Kaua'i Trip (Day 4)

March 19 - North Shore Road Trip + Poi'pu
I started off my birthday with 30 minutes of lap swimming followed by a free 8:30am Zumba class in the Fitness Center while Mr. E enjoyed a triple Americano at the Aupaka cafe overlooking the pool. Here are some photos of the view from our hotel overlooking Kalapaki Bay:

We then headed out on our North Shore road trip, stopping first at the Community Market at Kaua'i Community College, where I got a coffee and a quinoa salad for breakfast and Mr. E picked up a savory meat pie. We also got an avocado chocolate chip cookie for later.

Our first stop was a great viewpoint just north of Kapa'a, where we caught a glimpse of the new multi-modal ped/bike path along the ocean (we'll explore this more later during a future visit):

Our journey took us the entire length of the Kuhio Highway (Route 56) and eventually to Route 560 and the end of the road. We took a side trip to Kilauea Lighthouse, where the wildlife refuge and road to the lighthouse were closed for erosion repairs, but we still had some amazing vistas from the viewpoint:

 

We ended up at Ke'e Beach and managed to find a parking spot about 1/2 mile from the Beach itself, walking back along the road past a couple of impressive caves to get a look at the rough surf and pounding waves along the shore. Although this beach is often popular for swimming and snorkeling, the conditions today were not welcoming, as evidenced by the frothing waves and large sign by the lifeguard's booth:

The trail head to Palalau Beach is right near Ke'e Beach and is one of the most popular hiking spots on the island. We definitely want to explore that area more when we return, but most likely with a guided tour and probably only part-way rather than the full 2-3 day route.

And we can't forget the roosters on the beach!

We headed back to Hanalei for lunch at Hanalei Gourmet and then used our coupons at Kaua'i Mini Golf and Botanical Gardens a bit further down the road. This putt-putt course didn't have too many unusual obstacles, but it was surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers along with informational placards about the history of the Islands, so it was a very enjoyable course.

As we finished the return route, we were relieved that traffic in Kapa'a over the weekend was much better than during the week (yesterday). We continued past Lihue to Poi'pu, driving through the "Tree Tunnel" on Route 520:

A brief stop at the Shops at Kukui'ulu resulted in a new t-shirt for Mr. E from Crazy Shirts, and we then continued to Beach Front Restaurant in Poi'pu, where we utilized our "trick" of patronizing the bar/lounge area of a popular restaurant to avoid long lines or reservations. Good parking karma, tasty cocktails, and a shared ahi salad accompanied our view of the amazing sunset over the beach:

We wrapped up the evening with a stop at Safeway for a nice bottle of wine, sushi, and dessert to bring back to the hotel for dinner. What a wonderful birthday!!!