Have you ever seen the movie Soylent Green? Remember how at the end, when the guy decides to die, they show him beautiful images of life on earth? I feel like they could just show footage of the island of Kaua’i, and everyone would die happy. I will, at least.
Yes, I finally made it to Kaua’i. I have felt a pull to the isle for a long time now, and not just because everyone who goes there says it’s soooo beautiful, but let me tell you, it is SOOOOO beautiful. Because I’m a cheap ass, I probably would not have booked the trip, but my friend Amanda suggested we meet in Kaua’i a few months ago, and if you don’t book, you don’t go, so I splurged on a little side trip. Additionally, the island is sinking into the ocean, and won’t be around in another few million years, so this seemed to be a perfect window of opportunity to see what all the fuss was about.
After the 50 minute flight from Kona and picking up our rental car, I headed straight for the Kaua’i museum, because I really didn’t know much about the island and had a few hours to kill before Amanda’s flight landed. I usually try to read a book or two about the place I’m going prior to takeoff, but I didn’t get around to it this time. The museum was mildly interesting and somewhat informative, and I had a good chuckle when I opened my guide book and read the description of the museum, which mirrored my thoughts word for word: “mildly interesting.”
Amanda’s flight arrived and we set off, but not before she surprised me with a bean and cheese burrito from Cotijas, which was very sweet. Amanda and I both have the tendency to plan nothing and go with the flow, so I nominated myself to be tour guide, navigator and driver. (Control issues much? Or, as I’d like to think, I’m just used to doing it all on my own now ha ha.) Our first stop was the Wailua waterfall, where we hiked down the steep, muddy ravine to the pool below and went for a swim, which was delightful. Then we headed toward Kilauea, on the north shore, where we were to stay with Monica's friends.
As we drove around the island I felt like my brain couldn’t absorb all the beauty my eyes were seeing. To our left were sheer, green, jungle covered mountains, in front of us a road lined with bright rust colored red dirt, and to our right, the deep blue of the ocean dotted with the aquamarine shallows of white sand beaches and coral reefs. It took me a solid three days to wrap my mind around this beauty.
We checked into Marika and Orien’s place, where we were shown our little cabin, met their kids, met the other folks who live on the property, and were given the rundown on how to use the communal kitchen, where to compost, recycle, etc. They live in a little river valley, three houses in from the beach, and suggested that at some point we take paddle boards up the river to the secret waterfall, just up the way. I promised we would do just that. After settling in, Amanda and I decided to go to Hanalei Bay, because it was close, and I had heard good things.
When my family and I sailed to Hawai’i in ‘97 we were supposed to anchor in Hanalei Bay, but on our way, we heard that the anchorage was super rough, so we sailed past and headed for Alaska. Back then, I didn’t know what I was missing, but now I realize what a bummer that was. Hanalei Bay is created by a sweeping valley lined on all three sides by steep, green mountains with waterfalls running down them, a right point break on the east end of the beach, a beach break called Pinetrees in the middle of the beach, and a left point break on the west end of the beach. Boats anchor idyllically next to the east point break, and a river meanders its way through the valley floor, lined by taro patches and banana groves. The tradewinds blow offshore, keeping the waves clean all day. If I designed paradise, it might look very similar to this little nook of the world.
As for the town itself, don’t get me started. Cuteness overload. Surf shops, coffee shops, food trucks, tourist shops… it was all so quaint I could easily see myself moving there and living happily ever after – if I had a few million dollars for a humble beach bungalow and a few million more to live on. The surf was small and the tourist presence strong, but I can imagine that in the winter when the surf is pumping, it is quite a scene.
As I didn’t do much research before I went, I didn’t know just how good the surf is on Kaua’i. After surfing gnarly lava rock reefs for the past 4 months, I was happy to find that there are sandy beach breaks (in addition to perfect reef breaks), the likes of which I have not surfed since I left San Diego. Because the island is a solid 4 million years older than the Big Island, it has had time to erode mountains into soft sand beaches and build a barrier reef in places. Yet, it took a minute for my froth to kick in. The first evening we were on the island, Amanda and I walked the town, watched the sunset from the beach and got some groceries. It wasn’t until the next day, after a hike up behind Hanalei bay, that we rented some boards and got in the water.
That first surf on the island, at Pinetrees, as the sun set, casting a golden glow on the emerald mountains, which were crowned with a few wisps of clouds, was unforgettable. Looking back at the island from the water at sunset, was truly a Soylent Green moment. As for the surf, the waves were occasionally chest high – perfect little peelers held up by offshore winds, not to mention the water temperature was in the upper 70’s. It was the most relaxed surf I have had in a long time, and possibly the most beautiful ever.
Because Amanda and I are both thrifty, shall we say, we tried to do most of our cooking at the farm. The other people who live there were very sweet and accommodating to us, even as we peppered them for surf reports and local intel, ideas on places to go and things we should not miss. We didn’t even have the decency to wait until after they had had their morning coffee to ask where we should surf in the morning, but hey, that’s communal living for you. You don’t always get to choose your housemates. Good thing Amanda and I are charming.
I’m going to save the rest of our adventures for a second blog post because honestly I’m (pleasantly) surprised if you got this far. Skimming is ok too. But here are my thoughts on Kaua’i: this place is fucking magical. It has a dream-like quality that is indescribable. I didn’t even want to read my book while I was there, because I didn’t want to be taken away from the majesty of the place for one moment. Sure, it is sort of the boondocks of the well-known Hawaiian islands, being way out on the northwest side of the island chain, but that isolation keeps it somewhat pristine. It is also a small island, both in terms of size and population, with a square mileage of 562 and a population of around 74,000 people. This makes it a little easier to get the lay of the land than say, the Big Island, which also adds to its charm. Time seems to float by, and the average temperature is 75 degrees. Sure, the island can receive torrential downpours and gets struck by the occasional hurricane, but other than that, it is pretty peachy.
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