This is my final aloha, friends! We’re getting to the end of our fun filled Hawaiian adventure. On our second to last day on the island, we basically just went out to explore. My feet were killing me, so we went shopping all around Hanalei Bay for some flip flops, stopping along the way to buy some earrings and a beautiful little art print as souvenirs along the way.
Then we kind of just drove around looking at things. We went down a road that looked interesting, crossed a ford, drove around Poliahu Park, read historical signs, and saw some beautiful scenery.
It was suggested by a friend to see Allerton Garden, which is on the south side of the island, so we headed that way. Unfortunately, we thought the price was too steep once we got there, as well as some timing elements not working out, although the grounds did look beautiful from what we saw and I can imagine that it’s a great place to visit. Instead, we went to a different natural attraction called Spouting Horn on our way to the other brewery on the island, Kauai Island Brewery & Grill. Not as chic as the first one we went to, but it had an interesting beer selection.
The highlight and focal point of the day was our plan to go back to Polihale beach to watch the sunset since it’s on the west side of the island, and a fantastic beach. Just before we got there, we decided to stop at that amazing Thai Food place, but the kitchen was closed! So instead we bought a bunch of mango, dragonfruit, and a coconut from them to take to the beach. I should mention that to get to the end of the beach, you have to travel about 5 miles on an unpaved, awful road that the rental car companies really don’t want you driving on. But, because we were picked up at the very end of Polihale the previous day, at the end of kayaking, we had been on the road so we knew what to expect. What I didn’t expect was to be driving while Matt was trying his damnedest to not spill all the water out of the coconut he was holding on this super bumpy ride!
We made it to the beach and watched the sun set on our last full day in Hawaiʻi. From the beach, the sun sets over the forbidden Island of Niʻihau—a super interesting place that is about 15 miles long but only has a population of 170 and very few visitors. As for Polihale, there are some interesting mythologies behind the location, but my favorite is that spirits who are traveling to the afterworld would jump off the cliffs to the north of the beach and swim towards the setting sun.
On the way back, we had heard that Poiʻpu Beach was a good place to see sea turtles at night, so we decided to try our luck, and I’m so glad we did! We saw so many turtles sleeping on the beach. I didn’t take any photos because it was dark by then and after growing up in Florida, I feel pretty sensitive to turtles and false lights. It was incredible to see all these turtles though. They averaged five feet in length, 300 pounds, and we got to the beach while the huge ones were already parked, but got to see some stragglers make their way over as well. I can’t say enough good things about the experience—some animals are just so impressive to see up close.
After a while, we headed home and just before we went to sleep we had a wild idea—to watch the sun rise from the east side of the island! So, in the morning, bright and early, we went back to our first beach, Larson Beach. It was the only rainy morning, and the sun rise wasn’t as impressive as the sun set the night before, but it was a great way to start the day.
We cleaned out our wonderful Airbnb and packed everything into the car. Then, we found a cute little place to get some breakfast called Art Cafe Hemingway. We took advantage of the parking spot and walked along the beach in Kapaa town a bit, poked our heads into some shops, and officially bought ourselves some shave ice, minus the condensed milk topping. They were as big as our head! And the sugar content pretty much wrecked Matt. Oops!
After continuing to explore the main strip in Kapaa for a little while longer, we headed to a semi-early dinner at Caffe Coco/Eat Healthy Cafe, the small restaurant we loved so much earlier in the week. This time, we were seated outside in better weather. Towards the end of the meal, I happened to look down at the car keys on the table and realized that our Airbnb access key was still attached to them! Darn it. We did some quick math and realized that we could make the drive back there to drop them off before our flight, so that’s how we spent our last 2 hours on the island. Hah!
Once we got through the airport security and the extra screening they do for fruits, vegetables, and plants, we were all set for our redeye flight. There’s always a battle between Matt and I as to who gets the window seat because we both love it so much. He had it on the way to the island, but I was planning on sleeping the whole way back and eventually told him that he could sit next to the window again. As luck would have it though, check out what our row looked like! Hahahah
We survived the flights back and were pleasantly surprised to be picked up by my parents at the airport upon our arrival. They were so awesome to not only watch the dogs while we were gone, but to find problems to fix around the house and in my car. Parents are the best! And so was our trip. Hard to believe it was already almost a year ago. I hope you enjoyed reading about it. And if you want to see more of our travels, click here.
Love, Shauna