Anniversary Trip to Hawaii, part I: Kauai

This year for our anniversary (March 1st) we followed a whim and decided to go back to our roots. Ah, Hawaii. We spent half of our time in Kauai and half of our time in Oahu. The weather was a little blustery and sometimes cloudy, rainy and chilly, but we had a great time. This week together was much needed.

Our first full day there we started out by checking the surf at Hanalei Bay. I went for a run while Jeremy contemplated the conditions. My run was great-- I veered off at one point and went exploring on the lava rocks where there were angry waves crashing beneath me with Hanalei bay in the distance. So pretty. When I returned, Jeremy had determined that the surf wasn't very good so we drove down to the end of the road to Ke'e Beach, where we snorkled.

After lunch we drove south, stopping by Kipu Falls. Jeremy started us off by jumping off the falls superman-style, to the swimming hole below. I don't know why, but Jer's arms look extra long in this picture.

He then moved on to the giant rope swing, and swung with great style!

There is a huge ladder set up against the cliffside so you can get back up to go again!

My turn next! I love how the lighting here is oh-so-flattering to the skin shade. Blimey, look at that angelic gleam!

Interesting to see our differing swinging styles. Jeremy relied purely on upper body strength to hold to the rope, while I clung to the rope with my legs.

We had to hike from where we parked in to the waterfall and back out again.

Afterwards we drove down to Poipu, to Shipwrecks beach. There was a great wave for bodysurfing and cheekily, we also enjoyed the offerings of the nearby Grand Hyatt pool.

After all our water play we threw some clothes over our swim suits and headed to a nice dinner at the Beach House restaurant in Poipu. We got a table by the water so we could watch the setting sun.

I started off with a delicious strawberry pina colada.

I did give a few sips to Jeremy, simply because he was looking so charming.

After some delicious appetizers (Thai beef and a salad) we moved on to these beautiful fish entrees. I got the macadamia nut crusted mahi. I can't remember what kind of fish Jeremy got, but it was delicious with the pesto-y couscous.


What a great dinner to celebrate our 6 incredible years together.


The next day Jer checked out the action at Hanalei Bay again. Alas, he didn't feel conditions were worth the board rental.

So we went on a walk down the bay.

I love the view of the taro fields between Princeville and Hanalei.

That afternoon we went to one of our favorite Kauai beaches, Secret Beach. The golden sand, black lava rock, and turquoise water are strikingly beautiful.



We sat on the edge of the eroded sand and watched the waves crash. The colors were truly captivating.



Afterwards we drove to the Kilauea lighthouse to gape at this magnificent overlook.

We topped off this lovely day with a meal at our favorite restaurant in all of Hawaii, the Kilauea Fish Market, where we enjoyed the fresh Mahi with teriyaki glaze and wasabi aioli.

Afterwards we had some delicious ice cream from a shop just around the corner. My mac nut ice cream was so amazing.
Man, I want to go back.

The next day, Jeremy finally got his surf at Hanalei Bay.

We stopped at the best shave ice place ever, The Wishing Well, for a tasty treat. Mine had coconut and sweetened condensed milk poured over it. The syrups they use here taste like the actual fruit. I got honeydew and guava. Delcious!

Later on we enjoyed the Hanalei Bay farmer's market. We tried some new fruits and sipped fresh, cold coconut milk!

On the way home we went for a walk alongside the gorgeous taro fields.

Since I hadn't been in the water all day (it was one of the colder, rainier days), in the evening we went down to the end of the road in Princeville, where we were staying, and I went for a snorkle. I saw tons of beautiful fish. This beach also has a great view of Hanalei Bay.

To end the day we warmed up back at the condo and then headed over to Kilauea for a repeat of the night before: fresh mahi for dinner and ice cream for dessert.

On our last day in Kauai we went for a run and then snorkling in Princeville, where the visibility wasn't quite as good as the night before, but we did see a sea turtle! Afterwards we packed up, grabbed Ahi burritos from Kilauea Fish market, and then headed south to Poipu. We went to Shipwrecks again where Jeremy had a good bodysurfing session and we played at the Grand Hyatt again.

For lunch we had a delicious puka dog with spicy chili sauce and lilikoi mustard.

That evening we were flying out to Oahu. Since we weren't checking bags we showed up 30 minutes before our flight. We got scolded multiple times for arriving to the airport late. Plus, they confiscated our peanut butter. Poor form, Lihue airport, poor form.