It was time to
pack up everything from our two bedroom Poipu condo and head north to our four
bedroom condo in Princeville. We had to checkout by 10am and wouldn't be able
to check into the new digs until 4pm so we figured it would be the perfect day
to spend the day kayaking the Wailua River and hiking to the Secret Falls. We
opted to save some cash and just rent the kayaks on our own verses taking a
tour. I was nervous to have seven inexperienced kayakers divvied out into three
kayaks, but it sounded like a pretty easy-going river and with lifejackets I
figured we'd be pretty safe. I was also nervous that Drew wouldn't want to stay
put on the boats but the kid was awesome. all. day. long. And it was a long day.
The guy helped us
load up three kayaks to the van roof, we piled in seats, lifejackets, and
paddles into an already full van and drove over to the marina to get our
adventure underway.
It was a
beautiful river. Kauai is so, so beautiful. The river trip is 2 miles each way,
which took us about an hour.
Unfortunately, we
left all the maps in the van so there was a little guess work involved in getting
us where we were supposed to be. When we arrived at the trailhead to the falls
we noticed the people who were just finishing the hike were covered in mud. We
knew the trail would be muddy and had come prepared with water shoes, but it
was CRAZY muddy. Thankfully a guide that had just finished with a group told us
to grab a walking stick for the trek. Oh, my! Those sticks came in handy!
It wasn’t long
after we started down the trail that we had to cross a small river.
The hike was only
a mile in, but the trail was pretty rough and shortly after we started the
rainclouds rolled in and we were pretty much dumped on the entire hike to the
falls. We took cover under some
trees when the rain started to pour so I could get my camera bag covered.
The rain wasn’t a
big deal for us northwesterners though it was pretty slow going. Drew got
carried the entire way. He only had crocs that wouldn’t have worked in the mud
and it was so slippery he couldn't have stayed on his feet anyhow.
The reward at the
end was incredible. We stopped at the base of the falls and ate some snacks and
took a few pictures.
That’s Justin and Jason venturing behind the falls.
Thankfully, the
rain let up on our way back to the kayaks so I was able to take a few more
pictures.
I love the leafs all over these trees!
This is the little cove we’d taken cover under on the way to the falls.
So lush!
The hike back to
the kayaks and paddling back to the marina seemed to go quicker, but man it was
a workout out. Jason and I shared a kayak. He was a big help when he actually
paddled, but the kid tired quickly. Abigail and Carly shared a kayak and then
Justin had Katie and Drew most of the time. The girls wanted Drew to ride with
them part of the way back. He was seriously so content the entire day. Everyone
did a great job and didn't complain - such a perfect day.
I could see the
clouds rolling in as were we getting close to the marina and really wanted to
get everything loaded before we got drenched but it was not to be. Justin and I
were sopping wet as we loaded everything wet and soggy onto and into the van.
We still had to get some groceries before driving up north so to Costco it was
- wet and muddy.
By the time we
got to our new place it was dark and everyone hit the showers and beds.
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