Kauai's Beauty Beckons

The funny thing about a small roundish island like Kauai is that you want to look at it a lot.  Kauai is so beautiful in so many ways, from so many angles, that you can't stop staring.  So, instead of trying to remember our manners and quit staring, we just gaped and ogled the beauty from as many places as possible all day long.

Starting with things severely endangered, we took in grand vistas of the north shore at the site of the westernmost lighthouse in the whole United States.  It happens to be the northernmost point of all the Hawaiian islands, too.  Kilauea Lighthouse State Park is also the site of the Kilauea National Wildlife Sanctuary.  Sadly, both the lighthouse and several of the nesting birds visible at the site are endangered.  The lighthouse was built in 1913 and houses a special lens, made in France, that proved to be very important to both boats and airplanes during the days when the lighthouse was maintained and occupied.  Now the metal parts of the lighthouse tower are rusted and unusable.  It needs to be fixed and that will take a lot of money, but it's a beauty and deserves the upkeep.

The good news is that there is increased interest in the restoration of the tower.  Local people on the island who know about it are in the process of voting for it to be restored as a monument, but it is competing with other sites in the nation worthy of restoration and repair.  I'm crossing my fingers.

The other endangered things were birds living on the sea cliffs and bluffs of the sanctuary.  You can borrow a fine pair of binoculars for free and have a good look at boobies, albatross, tropic birds and nene geese.  The birds are spectacular in flight and the site is maintained for long leisurely sessions gazing at the horizon or whatever catches your eye.  I kept looking at the clouds and beautiful mountain ridges to the north that scoop moisture from the tradewinds, piling up huge poofs of mist and rain that drift out over the valleys and ocean.

Once we could not stand another minute of gorgeousness from Kilauea Point, we drove a mile or so into Kilauea town to find the bakery.  It is renowned for its delicious baked goods and boasts gluten-free products throughout, which is a big accomplishment.  However, the pace is extremely slow when you order something, so be very patient or call ahead for your order.  But, don't order too far ahead or they'll forget you ordered in the first place.  The ladies who work there are wonderful, kind, sweet to a fault and have good intentions all the time, and I can say without any hesitation whatsoever that the food is excellent.  We ordered a tuna melt panini and it took 15 minutes to have it served to us.  I think if they ever develop an efficient system of processing orders, they will be absolutely unbeatable.  I will definitely go back again, hands down, but I will bring a book or my laptop.

After the panini, we shopped in the tiny historic shopping center (formerly the Kilauea Sugar Mill), and we bought a couple of gifts.  But, after awhile we felt vista deprived and longed for more of Kauai's eye candy, so we left to find a beach we'd read about.  Sure enough 'Anini Beach Park was wonderful, and we feasted our eyes on a mile or so of coral-strewn sandy beach and wide open stretch of blue ocean.  A boat went putt-putting by as I was snorkeling.  "I'm going to catch some tuna; that's Plan A.  Plan B is hamburgers," said the captain when I asked what he was hoping to catch.  He said I might see turtles in the water where I was, but I didn't.

After an hour, we got restless and left 'Anini and drove further north in the direction of Hanalei and beaches we'd visited before to find better snorkeling.  We hadn't tried swimming at Tunnels before, just watched sunsets from there.  I plunked my towel down and looked eastward at the sparkling water and other beachgoers.  Ho hum, a huge rainbow arched across the scene with no rain visible that I could see.  I think it was just running around loose from somewhere else on the island.  So, yeah, another rainbow.  Lots more roosters everywhere, in case you wondered.  No rain, lots of roosters, lots of rainbows, beauty everywhere.  Yawn.

After showering off at home, it was luau time at 6 pm across the street in the Mediterranean Gourmet Restaurant where we had eaten three nights ago.  It's a family-run show,  and it's very good, consisting of drinks followed by Hawaiian luau favorites and then a dance performance including a fire dancer.  The food was excellent, and plenty of it was served buffet style.  The dancing was authentic and performed with traditional style and music.

At the end, everyone sang Aloha Oi and stood in a big circle together.  The lead performer, who is also the father of the dancing girls and the fire dancer - quite a guy - did a lot of teaching about lyrics, hula movements and Hawaiian traditions.  He is doing a lot to ensure the Hawaiian language is kept alive in Kauai, insists on extending aloha to everyone in keeping with the old ways of Hawaii.

As we walked back across the road to our B&B, we saw the final vista of the day:  Infinite stars strewn across the inky black sky, undimmed by city lights or pollution.