting Horn, which was active, but not nearly as impressive as what Australian blow holes are, and parked at the beach.  This town is noticeably more touristy and upscale, with nicer hotel entrances, gardens, restaurants, and people out walking in more dressy attire.  Tim thought the water was too cold, and after I got in, asked him to get my snorkel gear as I realized I should have already had it on me.  Where there are rocks, there may be fish!  He finally got in with me and we observed a few fish where we snorkeled.  The sun set, and once again, the water felt good.  We showered and changed back at the B & B to get ready for dinner.  Our last night in Kauai, we were going to stay simple and drove the 10 minutes in Kalaheo for brick oven pizza.  We ordered a medium pizza to split, and it was so good, we should have ordered a large!!  Delicious sauce and cheese.  We had a very early flight the next morning into the Big Island of Hawaii, so we did our check-out with Traci that night after dinner.  A 6:30am flight, with an approximate 40 minute drive, returning a rental car, and checking-in at the terminal meant an early start.  And now the next part of this blog takes us to the Big Island and Oahu.