Kauai Con’t

Ok so it’s almost been two weeks since we got home and we still haven’t put up the rest of what we did during our week in Kauai… Thus, here it is in a shortened and very sweet post! I don’t know if it is typically after your vacations but time seems to get gobbled up playing catchup after a vacation. Work, rather then stopping while one is away, simply piles into chaos until one work to smooth things over. I’d really like to be back in Hawaii… Have tempted to relocate. Especially considering that yesterday we went from 81 to 30 in under 12 hours. From beautiful sunshine to fog, rain, and… snow! Well read on to hear about the last 4 days of  our Kauai vacation

Day 2 – North Shore Kauai

• We got up early and headed on the hour drive to the north shore, past Princeville and to the Tunnels Snorkeling location
• Stopped at Snorkel Bob’s for gear and of course McDonald’s for a quick breakfast (did you know that the western most McDonalds in USA is on the island of Kauai?)
• Snorkeling at the Tunnels was amazing. We didn’t take many pictures… sorry we were so excited to snorkel
• After snorkeling we head to lunch in Hanalei. Watched part of an NBA game while eating some good Mediterranean food.
• The views, highway, and mountain was awesome. Packed with great views all around
• After lunch we went body boarding at Kealia Beach (famous for surfing and body boarding). Body boarding… hard work, lots of sand, but worth the ride. However, it was too hard of work for me considering it was vacation 😉

Day 2 Pictures

Day 3 – Waimea Canyon and southern Kauai

• We went to our timeshare meeting with Marriott. (they gave us the deal that made it feasible to go to kauai so thanks and sorry we didn’t buy the time share)
• Looked around Poipu on the south shore. It was ok but we liked the east shore and north shore better
• Headed inland up Waimea canyon
• Spectacular view up and down the canyon, both looking over the western Napali coast and inland down Waimea Canyon.
• The drive was a little curvy and Carrie gets a little woozy on mountain roads but we did just fine!
• We went to Jo Jo’s shaved ice in Waimea (recommended by the Chatfields ((friends from Chico))) – we loved it and recommend it as well
• Ended the day with an evening snorkel at Poipu Beach on the south shore. This beach is rated #1 beach in America. I’m not exactly sure why because there were a few other beaches on Kauai that I liked better. Evening snorkeling and watching the sunset was great!

Day 3 Pictures

Day 4 – Return to the North Shore

• We decided to return to the north shore to Tunnels Beach to snorkel again on our last day on Kauai. It turned out to be a great choice because the snorkeling was even better today.
• We hit Kapaa for great trinkets and local shopping. We spent a few hours browsing, eating lunch, and buying souvenir.
• We made it back to Lihue to a farmers market and enjoyed some farm fresh Hawaiian produce.
• We ate dinner at a 5 star buffet and enjoyed the hotel grounds and a little relaxing. Check out the pictures of the Marriott! Amazing.

Day 4 Pictures

Day 5 – Off to Oahu and the Temple

• We caught the early flight from Kauai to Oahu, rented a car and headed to the north end of Oahu to go to the Hawaii temple! A perfect end to a perfect week. We loved the Hawaii temple and loved the spirit of the temple
• After the temple we went next door and spent the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Very fun to learn about the cultural of the Polynesian people.
• We returned to the airport later that evening and took the overnight flight back to home, Utah, and our wonderful kids.
• Thanks everyone for making this such a great vacation!

Day 5 Pictures