Home • USA Aloha! • Hawaii • '15 Apr: Kauai

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	April 6 From the garden, waking up to warm greetings from Fiona (or...Hi'iaka, the Hawaiian goddess of water!).
	First thing, Lydgate of course. So very beautiful, with a balmy breeze and just the right light. 7am is the perfect time to kick off a walk. I have this exact picture at least once each year.
	The chickens here, Splendid Red Jungle Fowl that they are, cross the road willy-nilly for no reason whatsoever except that they can.
	Yup.
	We went over to the Grand Hyatt to check it out because later in the month we are treating each other to a night of adventure there, something we've never done.
	Last year was all about the birds. Our goal was to know the name of every bird we saw and by the end of the trip that was true, although there are surely plenty of birds we were not able to find. This guy is the very very Common Myna. We can also identify the following with pictures in last year's chapter: Splendid Red Jungle Fowl (THE bird of Kauai), Egret (Egret!), Nene (the Hawaii state bird), Red-Crested Cardinal (our Dude and Dudette), Pacific Golden Plover (runrunrun STOP runrunrun STOP), Zebra Dove, Spotted Dove, and Rock Dove, Black-Crowned Night-Heron, House Sparrow, Common Moorhen, various Swans that swim around hotel ponds, Chestnut Mannikin (a rare sight), Hawaiian Coot, "koloa maoli" (a native duck), Muscovy Duck (who knows where that guy came from). At the Kilauea Point lighthouse we can recognize Albatross, black footed, red footed, and brown Bobbies, Frigatebird (split tail), Shearwater (white underwings).
	This Year (ta DAH!) we're going to work on trees. We can tell already it's going to be much harder...
	...because there are... (Clusia major, the autograph tree, copey, balsam apple, pitch-apple, and Scotch attorney)
	...SO MANY. ((The African tulip tree has flowers in the same flaming colors as the poinciana, but these fiery red flowers grow in circles around the tightly crowded buds at the tips of the branches, rather than in dense clusters all over the canopy of the tree as the poinciana does. You can most easily identify either of these by their leaves. The poinciana has fernlike leaves and the African tulip has big shiny green leaves that grow to 2 feet long. Because of its size and its dense foliage, the African tulip provides deep shade where few other plants will grow and it isn't used as much as the poinciana.))
	April 7 Today we visited the Kauai Museum in Lihue and it was so nice to see the very excellent refurbishments completed since our last visit.
	At the museum I was ready to take a picture of her lovely flower hair clip and just as I pressed the shutter release she turned around. She was entirely delightful and turning her head back said 'here, try it again!'.
	I mentioned about our tree project. Oh so much more later.
	Yesterday we had lunch at Brenneckes (where they were no longer carrying Longboard so I drank a Big Wave which was delicious) and today we had lunch at Ono Family Restaurant. Lunch is our big meal out. We also swung by Spouting Horn yesterday but I didn't take a picture. This is the view from the kitchen looking through the living room to the always cool Spirit House.
	April 8 We hung around the house today waiting for an a/c service tech that didn't show up. But no problem! We enjoyed the day entirely. How can you not?
	Egret! taking a tour of the front lawn.
	Camas and Curt had us up to their place for dinner. It was fairly dark when we got there so no pictures of their splendid three acres of ALOHA including awesome views of the mountains and the sea. We had all the fabulous salmon you could eat, and I ate a lot of that salmon. I had 3 seconds to run around. I need to figure out what's wrong with that timer! And I wish I had a better picture of ME but hey, look at those DOGS, so I had to use it.
	April 9 The Autograph Tree! We've got this one down now. The other trees we can identify but maybe not from a speeding car: Plumeria of Course, Longleaf Ironwood and River-oak Ironwood, African Tulip and Poinciana when they are blooming, Albizia when it's big, Norfolk Island pine although the Columnar Araucaria or Cook pine looks a lot like it, Coconut Palms and there are so many other palms that we haven't distinguished yet.
	After the a/c service tech finished his work we went straight out for lunch at Duke's at the Marriott. It such an enjoyable place...
	...and they have a woweee bay. We couldn't figure out this tree! Then we went on a store tour to fill in some items for the house: Macy's, Longs, Safeway. Thank you Sharon for all the FOOD.
	Followed by an early opening to the Merrie Monarch Festival of HULA! We started watching today and it runs through Saturday. It's great fun and you can watch it too online at www.k5thehometeam.com.
	April 10 This whole trail is too wonderful. We usually walk on the Lydgate section but today we drove past Kapaa and took a different section.
	So...
	...so great.
	Later we went over to Smith's, across the river from the house, to look at trees with signs.
	This tree identification project is going to be hard, really hard, because we want to be able to name them from the car or out the window of a restaurant but I see now that you have to get up closer than that. Monkey Pods and Tamarinds have so much in common and even albizia can look alike.
	Mountain Apple - so pretty. The Rubber Tree was nicely distinct, and the Paperbark was nice.
	Chinese Fan Palm, they're common and come in all sizes.
	A Noni plant. They use the noni fruit for all sorts of medicinal purposes. I would not be able to recognize this plant without the fruit.
	Plenty of these guys around too. Curt was on his way to China so Camas came over for dinner and it was lovely.
	April 12 Chris and Dave arrived late-ish last night and here they are with Sharon standing over the pond doing the morning fish-feed. Can you believe those screens are so clear. What a luxury, with not a mosquito to be found in the lanai or the house.
	We were headed for the Lighthouse but it's closed(!) on Sunday and Monday so we drove on to Hanalei to enjoy the view in Hanalei Bay and eat some lunch.
	A Zebra Dove waiting patiently for his share of the meal. As my friend Marsha pointed out, last years' birds were certainly more interesting for the reader than all these silly trees. I'm going to not put any trees in here for a few days and then use only the ones I really know. Promise.
	Kauai, the Garden Isle and the wettest among all the Hawaiian Islands.
	Taro fields and the obligatory stop to view them and the obligatory picture because it is so cool. There's a walk available down there and I hope we can do it again this year.
	April 13 Chris and Dave and Sharon for C&D's first Lydgate walk...
	...and it was as beautiful as ever. The we went swimming! but I don't have any pictures because I put my camera in the car. I do believe we'll go again.
	After a short afternoon rest we headed out again, with a stop at Spouting Horn. Tourists, all gathered for a look.
	Here's the view looking away from the water spout, and so nice.
	Next we went to the Poipu Shopping Village. Here's a Will Bullas piece, Cocktails at Six from one of the art shops. He's done tons more, all totally fun.
	They were having a hula show at the Shopping Village with only one dancer because the rest of them were still over on the big island not yet home from Merrie Monarch. The guy was fantastic, he could play anywhere, and the dancer was lovely as could be.
	Aloha!
	Dinner at Keoki's was another delight. What a great day.
	April 14 The major outing for the day was a three and a half hour tour through the Na Aina Kai Botanical Garden.
	This is the entry to the office and gift shop. It's a wonderful tour...
	...mostly going around by cart. It is very nice that there are never more than 8 people on the tour, we had six, and the pace is such that you are welcomed to ask questions. It was we four and a guy and his mom.
	It's very beautiful, not surprisingly.
	One of the highlights is their small albatross breeding ground where, if the season is right, you get to see...AWWWWW...
	...Baby Albatross!
	They also have more than 200 acres (I'm not at all sure on the numbers here but let's just say a lot) planted in teak and mahogany waiting to mature and support the gardens in perpetuity. So we have albatross, hardwoods, botanical plantings, and sculptures around every turn.
	The couple that started this project on their own few acres have built it into something quite magnificent and given it all over to a non-profit corporation whose purpose it is to keep it going.
	Nenes.
	There are a number of lakes both natural and man-made and water features to beat the band. Do you think I have some tree pictures? Oh yes I do, for LATER.
	April 15 There was that first rain chain that was here, handmade in Thailand with wonderful shapes and intricate details. I lusted after that rain chain but it's been gone for years. I just saw this one work and it's quite good enough. I mustn't forget to measure the links so I can get one too.
	First we had loco moco and a few other breakfast goodies in Waimea at 'Gina's at Yumi's' which I thought was darn good enough. Then we went up up up to to look down down down onto Waimea Canyon.
	For you Chris.
	Wow.
	It took a while for the energetic tour guide to clear that corner but in the end he did prevail and they got their shot.
	More.
	Driving to another lookout we can see onto the Napali coast and...
	...one of its splendid coastal planes. There's a word for what we're seeing, not valley, not any word I can think of now but there is one out there.
	On the way home we stopped off for the tour of the coffee plantation. I wahi kope nau (pronounced e wah-he co-pay nah-u) means 'Will you have some coffee?'. Yes thank you!
	A view of a few of tens of thousands of coffee trees.
	We had pizza for dinner and Caitlin made up our order. Kaitlin, for you! Yes I've had my ear out for someone named Lilly too!
	April 16 Our morning visit out to the Lighthouse where I got to use my Senior Citizen Lifetime National Park Pass. It sits out on the beautiful cliffs of Kilauea Point.
	Handsome views and soaring sea birds.
	And when the season is right you can see a steady stream of whales.
	Too Many TREES. What's this one? I Don't Know.
	Opaekaa Falls, around the corner from the house.
	And speaking of around the corner from the house, we had a delicious dinner at the Hukilau, yes, as in where we are going.
	April 17 We set our alarms for 5am to get to this spot by 6am. We're here wondering what's what until...
	...oh, here comes the boat.
	As the sky lightens the captain, co-captain, another guy who was a real fisherman from San Pedro, Dave, Chris, and I climb aboard...
	...while Sharon waves us Bon Voyage...
	...we head out to sea. From here it looks like smooth sailing but it was oh so not smooth sailing. The captain said they do go in much worse conditions but even seven miles out the waves were huge and the boat was never not pitching about. I put away the camera and didn't take it out again until we were safely back along side. Nevertheless I did make the whole trip without chucking my cookies and had a totally fabulous time rockin' and a rollin' through the morning. Chris and Dave were not so lucky cookie-wise but kept up good spirits throughout which was admirable.
	We're back now. This is our co-captain on The Bridge of this incredibly small fishing boat which got smaller as the day went along.
	The amazingly adorable kid and his dad cleaning up after...
	...we caught so so many fish, I think a few of them are already missing from this picture, that near the end of our time out I said to the guys 'oh please, don't make me catch any more fish'. 'Catching fish' is a bit of a misnomer, more like 'reeling in fish' since the guys did all the setting of the lines and put the pole in a holder at our seat once we had a strike, and then they pulled the fish into the boat, cleared the hook, and basically did all the jobs except the reeling. What a luxurious way to go fishing. They cleaned us up plenty of filets (the big ones are mahi mahi and the small ones are yellowfin tuna) and we'll be eating fish for days. They sell the rest, a procedure we knew would be the way before we signed up.
	In the evening, after I had napped off and on for hours, we went to Hanapepe for the Friday Art Walk when all the galleries are open and food trucks abound. (internet pix)
	April 18 Here we are getting ready for our next adventure.
	But first the two pages of disclaimers.
	And then...Tubing! (internet pix)
	What a ton of fun. (internet pix)
	Our very excellent guides. We traveled along two and a half miles of an old sugar plantation irrigation system. The particular route we were on is still in use as a water delivery system into a purification plant and then distribution to Kapaa, Lahui, and a few other towns in Kauai. We spent a lot of time in the tunnels that plantation workers dug by hand in the early 1800s, which reminds me to note that the guides did an excellent job of keeping us all entertained with interesting stories and audience participation for the three hours which included only about 45-60 minutes of actual tubing.
	Back home, there's Chris coming in from a kayak upriver.
	More.
	We cooked our fish four ways, two on the bbq, one fried, one baked, because we had so much fish we could experiment. ALL the ways were delicious!
	April 19 We took a swing by the Kilohana Plantation to take a train ride through their extensive orchards and farm.
	We had a stop-off to feed the pigs...
	...and the very splendid Splendid Red Jungle Fowl.
	We drove out to Poipu to enjoy dinner at The Beach House, a perfectly wonderful spot and a perfectly wonderful dinner.
	Ahhhh.
	April 20 Chris and Dave left today - this was our last meal together at the Ono Family Restaurant and it was onoliscious. Safe travels to Chris and Dave who will be in transit for something like 21 hours making their way from Kauai to Newton, Kansas.
	We went to a farmer's market later in the day. The parking lot was full of these trees and first I thought it was one thing and then I thought it was another. Now I think it's an Orchid Tree.
	April 21 We enjoyed another walk along the Ke Ala Hele Makalae trail. The name means The Path That Goes By The Coast and we love it. In the far middle of the picture you can see the remains of the Pineapple Dump where the canning plants would dump the remains of the process.
	They'd just roll huge containers out the ramp and dump...hence, The Pineapple Dump.
	Looking back from the ramp and onto the path. Cool fence!
	April 22 Yay, one of my favorite walks, we went to the taro fields outside Hanalei.
	It's so beautiful there and you can walk walk walk and get absorbed by the sights and sounds, smell and humidity of taro.
	Here's a cutie.
	One of the fields was not yet planted and we saw the Black-Necked Stilt. That's a moorhen in the back. Last year when we were doing birds we came here but the Stilt wasn't around. Oh my birds are So much easier to identify than trees. I've mentioned that before.
	An Orchid Tree for sure which brought me to the conclusion that the Farmer's Market parking lot tree was an Orchid Tree too.
	We went for lunch in Hanalei at Buchons, a place we'd never been before and because it was so early we got a second floor table by the window. Ah, Rain. It started after we got seated and stopped before we left. The rain has been very cooperative this year! BTW, don't eat at L&L Hawaiian BBQ. There are a ton of franchise locations and maybe they aren't all the same? I wouldn't risk it. We were there with Chris and Dave and ordered four different dishes all of them a disappointment. Don't bother as there are many more satisfying meals around. Like a Puka Dog is better.
	April 23 I walked over to Smith's so I could try to name the trees I look at every day, and here's (biiig telephoto) looking back at the house.
	Evening festivities! Sharon, Kenny, Pat, Kathy, Ruby.
	And here's Ruby and Ray doing what they do every weekday morning every year for their many weeks in Kauai.
	April 24 We enjoyed lunch and some sightseeing in the Koloa area. The place where we always eat in Koloa is being remodeled, into what we are not entirely sure, so...
	...we ate at the pizza place with this view from their dining area. The food was good and we would happily return.
	The Old Mill.
	The Lighthouse marking the entrance to the Nawiliwili port.
	By the airport, I like to drive out here to see the waves on the breakwater And...
	...to see entirely unsupervised children hurling themselves off the old pier. Don't miss the upside-downer!
	April 25 Morning walk and a gorgeous swim at Lydgate and then a picnic just in time before the rain came.
	Look, up in the sky, it's the Second State Bird of Hawaii! We must not degrade in rank the First State Bird of Hawaii, the Nene. There are signs everywhere to be careful while driving so as not to run over any of the endangered and most precious Nene.
	See all this action...
	...it's a close-up of this tree and there are lot of them planted along the Lydgate path. What ARE these guys?!?! We're going to a nursery tomorrow and I'm hoping against hope someone there will be a tree expert. I've put only a few trees in here...we'll see what I decide to do when I get home!
	From Chris Oh look, pictures of me. That's me and Dave testing out our fishing hats. Then that's me and Chris and Sharon standing somewhere, and then that's me and Sharon at the Beach House. Thank you Chris!
	April 26 Dinner with the Cooks. Ha! That's really their name! Camas and Curtis Cook, and oh they do, cook. Sharon took these pictures. I'm estimating we've gotten about 20-22 dinners out of the big fish catch of 2015. sp.
	Curt was just back from a business trip, a convention in Shanghai. He's third from the left with his male colleagues and his three female interpreters. You know how much I enjoy other people's work. And that's the pheasant he found on their property this morning. cc.
	And since not only did I not take a single picture, I didn't even put on my clothes until way late in the afternoon, here are some confusing trees. They are all big trees (except the Haole Koa can be bush-y) and from the road if they are not blooming I am at a loss. I wish I could find botanical drawings of all of them. From top left: Haole Koa, Royal Poinciana, African Tulip Bottom left: Monkey Pod, Tamarand (internet pix)
	April 27 Kathy and her very special hybrid hibiscus.
	We drove around looking at things and then stopped off here where a very cool rough-and-ready older woman who knew things told me the names of a few of the trees I was stuck on.
	April 28 We have recently been going to another island for a few days during April but this year we thought, hey, let's blow the whole budget for one night at the Grand Hyatt in Poipu. So we did.
	We arrived in time to enjoy the perfect seat in the restaurant Ilima Terrace...
	...and a most delicious lunch.
	Unbelievably, amazingly, most remarkably, we got upgraded to a Suite. A Suite. A room so magnificent it has its own name. We had this balcony view to the sea and another balcony with a view to the grounds with pools and spectacular plantings. Awesome is the word for it.
	You can see the break out there in the picture above.
	Just having the view, hanging out at on the balcony. And then we went to the spa, Sharon for a massage and I for a facial. Oh yeah.
	We had a cocktail and some shrimp tempura and enjoyed the setting at Stevenson's Library.
	Coming out from the Library the evening show was kicking off with...
	...a beautiful hula dancer.
	This struck me as symbolic.
	The fire guys came...
	...and that was the end, followed by keiki, the children, dancing, but we had to go because we had a reservation for dinner.
	I've been wanting to eat here at Tidepools ever since the first time I saw it but they're only open for dinner so tonight is the night - dinner at Tidepools.
	It's very fun inside with a Polynesian flare in the décor and delicious food. We shared this crab cake appetizer and shared a prime rib entrée. Perfect!
	April 29 There's a walk I've wanted to do for ages but it's long and hot so starting out early is the ticket and since we had spent the night at the Hyatt I was on the Mahaulepu Heritage Trail by 7am.
	From yesterday, that far point is the start of the trail.
	You have to walk across Shipwreck Beach to get to the scramble up the hillside. Plenty of weddings happen out here.
	Here come so very many pictures of the amazing views.
	I didn't do very well in figuring out the trail since I kept running into dead ends such as this one.
	It was a bit of a scramble to start off, not hard really, and the trails, such as they were, were sandy, rocky, rooty, but easy too - just watch out for No Falling.
	I started at 7 but 6 would have been even better.
	Oh dear...
	...so many...
	...more.
	The trail crosses a heiau, an ancient temple site.
	Looking back at sunlit cliffs.
	The trail often catches a glimpse of the golf course.
	Coming back instead of picking my way along the coast I decided to hug the golf course and from where I was able to get in 90 minutes, I was able to return in 30. Had I known it would be so much faster coming back I could have continued on for a while longer. Next time!
	April 30 So much Aloha, Mahalo nui loa!