Kauai - The Na Poli Coast

This is the reason we chose the island of Kauai - the north shore. It is this beautiful expanse of cliffs, valleys, and secret beaches. We knew we wanted to see these breathtaking views of nothing but deep blue ocean. There is a 22 mile hike you can take to a secret beach. BUT, you have to carry all your camping gear and food and purify water after you find a source. That is outside of our skill sets. So, we chose a shorter, but still spectacular 8 mile hike. After 2 miles of beautiful north shore to a little beach, we headed inland for 2 more miles through the jungle until we reached a fantastic waterfall. Then we reversed our hike to head home. Let's just say it was a good workout. And it was worth every step.

The start of our hike

Looking back at Ke'e Beach

We were torn between wanting to stop to take tons of pictures and wanting to keep hiking at a fast pass so we wouldn't get passed by other hikers...

I could die here.

Starting back down towards the beach

  

The beach 2 miles into the hike. During the summer months there is a lot more beach. During the winter months, the tides come up to those rocks.

Heading back towards the waterfalls

A small freshwater pool on our way to the big pool. Swimming in this little pool was one of the best times of my life!

Finally here at the waterfall, 4 miles in. This pool was extremely cold and those kids on the rock are crazy.

Back at the small beach, 6 miles in, it's late afternoon and this beach is covered in shade.

Last 2 miles of the hike. Late afternoon sun shining over the Na Poli coast.

Less than a quarter mile until we are finished...and we are hurting pretty bad!

Kauai - Part 3

One of our most favorite days in Kauai (let's get real - everyday was as equally fantastic as the day before), was when we went to a beach on the North side of Kauai called Lumahai Beach. One the way up to Lumahai, we encountered this small breakfast/lunch place called Tutu's Soup Hale. It got phenomenal reviews on TripAdvisor, so we decided to check it out. And we were not disappointed!

When we first arrived, there were only 2 people working. Just the owners, no waiters. We took the owners advise and ordered something sweet and something savory. Chase ordered the Hawaiian bread french toast with coconut icing and I ordered scrambled eggs with cheese, tomato, and avocado over an everything bagel. They warned us it would take awhile because it was just the two of them cooking and if we were in a hurry, we ought to come back. 

Everything about this place was unique. Before we took our seats on the porch, the owner gave me a battered copy of a "Origin of Names" book. So we looked up our names and read about what the "universe" said our personalities are like based on our names. Not always accurate, but entertaining none the less. We also had a beautiful view of the mountains. We didn't order coffee, but other patrons did, and it was delivered to their table in a french press.

When our meals came, well let's just say they didn't disappoint. In fact, the Hawaiian sweet bread french toast with coconut icing was literally the most delicious thing we have ever had. It was absolutely fantastic. And it was HUGE! We both ate generous portions, and we couldn't finish it (of course, we were working on my breakfast too). We even requested more coconut icing - although I am positive it was absolutely awful for us. Also - notice the huge hunk of butter in the picture. Yea...that got used to. We figured we would burn it off on our 8 mile hike..right???

After leaving Tutu's completely full...too full. We headed up to our destination - Lumahai Beach. It was a cloudy day and slightly rainy, but we thought it would clear up. It never did, but it ended up being one of the best adventures anyway. Because it was slightly rainy and cold, there was hardly anyone at the beach. We took advantage of this by being brave and jumping into the stream the flowed from the beach into a river. It was the most beautiful and clear freshwater! We also took full advantage of this rope swing.

We crossed this shallow area (dividing the stream from the ocean) and climbed upon the lava rock. Because we were going to get wet (and it was rainy anyway), we just brought our bathing suits and sandals. Unfortunately no cameras!

But here is a picture of the lava rock we traversed. It seems much much larger when you are walking around on it. We did lots of climbing. Also, this is only about 20% of it. We went around the corner so we were completely obscured from view and continued our adventure.

                                                                                                                                         Property of  Pono Photo

We found small tide pools within the lava rock of warmer water. They are home to small fish. We sat on the very closest edges of the lava rock so that the huge ocean waves hitting the land would just drench us. We couldn't believe the forcefulness of the ocean. It is so incredibly powerful. It we had fallen, we definitely would have drown. 

Chase walked a little farther than me on the other side to explore this huge pool made my lava rock. I didn't want to go because it was literally teeming with black crabs. And I just couldn't handle that. He had to cross this lower area of rock and then do some climbing to see this little pool. Right after he had finished walking on this lower area of rock, a huge wave came in and completely covered it with several feet of icy water. The tide pulling the water back to the ocean was incredibly strong. But the potential danger of it all was really making it exciting!

I found this on the internet as well.

After exploring the lava rock, Chase and I played in the waves at Lumahai Beach. Since it was rainy and windy, the waves were super high and strong. This beach already came with a high surf warning and was not indicated for swimming, but we were already living on the dangerous side. I was seriously afraid for our lives when we ventured too far out into the waves because they were so powerful. The final straw was when I got pounded so hard from a wave, it knocked my swimsuit *almost* completely off and held me underwater for several seconds and dragged me 30 feet. I couldn't control my body at all, I was completely at the mercy of the wave. My better judgment kicked in (finally), and we called it a day.

We finished the day with a delicious dinner at The Eastside. Highlight was the fries with the garlic aioli sauce.

Chase and I will remember this private adventure for the rest of our lives!