Kauai {PART 2}

One of the days we headed way over to the other side of the Island to see Waimea Canyon. It was so curvy getting up there and I got so car sick! Supposably it is hard to get up there on a day that is clear, so we were so lucky to have had a clear day! So amazing.














Later that day we headed out on a Sunset dinner cruise along the Na Pali Coast. I was so worried I was going to be super sick since I didn't feel well from being in the car AND it was a super windy day with big waves. We picked up some medicine and luckily I didn't feel sick at all. They views were so amazing!!












On our way to Poipu Beach. I love this street with all the trees!



This was such a fun day. It's crazy how dry and warm this side of the island is compared to up North. There was a beach right next door that the boys and I snorkeled at and we were able to swim with about 4-5 turtles. It was really neat!


Abe checking Football scores…


Blow hole


On the way home we did a drive by and saw Waimea Falls


Later that night we went to a Luau at the Smith Family Plantation. The food was awesome and the grounds were so pretty. Unfortunately, the show was SO BORING!!! Fun night though!










The next day we went to Queens Bath. It was pretty fun! There is this bowl of water in between the rocks on the edge of the ocean. When the waves get big, it flows into the bowl of water. We jumped and swam for awhile. Abe also had a near death experience going towards the edge of the rocks and huge waves crashed over him. A local yelled at us for being unsafe!





Into Hanalei for Lunch… Puka Dog!




We headed up the North Shore to check out some beaches. The waves were pretty crazy, so we mostly hung out on the beach for a bit.











The next day we went Kayaking up the Waimea River up to the Secret Falls hike to see the waterfall. So pretty!

















We stopped to see the lighthouse on the way home, but it was closed! It was still fun to see from a distance!


On the way home we searched for "Secret Beach". We finally found where we were supposed to park and hiked down to the beach. This beach was amazing! I was sad that it was so late in the day and that we hadn't visited it earlier. It would have been fun to spend the day there.









The very last day we spent in Poipu again. There was another turtle there that day, so we got to swim with the turtle and hang out on the beach.

We had a really late flight out, so we had a really nice dinner first before we headed to the airport. What a fun and memorable week!

We were welcomed home with a fun sign that my mom and the kids made. It was fun to see the kids again and they loved their hula gear! I am so grateful to my mom who watched the kids the entire week we were gone!!

Kauai 2015 {Part ONE}

For the last several years, Abe and I always joked that we were going to head to Hawaii for our 10 year anniversary. Once we got back in the States, we teamed up with Roni & Brett and Kara & Justin and made it happen! I had never been to Kauai before and it was so much fun to explore a new island. It was beautiful and lush, with so many outdoor activities. It definitely wasn't a "hang out on the beach" kind of vacation everyday. Kara mentioned that she worked out more on our trip than she ever does! That pretty much sums it up. We were super active the entire time and it made for a fun adventure!



Haha, first stop: Walmart to grab some groceries!


Then we were off to Princeville to our Condos and were greeted with some leis


Our pool


Our first day in Kauai, we headed over to Hanalei Bay. This beach was pretty amazing because the mountains kind of surround it and you can look up at the mountains and see several waterfalls from the beach. The sand was super soft and it had a pretty neat pier.













After exploring Hanalei Bay (and probably not long enough), we headed over to Anini Beach. I LOVED this beach. The water was clear, the beach was a little more hidden and just beautiful.









After we headed up to do the Hoopi Falls Hike. We heard this was a fun one because you can jump into the waterfall. When we got to the first waterfall (which is the one you are supposed to jump into), there were a bunch of people sitting around looking at it and it did not look safe to jump in. We then headed to the second waterfall just to see it. The trees are so cool!













Not far from the hike was Lydgate Beach State Park. We all ended up getting in the Ocean and tried to body surf. It was so fun! We got some fun video and I made a video of the entire trip, but I can't post it for some reason!












The next day we headed to the Na Pali Coast to hike up to Haanakapi Falls. We woke up at the crack of dawn so we could get hiking before all the crowds. It is 2 miles in to a "beach" and that part of the hike gets really crowded with tourists. Since we got there so lucky, we didn't have to deal with too many people on the way in. From the beach, we hiked 2 miles up to an AMAZING waterfall. It is hard to describe how incredibly tall it was. It was so powerful that when we got up to it, we were soaking wet and it was windy. So cool. Most people didn't hike all the way in and turned around at the beach due to the mud and some obstacles while hiking. We had to cross several rivers and the terrain was interesting. I have so many good memories from this hike! The coast was so beautiful too!













































That night we took a REALLY LONG WALK and I was so tired from hiking 8 miles that day and then walking for several more. It was so pretty walking along the Coast and down to a fancy hotel and then back around.