Kauai, the first day

Already yesterday at the airport in Honolulu we were warned: There are more chickens than human chickens on Kauai! And the funny bus driver was right: there are many chickens. Even at the airport in Lihue, the colorful feathered ones pick calmly in the grass between the non-existent hustle and bustle of the regional airport. Cock-a-doodle-doo amidst announcements.

When we pick up our car and leave, we see many chickens on the roadside, in the parks, everywhere. There used to be cockfighting on the island, a popular "sport" among the locals. But that was a long time ago, and the bred animals now enjoy complete freedom here, a carefree life in paradise! That's what our poor hens dream of...

Our hotel is only a few km from the airport. After we have settled into our room with a sea view on two sides, we treat ourselves to a nice steak in the hotel restaurant. Of course, you sit outside here, although under a roof, everything is open. But it is cooler here than on Oahu, a fresh wind blows through the corridors.

This morning there is still a lot of wind, a lot of cock-a-doodle-doo, and even more sun :-). After breakfast, we explore the large Lydgate Park around our hotel. It is a kind of educational trail about the history of the bay and the history of the sacred Waiua River. The educational trail runs parallel to the shoreline. However, you can only swim in two pools separated from the sea by stones, otherwise the surf and especially the strong shore breaks are life-threatening. Since the water from the river here is also very turbid, I'm not interested. Nevertheless, the park is beautifully designed, there are showers, toilets, picnic benches, and a wonderfully beautiful adventure playground for the little ones.

We hike along the educational trail to the estuary and the bridge. There is a sacred site of the indigenous people that you are not allowed to enter. It used to be a kind of cemetery, but you can only see lava rocks now.

We get in the car and drive upstream. We don't make much progress quickly because every few hundred meters there are parking lots and lookouts with magnificent views of the river, mountains, and the sea. People used to grow taro here, then came the era of plantations and with it the Chinese and Japanese who turned it into rice terraces. That did not last long, then the river plain became pastureland for cattle and horses.

We visit the Opaeka'a Falls, which plunge 50 m down. Unfortunately, you can't go there directly, the terrain is steep, slippery, and the water is contaminated with leptospires.

We drive back and then turn back into the mountains to go to the Wailua Falls. There is also a lookout point, the waterfall is higher than the Opaeka'a. The fountain or its spray forms a rainbow in the sun. In the past, you could climb down to the waterfall over a very steep, very dangerous slope. Since there have been several, also fatal accidents and the water here is also contaminated, everything has been fenced off. It's probably better that way!

In Lihue, we take a break in the afternoon at the Kalapaki Beach Hut, a nice snack bar where only regional products are used. You can tell, the burgers are super tasty and everything is fresh and crisp!

Then we drive to the south to Poipu, where there is a larger beach where all water sports are possible. On the way there, there are endless dream villas, a bit of Hawaiian Hollywood ;-)

The beach is beautiful, a large parking lot right in front of it, there are showers, picnic benches, lifeguards, everything very well-kept and beautiful. But even here, swimming is only possible in the protected area, the pull of the surf is supposedly very dangerous. While we are at the beach, bathers are repeatedly instructed over the loudspeaker to pay attention to the signs that have been set up. That's unusual, although signs have been put up before, if someone still went in at another location, no one said anything.

On the beach, among all the bathers, there is a seal sleeping. A barrier tape has been placed around the animal, and a sign has been put up saying "do not disturb". Just before we start our way back home, a second animal joins in! They seem to be completely undisturbed by the hustle and bustle on the beach.

In the end, we drive to Kapa'a, which is only 5 km from our hotel, and have freshly caught shrimp with a coconut coating at the Shrimp Station. The ambience is snack bar-like, the food is super delicious, and the place is spotlessly clean and friendly! We will definitely stop by again in the next few days!