2006 Kauai

Jan. 29-Feb. 12: Limahuli Gardens; Kauai Museum; Sleeping Giant hike; Kukuiolono golf course; sunset cruise

 We usually go to Kauai the end of Feb./beginning of March, but this time, we went the end of Jan. 29-Feb. 12.   As I recall, this was the year they had really devastating rains in March. But while we were there the weather was really beautiful for our 2 weeks.

We had visitors most of these 2 weeks. Part of the time they were even overlapping. Since we had the 2 bedroom unit at our Kauai Beach Villas resort that my dad went in on with us, he stayed with us and Tim and Faith stayed at the Kauai Coast Resort at the Beachboy in Kapaa for the first 5 nights until Dad left, then they joined us for a couple more days.


Jan. 30---sticking around the East side waiting for Dad's arrival:

Jan. 31---Queen's Bath, Limahuli Garden, and tunnels:

Feb. 1---Kauai Museum:

Feb. 2---East side, Lydgate, Tim and Faith arrive:

Feb. 3---Smith's luau:

Feb. 4---Sleeping Giant hike, Lydgate snorkel:

Feb. 5---Dad to the airport; then off to the South side:

Feb. 6---kayak tour and snorkeling Lawai: 

Feb. 7---Kilauea and north shore:

Feb. 8---Kukuiolono golf course:

Feb. 9---time for the kids to leave :(

Feb. 10---Snorkeling Poipu:

Feb. 11---sunset cruise:

Feb. 12---snorkel, snorkel, snorkel:

Thus ended another great vacation in Kauai. Instead of getting tired of vacations here, I'm looking more and more foreward to them.  It's feeling more like a home then just a vacation spot!

2006-Feb. 12---snorkel, snorkel, snorkel:


Our last day!  We have a red eye flight tonight and a complimentary hour at KBV tonight, so we decided to snorkel as much as we could today.  Conditions looked good North, so that's the way we went.
Drove by Anini on our way.  Looked good, but we figured if the North shores were really down, we should take advantage of our only chance to get there this trip.  After all, we can come back here if Tunnels and Kee are rough!

 Tunnels---great conditions!

 And my favorite view!

 school of chubs

 barred filefish

 yellow fin surgeonfish

 saddle wrasses

 so incredibly clear

 different kinds of wrasses

 lagoon triggerfish and white bar surgeonfish

 mr. saddle wrasse again

 another view I love---looking back to Kee beach while snorkeling

 looking out at the outer reef at Kee while snorkeling

 yellow fin surgeonfish

 unicorn fish and ?

 When we tired there, we headed back to the East side.  Still had time to stop in at Lydgate for a little while.

 Lydgate really is a beautiful beach and snorkel area, too.

 adolescent rock mover wrasse

 he's so cute here's another picture of him

 there is a huge school of these guys in Lydgate

 Love the clouds today

 chill'in on the beach a bit

 a Brazilian Cardinal coming to wish us farewell.

One last thing to do before we leave----throw our lei flowers in the water.  If they float back to shore, we'll be back.

 come on back to shore little flowers!!!!

Back to KBV for a shower and dry our suits.  Then off to the airport for the long trip back to the frigid midwest! 

2006-Feb. 11---Sunset cruise:


After all our "guests" had left, we had another day or 2 by ourselves. Since we had toured Kauai Coast Resort (as part of the deal for the rate I got for Tim and FAith's stay there), we had some activity money to spend. I still wanted to get a good view of the Napali Coast from a boat, so we booked another catamaran tour (our 3rd, so far). This time we went with the sunset cruise figuring the light on the Napali would be better then in the morning (when the sun rises over the mountains and washes them out). We also checked the forecast for a few days and picked the day with the best weather before booking the cruise---something I highly recommend for a Napali cruise in the winter. This time we weren't disappointed. The views of the Napali were outstanding.
Heading down past Salt Pond Beach---

 This time of year a NaPali cruise is also a good chance of being a whale watching cruise!

 Heading past the town of Waimea and the old sugar mill.

 Heading past the military base and the villas military members can rent.

 close up of the military rentals with the NaPali in the background

 Near Polihale Beach and the beginning of the NaPali

 conditions were almost perfect!

 it was cloudy, but that meant fewer harsh shadows.

 the spires on the NaPali are breathtaking.

 Low clouds rolling up the mountains.

 By far the best views we've had of the 3 NaPali tours we've done!

 

 heading back

 getting ready for a rain squal---and some cooler temperatures!

 The sun peaked out just in time to drop below the horizon.

If we were guaranteed of views like this every time we did a NaPali cruise, I'd do them every trip.  But the other 2 weren't very good---first time it was so windy that we sailed 100 miles off shore (or so it seemed) and the sea mist was obscuring the mountains; the next time the sun was coming up over the mountains and back lighting everything.  At least I got this one time right!

2006-Feb. 10---Snorkel Poipu:


Time to get in the water again.  So we headed South.  Got a kick out of this sign---now I know what a sharkbreak is.

 back to seeing out fishie friends---like this moorish idol.

 and this endemic blue strip butterflyfish

 racoon butterflyfish

 many bar goatfish

 Poipu beach

elegant choris

 spanish dancer flatworm

 it was cool watching it swim

 then it crawled along the bottom

 more fishies

 christmas wrasse

 yellow tail choris

 moorish idols

 convict tangs

 shallow snorkel area---great for taking pictures in.

 eel

Poipu beach

 towards the baby beach part of Poipu Beach

 sea turtle resting

 nearing sunset.

 A sunset cruise returning to port.

We figured there wouldn't much color in the sunset since there weren't any clouds, so we left just before sunset.