Kauai welcomes Honeymooners!

Kauai's Eastern Coast

Welcome to Kauai!  The island of Kauai came up as our choice island from an online quiz we took to determine the best Hawaiian island based on our activity preferences.  Kauai is a tropical paradise! Development in Kauai is limited to the height of the tallest coconut tree and the lush green mountains in the middle.  There is one major highway that travels around the perimeter of the island, so while the island is one of the smaller Hawaiian islands, it may still take at least an hour to get from the North Shore to Poipu in the south.  We had used our timeshare to trade for a Wyndham Resort in Princeville on the North Shore.  While the North Shore is farther from many of the tour starting locations, it's peaceful and very beautiful.

Taro fields on the North Shore

     After we checked in, we drove around in our rental car to check out the neighboring towns, like Hanalei.  (Yes, it is highly recommended to rent a car to get around).  There was a scenic lookout that overlooked a Taro field farm and towards the mountains.  The Hawaiians use taro as a staple, often making it into Poi.  I haven't decided if I like it much, but I've never quite appreciated taro, even in Chinese cooking.  From there, we cross over a few one-lane bridges.  During rainy weather, we're told that often times these bridges become flooded and impassible.  Thank goodness, we've had nothing but good weather thus far!

Downtown Hanalei

Hanalei Pier

Sunset @ Hanalei Bay

Hanalei, is a quaint, but bustling town.  It has a centralized downtown area, with many shops to browse around and some delicious restaurants.  Hanalei is best known for it's beaches around Hanalei Bay, which has been used as a setting for multiple movies.  We got in and lazed around the pier waiting for the sunset.  Perfect opportunity for us to play with our new DSLR camera.  The water is calmer during the summer months and we saw a lot of locals out paddle boarding and jumping off the end of the pier.  When the sun started setting down, the bay and beach just glowed.  Such an awe and inspiring sight!  What a great way to start off our week in Kauai.