What We Did in Kauai
Nancy and I took the best vacation together in June of 2016. We booked a 6 day, 5 night trip with Costco Travel to Kauai, Hawaii. We stayed at the Lihue Marriott very close to the airport. Booking through Costco was great. They got us a great hotel, rental car and direct flights from LAX.
We originally planned on going to Kauai to relax and enjoy our first time away without our kids, but as we got settled in the first day, we had much more energy than we planned. We walked over to the Harbor Mall area and talked with Tom at Activities of Kauai ( about a couple things we should do. He some great recommendations and didn’t pressure us to book anything.
I decided to book a zip lining trip with Just Live! Zipline tours ( The guides were awesome and the course was really fun. It was really the only time we took to see the “interior” of Hawaii. When I originally booked the trip to zip line, I was under the impression that we were booking a 2 hour trip and not a 3 hour trip. It wasn’t until we showed up for the tour that those details were clear. If I were to do it again though, I think the additional time was the perfect amount of time. Any shorter and it would have been too quick of a trip for the effort.
We opted to go scuba diving in Poipu and SeaSport Diving ( fit us in last second. We had not done scuba diving before. We did the shore dive where you walk down and go 30-40 ft. down. As you can see from the video, we saw some great fish, moray eels and a couple of sea turtles. Our diving instructors were fantastic and patient with everyone in the group. They were knowledgable about the area and very cool about me taking the GoPro with me.
The day after going scuba diving we went to Kayak Kauai ( to spend the morning and afternoon on a Kayak trip in Hanalei. We picked the Blue Lagoon Paddle & Snorkel trip because it was about 4-6 hours total, it wasn’t too far and it included a kayak + snorkel. Hanalei was gorgeous. We traveled up the river and then went back down the river to the ocean. We kayaked a little bit into the ocean before going to the closest beach to the east. It had been raining that morning so the water was a little murky and we didn’t see much. Snorkeling the day after scuba diving made snorkeling not nearly as exciting as I thought it would be! The kayak was fun though and we enjoyed that scenery. On the way back to Lihue from Hanalei we stopped at the Kilauea Point Lighthouse. It was closed, but we hung out for a bit to enjoy the scenery. If I could do it all over again, I would have visited Queen’s Bath nearby. We totally forgot we were nearby.
Tom, from Activities of Kauai, was able to find us an opening for a sunset dinner cruise with Holo Holo Charters ( for our last night’s activity. We got to Port Allen early in the afternoon and got on their boat to take a tour of the Napali Coast. It was amazing. Before I went to Kauai, everyone who had been before would say “It’s like Jurassic Park” and my reaction was “of course it is, it was filmed there,” but when you go the first thing you think to yourself is “this is Jurassic Park.” The coast was a huge highlight of the trip. Dinner on the boat was some tacos with a very homemade feel. Nothing very fancy, but we’d been eating out all week so we didn’t mind.
All in all, we didn’t do everything we wanted to, but we did a lot. I can’t wait to go back and do everything we missed.
Exploring KAUAI, HAWAII in 4 DAYS! A NEW Travel Itinerary Challenge Series
In the second video as part of our Travel Itinerary Challenge series, we explore Kauai, Hawaii in 4 days and try our best to eat, see, and do as many things as possible based on a prepared itinerary list!
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If this is your first time viewing our videos, welcome and thank you! For some background about this series:
For our first ever visit to the State of Hawaii, we embarked on a 4-island hopping adventure! After visiting Oahu, we spent 4 days exploring Kauai, also known as the Garden Island.
( In cased you missed the Oahu Itinerary Challenge video, check it out here )
With this trip to Hawaii, we wanted to chronicle our adventures visiting 4 different islands in a new Travel Itinerary Challenge Series to share our experience doing, eating, and seeing a number of attractions in a set amount of time.
In our years traveling together, we found our travel style involves cramming as many things into an itinerary as our body can handle. We plan a rough itinerary or list of things we want to do, see, and eat at our destination.
Below is the original itinerary we set out to complete. In our Itinerary Challenge Series, we will see how close we get to checking off each item on our list.
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Preston & Krista's Original Itinerary for 4 Days in KAUAI
1. Rainbeau Jo’s
2. Hamura Saimin
3. Kauai Community Market
4. Mark’s Place
5. Small Town Coffee Company
6. Ono Ono Shave Ice
7. Wailua Falls
8. Fern Grotto Kayak Tour
9. Chocolate Farm Tour @ Lydgate Farms
10. Kilauea Lighthouse
11. Queens Bath Hole
12. Secret (Kauapea) Beach Trail
13. Banana Joe’s Fruit Stand
14. Hideaways Beach
15. Hanalei AMA Restaurant
16. Hanalei Bread Co.
17. Hanalei Poke
18. Wailoli Beach Park / Hanalei Bay
19. Hanalei Bay - Sup & Surf
20. Hanalei Pier
21. Maniniholo Dry Cave
22. Lumahai Beach
23. Ke’e Beach
24. Limahulu Garden & Preserve
25. Kalalau Trail
26. Hanakapi`ai Beach
27. Sunset at Princeville Makai Golf Course
28. Ishihara Poke
29, Aunty Lilikoi Passion Fruit Products
30. Captain James Cook Statue
31. G’s Juice Bar & Granola Breakfast
32. Waimea Canyon Drive
33. Waimea Canyon Trail
34. Awaawapuhi Trail
35. Kalepa Ridge Trail
36. Kalalau Lookout
37. Pu’u O Kila Lookout
38. Polihale State Park
39.Porky’s Kauai Food Truck
40. Jaqueline’s Tailored Hawaiian Shirts
41. Kauai Island Helicopter Tour
42. Na Pali Coast Sailing Excursion
43. Poipu Beach
44. Shipwreck’s Beach
45. Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail
Preston & Krista's Actualized Itinerary for 4 DAYS in KAUAI
1. Rainbeau Jo’s — Lihue
2. Wailua Falls — Lihue
3. Lydgate Farms — Kapaa
4. Nixtamal Kauai — Kapaa
5. Rock Quarry Beach — Kilauea
6. Banana Joe’s Fruit stand — Kilauea
7. Hanalei Lookout — Princeville
8. Aloha Juice Bar — Hanalei
9. Hanalei Bread Co. — Hanalei
10. Hanalei Bay — Hanalei
11. Anini Beach — Kilauea
12. Foodland — Kapaa
13. Aloha-n-Paradise Art & Event Gallery — Waimea
14. Ishihara Market — Waimea
15. Waimea Canyon Drive (Route 550) — Waimea
16. Nu’alolo Trail — Koke’e & Waimea Canyon State Park
17. Hanapepe Art Night — Hanapepe
18. Midnight Bear Breads Bakery & Cafe — Hanapepe
19. Porky’s Kauai Food Truck — Hanapepe
20. Koke’e & Waimea Canyon State Park — Waimea
21. Waimea Canyon Lookout — Koke’e & Waimea Canyon State Park
22. Waipu Falls “Secret” Lookout — Koke’e & Waimea Canyon State Park
23. Kalalau Lookout — Koke’e & Waimea Canyon State Park
24. Kalepa Ridge Trail* — Koke’e & Waimea Canyon State Park [PERMANENTLY CLOSED]
25. Hamura Saimin — Lihue
26. Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours — Lihue
27. Holo Holo Charters - Na Pali Boat Tour — Eleele
28. Shipwrecks Beach — Poipu
29. Poipu Beach — Poipu
30. Kiawe Roots — Koloa
???? For your travels to Kauai and other Hawaii Islands, we recommend visiting the websites for the Hawaii Division of State Parks ( to check the status updates and openings/closures for the parks and beaches you intend to visit.
We hope the itinerary lists and tips are helpful!
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*We were informed by a viewer, Dionys Murphy, that the name locals give to Kalepa Ridge Trail is Pig Trail through the Gate.
***An eagle eyed viewer informed us that we have misspelled the name of Maui at 21:20. We incorrectly wrote Mauai instead of Maui. Apologies for the spelling error. ***
Kaua‘i Island Tour - Part 04 - West Shore, Port Allen, Hanapepe, Waimea - Kaua‘i-TV
Kauai-TV’s West Shore tour. Topics include
Towns: Eleele, Port Allen, Hanapepe, Waimea
Points of Interest: Fort Elizabeth, Waimea Canyon, Kokee, Niihau
Beaches: Salt Pond Beach, Polihale, Kekaha Beach
The complete island tour playlist:
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Transcript:
The rural, slow paced setting of west side Kaua‘i is set amongst a dramatic backdrop, with rich red soils and an arid environment that makes it a distinct ecological area of the island. This off the beaten path region contains one of the world’s most famous attractions, and also has a lively arts scene, shopping, and dining, where traces of cultural traditions remain.
On the way to the west side, you’ll also pass 3,100 stretching acres of coffee, which is the largest thriving farm in both Hawai‘i and the United States.
The quaint town of ‘Ele‘ele is home to Port Allen, which is a major location for boat tours of the breathtaking Nā Pali coastline.
Known as the “Biggest Littlest Town” on Kaua’i, the festive Hanapepe has an unmistakable architectural flair found in the shops and storefronts. As the art capital of the island, its vivacious history and creative edge make this locale well worth a visit. “A colorful, charming west-side town, Hanapepe has more art galleries than anywhere else on
Kaua’i.”
After exploring Hanapepe town, the neighboring Salt Pond Beach Park is a cultural cornerstone. The area is named for its Hawaiian salt collecting tradition, and is located next to the only natural salt ponds on Kaua’i. “The protective crescent-shaped cove makes it a great place for families to swim or snorkel, and it also remains a great surf and wind-surfing spot.”
Situated at mouth of the Waimea River, Fort Elizabeth is another historic landmark on the west side. Commonly known as the Russian Fort, built in 1817, this area is open for self-guided tours.
Stained with deep red sediment, the Waimea River flows into the highest elevation wet-forest in the world, Alaka’i Swamp. “Meandering through the scenic Waimea Canyon, this Kaua‘i river is just over 12 miles in length, and is one of the longest in the state.”
The town of Waimea, which translates as “red fresh water,” is founded on the flood plain of the river. Famously known as the site of Captains Cooks arrival to the Hawaiian Islands in 1778, Waimea Town is a historic Kaua‘i gem.
Waimea resides at the foot of one of the most awe-inspiring natural wonders of Kaua’i. Waimea Canyon is a geological masterpiece of distant gorges, green valleys and flowing streams draped in layered lava rock. “Waimea Canyon is considered to be the grand canyon of the pacific.”
At fourteen miles long, one mile wide, and more than 3,600 feet deep, this iconic natural wonder encompasses the adjoining Waimea Canyon State Park and Kōkeʻe State Park. Traveling up the winding canyon road, the increasing elevation reveals chilly breezes, and an alternate ecosystem with sugi pine trees, regal koa forests, and native bird species, like the bright red ʻapapane.
Encompassing 4,345 acres, Kōkeʻe State Park has nineteen hiking trails to explore. Poised on a plateau between 3,200 and 4,200 feet, the park also has numerous overlooks that dot the road, like the picturesque Kalalau Lookout. “The overlook offers a view from over 4,000 feet above sea-level, where you can see for miles into the lush valleys and mountain seascapes.”
Kekaha Beach Park is the last lifeguarded western beach, with faraway views of the forbidden Niʻihau Island.
Signifying the beginning of a world renowned seventeen mile contiguous stretch of golden sand, Polihale is just beyond Mana Village and a (five mile long) dirt sugarcane road. “The longest beach in the state of Hawai’i, Polihale State Park features scenic views of the majestic Nā Pali coastline, magical sunsets, and sand dunes reaching 100 feet.”
Despite the enchanting allure of this famous beach, strong currents with no lifeguard make it very dangerous for swimming and other ocean activities. This beach is extremely hot, with clear days and little shade by the shoreline.
Experience the west side of Kaua’i, a treasure of island history, arts, and distinctive shopping and dining tucked away in the spectacular natural splendor.