Kauai - The Wyndham Beach Villas @ Lihue

Week Three of our Hawaiian Vacation
on the east shore - Lihue

We settled in and headed to Scotty's in Lihue for barbecue. It was yummy and it was a beautiful, full moon evening.

We started this week off by taking a helicopter ride! We saw the ruggedly beautiful Na Pali Coast, the awe-inspiring Waimea Canyon, incredible valleys, numerous waterfalls, north shore beaches and reefs, and our resort.

Our resort from the helicopter!

Not all waterfalls on Kauai are remote. The day after seeing waterfalls from the helicopter we were in search of two of the best-known drive-up falls on Kauai's east side.

Wailua Falls - featured in the 1970s tv series Fantasy Island.

Opaeka'a Falls

Resort Pool Fun

Zip and Dip Zip lining
This was a fabulous adventure! We zipped on 9 different ziplines ranging from a beginners to King Kong at 1200 feet. On the last one Don and I jumped off together and sped down the zip line! The hiking between the lines was beautiful and we swam at a small pool where we had lunch!

Don's turn! Ready, set, go.

Vicky's turn! Ready, set, nail the landing!

Here's the big one - 1200 feet from end to end over the ravine. It had 2 lines so Don and I zipped together. We had to jump off the platform! Don jumped first and beat me to the end.

Hiking across a suspension bridge.

And swimming in a pool.

Kauai - The Waiohai Marriott @ Poipu

Week Two of our Hawaiian trip
Our second week takes us from the north shore to the south shore in Kauai.

the Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club
Our place of residence this week is the Marriott's Waiohai Beach Club. We have a lovely second floor two bedroom, two bathrooms, living/dining room, full kitchen, and lanai. The resort has 3 pools and is located right on Poipu Beach.

Each day starts with breakfast on the lanai. Beautiful views!

Poipu Beach
Just take a few steps from the pool and you land on Poipu Beach. It is the major center of beach activity on the south shore. The swimming is almost always safe and snorkeling can be fantastic. The waves crash into each other on a sandy islet. Our days include the beach, a cool off in one of the pools, and a dip in a hot tub. Ahhhh......

Hamura Saimin
We made a delicious stop this week at Hamura Saimin in Lihue (on the east coast) for noodles at lunch time. It is one of our favorite "local" places that serves yummy saimin and grilled chicken on a stick. When you arrive you stand and wait for a stool and seat yourself at a counter with others.

Waimea Canyon
The Waimea Canyon is a spectacular gorge. The canyon is 10 miles long, 1 mile wide and more than 3600 feet deep. The road twists and turns its way up the canyon's side with many great views from the lookouts.

Lunch time!

At the end of the canyon road we walked to get a view of the Na Pali Coast and shoreline. Unfortunately it was very cloudy and not long after I got a few photos the valley was completely fogged in.

Shave ice at Jo Jo's ended our canyon trip.

Our second trip up the canyon a few days later produces better views!

Spouting Horn

Polihale Beach
The Polihale Beach is the end of the line! You can't go any farther north on Kauai without a boat. This is where the Na Pali Coast starts. Rain is rare in these parts. We rented a jeep for the day to get to the beach. To get there we took Hwy 50 till it ends, veering right at the fork. The first dirt road leads 3 1/2 miles to a large monkeypod tree. Go right at the tree and drive (don't stop in the sand!) several more miles to a parking area.

Coffee fields

Hawaiian signs!

Another beautiful sunset from The Beach House restaurant.

A huge rainbow at Poipu Beach!

We had a great week!