Another day another adventure on the wonderful island of Kauai and we could not have asked for a better day. All of this fun happened after a special morning where I proposed to Kristin on the Makawehi Bluff. during a romantic sunrise walk. She said yes!
The pinnacle of the day, apart from the proposal, and one of our favorite activities of the trip was a catamaran tour of the Nā Pali Coast that included snorkeling. While the morning tours are supposedly "better" due to the fact that afternoons bring clouds and rain we had a truly wonderful experience. The cliffs were stunning, beaches where camping is possible looked inviting, and the crew members from Makana Charters were incredibly friendly while providing authentic information about the island's history.
The tour started at 2pm in the afternoon from the Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor on few miles west of Waimea. On our way to the harbor we stopped at The Shops at Kukui‘ula for some sweet bucket hats and SPF long sleeves for protection from the sun. I somehow failed to realize there would be snorkeling in the trip so we were lacking swim suits. Note to self, just bring them everywhere in Hawaii.
For the first 45 minutes or so we sped through the open water as we made our way to the cliff bands. The journey out was filled with stories of the forbidden island, Niihau, history of the Robinson family, and bits of history from a guide who's father is a 4th generation cowboy for the Robinson's. The history of Niihau is quite interesting and worth spending some time in the rabbit hole. Closer to us than the forbidden island was the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF). The PMRF is the world's largest instrumented multi-environmental range capable of supported surface, subsurface, air, and space operations simultaneously. While the facility is run by the U.S. Navy the native Hawaiian's provide a great deal of support and maintenance, including RADAR infrastructure on the peaks of Nā Pali Coast.
Nā Pali Coast began to come into view and the mythical cliffs were truly a wonder to behold. Words do the landscape little justice as the deep canyons stretch or miles and secluded beaches dotted the coastline. As the rain fell we took the catamaran through a sea cave with an open aired roundabout surrounded by high walls before leaving the way that we came. The tour continued past a few more beaches and several deep valleys before we finally reached the end of the trip and took a group photo.
On the way back, we held the cliff band for protection from the rain and wind while looking for a place to snorkel. Despite the weather, we continued to take in the sights, enjoyed a couple more caves, saw some crabs and birds. We eventually reached a spot that was deemed acceptable to snorkel as the sun opened up through the clouds. Shortly after stopping passengers were enjoying sandwiches while others were getting fitted for snorkeling equipment and entering the water. I chose to enter the salty water with a dive off the bow and was surprised at how easy it was to float.
Soon after, Kristin and the kids were in the water with awes of amazement at the fish swimming closely beneath us. The water was a beautiful clear color with countless different types of fish racing all around. We enjoyed the water for about 45 minutes before the magical afternoon started to come to a close.
Comments