Waimea Canyon

[celebrate]

Thanks everyone for your imput. :D It is nice to get a lot of opinions andI guess we will drop the fern grotto and just do the Canyon. There is another tour to the North Shore going through Lihue, seeing theOpaeka' Falls, Hanalei Valleyand Guava Kai Plantation..would that be interesting? I would love to do something more adventureous but I have to have an operation on my foot and opted to do it after the cruise in case it didn't heal well before. So because it swells and then I wouldn't be able to do anything I have to be careful. What a woose huh!:rolleyes: So we are trying to find something halfway interesting ...and I do plan to walk all those steps at Diamond Head!

[missjanet]

Actually, I'm on the 9/24 sailing of the PoAM. We arrive in Kauai on Thursday, 9/29, staying overnight, but leaving at 6am on 9/30. This particular sailing includes a day at sea, which is not the usually itinerary (or so it seems) for the PoAM. I think most other sailings spend almost 2 full days in Kauai. So since we only have the one long day, I feel as if we have to make the most of it.

 

I'm thinking we should visit Waimea Canyon which is west of the port. But then Hanalei is all the way around the other side according to the map I'm looking at - that looked like it might be a good place to visit. Now that I've heard from "the experts" that Fern Grotto isn't really worth the trip, my itinerary is more flexible.

 

What plans have you made so far? You're renting a car - do you mind telling me who you're using??

 

Thanks - happy planning!

Janet

[beachguy]

(beachchick here)

 

blyle: That map you are looking at is correct. Basically, the top lookout at Waimea and Hanalei are the extreme ends of driving around Kauai. As I'm sure you've noticed, there's no road through the island. If you go to Waimea and then try to go to Hanalei, you will be driving in the car almost the entire day. I would not try to do both sides of the island in one day. All you will remember is how exhausting it was to drive all day. Either way you go (Waimea or Hanalei) is a good choice. It just depends on what you enjoy. But please, don't overschedule in an effort to see it all in one day--you can't. And I do understand the desire to do it all. Before our first trip to Hawaii together, DH had to sit me down and say, "Honey, this is a vacation, it's Hawaii, it's beautiful; you need to think about relaxing and enjoying, not rushing around all day long." He was right (don't you hate when that happens? lol).

 

If you go to Waimea, you can still fit in some terrific beach/water time (if you like that) by simply going to beaches that are closer to port. There are many, many good ones on Kauai. In fact, there are some in the west and south.

 

Have a great time.

 

beachchick

[debtman7]

I'd agree, I don't think in one day you'd want to hit the canyon and the north shore. You're looking at 1-1.5 hours driving out to the end of the road in waimea. To go from there up to hanalei or to the end of the road at Ke'e beach would probably take you 2-2.5 hours from Waimea. Then another 1-1.5 hours back to the port. That's a lot of driving :)

 

Both areas are great, it would be up to you as to what you want to do. Waimea has several nice lookouts and some nice local eateries in the area (Brick Oven Pizza on the way is great). There are some other things you can see and do on the way as well, such as the Spouting Horn and Poipu Beach. They also do downhill bike rides from Waimea which is fun, it's about 12 miles all downhill with a few stops for local flora/fauna lessons. But that doesn't get you to the end of the road and the view over the valley.

 

If you opted for the north shore day, you can stop at the lighthouse and a few waterfalls along the way. The wet dry caves are up there too, and there are some spectacular less crowded beaches (secrets, tunnel's and ke'e). Hanalei is absolutely stunning, and walking along the bay is a wonderful time. There are a lot of nice little eateries as well, and it's a really nice little village. Of course there is somewhat of a "free spirit" population up there, but they are harmless :) The kalalau trail up here is a great hike, but it sounds like you probably won't be up for that.

 

Honestly, both trips are worth doing, but probably not in the same day. Pick which one sounds better and save the other for a different time. I would say do Waimea if you want canyon/valley views and a taste of more local kauai, and do the north shore if you want more mountain views, beach time, less tourist crowds and more stops at little shops.

[celebrate]

Having a tough time getting to post here. Tried yesterday but couldn't get on:confused:

 

Thanks for the information on the Fern Grotto and that is now off our list. Would love to do some more adventureous things but I have to have an operation on my foot and chose to do it post cruise, but it does limit what I can do. So looking at the tour book and saw a trip to the north shore going through Lihue Town, over the WailuaRiver, with stops at Opaeka'a Falls lookout, to Princeville, the Hanalei Valley lookout, and Guava Kai Plantation. Do you think think this would be worth seeing. Thanks

[celebrate]

oops sorry i guess i posted twice about the same thing. Could not get on and didn't realize it was posted twice:rolleyes: ...but will love to hear if this is a good choice.

[missjanet]

I'm disappointed to hear that doing Waimea Canyon & Hanalei isn't realistic. We only have one long day in port & I had hoped to see as much as possible in that one day. I know now that we're going to have to make a choice, but I have no clue what that choice will be. I'll be traveling with husband who is more outdoorsy than I am & loves to hike, and also his sister who is fairly active, too. But all the driving makes it sound as if we should choose one direction & stick with it. I'll do more investigation on both choices & I really thank everyone for such detailed descriptions of what is available in each direction.

 

Janet

[debtman7]

You could certainly do both, it's just that it would be a lot of time spent driving which most people don't want to do on a vacation. It all depends on the hours you have as well.

 

If you could leave at 7 am, then you could be done with the canyon by 11, head back up north and get some lunch along the way. You could be up at the north shore around 3ish. Have some beach time, see some sights, etc. Have a nice sunset 7pm dinner at Bali Hai overlooking hanalei bay (best dinner view on the island). Granted that would put you back at the boat at around 10-11 at night... LOOOONG day. You could skip the fancy dinner and be back earlier.

 

Really depends on what you want to do. Honestly, I love the north shore and would go that route, but that's just me. If you don't think you will ever get to Kauai again, well, then yes, I'd probably say do both if you can stand the driving and have the time. Of course, if you want to hike, you'll have to pick one or the other (the kalalau trail on the north shore is great, but there are several really nice trails around Waimea as well).

[missjanet]

I think it would be too difficult to drive to Waimea Canyon and Hanalei - I don't want to spend the whole day on the road (although my poor husband would be the one doing all the driving). I'm leaning towards going to the North Shore - your earlier post made it sound very appealing, plus I love lighthouses.

 

Could you elaborate on places we should make an effort to see on our trek to Hanalei? You mentioned a few, but if you can give me a little more info, I'd love it. And could you recommend some places where we could stop for a meal? Thanks.

 

I really appreciate all your help. I'll just have to hope we get back to Kauai another time & see the Waimea Canyon then.

 

Janet

[blyle]

Thanks so much for all the great advice. You have reallly helped!

[paradise4ever]

We too have kicked around the idea of doing it all. I have seen it all and as time memories fail i was thinking it wouldn't be that bad. I love the idea of Waimea canyon and a stop at the Green Garden for a piece of Lilikoi pie. I love that pie and its the only place i know of to get it. When i think of going the other way i was not thinking of the long ride but as you guys pointed out and memory returns this can be a long ride and with traffic (hopefully no breakdowns of other cars-like accidents) it could be even longer. The ride is beautiful, the wet cave is awesome, the beach ready for a dip, the lighthouse and birds beautiful-just a step back in time. Maybe we too have to rethink my plans. No one in my party has been to Kauai and i want to show them so much.

[debtman7]

I think it would be too difficult to drive to Waimea Canyon and Hanalei - I don't want to spend the whole day on the road (although my poor husband would be the one doing all the driving). I'm leaning towards going to the North Shore - your earlier post made it sound very appealing, plus I love lighthouses.

 

Could you elaborate on places we should make an effort to see on our trek to Hanalei? You mentioned a few, but if you can give me a little more info, I'd love it. And could you recommend some places where we could stop for a meal? Thanks.

 

I really appreciate all your help. I'll just have to hope we get back to Kauai another time & see the Waimea Canyon then.

 

Janet

 

Here's a site with a great map based listing of sites and activities on kauai:

 

http://www.hawaiiweb.com/kauai/default.htm

 

Things I would possibly recommend on the north shore would be:

 

- Driving to the end of the road and walking Ke'e beach

- The kilauea lighthouse is a good diversion just off the road, with lots of neat shops nearby

- the wet/dry caves are worth a short stop, it's on the way to Ke'e

- The queen's bath is worth a stop

- The kalaulau trail is a great hike, if you are into it. It's 4 miles roundtrip for the first leg but offers some fabulous views

- just stop in hanalei and walk around. The bay is beautiful, walk the pier, shop a little, grab a bite at zelo's beach house with a cool drink

- there is some nice horseback riding up there at Silver Falls ranch, very nice people

- if you have the time, a sunset dinner at Bali Hai cannot be beat, for the food service and view

 

I have our photo gallery for kauai up at

 

http://www.math.ohio-state.edu/~ccunning/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=438

 

Most of the pictures from the north shore are on pages 3-5, after that it's almost all from the napali coast cruise, and before that is mostly helicopter pictures.

[missjanet]

Your pictures are wonderful - thank you for incuding them. I bookmarked that web site after taking a look at it. There is a lot of good information about the various towns/beaches on each island. Just what I needed. I also printed out your suggestions so I can research them at my leisure.

 

Did you take the Napali coast cruise as an excursion offered by a cruise line? Looks like you were having a good time & the scenery was gorgeous.

 

Thanks for helping me with my trip planning!

Janet

[Beelady]

I too am only going to be Kauai for one day, and didn't want to miss a thing, so here's how I worked it out:

 

We dock at 7:30. I booked a 9:15 flight with Island Helicopters, and they are picking us up at the dock at 8:30. Our flight will take us over Waimea Canyon, the Na Pali coast and the North Shore. After we get back, it will be 10:15 - 10:30, the helicopter shuttle will take us to the car rental area at the airport where I have a car reserved. We will then head out for the Poipu beach area for an afternoon of beaching and snorkeling.

 

If it all works out, we should be able to see all the important highlights of the island and get in some beach/relaxation time as well. Ship sails at 6:pm. Hope it works out as planned.

[debtman7]

Your pictures are wonderful - thank you for incuding them. I bookmarked that web site after taking a look at it. There is a lot of good information about the various towns/beaches on each island. Just what I needed. I also printed out your suggestions so I can research them at my leisure.

 

Did you take the Napali coast cruise as an excursion offered by a cruise line? Looks like you were having a good time & the scenery was gorgeous.

 

Thanks for helping me with my trip planning!

Janet

 

We were on Kauai for a week last year, so no cruise line excursions :) The napali coast cruise was with Captain Andy's, but there are probably a dozen companies that do them. Some are more family oriented, some are more adult party atmospheres, and some do smaller or speedier boats that can get into coves. If your cruise doesn't go by the napali coast, this would be another good option. It looks much more impressive than from the air in a helicopter, and it's a much better value than the chopper. We did both and I would do the napali coast cruise over a helicopter ride any day, but others will disagree :) We had a blast and at $90 per person for 4 hours with dinner and alcohol, it was a pretty good deal too.

[Dushi]

We stayed for a week in the Princeville area a month ago and the traffic between Lihue and the North Shore on Rte 56 was horrendous in the Kapa'a/Wailua area. It's a one-lane road in each direction so the cars merging in and exiting from the multitude of strip malls and hotels caused quite a backup on weekdays between 10:30am to 4pm. The road to Opaeka'a Falls and Wailua River Lookout is in Wailua.

 

Opaeka'a Falls is a touted as a 'drive up" waterfall but I found it to be disappointing compared to Wailua Falls which is much more impressive - The road is in Lihue , Ma'alo Road (Rte 583), 5 miles inland past lots of fields.

 

Hanalei is cute but is more remarkable because of the mountain views. The one lane bridges get smaller and narrower as you head north towards Ke'e/Tunnels beach. Don't forget to stop at the Hanalei Valley lookout which is on Rte 56 near the Princeville Shopping Center.

[2cruz]

If I'm up at Ke'e Beach, how much time should I plan for myseld to drive back,to return car rental and be back at the pier by 4:30pm. In other words, what time should I head back and how bad will traffic be on the way back. Thank you.

[blyle]

be sure to check rental car return times. Some said they had to have the cars back early so that would be a factor. I have also heard about the traffic and how one guy almost missed the ship but called and they waited for him. We are doing Waimea but still have to return our car. Hope someone answers your question for both of us.

[sceptic]

2cruz, at least 90 minutes from Ke'e to port, maybe two hours. It's only 35-40 miles, but the road from Ke'e to Princeville is narrow, and like previous posters have noted, the traffic around Kapa'a - Cocoanut Plantation etc. is often horrific. (There used to be a "bypass" road that went a bit east of Kapa'a - is it still in use?).

 

If you give yourself a lot of time, you can enjoy the drive - despite the traffic it's lovely in both directions. Better to get back a bit early than a bit late...

[debtman7]

Maybe traffic is seasonal, or we never drove at the right times, but I never encountered any traffic in kauai that I would call horrendous. This was in late april though, perhaps peak tourist season wasn't in force... We never hit anything I would even really call slightly heavy traffic, even late afternoon. But you should definately plan on it just in case, as you have no options for other routes on the island...

[2cruz]

So to play it safe should I plan on heading back from Ke'e at about 2 pm? That would allow adequate time for rental return and be back on ship by 430 pm in case there's bad traffic.

[paradise4ever]

Just received a brochure from Smiths Fern Grotto and it seemsto still be very nice. It was beautiful when I took the trip several years ago. Hopefully there will be plenty of rain to make everythink green again. The adult price is $20 pp.

[Suebee]

Just received a brochure from Smiths Fern Grotto and it seemsto still be very nice. It was beautiful when I took the trip several years ago. Hopefully there will be plenty of rain to make everythink green again. The adult price is $20 pp.

 

 

If you are renting a car, the map they will give you is inside of a kauai visitor guide. You should find a coupon for 2 or 3 dollars off the Smith's trip. They will let you use the coupon for your entire party. If not, threaten to go to the other tour operator (located in the same hut) and they will give you the price. I cant remember the name of the other operator, but I THINK they have a coupon too....and the same prices as Smith....so competition is hot. I remember though that the Smith's group were all very friendly and had a nice aloha feel to them...so you shouldnt even have to ask for the whole group discount.

[paradise4ever]

Thanks Suebee for the info. Will try that.