Honeymoon in Kauai



After Rod & I set out on our great adventure of sharing our lives together on 9-10-11 (in other words, we got hitched), we waited until Tuesday to head out for our adventure to a beautiful Hawaiian island.  Taking off out of San Diego, we had a brief layover in Honolulu, then we set out for our final destination, "The Garden Island" of Kauai.

Downtown Honolulu with Diamond Head on the right.

Waiting our turn on the Honolulu runway.

The volcanic island of Kauai was created long ago as the Pacific plate shifted and ruptured a vent allowing magma to spew from the ocean floor into the icy cold Pacific Ocean waters thousands of feet below the surface.  Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess, created many islands, but some of these islands eventually surrendered to the power of the waves wearing them away.  Kure, Midway, French Frigate Shoal, Necker and Nihoa were worn away to nothing more than atolls (fringing coral reefs) today.

Beginning as a simply barren island, Kauai's lush vegetation was slowly delivered on the wind as seeds were carried to this new land to eek out a meeger existence.  Under extraordinary circumstances, new species began to arrive.  As the plants and animals lived out their lives, they broke up the rock and formed soil.  The rains and waves also shaped the island, cutting the landscape with rivers and forming beaches from the pounding waves.  The beautiful island of Kauai consists of 553 square miles of beach, rainforest, desert, mountains and plains.

Kauai's east shore.

Eventually settlers came to the island sometime around the fourth or fifth century AD.  These intrepid adventurers are believed to have come from the Marquesas Islands 2,500 miles away to the most isolated island chain in the world.  The landscape of the island back then is much different from the trees and lush vegetation you see today.  These first settlers brought with them staples from home: taro, breadfruit, pigs, dogs and several types of fowl.  This fact was very important to their survival.  They had arrived on an island that had no land mammals other than the Hawaiian bat and almost no edible plants.  These inhabitants lived primarily on fish and taro.  As time passed, different settlers arrived bringing with them their own plants, animals and methods of living, influencing what has become today's Kauai.

As Rod and I left the airport at Lihue on the east side of the island, we drove southward to our destination of Poipu.  As we neared  our ultimate goal of the afternoon, we drove through a prime example of the influence of the settlers on the landscape of Kauai.  As we turned onto Highway 520 (or Maluhia Road) we drove through "Tree Tunnel".  "When Walter Duncan McBryde was landscaping his home in the early 1900's, he found that he had over 500 eucalyptus trees left over.  He donated these trees, called swamp mahogany, to the county.  Many residents showed up to help plant the trees.  The result is the Tree Tunnel." [1] Today the tunnel is not quite up to its past glory.  Part of it was torn down in the 50's when the highway was rerouted.  In addition, the trees have suffered the ravages of hurricanes 'Iwa of '82 and 'Iniki of '92.  Yet, it is still a beautiful corridor to drive through and enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature.

Soon we arrived out our home away from home Poipu Kapili condos.  A beautifully furnished condo with a wonderful view of the pool and lanscaped courtyard, with a view beyond that of the waves breaking on the reef and the lava rock coastline.  Just serene!

After unpacking, we set off to eat at Brennecke's Beach Broiler.  We enjoyed a lovely view of Poipu Beach Park while munching on some delicious fish at this open air restaurant on the second floor.  Later we strolled on the beach, enjoying a beautiful sunset before we headed back home for to call it a night.

Sunset at Poipu Beach Park.

[1] Doughty, Andrew,  "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook - Kauai Revealed", 7th edition, 2010.