KAPA'A and WAILUA (The Coconut Coast!)
Now you are in my stomping grounds. Kapa'a is where it's at, and it reminds me overwhelmingly of my little New Paltz---the same hippie vibe, the same useless-but-beloved shops, the same stoop kids. Jacob and I have spent long drives comparing each Kapa'a restaurant, shop and attraction to its equal in New Paltz (Blossoming Lotus is Karma Road, Papaya's is Health & Nutrition, Hoku Health Foods is Earthgoods, the surf shops are the climbing shops, Shaka Tacos is Mexicali Blue, the ABC store is My Towne, I could go on!).
Shaka Tacos---on the mauka side of the street in about the center of town. GREAT TACOS (I particularly enjoy the veganized sopes with papaya salsa), super sweet peeps, and last year I saw a hilarious band playing there one night with a crazy/awesome lady drummer that I very much enjoyed watching. Closed in 2009.
Blossoming Lotus is the vegan restaurant everyone is always talking about, and with good reason. It's very nice. I say that not because I'm vegan, or because we vaguely know the owners, or because Jacob's dad has a display of his sacred geometry designs there, but just because it is nice. It is nothing more than nice, however. The food is great because it's vegan, not because it's great per se. The prices are wildly, wildly inflated, and I am someone who never ever ever complains about food prices, believing that we never pay a real price for our food and if we did we would pay exponentially more for everything. Even with that mindset, the prices are ridiculous. $11 for a sandwich is never OK, particularly when it is always advertised with purple Okinawan sweet potato salad and is always served with red potato salad, as is the case. Their sandwiches would be amazing if they were $8, or even $9. They use local and organic ingredients, but still.
All the people working there are insane zenned out crazies who give veganism a bad name, but I'm OK with that. It is Kaua'i, after all. Across the street they have a little café called The Root that has good smoothies and weird not so great baked goods. (It closed in 2007 or 2008, now the baked goods are at the restaurant proper.) Sometimes the baked goods are nice, sometimes they are scary. Once we saw something there called "third eye balls" and we've been kinda freaked out by them ever since. But that was like five years ago and they have gotten better. Still, the baked goods are pretty much the equivalent of the dreaded Whole Earth Bakery in NYC, whereas they are priced like and pretend to be the equivalent of Pure Food and Wine. What can ya do. They are good people trying to do a good thing. They certainly aren't doing it like I would do it, but then again I am far too lazy to run a restaurant, so maybe I should shut my mouth.
Update! Even though I wasn't 100% into them, I am still incredibly saddened that Blotus (as Jacob and I call it) closed at the beginning of 2009. Running a restaurant is incredibly hard on Kaua'i, but I just can't believe that jacking up their prices to the sky did them any favors. Kapa'a is certainly much less rich without them.
Moving on: the coffeehouse, Java Kai, and the small restaurant, Mermaids, across from Island Hemp and Cotton (which has some nice dresses) are both just lovely. Nothing so special, but nice to have around.
Kealia beach (the main beach across behind main street in Kapa'a) is nice - though crowded with local kids doing fancy surfing maneuvers. For some reason I always see dogs on surfboards here. Is it the same dog? I am never sure. There is a phenomenon of "poi dogs," as they are called, in Hawaii that are all kind of the same, and a lot of them surf.
There is a nice walkway that will take you from the very westernmost beginning of Kealia beach all through Kapa'a along the beach and up into the cliffs---it's a nice walk, and a nice bike ride too, and even though I mentioned it above I thought I'd point it out here too.
Coconut marketplace in Kapa'a: another Lapperts! And a movie theater (closed, sigh. All these places closed in the past six months, can you believe it?). And some touristy shops. The pizza there is not bad.
In Wailua, you've got 'Opaeka'a Falls (see guidebook)--not to be missed!
Whatever you do, don't get roped into taking a boat trip to Fern Grotto along the Wailua River, or that ancient Hawaiian Village recreation thing. It's not all that. I think they've actually stopped the stupid boat tours now, though, which is good. But although it's a nice kayak trip, to be honest there are others that are nicer.
The big mountain in Kapa'a is Sleeping Giant, and the Nounou Trail is a particularly lovely hike on it. We try to do it three times a week--it's not too strenuous, and you can get up and down in 1/2 hour or 45 minutes or so. There are pink peppercorns and 'Ohelo berries in season all along the trail, as well. 'Ohelo berries are really lovely--at least, I like them. Jacob thinks they are too tart. They look like miniature pomegranates and have the soft skin of figs with a sweet/tart cherry flavor and mangosteen-esque creaminess. The pink peppercorns are great to cook with while you're in the island, but if you get caught trying to bring any home you'll get fined.
New Year's Day climb up Sleeping Giant, through beautiful evergreens
At the top of Sleeping Giant
We go to Lydgate State Park and beach all the time because it's our home beach---pretty, easy to get to. Not great swimming, not great surfing. Nice to lay out, and some spots are really great for snorkeling---the baby pool area is a good place to practice snorkeling.
Under the whale clock tower in the Safeway shopping center in Kapa'a is the other Papaya's health food store---good stuff. They expanded a couple of years ago, and they have pretty much everything you'd ever need. Oh, and Longs in the same shopping center has a great selection of Hello Kitty products!
Places of interest I will expand on in the future:
LIHUE
Wailua falls---not to be missed!
The Kaua'i Museum is also worth a look, especially on a rainy afternoon.
My favorite restaurant in Lihue is Cafe 'Aina - it's on the main road, is listed in guidebooks and freebie magazines, and has erratic hours. It has no atmosphere and is cheap and good. Good shave ice too. Lots of veggie options. I think it might be run by an ex-pro surfer. She is rad not only for that, but also because she offers tempeh bacon. (CLOSED!!! Oh fuck. This is so depressing!)
The Menehune Fishpond is a pretty kayak in this area. The actual kayak route is listed guidebooks as the Hule'ia river, but though the river is pretty, the real attraction for me are the insane jumping fish in the Menehune Fishpond, so be sure to take the turn off to your right to go into the fishpond as you're paddling down the river. The fish are RIDICULOUS! They jump feet in the air, and they aren't small fish, either. I don't know why, but it fills me with a wild joy. After the fishpond you can keep going down the river and go on some hike or another to some waterfall--check in your guidebook. We did it once and it was lovely, as I recall.
Lihue...what else? Ah, there is a thrift shop there that benefits the Kaua'i Humane Society! It's a really great thrift store, with some awesome vintage Hawaiian dresses. There is also a good Salvation Army in Lihue, but unlike me, you probably do not want to sort through piles of thrifty clothes while on vacation.
Right around the corner from The Salv is a bowling alley, open until 9 PM. And right next door is a Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Kauai, with an entire vegetarian section. Look for the "chay" (veggie) section on the back of the menu. The food is pretty decent, nothing amazing. Both Pho Kauai and bowling are in the Rice Shopping Center at 4304 Rice Street.
Whatever you do, do not go to the dentist down the street from the Salvation Army. That's all I'll say about that. Well, I'll say one more thing:
Ow.
KOLOA
If you follow the guidebook's directions to Koloa you will drive through a beautiful tree tunnel.
I used to love Old Koloa Town.
Then developers cut down all the beautiful monkeypod trees to build a mall. My heart is still broken. There was a lot of local activism done to stop the slaughter and Jacob and I both called the local authorities to try to stop it, but capitalism prevailed in the end.
This spot is razed to the ground now. No signs of any mall.
Koloa has a very nice Island Soap and Candle, a Lappert's, and the grocery store is cute and family-run and lovely too.
Papalani Gelato is a very awesome gelato shop with lots of flavors of vegan sorbetto made with local and organic ingredients. They are in Koloa at 2360 Kiahuna Plantation Road in the Piopu Shopping Village. Definitely worth a visit--and they have locally-made (and grown) chocolates, including Kauai Chocolates, grown and made completely on Kauai!
PO'IPU
Great snorkeling and some lovely swimming with the sea turtles, and almost every year we see this little dude.
Apparently the same seal comes back every year! In spite of the wildlife, Po'ipu is ridiculously crowded due to the giant number of hotels in the area.
The Maha'ulepu area is a special sacred Hawai'ian spot (also in danger of development) and is definitely worth a hike and a visit.
KALAHEO
The Kaua'i Coffee Company has free samples and tasty shade-grown coffee, as well as a gorgeous view.
Somewhere near here is a great thrift store on the makai side of the street---one of those warehousey places with good prices and finds.
HANAPEPE
Hanapepe is always referred to as "quaint" and while some people find it rundown and boring, it's a welcome breather from some other newly mall-ifyng towns I could mention. The Hanapepe cafe has halfway decent vegan food if you have the amazing luck to catch it when it's open, and there are cute galleries and a swinging rope bridge to walk on.
Salt Pond Beach Park is still used to make the famous Hawaii red sea salt.
Most whale watching boats leave from Port Allen in this area, and while some people are perfectly happy on whale watching trips
and the scenery and the ocean and the whales and all that are very lovely
This poor lady next to me (who sadly got a bit of my puke on her shoes) would probably agree with me that neither of us will ever go on one ever again.
WAIMEA
Waimea is a cute sunny town with black sand beaches and delicious shave ice. Jo-Jo's Clubhouse has the best shave ice in my experience.
Watching the sunset from the locals beach Waimea Bay is a lovely ending to a perfect night, especially if you need to rest after a hike at the canyon (see below).
The great thing about this side of the island is that if you visit in the wintertime, as I do, the east and north shores can be dreary and rainy most of the day. The west shore is almost always sunny. Some would say it can get unpleasantly hot, but I am a sun worshipper and welcome the rays.
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Foodwise, Waimea is a town like Hanalei where there are not many decent vegan options. The Ishihara Market has nice local grinds (grub) and I adore the vintage-looking Hawaiian greeting cards sold right by the cash registers. Across the street is the monument to Captain Cook who "discovered" the islands and directly contributed to the death of many of the local residents and destruction of Hawai'ian culture. Skip the monument.
There is a Subway on the makai side of the road near the center of town, and if you find a better vegan lunch option let me know.
WAIMEA CANYON
The canyon is spectacular, and instead of writing anything about it, I'm just going to put up a bunch of pictures. Ten miles of unbelievable hikes and breathtaking views. Be sure to have a good reliable car and plenty of gas, as well as plenty of water and a sandwich or two for the journey. Go!
POLIHALE
and where I get sappy
it's windy!
I've only ever felt at home in two places in the world: my land, and Polihale. I have fallen in love with other places (my house is one such place, a park named for my grandfather in Chicago is another), but our precious acres in New Paltz and Polihale are where my heart is at home.
In Hawaiian mythology, Polihale (literally house of the Po---Po is the Hawaiian afterworld) was the place where the spirits of the dead would travel to from all across Hawai'i to stay in the heiau (temple) adjacent to the cliffs, then to jump off the cliffs and enter the afterworld, Po.
Polihale is a long low-slung beach that sits at the feet of the stately Na Pali cliffs. It's difficult for me to explain why exactly this spot is so special. I feel so strongly about Polihale's power---if I was a spiritual person I would say that it has a practically holy energy, one borne out of rough sea cliffs and miles and miles of swirling sand and foaming white water waves. Polihale is a wild, rough place, and being there always settles whatever chaos I have swirling around inside me.
The best way to see it is to camp out. Follow the guidebook's directions to Polihale and go as far as you can on the dirt road, even if the book tells you to stop at the first stop along the road. The road to Polihale is long, hot, intensely dusty, and requires a good four-wheel drive vehicle. We have gotten stuck in the sand and in the mud numerous times.
Pitch your tent under a nice tree as close as you can get to the cliffs while staying in the camping area---like all beaches on Kaua'i, you never want to sleep right out on the beach because locals will drive right over you in the dark in their jacked-up trucks.
If you are as far to the right as you can be, as I recommend, you might witness, as we have, hippies hiking back to civilization after days, weeks or months in the Kalalau Valley, most likely carrying prodigious amounts of weed that they will generously offer to share with you, after sussing out that you are sufficiently un-cop-like. The Kalalau Valley has been a hippie hideout and open secret pot-growing region since the '70s, so don't be surprised if you come back from a walk on the beach to find fellow campers sorting massive heaps of weed on the picnic tables.
This camping spot is also a local hangout for families having special parties and potlucks, so if you're friendly you might even be able to snag some local grinds.
The main thing---for most of the year, the only thing---you can do on Polihale is walk on the beach. Everyone I know has a story about almost drowning at Polihale---Jacob's dad and his sister were once tossed around so thoroughly that Jacob's other sister, watching from the beach, thought she was watching them drown. Last year I was innocuously walking on the beach, not even wearing a swimsuit because I know the ways of Polihale, when the ocean abruptly came up and dragged me underwater for a few seconds, ruining my digital camera and soaking me to the bone while my friends watched, amazed, from two feet away.
In the summertime, however, I have had amazing bodysurfing days at Polihale, when the waves were raucous but not ravaging and the soft sand seemed to go on forever. In the winter, when the waves are wild, no one ever goes in the water.
The ability to take a walk on a beach that is an hour from anywhere might not seem like sufficient reason to brave the treacherous road, but you'll thank me, potentially with tears in your eyes, when you get home. Particularly if you camp out, so you can wake up in the morning with the sun and walk for miles without seeing anyone else, just your footprints and your thoughts, the towering cliffs and the ferocious ocean, smoothing everything out again and again.
The crappy things about the Polihale trip are twofold: to get there you will pass fields and fields of GMO crops grown by Monsanto and Syngenta, which I won't get irate about right this second because I just did for the millionth time two days ago; and the giant Pacific Missile Range Facility, with its Star Wars missile tests and submarine warfare drills and god knows what other horrors. But we fight against things like that every day---today is a day at Polihale.
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And there we go. That's it. And there is so much I haven't mentioned: wild pigs, the weirdness of Wyland, feral cats, flowers, the great botanical gardens (go to all of them!), great hikes the details of which I can't quite remember, so much. But this is a little snippet of my beloved island.
Aloha 'aina, Kaua'i.
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I will plan to update this guide each year, so please send in your thoughts, tips, corrections, and quibbles to the blog page.