Aloha all,
We have been back for a few days from our kayak trip on Kauai's NaPali Coast, but we are still on an emotional high. I usually only feel that way after Ultimate Frisbee tournaments or after a few months on a road trip. If I had to sum up our trip in one word, I'd say: EPIC! But since I can use as many words as I want (and you can read as few words as you want), let me elaborate:
We had seen the spectacular NaPali Coast of Kauai a few times before: on several hikes, boat trips and helicopter rides, but kayaking the entire 17 miles from Haena to Poihale Beach was by far the best experience. The perspective looking at these cliffs towering up to 4,000 feet above from a kayak just few inches above sea level is amazing and intimidating by itself. The fact that we had never done anything like this before just added to the sense of adventure. I think the longest I had ever kayaked before this trip was around a cruise ship anchored outside of Lahaina.
We are grateful that our friend Ute invited us along for this expedition. I bet this would be an awesome experience even as a commercial, guided tour. But going by ourselves (we were nine all together) with a few old and a few new friends was even better. And thanks to our unofficial leader Keith, we knew where we were going and what to do when we got there. Thanks to Keith, we also spent the last night before the actual trip in style, at the Westin Villas in Princeville, including a half priced 4 star dinner, that probably tasted even better because we knew we'd be eating spam and freeze dried food for the next four days.
The first day was the hardest. 7 Miles of open ocean is about all I ever want to paddle in one day. Some companies offer the whole 17 miles as a day trip. I assume they check that you are an olympic athlete before they take you on such a trip. The luxury of doing the trip in several days also allowed us to check out a few really cool sea caves along the way.
Those of you who have read my update from my sailing trip from Panama to the Galapagos might wonder how this seasick sailor did in a little kayak bouncing around the NaPali coast …surprisingly well. Sandra felt a little seasick, but for me, the old rule seemed to work: If you are driving the car yourself, you don't get carsick. I have no other explanation that I felt fine. But the paddling was hard on our untrained arms. But the longer it took, the happier were we to finally make it to Kalalau Beach, our home for the next two nights. This is a huge beach with a picture perfect waterfall behind it, which doubles as a shower and fresh water source. There was plenty of shade under the trees to set up our tents. Considering how remote this beach is, it was actually surprisingly busy. There are even some permanent residents here. As idyllic as it is, I like civilization enough that I don't want to live here year round. But there was plenty to do for two days.
We hiked along the beach, went into several caves and swam around the rocks to Honopu Beach. Swimming is the one and only way to get to that beach. Not even kayaks are allowed to land on this sacred beach. The only exception is if you are filming a Hollywood movie. If you have seen the 1976 version of King Kong or the 1998 movie "Six Days Seven Nights" or "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with Harrison Ford and remember a huge natural arch, then you have seen Honopu Beach. This is such a special place, I'd go there all the time, if it did not involve a drive to the airport a flight via Honolulu to Kauai, 7 miles of paddling or 11 miles of hiking, another long walk and a gnarly swim to get there…I guess that's part of what makes it so special.
In the afternoon, we hiked up the Kalalau Valley, when I realized, I had seen this valley before. The popular lookout point with the view that's on every postcard stand in Kauai at the end of the drive along Waimea Canyon just happens to be at the rim of Kalalau Valley, but what a different experience this time! The reward for talking the hard way here instead of the drive-by sightseeing tour: We got to refresh ourselves at a nice waterfall and swimming hole.
After two nights, we had to pack up our stuff and move on to the next camp site, 5 miles of paddling further along the sea cliffs. This is the most scenic part of the NaPali Coast, including the 'open ceiling cave'. I have not heard any description or seen any photos that do this cave any justice. We spent almost an hour exploring, jumping off cliffs, climbing on the little island in the middle and just marveling at the beauty of this place.
The last night we spent at Milolii Beach. This campground is a lot less busy since you can not hike here. Besides us there were only two other groups of kayakers. After a much needed nap, we went snorkeling and then Sandra, Stacey & I went exploring the nearby stream. A little rock hopping later we found another fresh water swimming hole, with a beautiful twin waterfall. Life does not get much better than this…or so I thought.
After dinner, we all laid down on the beach for some star gazing. Thanks to the remote location, a late moon rise and clear skies, the conditions were just as good as on Haleakala, without the cold! We even got to see a couple of shooting stars. What happened next still gives me goose bumps when I think about it. This super bright colorful streak of light rushed half way across the sky. It was so bright and lasted so long that, for a second, I was truly concerned for our planet. It just did not seem right. All of us sat up, howled and wondered what just happened.
It's nice that we all got to see it, and it's nice to see it officially verified. It kind of proves what we felt even before: That this was a very special, magical weekend.
Four days in our normal, everyday life can pass by without much notice. It seemed like we experienced a few months worth of adventures in just a few days. Not that 'normal life' on Maui is not special, but this was the most awesome out-of this -world trip that I can imagine taking in such a short time. And compared to a road trip, which we never would want to end, this has an added bonus: As much fun as it was, it is also nice when it's over, since we do like cold beer and soft beds as well.
Aloha from Lake NaPali, where all the paddlers are strong, all the sea caves are good looking and every moment was above average.
Chris
