Thursday - Na Pali Coast

Today we had another spectatular day. It was not as sunny - but still 78 degrees. We decided we should spend some time in the northern section of the island - the Na Pali coastline. We started after breakfast and our first stop was the Kilauea Lighthouse. This was the most northern point from the main Hawaiian Islands & was just gorgeous. We saw MANY whales playing in the ocean - some of them coming right out of the water. There are no words to describe the beauty - this is when the real meaning of the word "awesome" comes to mind when you think of the fact God created all of this.

We drove past the "unnamed falls" on our way to Anini Beach. This is where many of the rich & famous chose to build their homes as well as one of the safest places to swim because it's protected by a long reef.

We stopped to take a picture in Hanalei where taro fields were layed out in picture perfect fashion. This is the valley where most of the taro is grown - the staple in Hawaii's past. We haven't eaten any yet - we'll keep you posted. But we did stop in Hanalei for shave ice - Paradise Shave Ice was supposed to be the best. We stopped at the "dry cave" & tasted a chilled coconut a man was selling from the back of a pick-up. I warned the kids they wouldn't like it because I remembered my reaction in Indonesia. I was right... As we drove along the northern coast we saw soooo many gorgeous beaches - each one more beautiful than the last.

We ended at Ke'Ke Beach which is as far as you can drive on the northern shore. We hiked in a bit along the rocks & caught a glimpse of the famous Na'Pali coast. We had driven for 5 hours & we were ready to go back - the kids were getting a bit silly & annoying... We caught a quick hula show across the street at the plaza while our lasagne was cooking in the oven.