Diana's Blog

Our stay in Hanalei was, as might be expected, pleasant, quiet, pleasant, quiet, and quiet (except for the roosters, who seemed to have day-night confusion, and crowed proudly at any and all hours). I recommend the B&B where we stayed, Bed & Breakfast by the Beach - nice accommodations, three-minute walk to Hanalei Bay, friendly - but genuine - co-owner who served us tropical fruit and tasty muffins...the only catch is, the place is up for sale, so I'm not sure how much longer it'll be there!

The bucolic nature of bayside Hanalei (a rather upscale town, judging by real estate prices) appears to be somewhat threatened...by the arrival of new homes. Construction is a daily affair. At least the developer seemed to be preserving the traditional style of Hanalei houses: roomy, multi-level  and full of windows (of course, so everyone can see the ocean). I hope the uniqueness of homes is preserved...

On the outskirts of town, the traditional homes are built on stilts, basically - allowing easy access to the underside of the house, preventing potential flood damage, and affording everyone that amazing view. You really only need a few feet to prevent flooding; but these people take their views seriously, as would I. Some of the first floors were built a good 1.5 stories off the ground - giant, sleepy tree-houses resting in their expansive beds of greenery.

Maui, by contrast, already is developed, developing, and developing some more. Lots of great dining, artistic activity...and a growing number of cookie-cutter houses. I wonder how much development it'd take to kill the truly unique island atmosphere? An infinite amount, I hope.

Both Greg and I have been to Hawaii multiple times...but we decided to do two islands we hadn't done together (Kauai and Maui). Hanalei, Kauai is super-lush, fairly rainy, somewhat cut-off from the rest of the island, and definitely crunchy. Hanalei Bay is the prettiest place I've ever sat on a board. Looking back at the beach is a rare combo of green mountains, flat, yellow sand, and even a waterfall in the distance.

Yesterday we hiked the Kalalau Trail (Na Pali coast), to Hanakapi'ai Falls, 9+ miles total. The books say it's 8; the GPS said 9; it felt more like 10, due to some very rough, slippery terrain. I'm still not sure if the GPS counts vertical distance too - ? Anyway, well worth it! I had a great ice bath in the pool under the falls, got my legs all nice and recovered, and then hiked the 2+ hours back . :> Staring up at the waterfall, mountains and sky really puts things in perspective. Even several yards away I was almost blown backward by the misty wind generated by the waterfall.

Check out the color of that water (off the Na Pali coastline)... and no, those aren't diapers; just a creative way of keeping my skort dry.