Photo/Video Journal Sept 25-Oct 3 (Kauai and Maui)
Day 1 - Kauai
With our Covid vaccination cards, Travel.Hawaii.Gov QR codes, and a detailed itinerary provided by Audley Travel my mom and I flew out of PDX around 11 am to Kauai, with a brief layover in Seattle. We had been planning this trip for 18 months and we had originally planned a trip to Nepal. But, with travel to the area opening and closing from week to week and the added stress of traveling to such a remote place we decided to make it easier and changed our destination to Hawaii. I had never been, and she had only been once before.
I had always thought of Hawaii as an over-rated place for rich tourists who didn’t want any adventure and that it was too expensive and not worth the hype. I am very glad I did not continue to have this bias as we planned our trip and made our way to the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii was very expensive and I am lucky to have someone that was willing to bring me along on a trip that I would have had to go into debt to afford. It was a beautiful place and there were plenty of adventures to be had. It was a beautiful place to photograph and document with video.
Thank you to my mom, Karen, for inviting me and allowing me to experience such a beautiful place with you.
The following is an account of our trip via photos, video, and written exposition.
The first four days we spent at the Kauai Beach Resort and the last four days we stayed at the Royal Lahaina Resort in Maui.
Day 2 - Kauai
After getting comfortable at the Kauai Beach Resort we headed out for a private guided tour on a remote hiking path up a mountain. We met Meghan at 'Opaeka'a Falls (Pictured Below) and then she took us to a trailhead where she explained to us the geography of the area we were traveling to and also talked to us about local culture, customs, and plant life. She was an amazing guide and got along with us very well. She and my mom had a lot in common and they talked about the history and culture of Hawaii the whole time. While they chatted I mostly took pictures and video. The area was lush and green and very wet. I was impressed with our guide’s honesty and openness and it made the hike very comfortable.
Day 3 - Kauai
On day three we had the day to ourselves and so we rented a car on Turo and set off to the west side of the island. Only an hour and a half later and we had pretty much reached the end of the road. Kauai is really small. We stopped in Hanalei Bay and checked out the beautiful beach and found a red-crested cardinal (pictured below).
Right next to Hanalei Bay is a small nature preserve that contained mostly birds and we drove through it but found it to be quite small and uneventful. I did get a few good shots of the White Egret and Nene (pictured below). After this, we took a long drive up a winding road toward Waimea Canyon. Our guide from the day before had recommended that we check it out and it was completely worth it. It is called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific because it is massive and awesome (pictured below).
Day 4 - Kauai
On our last full day in Kauai, we got on a 60-foot catamaran for 6 hours of sailing, sightseeing the Na Pali coastline, and snorkeling. I had never really snorkelled before but I love to swim and I assumed it would be an easy enough thing to attempt but I found it to be overwhelmingly difficult and almost had a panic attack in the choppy ocean. We had barely been out of the harbor when we stopped to snorkel and after a brief safety lesson, they handed us our gear and people eagerly jumped off the boat and into the deep water.
How hard could it be? You put your face in the water and breath through your mouth. Well, as I attempted to do just that I found that it was difficult enough just treading water in the ocean. What seemed like small waves from the boat seemed to tower over me and crash into me as I bobbed and wiggled my limbs. When I tried to breathe through the snorkel and I found that I was taking short and frantic breaths and I started to panic. I tried again but realized, as I stared into the darkness of the deep ocean water beneath me, that I needed to get out.
I handed the crew my goggles and snorkel and after a few moments of extreme embarrassment, I decided to take a water noodle and just hang out in the water. This was much more enjoyable as the noddle helped me stay afloat but it was still choppy and so I called it a day. My ego was waterlogged and I felt stupid. I have swum in lakes, and rivers, and pools my whole life but this experience made me feel like a child again. It put a damper on the whole experience and unfortunately I took it out on my mom. I had a bad attitude and barely talked the rest of the trip. Even while watching a baby dolphin perform acrobatics for us I was only slightly enthralled. Even during the breathtaking sights of the Na Pali coast, I could barely enjoy it. I was full of anxiety and self-consciousness and felt very out of place.
After we returned to our hotel room my mom brought up my piss poor mood and I tried to explain myself and I hope I apologized. We had a great conversation and from then on I made an effort to not be so self-conscious, egotistical, and to accept who I am and who my mom is. I told myself to be honest, live in the moment, and accept myself regardless of how I think people might see me. This helped and the rest of the trip went very well.
Day 5 - Flight to Maui
This day was mostly just traveling to Maui via Hawaiian Air which was a very cool flight. We flew over Kauai, Honolulu, and over a few other small islands. We never got up very high and it was great to see the islands from above. We got our next rental car and traveled 45 minutes to the Royal Lahaina Resort. It took a little extra time as there was a car accident on the highway but we watched some Brooklyn 99 in the car to pass the time. The resort sits right on the beach and our balcony provided an amazing view of the ocean and the small island called Molokai. We could see the sunset each night.
Day 6 - Maui
One of the popular things to do in Maui is to drive the road to Hana. We didn’t do that. Instead, we found a really cool state park called Iao Valley Monument. It is out of the way, up a path that goes through the residential area of central Maui. The park is somewhat small and it was covered in clouds the entire time we were there but it was lush with jungle rain forest plants and had majestic geological formations. The mountain cliffs and main spire, where the park gets its name, were beautiful in the wet fog and we enjoyed walking the short paths by the river.
After that, we googled what beaches were good for looking at seashells and the Google told us to try Balwin Beach which was conveniently right near where we already were. At Baldwin beach, my mom searched for seashells and agates and I walked around looking for photo and video opportunities. I started back toward the car when I saw my mom waving at me to come to where she was on the beach. I assumed it was some shiny thing she had found and was not enthused but when I got closer I saw what she was so excited about. Just behind a beached log were two very large, and very old-looking sea turtles laying in the sand taking their naps. This was very cool and made the stop at the beach that much more memorable.
After stopping for a quick bite were headed up the road toward the nearest waterfall. This turned out to be a roaring rapid of churning brown water called Twin Falls. It was just a short hike down a path from the road and offered a nice place to end the day’s outing.
Also, I swam in the ocean at the beach at the resort and it was very enjoyable.
Day 7 - Maui
We wanted to travel to the east of our hotel and so we set off down the narrow highway to find a place called Dragon’s Teeth which is a geological feature along the inside wall of the small bay along the eastern shores of Maui. To get there you go past a luxurious and expensive golf course that is surrounded by equally luxurious mansions. The whole place looked expensive. It was a beautiful day and a cool place to explore.
After that, we decided to continue up the road to check out some additional spots on the map but as we made our way along the narrow winding road we couldn’t find very much. It seemed that we had passed all of the spots so we turned around and found a spot where people were parked along the road. We decided to stop and check it out. After making our way down a lovely jungle path littered with lush greenery and wild chickens we found a beautiful cove that where people were snorkeling, swimming, and a few boats had stopped in the bay.
There were a lot of rules. One rule was to not use spray sunblock and I caught a lady on my phone spraying herself very near the sign saying not to (pictured below). There were also a lot of chickens and we saw a baby chick and some adolescent chickens as well. Chickens can be quite beautiful. I also found a mongoose in a cage just sitting by a van just up from the water. It seemed to be wild and caught to protect the chickens or the people who lived there. I am not sure. It wasn’t happy, that is certain.
Then, we spent the evening at the resort and watched the sunset from the beach. I wanted to get a shot of a small red-billed bird that was around the hotel but I never did get that shot.
Day 8 - Maui
Day eight offered me an opportunity to redeem myself after such a poor experience on the catamaran in Kauai. On this day were had scheduled another tour on another catamaran, with snorkeling and all. I was determined to enjoy myself whether I decided to get into the water or not. The night before my mom and I watched a video about snorkeling and it seemed doable, so when we got to our first spot to snorkel I tried it again. It helped that the water at Molokini Creater was clear, shallow, and barely moving. It was a perfect place to practice and it was probably the highlight of the entire trip for me. Once I was comfortable with the breathing aspect of snorkeling I had no trouble at all. Being able to look down at the coral reef, with all its life and intrigue, was very exciting and I frantically looked around for interesting things to point my GoPro at. People were talking about octopuses and eels and I would try to get to them but while I never saw an octopus I did see a massive eel (pictured below). I couldn’t get enough.
After about an hour of snorkeling, we moved onto our next stopping spot, where we might be able to swim with some sea turtles. I got in the water again and it was much deeper, darker, and choppier but I was comfortable enough to snorkel for a little while. This part of the ocean had less to see but the underwater ridges and geology were very interesting. My mask started to fill with water and I started to get tired so I headed back and spent the rest of the trip on the boat. A couple of more experienced snorkelers said they saw a sea turtle but I didn’t see any while I swam. The entire boat ride was very relaxed and much more fun than my previous experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better last day in Maui.
Day 9 - Flight Back to Portland
At 6 am we headed for the airport and watched the sunrise over the hills as we drove. The flight to San Francisco was about five hours where we had dinner and waited for the final flight to Portland. A few hours later we were back at my apartment, eating Taco Bell, and watching more Brooklyn 99. It was after 9 pm when we arrived in Portland as we lost three hours due to timezone changes so it was a weirdly full day.
I am very grateful and appreciative of my mom, the travel agent Nick, travel agency Audley Travels, our guide Meghan and all the captains, crew, waiters, attendants, chefs, hotel staff, and everyone else that I interacted with directly or indirectly during my trip. It all went very smoothly and I don’t remember a rude person or a bad customer service experience. It was all wonderful.
