Kauai

I decided to do a day by day review of our FUN family Vacation so that I can remember what we did. We had a such a great time!

Day 1
We arrived in Kauai about 1 pm. After a quick stop at Costco for some snacks, sunscreen, and a waterproof camera we drove to our destination - The Villas at Poi Pu Kai. We unloaded the car and spent the rest of the day at the beach.



Day 2
We started the day with tennis. It was fun to try the simmulated grass courts!



We then walked down to the beach to do some boogy-boarding.

That afternoon we snorkeled.

It was fun to see a big sea turtle.


Day 3
We started the day with tennis and a jog up the coast. We all LOVED what the humidity does to your hair!

We then drove to Spouting Horn.

Then we headed out on our kayak adventure up the Wailua River.
We hiked in to some great waterfalls!



We all tried a rope swing into the river on our hike back to the kayaks.


This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

Day 4
Sunday - We attended church at the Kalaheo Ward along with Elder Rasband and his family who were also staying at our condos.

After that we drove to Waimea Canyon...


and up to the Kalalau lookout. We also stopped at a little museum and had a nice visit with Marsha Erickson. She said that Tom was one of her favorite cousins!

Day 5
We started the day with a Pilates Class - with the waves breaking and the palm leaves swaying, it was relaxing if nothing else.

We then headed to the northern most tip of the island where the road ends and the Napali coast begins. The only way to see this part of the island is by air, boat, or the trail. So, of course we decided to hike! (Actually we read that this is a must do if you visit Kauai - and we loved it!)

We only hiked to the first beach which is 2 miles away!

The trail was muddy and steep, but absolutely beautiful!


We enjoyed some snacks and rest at the beach before heading back!


After that we drove to Ha'ena Beach and Tunnels.

We definitely thought this was the most beautiful beach on the island!


We enjoyed snorkeling, looking for shells, and just relaxing -- until we realized we couldn't find our car keys! The phones, wallets, etc. were locked inside. We were reminded of the power of prayer and of miracles at this location!




Day 6
The girls met up with some friends from the MV cross country team and jogged along the southern coast to the cliffs of Shipwreck Beach - they said it beat the Mesa canals at home!

We then had some fun doubles tennis and spent the rest of the day at the beach.

All the kids took surf lessons - and totally entertained us.

All the children were able to ride some waves in but Carie and Matthew seemed to really get the hang of it.

There were a lot of wipe-outs, but everyone had fun!

Day 7
We started the day with a couple of good tennis matches and then drove to Kipu Falls. It was not far from Poi Pu, but was located on private property. We walked down a little path and found the falls. Some nice Hawaiin boys helped us cross the Falls and do the rope swing and then E.T. and the girls all jumped from the top of the Falls! The Hawaiin boys totally entertained us with their acrobatic stunts from the tree tops while we watched in amazement.


We ate lunch at Hamara Saiman and enjoyed shave ice and their famous pie for dessert before heading back to Shipwreck beach.


We played in the waves, relaxed, and climbed to the top of the cliffs before going out to dinner to celebrate.....Kimberly's 20th birthday and our 21st anniversary!







Day 8
We went snorkeling in the morning and had fun swimming along with a large school of tropical yellow and black fish! We then had brunch at Tip Top Cafe and enjoyed delicious macademia nut pancakes with coconut syrup. We drove back to the North coast and enjoyed a view of the lighthouse and Hanalei Bay.


On our drive back down the eastern coast, we stopped and rented bikes and took a beautiful 7 mile roundtrip bike ride along the coast! It ended up being one of our favorite parts of the trip. We watched the sun set at Poi Pu and then headed to the Lihue airport!