After piling into the van with sack lunches we drove to the south side of the island to explore the well know Waimea Canyon. This famous canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and we'd have to agree. No matter what lookout you stop at, the view is spectacular. The waterfalls, river, peaks and depths of the canyon along with the color contrasts between the green vegetation, the red dirt, against blue sky, take your breath away. While having a picnic in the canyon it down poured; luckily we were at a covered bench.
driving to the canyon
fog rolling in
down pour picnic
some of the flowers/plants we came across in the canyon
On our way out from exploring the town of Waimea we stopped in Hanapepe. It was here we went on the popular swinging bridge. From there we drove to the Kauai Coffee Company.
It was amazing to see the coffee orchards; they're beautiful colorful plants. We explored the visitor center, did some coffee tasting; sampling various coffee beans and coffee flavors, as well making some purchases at the gift shop. A few of us agreed that the best coffee was their Chocolate Macadamia Nut. I ordered a few of them online when we got home as Christmas gifts (to avoid further airline luggage fees). From the visitor's center we stopped at Scotty's Music where Jay purchased a ukulele.
Kauai Coffee Visitor's Center
coffee tasting
testing out the ukulele's
expensive ukes
Jay's new toy
After cleaning up we headed out to Julie & Matt's vacation rental in Hanalei Bay for their joint bachelor/bachelorette party. It was here we met many of their friends and extended family.
kisses for the bride
sibling love
the girls 
Day 5Jay & I started the day with a walk close to our condo.
Once again we packed up the van for another day full of adventures heading to North Shore. As we drove to each destination we got closer to the home of the sleeping giant. We visited Wailua Falls and then toured Kamokila Hawaiian Village in Wailua. It was at the village where we gained historical insight of the native culture. From the village we headed to 'Opaeka's Falls then on to Lydgate State Park where we picnicked and then enjoyed some snorkeling at Lydgate Beach.
Sleeping Giant
Wailua Falls
'Opaeka'a Falls
Hawaiian Village
the village is to the right of the river where the palm trees are
lots of peacocks at the village
mango tree for Jay the mango man
breadfruit tree
small taro field
guava trees have the sweetest fragrance
on the "Love Rock"
can you see the heart in the palm trees?
1 comment:
Now I now for sure I want to go to Kauai for my 60th birthday (in a couple of years)! Beautiful pics, Erica! Thanks for posting. =)
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