If you've made it this far, you're probably planning your own trip to Kauai. But the best it YET TO COME. Day 8 will forever go down as one of the best days of my life. I had to overcame fear and chose to live in faith for a day full of adventure. Be sure you are all caught up on previous recaps and enjoy the finale of our vacation to paradise.
Day 8: This day was my favorite by a landslide. My Dad and Mel graciously offered to watch Jaxon for an entire day so that Jacob and I could enjoy the island on our own. The morning started at 4:30am with getting Jaxon ready and set up for his day with Honey and Papster. By 5:30 we were driving to the other side of the island to start our day of adventure. On the drive over, we were able to enjoy the sunrise and good conversation.
After LOTS of waiting, we were loading onto our boat for a tour of the Na Poli Coast. The boat is a “sea rider” that really resembles a fancy raft.
Part of the fun was hanging on for dear life to the ropes that keep you safely inside the boat. The Captain made many stops to discuss fun facts and urban legends about the sights. One of the first stops was to see the dolphins. As soon as we pull up, a dolphin jumps out of the water and does a full spin just to show off. The day was full of bucket-list items but seeing dolphins that close was one of the coolest parts! We even saw a couple baby dolphins sleeping in the water.
We kept riding along the coast with stops at the Navy’s Pacific Missile Range and the Forbidden Island. As we rounded the corner, we hit some extremely choppy waves (or as the Captain said, “the adventure portion of the trip). We were lucky enough to see a Sea Turtle and ride into a couple of sea caves before the waves became so intense that we had to head back towards the island.
Our last stop on the water involved us getting out and snorkeling. It was my first-time snorkeling, and I overcame some immense fears to do so. You can read more about that here. The snorkeling was a beautiful experience. I’ve never seen water so clear and blue before. We saw colorful coral, a variety of species of fish, and what looked like crabs. I look forward to doing that again someday.
We arrived back at the dock around 1pm and had a little time to pull ourselves back together. Unfortunately, Jacob had gotten a little seasick, so the break was much appreciated. We looked a little rough and wind-blown, so we stopped in a Safeway to change clothes and clean up in their bathrooms.
At 4:00pm we had a flight with Wings Over Kauai. Jacob and I both agree that this was the highlight of the trip.
We got on a tiny plane with only two other people and the pilot and took off for a breathtaking experience.
We were able to fly over the entire island. We saw more waterfalls than I can count, and pictures that would make perfect screensavers.
We saw the Waimea Canyon, numerous beaches, and even got to see our resort from a bird’s eye view. The entire 70-minute ride was moving.
One moment in particular I will likely remember for the rest of my life. They were playing traditional Hawaiian music in our headphones throughout the ride. About halfway through the ride, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” begun to play, and in the middle of the song, a rainbow appeared over the island. Even the pilot was moved by the ordeal. I had tears in my eyes as I prayed and thanked God for the experience. Enjoy the pictures and add a plane ride over Kauai to your bucket list. You won’t regret it.
Also, before you start to feel bad for Jax, he was having a blast with his Grandparents and Uncles.
In fact, based on the pictures, he may have had even more fun than we did. He got to go to the beach and shop in Hanalei with some of the best people around.
As soon as we landed from our plane ride, we rushed over to the Smith Family Luau where we got a train ride around the garden.
In one day, we rode in a car, boat, plane, and a train. To say we were a little dizzy and exhausted would be an understatement but we were living the dream. We got off the train and laughed as a male Peacock harassed a female Peacock while she was trying desperately to eat. I’ll let you imagine the jokes the crowd was coming up with.
At that point, the Imu Ceremony began where we learned about how the luau pigs were cooked.
We were then released to get cocktails and enjoy the Hawaiian music. They played one of my favorites, “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and the two of us spent time reflecting on the craziness of the day.
Once we were released to dinner, we both filled our plates with the buffet goodness.
Some of our favorite dishes were the fried rice, the chicken adobo, Hawaiian sweet bread, the sweet and sour mahi mahi, macaroni salad, and the beef teriyaki. We did taste the fresh poi, and it lived up to its reputation of being terrible but…when in Kauai, I guess???
Once we were thoroughly stuffed, we decided to look around the Smith’s garden and walk off the food coma. We heard the Hawaiian Conch Shell that signaled it was time to find our seats for the show
The show featured performances from a wide variety of cultures including Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Philippines, New Zealand, China, and Japan. While the show was beautifully done, some of the music was making my already exhausted self fight hard to stay awake. (After all, at this point it was 2am Austin time). Our favorite performance was the guy who danced with knives on fire. When it was all said and done, we were so grateful for our day of adventure and so ready to fall into bed at 10:30 that night (only to be woken up at 4am the next morning).
Day 9: This was our last day in Hawaii. We enjoyed some gourmet Hawaiian ice cream, stopped at the waterfalls one last time, and said an appreciative “goodbye” to the island of paradise we had enjoyed so dearly.
Once we got to the Lihue Airport, the chaos began. I was flagged as a security issue after a hand swab. I had to remove Jaxon from the carrier and pass him to Daddy while I was patted down and questioned. We very quickly realized that vacation was over. We left Hawaii at 9pm (3am Austin time) and arrived home at 5pm Austin time the next day. In case you’re wondering, traveling overnight with a baby is as bad as it sounds. We had a 5-hour layover in San Francisco where each of us hit our breaking point, one way or another.
Needless to say, it was wonderful to arrive home and fall into our bed by 7pm with a tired body and full heart.
It is not lost on me how lucky we were to get this opportunity. Thank you to my Dad, Mel, Trey, and Kim! Your generosity is much appreciated. I will remember this trip forever and treasure the memories. Mahalo!
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