Hawaii - The First Beach

When we landed in Kauai, we decided to go look for a beach. We flew out that morning as the thermometer read 46 degrees, so we weren't particular about which beach we found - any beach would do. We were just happy to be in a warmer climate!

We went to Poipu beach on the southern side of the island. I LOVED how the tan color of the sand mixed with the lovely blue of the ocean. What a great combination.


There were many hotels and condos near this beach where people could stay. Our rental was farther inland, but here's a shot of the oceanfront from the beach.


One of my favorite parts of the beach was a strip of sand leading to a sandbar. Waves came in on both sides of this small strip. It was very fun to walk on! Here I am doing my best runway walk:


I enjoyed watching the children play at the beach. One little girl in particular was so cute! She was dancing and running around in the sand. We snapped a photo of her cute little footprints.


It was fun to hear a mix of waves crashing in and the delighted squeals of children playing. Everyone at the beach was having such a fun time enjoying the sand and the water. There were no TVs, blogs :), or Facebook news feeds to distract us from the incredible beauty around us.

Hawaii - The Waterfall Hike

I had heard from others who have visited Kauai about the Hanakapi'ai Falls. Apparently, there is a place where you can hike a few miles along the Na'Pali coastline (not accessible by car), and then head a few miles inland to a beautiful 300ft waterfall with a freshwater pool at the bottom you can swim in.

Sounds amazing, right?

Zac and I had to see for ourselves.


We estimated that the hike would be about 6 hours, so we tried to leave as soon as possible. I think we started hiking around 8:30 or 9:00am. We were on vacation, though, so we didn't keep track of time too much.

The first part of the hike was difficult. We had to climb the trail that was comprised of mostly large boulders. I watched my footwork carefully, and reminded myself every now and then to look around.

Here is a view of the beach area where we started the hike:



Soon we were on a smoother path that wound its way along the edge of the mountain line. The temperature wasn't bad, but we were working up a little bit of a sweat. That made the breeze we'd catch when we were near the ocean even sweeter!


We continued hiking the beautiful trail:


After a time of winding around the mountains, it was time to descend to Hanakapi'ai beach. We took switchbacks and finally came to a stream. There were large rocks we used to cross, and it was a lot of fun to choose our path!

Soon we started inland and the trail got considerably more narrow. We crossed the stream multiple times and were so thankful we packed our water socks which we bought on our honeymoon! Here is a picture of one of our crossings:


We continued for about two miles, getting closer and closer to the waterfall. The hike was the hardest at the end; the trail was difficult to find at times, and challenging to follow with the rocks we had to climb.

Here we are, getting very close to the waterfall!


In the end? ABSOLUTELY worth it! The trail opened up to the gigantic waterfall and we saw about 6 other people scattered on the rocks on the side of the pool and in the water.

It's hard to show just how big the waterfall was, but look at the edge of the pond in the forefront of the picture and you can see people swimming.



We quickly joined those in the pool where we discovered the water was VERY cold. We did get used to it after a time, and even braved the waterfall. We swam behind, around, and through it.

I remember the feeling I had as I swam below the waterfall, with the drops of water landing on my head. I thought to myself, "This is one of those moments to treasure for the rest of my life." It was amazing.

After a light lunch on the rocks, we packed up and headed back to the car. What a great hike!

Hawaii - Roosters and Hens

One thing I didn't anticipate in Hawaii was waking up to the cock-a-doodle-doo of a rooster. When I saw my first rooster wandering around the car rental office at the airport, it took me by surprise. When I saw roosters and hens casually walking throughout the park at the beach, I took a second look, but when I heard a rooster crow at 2:30am on our first night in Hawaii, I about make chicken soup.

I had heard that chickens wandered the island of Kauai, but I had no idea they were so prevalent. I just didn't get it - why did the islanders allow them to roam about? Wasn't anyone catching them for food? And how did all these livestock get here?

During one of the historical tours we took while vacationing, I learned that Kauai wasn't always the island of roosters. It turns out that many people on the island kept roosters and hens for eggs and meat. However, after a hurricane battered the island, many cages were destroyed and the chickens got loose. It wasn't hard for them to find places to hide in the dense jungle, and so they have continued to run free and reproduce since.

Additionally, Kauai is the only island without the mongoose. On other islands there are fewer birds because the mongooses eat the ground-nesting birds' eggs. No mongooses on Kauai means more chickens!

Here are a few of our many sightings:

Hawaii - A lesson in Giving vs. Taking

As I prepared for my recent trip to Hawaii (yes that's why my blog has been sparse!) I got to pondering the life of a tourist.

Something started to irk me about this as I thought. We as tourists spend a lot of time taking on vacation. We visit the noteworthy sights, we take photos, we eat wonderful food, we go on adventures. It's all about us - and rightly so. It is vacation, after all.

But I found it a little unsettling, especially as I learned about the history of Hawaii. One of the travel books I read shared a brief history of Hawaii, which I found fascinating. There is much to learn there, and I only scratched the surface, but it is a tale similar in some ways to that of the Native Americans. I was also very interested to learn that during his presidency, Bill Clinton signed the Apology Resolution which acknowledged the United States' role in the overthrow of the native government of Hawaii. It didn't right the wrongs done to the Native Hawaiians, but it did acknowledge that the US got the land without the permission of the Native Hawaiian people.

All this to say that I felt like another "typical" American just take-take-taking from someone else. Who was I to go and visit a beautiful island? How do the Native Hawaiians feel about tourism? Do they feel like their land is being prostituted? I don't know. But it sure made me think. How will I handle my trip? How will I acknowledge the gift the citizens are giving me by allowing me to visit? How will I respond?

Then, I had an idea.

I could give instead of take.

I could give time.

I began looking on a website I found called Volunteer Hawaii which lists service opportunities for each of the islands. After a few emails, Zac and I were scheduled to help at the Kauai Independent Food Bank.

We signed up for a 4-hour shift which seemed so small in comparison to the many hours we were spending as carefree tourists. However, it was something.

When we arrived we had no idea what we would be doing. We were introduced to the manager on duty at the warehouse. He was tall and built, with a small, wavy pony tail ball high on his head. I could easily picture him in a football uniform. His manner was quiet and concentrated.

We were also introduced to another worker, who worked far more than he spoke. He was a shorter man, with short, dark hair and was quietly moving food here and there, sorting and inventorying boxes.

We were quickly put to work organizing and sorting food on the shelves. As the morning wore on, we learned more about the food bank. Food banks are different from food shelves in that oftentimes food banks provide food for food shelves. The Kauai Independent Food Bank works with 20+ non-profit organizations to distribute food. Many are local church groups that help the homeless and hungry. The KIFB also works with local farmers to get fresh produce in stock to distribute. They are doing great work for the citizens of Kauai.

We weren't the only volunteers there that day; there was another islander who was helping full-time as part of a welfare/work program. She wanted to find a job, but jobs were hard to come by. She has some children and grandchildren and needs money to provide for them. This program allows her to aggressively job search while also volunteering. From what she shared with me, it seems like a very strong program. I hope she finds a paying job soon.

As with all service opportunities, I think I feel more blessed to have been a part of it than I was a blessing to the people I was helping. I enjoyed talking with the other volunteer (whose name I will withhold out of respect), and learning about her family and her life. She shared food tips with me, shared about what life was like when she was younger, and told me about her kids and grandkids. We talked and laughed as we sorted and stacked, and the work didn't seem like work at all. Just two people, hanging out and getting to know one another. What a treat.

I also felt blessed to be a witness of a different mindset to the people at the food bank. We got asked skeptically a few times, "So...why are you here?" Apparently it's not often that tourists ask to volunteer.

After the experience, my brain got to thinking what it would be like if everyone volunteered a little when they went on a trip. What if we didn't just take when we went somewhere; what if we also gave.

I quickly calculated in my head that there were perhaps 200 people on our flight to Kauai. If even just ONE plane flies in each day (which far more do), that would be 200 people infiltrating the island each day. What if each of them volunteered just two hours? That would be 400 community service hours each day on the island of Kauai. HOLY COW! Can you even fathom that?!? What would that look like? How could it help the food bank? The environment? The schools? The homeless or hungry? Hmmmm....that could be really really cool.

As you plan your next trip, consider if you could and how you could give back. What does that look like for you?

View from the Sky

As we ascended I gazed back on Minneapolis. It was a clear day and I quickly picked out Lake Calhoun, then Lake Harriet. The leaves that are starting to grow on the trees made a patchwork quilt of green from the sky, with the gray roads keeping each square in its place.

The rooftops got smaller and smaller and it got me to thinking about God. It amazes me and baffles me at the same time how He can know each of us intimately and care for each of us deeply. I couldn't even begin to count all the rooftops I was seeing, and that was just one city on one continent!

We continued ascending and the green patchwork of city blocks transformed to green squares of fields. Soon I glanced out the window to find a blanket of white with snowy mountain tops peeking through. It took my breath away. The mountain range had to have been in Colorado, and I marveled at the beauty of the mountains from the sky.

As I was trying to wrap my head around all that I had seen, the song "God is Real" by India Arie came to mind. It was certainly the soundtrack to my life at that moment!

Enjoy this song - the link I found doesn't have video to go with it, but gaze out your window and make your own music video. I know you'll do a great job!