When we left this morning, it felt quite warm and the sun was trying to come out. It moved between cloudy and partly sunny until about lunch time. Then the rain started. At times it was steady and other times it was light.
Our goal was to drive to Ke’e Beach, which is the very end of the road on the northern side of the island. It is also the location of Ruthie & Michael’s wedding!! We stopped quite a few times along the way at lookouts and other points of interest. Our first stop was the Wailua Falls. These falls are shown on the opening credits of the original Fantasy Island series. We went up and up a narrow mountain road without seeing another car but found a crowd at the falls. We also encountered a wild boar on the road!
Our next stop was the Opaekaa Falls. These were taller but didn’t seem to gs e as much water gushing over as the Wailua Falls.
After a few stops at various scenic locations, we arrived at the historic Kilauea Lighthouse. It was commissioned in 1913 and restored in 2013. The lighthouse isn’t very tall because the cliff it stands on is very tall. This meant it was cheaper to build. The lighthouse now stands in an area called the Kilauea Wildlife Refuge. We had a pay a small entrance fee to go in but we got to see a few of the sea birds. The majority were the Red Footed Booby. They are white with red feet and were nesting in the cliff. We also saw Frigatebirds - they are known as pirate birds because they steal food from other birds and wedge tailed Shearwaters. There was a small, steep hill which is the launching spot for the albatrosses. They are heavy so they run down the hill to take off - just like a hang glider! It was a shame there weren’t any taking off today.
The waters around the lighthouse cliff form the National Marine Sanctuary and there are often whales, dolphins, seals and turtles here. We didn’t see anything today. The wildlife lady told us they were certainly all out there but just not showing themselves. It was a very beautiful and interesting area. Well worth the $5.
Our next stop was the town of Hanalei. By now it was raining quite heavily and all the little cafes and restaurants were full. All the tourists we had seen at each spot had beat us in. After a quick lunch and a look around the town, we continued on to Ke’e Beach. The road to the beach is full of one lane bridges and at times the road was almost too narrow for the car. There is only a very small, very muddy car park at the beach by but we got a spot on our second attempt. It was all worth it as it was just beautiful there, even in the rain and fog. Just around the point from the beach is the beginning (or end, depending on your direction) of the NaPali Coast. The water was so clear and the waves were pounding. The beach was closed for swimming because of the rips. There was one surfer out and a few people walking along the beach or in the water up to their ankles. There were the most fabulous trees along where the grass area met the sand. The roots were exposed and tangled - very unique. I don’t know what they are but they look very cool.
The trip back to the south of the island took us well over 2hrs. The traffic was worse than Sydney traffic. It rained most of the way back and is still going.
There is a law on Kauai that no building can be taller than a mature coconut palm. That would explain why the hotels have multiple buildings. This one only goes up 4 floors. It is a nice change from the high rise of Sydney.