Iron - Another day of visiting the steep hills, the sandy beaches, and waterfalls of Kaua'i

A Basalt Ledge going in to the sea

Iron

Yesterday I explained that Kaua'i along with the whole of the Hawaiian chain of island was made of Basalt, this rock is produced by Basaltic Magma being pushed up through the earth's crust. This basalt is predominantly formed by Iron, with the symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) and atomic number 26. So, Iron will be the element of the day on the blog as we travel to more of the attractive features of tall mountains with steep mountain sides resulting in waterfalls, as water makes its fastest possible way back to the sea.

Thursday - To the east and north of Kaua'i

Breakfast

Again I woke at 3am, it seems to be a settled time for starting the day on this holiday <<Co-pilot's note: He means, dear reader, it seems to be the settled time for me to ignore the tap, tap, tap of the keyboard. Any earlier and their would be blood>> and it works in terms of getting the blog written and sent before the day starts to get busy. 

Another feature of waking on Kaua'i is the crowing of cockerels. The cockerels here don't seem to have good time keeping. They start crowing at about 3am, long before dawn, and keep going until about 9pm.

I posted yesterday's blog post and showered, shaved etc at 6am. 

Fruit and compote

Breakfast followed yesterday's pattern, with fruit and compote followed by cooked items. The lovely fruit was the same as yesterday's. The compote was varied by having one blueberry flavoured and one peach flavored, Drew had both and said that they were very good.

Canadian bacon and eggs in a croissant

Today's meat and egg came in a croissant, the idea of meat and eggs in a croissant is one I'd seen in McDonald's but not something I'd tried myself. The flaky softness of a croissant, which is what makes a croissant such a lovely breakfast, doesn't work as well, in my mind, as a firmer form of bread, like a burger bun. So while the idea might have been to eat the dish by picking it up like you would a burger, in practise we had to seperate the croissant from what was inside or it would all have tumbled out as we tried to put it in our mouths. So they breakfast was very tasty, but needed to be broken into its individual parts to eat well. <<Co-pilot's note: But that could be largly due to us being a pair of dafties>>

Our Route Today

Our Thursday route - from Google Timeline

Today we will travel East and North, as we travelled West along the Southern Coast. So between the two days we will have circumnavigated the island, except the impassable part around the Nā Pali Coast.

Travelling North 

The GyPSy guide again supported our route today, telling us what to see, what was worth turning off for and what was missing. Also, during the parts of the route where there is not much to see, or when you are returning south along a route you had already travelled north along, the guide gives some great insight into geology and the culture and people of the island.

The forming of Hawai'i - Volcanoes

Volcanic Rock extruding into the sea (with grass on top)

One of the things I know much more about now than I did when I came to the island is the way the Hawaiian chain of islands came to be formed. 

In simple terms, for a non-geologist like me, the Hawaiian Islands are volcanoes which erupt at a soft spot in the earth's crust in the middle of a tectonic plate. This makes them different in shape and size that the bigger volcanoes that form at the tectonic plate edges, like Krakatoa. Indeed, this form of land production is known by the scientists as an Hawaiian Eruption. 

Hawaiian eruptions work by the magma below the surface bubbling up through the soft spot (sometimes called hot spot) in the crust. In the case of the 137 Hawaiian islands (eight large ones and multiple small one) they are all the same soft spot which has moved as the plate has moved (called hot-spot volcanism). This works like bits of icing coming out of a icing bag (except upside down). So Kaua'i is the oldest and the soft spot has moved on, with Big Island being the only one with a live volcano now. A few more million years and a new island to the south of Big Island is likely to appear. The youngest seamount (ie potential island) of the Hawaiian chain is Loihi, which presently is erupting from its summit at a depth of 1000 meters.

In terms of age Kaua'i is approximately 5.1 million years old, followed by O'ahu at 2.2 to 3.4 million years old. Molokaʻi at 1.3 to 1.9 million years old; Lānaʻi, at approximately 1.3 million years; and Maui, at 0.8 to 1.3 million years old. The oldest parts of the Big Island are less than 0.7 million years old.

The forming of Hawai'i - Rain

The next big feature in the formation of the amazing geology we are visiting is rain. Just as we in Wales say Wales gets so much rain because the clouds come across the Atlantic and Ireland is to flat to cause them to rise enough to rain, so they come across laden with water and pour on the Welsh mountains. Well even more so with Hawai'i where these large volcanic islands are in the middle of the biggest ocean mass in the world - The Pacific Ocean. 

The Trade Winds travel miles until they come to the mountains of the Hawaiian islands and as they rise they drop lots and lots of rain. This is why the leeward (post mountain) side of the islands have such a lovely climate. Most of the rain being dropped at the first point the clouds rise - e.g.  Mount Waialeale.

This massive outpouring of rain on this hard Basalt rock leads water to run as fast as possible down to the sea, cutting waterfalls and canyons as it goes. So the beauty of this island is formed.

Opaeka‘a Falls

Opaeka's Falls

The first of our stops today Opaeka'a Falls is a great example of the rush of water flowing down the mountains of Kaua'i. The 151 foot tall, 40 foot wide waterfall almost appears to fall from the trees surrounding it. A very impressive site.

Wailua River

Wailua River

Across the road from the falls is a viewpoint over the Wailua River, the only navigable river in Kaua'i. Yes, even with all this water, due to the volcanic formation, this river is the only one where a boat larger than a kayak can navigate. Navigable rivers so common and almost unnoticed in Wales and England are rare indeed in this geology.

Keālia Beach

Looking back at Keālia Beach

Our next stop is Keālia Beach, a 150 foot wide and half mile long sandy beach located on Kauai's, so called, Coconut Coast. Indeed before tourism became the dominant industry in this area, coconut and sugar production dominated.

Kīlauea Point

Kīlauea Point

Our next stop was Kīlauea Point, with its bright white lighthouse. Given the height of the cliff the lighthouse is built on it didn't need to be as tall as many lighthouses, so the many stairs I often associate with lighthouses aren't here. Yet this lighthouse was very significant. During the era when shipping was the main form of transport the Kīlauea Point Lighthouse was critical. For many it was the first light that had been seen in the long journey down from Alaska or across from the mainland. When air replaced shipping it remained important as it could be seen for 100+ miles and form a clear direction for pilot's.

Now Kīlauea Point is primarily a nature reserve for birds, including the remarkable Great Frigatebird

Great Frigatebird

and the almost as impressive Laysan albatross  

Laysan albatross

these birds are much more slim and streamlined than their northern cousins, often called the Gooney bird given their ungainly manner of flight. 

Anini Beach

Anini Beach

The next place along the road was Anini Beach this large yellow sanded beach was filled with people sunbathing, swimming, snorkeling and surfing. As I indicated yesterday, we aren't really beach people, so after a few photos, we were soon on the move again.

Hanalei Valley 

Hanalei Valley

Now we were on the North of the island our next stop was the lookout point over the Hanalei Valley. For over a 1,000 years people have grown Taro here in Hanalei, while they have introduced rice production in the last 150 years, the Taro is still the dominant crop of the area. For centuries it was the staple diet of the people of Kaua'i and the other Hawaiian islands.

Hanalei Beach

Hanalei Beach

Our journey along the North Coast of the island continues and we find our way to Hanalei Beach. Older readers may find this beach familier, as it was the filming location of the iconic film South Pacific a film produced the year I was born. As I write I can hear some of my friends (Robin and Heather in particular) bursting into one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's songs for this film - perhaps Some Enchanted Evening or Nothing like a Dame!

Ha'ena State Park

End of the road

So, having travelled our way up and across the island we come to Ha'ena State Park and the end of the road. As I mentioned yesterday there is no circular route in Kaua'i. So we are only about ten miles from where we were yesterday, but to see beyond would need a helicopter or boat trip, neither of which we factored into our planning. 

People enjoying the cool in Ha'ena State Park

Kapa'a

Java Kai Coffee Shop

Reaching the end of the road we turned around and made the 24 mile trip back to Kapa'a. It was now 1:40pm, so after almost five hours driving and sightseeing it seemed time to stop for a coffee. We went to the Java Kai coffee shop in Kapa'a, we felt we had been transported to the surfing culture of the 60s. Expecting to be called 'dude' at any moment. Importantly though, the coffee was lovely.

Wailua Falls

Wailua Falls

Our final stop of the day was at Wailua Falls, as we turned off the main road to head towards the falls (about four miles), a Thunderstorm arrived and we were again in a torrential downpour. Not only did this mean that the road turned into a raging torrent, but that at the top the water was bouncing off the ground. Courageous Drew, working on the premise that as we had got here we had better have a photo, got out of the car and ran across the road. As you can see the rain impacted on the photo, but not as much as it impacted on Drew who was soaked when he arrived back in the car. Luckily in this climate he was dry again in about five minutes.

Overview of our island travel

On Wednesday we did 103 miles in 4 hours and 10 minutes of driving (excluding stopping time). Today, Thursday, we did 119 miles over 5 hours and 32 minutes. We really have seen a great deal of this island.

On a walking front we have been less successful than we were in San Francisco. I have been well behind my 10,000 step target each day, the driving taking its toll. For completion I give the figures for the most recent days here. Tuesday - 7,924 steps, Wednesday - 6,668 steps, Thursday - 4,637 steps. They are clearly declining each day.

Still we seem to have had a wonderful time in Kaua'i and are grateful for having been directed to the island. The accommodation has been a great help and the lovely food a pleasure too.

Dinner 

Merriman's Fish House

Tonight's restaurant, Merriman's Fish House, like those of the last two nights is only a short walk across the road and through the Shops At Kukui'ula. I had booked the restaurants in order of the furthest to the nearest and in order of the nice to the excellent. So I was really looking forward to tonight's meal - I was not disappointed.

Biscuits with Garlic Butter

On being seated in the open and airy dining room we selected our meals and were served a delicious biscuit each with a pat of garlic butter. Eating savoury scones (as we would call them in the UK) is not a usual way to start a meal, but these were light and fluffy. A great way to prepare for what was to come.

Kalua pig & sweet onion quesadilla
with House-made Kim Chee and Mango Sweet Chili Sauce 

Drew began with Kalua pig and sweet onion quesadilla with house-made Kim Chee and Mango Sweet Chili Sauce. The quesadilla was cooked perfectly, nice and warm with a strong pig flavour. The salad was very spicy and the kim chee and chilli combined perfectly to make it strong yet delicious.

Kona Lobster & Crab Cakes with Local Orange, Watercress and Salsa Verde

My starter was Kona Lobster & Crab Cakes with Local Orange, Watercress and Salsa Verde. The lobster and crab were delicately cooked in the cakes with a small amount of breadcrumb holding them together. I have had dense crab cakes in the past, but these were light and fluffy, falling apart as the entered the mouth allowing all the rich tastes of the two crustaceans to come to the fore. Excellent. The salad and fruit was a nice mix of sharp and soft accompaniment and the salsa verde was zingy.  

Hanalei Taro Enchilda - Spiced Enchilada Sauce, Chili-Garlic Broccoli,
Aged Cheddar and Garden Cilantro

Drew's main choice kept to a Mexican derived theme for the meal, with a link to our earlier visit to Hanalei. It was Hanalei Taro Enchilada - Spiced Enchilada Sauce, Chili-Garlic Broccoli, Aged Cheddar and Garden Cilantro. Drew had no idea what to expect. We had heard on the tour app that Taro was an acquired taste. In reality taro tastes like lots of root vegetables, not overly distinctive, the spicy sauce in the dish, along with the coriander (cilantro) made this a spicy enchilada and the taro formed the carbohydrate stodge of the meal, it was needed to carry the other flavours, but was not very distinctive in its own right (just like a more fibrous spud). 

Ula`ula koae with potato croquettes
and local chard in a soy ginger butter sauce.

I had the special of the day, a lovely fish dish which the waiter described with great enthusiasm. It was Ula`ula koae (also known as Onaga or Long tailed Snapper) with potato croquettes (made of mashed potatoes and Goat's cheese) served on a bed of local chard in a soy ginger butter sauce. The sauce was so rich and salty that I could have managed a big bowl of it with the chard. That being said the Onaga was soft and moist with a delicate flavour, not overpowered by its accompaniment. The fish skin was a triumph. It was so crisp I thought at first it was a crust, but it was simply the skin having been rolled in schezwan pepper and salt before being crisped. Again it could be a dish on its own it was so special in flavour. Overall I was completely enamored by the dish and was so, so happy that I had tried it. The very best of local fish and vegetables cooked to perfection - what more could I ask for. 

Lilikoi Mousse with Kula Stawberry, Macadamia Nut, Shortbread Cookie and Fresh Whipped Cream

Drew completed the meal with a Lilikoi Mousse with Kula Stawberry, Macadamia Nut, Shortbread Cookie and Fresh Whipped Cream. I'd let Drew talk about it in his own words. <<Co-pilot's dinner notes: This was a another dish which I had read, but could not guess the taste of. I knew what texture to expect, but otherwise it was going to be a complete surprise. The Lilikoi was a combination of orange and lemon, sharp with a touch of sweetness (70% lemon 30% orange). It was a very nice dessert with a runny mousse under a firm cream and the crunchy biscuit worked to hold it all together. The strawberries were lovely and fresh. I was happy.>>