Unfinished Business

I've had people asking me why I chose to go back to Kauai since I was just there last year. They want to know why I didn't visit another island; Maui, or maybe the Big Island. My answer? Unfinished business.

I thought I had done proper planning last year when I Googled "Things to do on Kauai." It did give me a list of things to see and do, but mostly I got lost in a TripAdvisor link and only focused on the few activities I found there. I'm not complaining. Derik and I had a blast zip-lining and seeing the NaPali Coast on our sunset boat cruise. Truth be told, I think we had the perfect amount of adventure on that trip and we both needed the relaxation time that we got. But out of the eight days we were on the island, we only had four events planned. As our time was coming to an end we met people who were telling us about the amazing hike they took the day before, or the best snorkeling spots on the island. We already knew we missed our chance to see all of Waimea Canyon. As we were packing up and checking out, neither one of us wanted to leave. It was like the whole eight day vacation was only a taste to wet our appetite. We wanted more! Before we ever left we knew we would be going back, we just didn't know how soon it would come to fruition.

Fast forward to January 2018 when my friend Erin told me about a vlogger I should check out, and that sparked this whole blog/vlog adventure. I wasn't sure where my first series would be set until one afternoon, out of nowhere, Derik said, "I miss Kauai. We should go back." We hadn't planned on it originally due to expenses. Last year we were celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary so we didn't mind shelling out for the upgraded room, booking extra excursions, or choosing higher end restaurants. But let's be honest. It all adds up!

That night I started doing research. If I wanted to travel the world, I'd better learn to do it within a reasonable budget or else I wasn't going anywhere. I set watch alerts on flights and hotel fares, and started doing my own searches for information on activities we had missed out on last time. One site for a waterfall I wanted to see led to another site about amazing hikes set deep in the jungle on the interior of the island. The more I looked the more I found, and soon I was telling Derik we may not have enough time to do it all in one trip!

This time we would spend nine days on Kauai instead of eight (yes, the one extra day really did make a difference). We would tackle the canyon, plus hike into it to get to the 800-foot waterfall we saw from afar last year. We would zip-line a new location, inner-tube through the jungle, snorkel all over the island plus the NaPali Coast, visit Glass Beach, Secret Beach, Paliku Beach, and the enticing Shipwreck Beach. We'd find 5 waterfalls across the island and finally explore the north shore. I made my own map using Google Maps which really helped me plan out each day so we could group certain activities in specific areas together.

Fast forward to August and it's 3:30 AM. My alarm goes off, but I don't need it. Despite my best efforts I wasn't able to sleep due to excitement. Not a problem, I'll just sleep on the flight. I fell asleep last year and it was a great way to pass the time!

I'll save you the suspense: I couldn't sleep on the flight this time.

We land in Lihue and our first stop is at a local favorite: Hamura's Saimen Stand. Once again I give the credit to Erin and her husband Chad for the recommendation. I'm a picky eater so I order what I think will be safe: noodles. Derik gets "The Original" which is their most popular dish. It's similar to ramen. We enjoyed our yummy lunch and then set out for some sight seeing.

Since I'm talking about unfinished business, let me just say that I made sure our first day back on Kauai would include some of my "bucket list" items from last year. When I found out that there were TWO spectacular waterfalls within 30 minutes of where we stayed last year AND they were both literally off the side of the road, it stuck like a thorn in my side. Guess what we did our first afternoon on the island? Yep. Waterfalls.

Our first waterfall of the day was Wailua Falls. We followed the sign to a two-lane highway that got slimmer and slimmer as we drove. The sugar cane that grows wild all over the island started encroaching onto the road to the point where it was hitting my passenger side window. Just when I wondered how much smaller the road could get, we came around a corner and saw cars parked and people walking to an overlook.

Now that I was a vlogger I had to shoot some footage of me talking about the waterfall and our adventure to get there. Amazing stuff, I know. Of course the shy girl in me came out as soon as I tried to film myself. *Insert face palm here* I was so shy that I sat inside the car while talking about the falls. Make sure to watch my first episode on the Videos page to get the full cringe experience.

The Wailua River feeds the falls, and it's also the same river that Derik and I kayaked up last year on our trek to Secret Falls. It's the longest river on the island of Kauai and also the third longest in all of the Hawaiian islands. As we walked to the lookout we could hear the falls roaring, and each step we took began to reveal the splendor of Wailua Falls. It's truly incredible how the water at the top looks flat and calm, but as soon as it falls over the cliff it becomes an immense force as it plummets 200 feet to the pool below. This is definitely a must-see if you're traveling to Kauai. It's located just outside of Lihue and you can drive right up to the falls and park. No hiking necessary.

Our second waterfall of the day was Opaeka'a Falls. I spent weeks pronouncing it over and over in my head to help me remember it. "Oh pah eh kah ah Falls." I found out from our wonderful inner-tube guide, Ray, several days later that it's simply pronounced "Oh pie kuh Falls." *insert another face palm here*

Opaeka'a Falls is a 151-foot mound of basalt left over from ancient volcanic eruptions that the water cascades down. It took me by surprise. I guess I was expecting another waterfall like Wailua or Secret Falls that was massive and powerful looking. Opaeka'a was different. It reminded me of a fountain the way the water seemed to bubble up from inside the rock and silently flow over and down the different tiers. Forget massive and powerful. Try serene and tranquil. The longer I stayed watching the falls and filming, the more mesmerized I became. Opaeka'a was definitely a hidden gem for me on this trip. Make sure it's on your itinerary when visiting the island. This waterfall is also located right off the highway and offers plenty of parking.

After a long day of traveling and marking things off our "Unfinished Business" list we decided to call it a day, head down to the beach, and watch the sunset. With Hurricane Hector on it's way the next day, we had plenty of puffy clouds to add character to the sunset. Instead of the pink hue I was expecting, we were granted a mix of gold, gray, and brown colors in the sky. Truly exquisite.

By 9:00 PM our heads hit the pillows and we were gathering our strength for the next day's adventures: zip-lines and hurricanes.

Cheers!