We found Kaua'i to be one of the more camper-friendly Hawai'ian islands but on many nights we did not get a restful sleep because of noisy locals. It wasn't people that were rowdy though, but chickens. These feathered rats descend on touristy areas and beaches where they get free handouts. And they don't just cock-a-doodle-doo at sunrise either. Unlike other Hawai'ian islands, the mongoose was not introduced to Kaua'i so chickens rule the roost. People aren't officially allowed to hunt them because they are a protected species. The Polynesians brought a colourful breed of jungle fowl (Moa) with them when they settled on the islands and these are their ancestors. Over the years there has been some interbreeding with common domesticated chickens. Many domesticated birds also escaped captivity in the destruction caused by Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
 |  Look out! Cockfight!!! |  Feathered rats forage by our tent |
 Chicks taking it easy |  Chillin' like villains, stomachs need a fillin' |
Traditional Hawai'ian salt, or pa'akai, is made in this area by allowing seawater to evaporate from shallow depressions in the ground. The iron oxide from Kaua'i's reddish clay gives the salt its distinctive colour. The clay is called 'alaea in Hawai'ian, so the salt is often marketed as "'alaea salt".
 Salt pans |  Growing salt crystals |  Finished product |
We camped at nearby Salt Pond Beach for a few nights. There was a nice beach and decent snorkeling, but the chickens were especially rowdy here and there were a lot of cockroaches flying around. I didn't notice the roaches anywhere else on the island, so I'm not sure what was up with the place. They really seemed to have an affinity for our tent and the li'l buggers crawled into every nook and cranny in the fabric. First day there I went snorkeling and forgot I had our only set of car keys in my pocket. I only realised this when a guy swam over and asked me if I'd lost some keys. Pretty lucky, and the remote still worked too! Many locals were also camped out here and having a good time at night. Some guys at the pavilion near our tent looked like tough, working-class hard-rock-listening types but they were playing all kinds of softer music like Kenny Rogers.
 Salt Pond Beach |  |  Like a stock photo |
 'Elelu silouette |  'Elelu in our tent |  Pre-bedtime 'elelu hunting |  The party's heating up: DOUBLE AIR GUITAR!!! |  Cheers dude, Kenny Rogers rocks! |
Below are some critters we saw at Salt Pond Beach. The cowries only came out of hiding at night.
 Mini mantis on G's finger |  Crab on the beach at night |  Part of a Hawai'ian Spiny Lobster |
 Cowry |  Yet another cowry |  Blurry pic of an interesting fish |
 Well-camouflaged flatfish |  Another weird fish |  Moorish Idols |
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Onlookers squeal with delight as water sprays to impressive heights. As waves roll in to shore, water is forced up channels in the volcanic rock and blasts out a hole at the surface like a geyser. This is guaranteed stop #2 on all geriatric bus tours of Kaua'i. It was a bit of a tourist trap but interesting to watch it blow a couple of times. It also makes a moaning sound just before the blast, which would explain the name. Supposedly there used to be another bigger blowhole beside this one, but it was dynamited by plantation owners because the salt spray was damaging their crops.
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This place was the anti tourist trap. It was the site of an old garbage dump near Port Allen. A lot of bottles must have been disposed of because half of the "sand" on the beach was glass. Maybe that's why it was named Glass Beach. It looked like the cemetery was located right on top of the old dump. I guess people had no problems burying their relatives in an old trash heap. The oil tanks nearby made for a nice sight also. The petroleum-fired generating station at Port Allen produces 85% of the island's electricity.
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This park is about as far North as one can travel up Kaua'i's West coast before the pali rise and block the way. To get there you have to drive along dusty dirt roads through old cane plantations and past the Pacific Missile Range Facility. It felt like the middle of nowhere, and it was. Large sand dunes lined the beach. A lot of sand had drifted over the roads, including the entrance to our camp. I hesitated to continue but with The Archivist's encouragement I gave it a go. We got stuck about halfway. The sand was up to the chassis so we couldn't go anywhere. A lady walked by and commented, "Now you'll have to dig it out." Duh. Thanks for the tip. I coulda slapped her. We must have spent an hour digging the car out while wind whipped sand into our every crack and orifice. A surfer dude from California came by and gave us a few tips. He had just helped another couple dig their Jeep out on the beach.
 Cane fields |  Always read the fine print |
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 Almost out: "Aww, like, dig more over there, dude" |  I couldn't resist showing this one |
 Start of Na Pali |  Niihau |
A female Hawai'ian Monk Seal frequently spends her nights under a picnic table at Po'ipu Beach. We happened to be snorkeling there when it climbed up on the beach. Too bad we didn't see it pass us in the water. Hawai'ian Monk seals are an endangered species. Some information on them is here.
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We took a Catamaran tour which took us from dumpy Port Allen past much of Na Pali Coast State Park. A week earlier we were being gawked at on Kalalau Beach. Now it was our turn to do the gawking! Our Sunset Cruise included what the website described as "heavy pupus" (sounded like what you get after eating a lot of fibre, but it just meant appetizers), drinks, scenery, and bad music interspersed with insightful commentary. Oh yeah, and sunset too. They played the obligatory Celine Dion song "My Heart Will Go On" and young lovers lined up at the front of the boat to have their picture taken playing tonsil hockey. The catamaran was a good way to see Na Pali, and a helluva lot easier than hiking the Kalalau Trail. Of all the scenes I took in on the trip though, one is permanently burned in my brain: those two large fellas (at top right of boat below) rubbing lotion on each others' backs.
 The boat |  Volunteer helps raise the sail |  Hey, get a room! |
 Kalalau Beach |  |
After the less-than-satisfying results on our Maui helicopter tour, I was hesitant to spend huge bucks on another. I also found their constant racket disturbed the peace in the isolated places we hiked to. The only thing they were good for was getting a sense of the size of some of the cliffs as they flew past. Places like the Grand Canyon have large areas where aircraft are not allowed to fly overhead. No such rules in Kaua'i. But in the end The Archivist said she was going with or without me, and I sold out. Admittedly, it was pretty good. If you're going to take a helicopter tour anywhere in Hawai'i, this is probably the most worthwhile (other than over the active volcanoes perhaps). It was rainy in Waimea Canyon that day but it didn't look any more impressive from the air anyway.
 |  Vince's cabin |  |
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 Na Pali |  Inside Nu'alolo Valley |
 Approaching Kalalau Beach (center) You can see why the coast trail ends there |  Inside Kalalau Valley |
 |  Looking toward Ke'e Beach |
A bunch of other crap that didn't warrant a separate category
 Enter? |  |  Nice sink in Hanapepe gallery |
 Gecko in public bathroom |  Public bathroom graffiti |  Wild dogfight in Hanapepe |
 "Tunnel of Trees" on Highway 520 |  Menehune Fish Pond Ancient Hawai'ian fish farm |
 Plumeria |  |
 Waimea Theatre |  Big waves at Ha'ena Beach |
 Ha'ena Beach |  Night view at Ha'ena |
 Ke'e Beach at night |  Ke'e |
Ok, so what's fifteen full days in Kaua'i cost? Well, it doesn't have to be too much if you're a cheap bastard (no offence Mom, just an expression) like me. Below is an approximate breakdown. First of all, we camped the whole time except for the night before we left. That one motel we stayed in blew the accommodation budget with a cost of $40 for one night! Insane!! We cooked all our own food so we didn't pay a lot more than we would have at home anyway. Groceries were more expensive in Hawai'i though. Of course, I didn't include the helicopter or catamaran tours, which were pricey. And I know the exchange rates aren't easy on my Canadian friends.
| Item | Cost per person (USD) |
| Airfare to Kaua'i | 500 |
| Car rental | 220 |
| Accommodations | 75 |
| Gasoline | 35 |
| Groceries and dining | 115 |
| Stove Fuel | 10 |
| Laundry | 5 |
| Total | 960 |
| Visual Stimulation Menu | Main | <<< Kauai Part 2 |