07/08/18
The flood that occurred earlier this year in February was such a disaster that they were still recovering. The northern part was still closed to public and plans were to reopen this area to the public in October 2018. So if you plan on visiting Ke’e (Tunnels) beach or anything west of Hanalei, you are out of luck.
Most things are closed on Sundays here. Very tropic and lush that it is a constant on and off rain and humidity. Island feels like Maui but traffic similar to Oahu but a single lane or 2 at a slow island pace.
We downloaded Gypsy Guide again for this – super helpful.
My itinerary for the day was to be a good hiking day. We started off with Sleeping Giant. We did the Sleeping Giant – West trail – You can park on the Lokelani Street. There are about 4 parking spots then you can park alongside the street (4-5 spots). The trail starts off going up a little incline. Once you get up to the top you will walk through a cool tree covered tunnel. Once you see giant pine trees you are in the right spot. You will spot a giant rock in the middle – this is your marker. You need to start walking up that hill in-between the giant pines which are mystical. Once you make it to the top of the hill after the pine trees, you will see the path split off. There will be another fork in the road when you reach the top, go right – you will see the bench and the shelters. You may think you have made it to the top, go left of the shelter and follow that trail down then back up to reach the head/chin of the giant.
After this hike, we hopped back into the car and went back down the road to our next stop – a view point – Ōpaekaʻa Falls which means rolling shrimp. There is a carpark that you pull into and walk further down to see the falls from a distance. You can cross the street to view the valley below. The rain started to pick up again and stayed a steady pace by this point.
We drove to our next hike destination – Kuilau Ridge Trail – There is enough space to park 5 cars – To start this hike, you need to pass the gate. This is probably a more Family friendly hike when it’s dry. The day we went was muddy and more difficult. I tried to avoid getting muddy but alas it didn’t last long. There are a few trees that have fallen onto the path that have not been moved that you need to climb over – This is where it would be difficult for the young or the older people to continue on. With the rain coming down at a steady pace, the water looked like thai ice tea due to the red clay. The hike up has some great view but once you make it to the top, the view is beautiful. If you pass the shelter and the picnic tables, there is a small narrow path on the left that you can take to walk out onto the ridge.
I’ve read many a blogs about the best hikes to do on Kauai and Wailua Falls is one I heard was a great hidden treat. You can technically climb down to the falls. There are 2 routes down. Route 1 is the easier way with ropes to aid your steep decline down. The hike down should be rather quick (when not wet). 10-15 minutes down. The entrance to this route is directly right of the falls after you have parked. You will see the green fence where there is an opening, which you need to climb over. Once you get over the fence, follow along the fence and hold on to guide you to the tree where there are ropes to help you down. There is an option to also walk behind the waterfall if you feel daring but it is a waterfall and the current is still quite strong so be safe. When we started to approach this fenced area, a local couple came back up after assessing the top half in which they turned back. They said it was very slippery and not worth going down and would come back another day. With my leg injury I halted myself but Lulu and Renee felt daring and ventured down. They said it was only a 10-15 minute climb down but I was airing on the safer side of things considering my leg. Probably 10-15 minutes after they started their descent, the rain started to pour again.
I waited for them in the car and also to wait out the rain. Our drive home wasn’t too far but we were definitely wet and muddy. Our shoes were encased in mud. After showering and drying off, we went drove north of our accommadations and had Saimin to warm us up. We ate at Saimin Dojo where I ordered the Garlic Shmoked Saimin – $11.50USD – it was definitely the right choice.
