Disclaimer: Back in May of 2006, when I started posting about our vacation to the Hawaiian Islands, we were severely limited regarding photos I could share due to bandwidth limitations. Here in 2022, I’m updating these posts using the original image and text I shared, but I’m adding the rest of the photos I would have liked to share if bandwidth and storage had not been issues 16 years ago. 

Take advantage of every possible moment where experience and memories might be found, and with that, we were up, packed, and checked out of our hostel just as the sun was rising. Being in Wailuku and having some hours before our flight, we are driving up the Kahekili Highway

It turns out that being away from the cities and popular beaches of the Hawaiian islands, total serenity and a peaceful countryside still exists.

I don’t know how far we traveled on the Kahekili Highway, though by most any measure, is a single-lane road really ever a highway?

The flight is under an hour, but for only $29 each as an upgrade price, this might be the cheapest we’ll ever be able to fly first-class, so we took the deal. I hope we look appropriately smug sitting in such grandeur.

Flying over Middle Loch of Oahu, approaching the Pearl Harbor Memorial that will be on our left. Maybe a future visit will bring us to Oahu for a longer visit.

Approaching the Garden Isle of Kauai and the final island, we’ll be visiting during this vacation.

The rest of our vacation will be spent here on Kauai, amongst greenery and rainbows.

Finding affordable lodging options on these islands wasn’t easy. First, on the Big Island, we stayed in the primitive cabin at Volcanoes National Park, then on Maui, our nights were spent in a hostel; Molokai didn’t offer many options, so the Hotel Molokai was it. Here on Kauai, I’d seen these cabins at Kahili Mountain Park that were part of the Kahili Adventist School. We are not members of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, but that didn’t stop me from finding an angle in which Caroline and I were allowed to rent one of their cabins for the next three nights.

That’s our exquisite cabin under Kahili Mountain, and believe it or not, this was the cheapest option I could find on the island. Hence, I worked hard to get ourselves into this incredible location. On the right of the cabin, there are some light-colored leaves, those are banana leaves and where our outdoor shower is located.

I claimed the bed; Caroline will have to make do with the rug next to me or sleep in one of the chairs. Just kidding, there’s a larger bed directly across from this, so I’ll take it, and Caroline can have the child’s bed.

Yes, the shower indeed has a door and wall around it, but is otherwise wide open.

Situated in a cabin we could just stay at the entire time if it weren’t for the fact that we were on Kauai, we were quickly gone driving down a tree tunnel to Koloa on a recommendation.

That recommendation was for the Koloa Fish Market and specifically the Poke Bento. This little box lunch of raw Ahi tuna sprinkled with a coating of seaweed, sesame seed, and sea salt over a bed of white rice with a thin layer of wasabi cream became an instant favorite and a dish we ate for breakfast the next two days.

The appropriately named Spouting Horn Park in Koloa.

These ladies’ fruit stand would prove indispensable to us because not only did they have amazing tropical fruit, but one of the ladies cut up our pineapple for us in the most unique way that allowed it to remain relatively whole but later could be pulled apart and eaten off the skin like corn-on-the-cob.

We are gathering a new definition of lush.

Kauai Soto Zen Temple in Hanapepe on our way to points north of Waimea.

Jo-Jo’s Shaved Ice was also an instant classic; I had the plain ice with passion fruit, mango, and guava, while Caroline opted for Halo Halo Shave Ice, which is decked out with shredded coconut, coconut gel, ice cream, azuki bean, and mixed fruit all topped with shaved ice and then a layer of haupia cream.

We followed the road a little further into Kekaha before deciding to turn around and head to where we were supposed to be going, up the Waimea Canyon Drive.

Waimea Canyon from an unnamed lookout.

View from the Hohonu Awawa Lookout.

Near the Awa’awapuhi Trail Parking.

Pu’u O Kila Lookout

On the edge between the Kōkeʻe State Park and the Nā Pali Coast State Wilderness Park at the end of Highway 550.

Some rainbows don’t illicit a stop as they appear so frequently, but then there are others where the glow combined with an opportune spot to pull over demands we take a pause to appreciate it and try to grab a decent photo. This rainbow sits in front of Mount Kaanakeakua.

The Kekaha Lookout.

Just south of the Kekaha Lookout.

Sunset on Poipu Beach.

We saw our first sea turtle in the wild – right at the shoreline, but I was a bit slow getting a better photo.

If the Koloa Fish Market didn’t close at midday, we’d have had dinner there instead; we had to find something else, and that something wasn’t as memorable as our poke bento or the fish we had on Molokai. You’ve got to love those moments that leave indelible memories.