My first thought upon waking on Monday was, “Nooooo! Â We can’t be leaving tomorrow!” Â But I resisted the urge to pout and committed to seizing the day – 24 hours and counting to work on my golden glow! Â After coffee and coconut pastries, we headed east to check out Wailua Falls, which were rip-roaring and gorgeous. Â We regretted the fact that access doesn’t exist to the bottom of the falls. Â Someday, I’ll swim under a Hawaiian waterfall. Â Someday.
From Wailua, we hit the road to the North Shore, stopping briefly at ‘Opaeka’a Falls.
And then I was ready to hit the water! Â I had read that Queen’s Bath, near Princeville, is a beautiful natural pool and major swimming destination. Â I was picturing a quiet little cove, maybe with a sandy spot for us to spread out our beach towels and catch some rays. Â So I was surprised when our 10-minute downhill trek landed us at a field of black rock.
And gushing, foamy water.
But dang, it was pretty. Â And that water was so blue! Â As long as you weren’t trying to climb into the pool as waves were crashing over its rocky edges, it seemed to be safe(ish). Â And there were other swimmers there (Shane managed to crop them all out of his shots), so we went for it. Â I found a rock to perch on and watched the fish swim around my feet while the tide gently pulled and pushed at us. Â In retrospect, after hearing that afternoon from a gentleman at the hotel that people frequently die at Queen’s Bath, perhaps we should have skipped this place and opted for one of the nearby sandy beaches. Â Perhaps.
Having unknowingly cheated death, we dried off, grabbed our things and headed back toward Poipou , detouring for pineapple frosties at Banana Joe’s and a quick gander at the Kilauea Lighthouse.
And then we were “home” again, settling into our lounge chairs for one last laze-fest at the pool. Â We hit the water slide a couple more times, bobbed around the saltwater lagoon, and put the finishing touches on our tropical tans. Â As much I loved our daily adventures to the far reaches of the island, these care-free afternoons at the pool were the highlight of our trip.
One final evening meant one final sunset – we drove over to Salt Pond Beach Park and stretched out in the sand just in time for the golden hour. Â It was no Polihale, to be sure, but it was still pretty great to lay my head on Shane’s shoulder and be fully present to enjoy such warmth and beauty. Â “In-the-moment” living doesn’t come easily to me, as I’m usually caught up in thinking about the next place to go or task to be done. Â And yet, for those few days, that sense of constant distraction completely melted away.
We had our best meal of the week that evening on the terrace of Plantation Gardens. Â Super-fresh fish, passion fruit cheesecake, and real-deal margaritas (yes, I only got a sip or two of Shane’s margarita, but he only got a bite or two of my dessert, so it all evened out). Â We had set out that morning to seize the day and patted ourselves on the back that night for job well done.
We got up early on Tuesday for a walk to the Maha’ulepu Cliffs – these sandstone cliffs were just beyond our hotel’s beach and I’d been meaning to check them out all week (but had always gotten sucked into pool before I could make it any further).
It’s like this island was constantly standing by to surprise us with something amazing around every corner. Â And I like the idea that baby Schnell was along for the ride – even though he or she doesn’t know a Hawaiian beach from our own backyard at this point, I want to believe that we’re already bequeathing a spirit of adventure to our child. Â Get ready, little one – we’ve got some pretty incredible stuff to show you when you get older.
We walked back to our room and packed up our things, sniffling a little as we said good-bye to the ocean, to our beloved pool, to that sexy car…
Mahalo, Kauai! Â This trip was all we’d hoped it would be, plus so much more. Â I would have been thrilled with simple shave ice, but then that delicious scoop of macadamia nut ice cream appeared at the bottom of my cup and I was left reeling from the splendor of it all. Â We’ll be embarking on a brand new journey this Fall where pot-holed roads and helicopter rides will be struck from the itinerary, but I think I’m ok with that – this island gave us one heck of a send-off.