Island Life in Hawaii: Kauai and Waimea Canyon

The surprise part of our vacation was a day on the island of Kauai. I had been planning a way to get together with our friends Jeff and Rachel, who live in Kapaa, and a day trip to Kauai, island hopping as it we call it, was the best way to get together.

Merri Beth booked one of the first flights from Oahu to Kauai on Hawaiian Airlines which was supposed to leave at 7:30 am and arrive at 8:00 am. MB, Zander, Coco, my mom, and I were up early, packed a day bag the night before, and were leaving our apartment around 6:00 am to head to the Honolulu airport. We got our boarding passes and made it through security in plenty of time.

All the passengers were on the plane and as we were about to head to the runway, we were informed that we had a bad tire that needed to be replaced. It was estimated to take about 30 minutes to fix, but they ended up switching us to a different plane altogether. All in all, it was about a 90 minute delay, which was an hour and a half that we couldn’t afford with our limited time today.

Our flight was less than 30 minutes, and we finally landed in Lihue, Kauai. The rain was clearing and the weather was improving. Jeff, Rachel, and the kids met us at the airport in Kauai. They were letting us borrow their 4-Runner for the day to navigate around the island. The first part of our trip was to head to the west side of Kauai to visit Waimea Canyon, the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.”

Waimea Canyon

It took us a little over an hour to reach the Waimea Canyon lookout. It was windy and amazing at the top. The views were spectacular and we took lots of pictures. The waterfalls were spectacular too. We continued on past the first lookout to other viewing areas further up the mountain, the Puu Hinahina Lookout had some amazing views to share as well. We couldn’t see the island of Ni’ihau because of the clouds, but the rest of the views from Waimea Canyon were breathtaking.

Wailua Falls and surfing at Kealia Beach

On the way to Kapaa we made a few stops along the way. We had lunch at Kauai Island Brewing in Eleele, Kauai. I got a chance to sample many of their beers and the food was really good too. The seared Ahi Poke wrap was delicious. Everyone enjoyed their lunch.

Our next stop was Wailua Falls, just a few miles off the main road on our way to Kapaa. The rushing water was a thrill to see. We enjoyed the sights for a few minutes, the lush, green setting and the rushing waters were worth the stop.

After sitting in some afternoon traffic, we finally made it to Kapaa to see our friends. We were very thankful that Jeff and Rachel let us borrow their car for the day, and now it was time to hang out with them. Shortly after we arrived, Jeff asked me if I wanted to go surfing. And we all know what the answer to that was.

We loaded up the surfboards in the truck and headed a few minutes away to Kealia Beach. The surf was chest to head and a little chunky. We surfed for about 45 minutes, catching some good waves. It was great to surf with Jeff and share a few waves.

Enjoying time with friends

After our surf session, we went back to Jeff’s house where MB and mom were hanging out with Rachel and all the kids—who were having a great time playing together.

We had a great time hanging out with the Lynn family. We eventually turned on some Monday Night Football while the kids were running around having a good time.

Jeff whipped up some amazing Thai food. We ate together and enjoyed a spectacular meal. Some spring rolls, pad thai, curry, and local brews. This is what friendship is all about, hanging out, enjoying each others company, sharing good food. The kids just add something special to the mix. I’m so happy that Jeff and Rachel are starting their own family on Kauai and that we had a chance to visit and hang out with them. We will stay longer next time.

Our flight back to Honolulu was leaving at 7:30 pm. We said our goodbye’s to the Lynn family and loaded into the 4-Runner, Jeff in the drivers seat this time. There weren’t any issues or delays on the way back. The kids were exhausted and with no plans for the next day, we were going to sleep in and then figure out what we wanted to do. We had a great day island hopping and spending time with our friends. Aloha from Kauai!