The Garden Isle of Kauai

As some of you may already know, I've been gone for a little while on vacation. Thank you for your patience and understanding with the few delays I had getting some of the tutorials out to you. There was a 6 hour time difference from home and sometimes internet service just wasn't there. Now I am home, and playing catch up around the house. I'm sure not complaining though!

I feel so fortunate and very blessed to have spent three amazing weeks with my husband visiting Hawaii to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. (Our real anniversary is actually not until August...but figured we would appreciate getting away more during our cold Michigan winter) The Hawaiian people are so friendly...we learned so much about Hawaiian culture, great spots to eat and beautiful places to visit while we were there. I must say, there is certainly no shortage of gorgeous places to see on all three of the islands we visited!

The first week of our vacation was spent on the island of Kauai, in the town of Princeville. My husbands brother and his wife joined us for this week. We enjoyed many mornings walking on the beach at sunrise with our coffee...and of course my camera was always with me to capture memories in the making!

I took over 4000 photos during the three weeks we were there! I couldn't help it! In each direction I looked there was a beautiful postcard view! Don't worry, I won't be sharing them all here, but I thought you may enjoy seeing a select few from each island. So today's posting are some favorite photos from the island of Kauai. Here's another gorgeous sunrise at Hanalei Bay.

Rising before sunrise is no problem on Kauai, we didn't even need an alarm clock thanks to these guys, jokingly refered to as the state bird. After a hurricane in '92 destroyed many chicken coops these guys were set free to roam where they choose with no real predators on the island.

We visited so many different beaches while we were there, and one of my favorites had to be Polihale Beach.

This is the last beach on the west side of the Napali Coast. The road getting there was memorable...an unmarked sugarcane road which was dirt & rock and really bumpy, but so glad we found it because this beach with miles of gorgeous sandy beach was simply breathtaking. It was recently just voted the world's best secluded beach by Travel & Leisure...and I can see why! If you continue on east along the shore line you would encounter the unbelievable beauty of the Napali Coast...

The red rock mountain sides covered in moss and trees, with many waterfalls, sea caves and crystal clear turquoise water is simply magnificent! The only way to see the Napali Coast is by boat, air or hiking the often treacherous 11 mile Kalalau Trail.

We opted to see it by boat! We went out with Captain Andy for their Sunset Dinner Cruise. It was one of the highlights of the trip for me. Here we are (L to R) BIL, SIL, me & hubby.

December thru May is the best time to see Humpback Whales in Hawaii. It is this time of year that they make their way from Alaska to the warmer waters of Hawaii to give birth,. We were lucky to see many whales throughout the duration of our trip. We saw quite a few that evening while out on the boat. It sure is an amazing sight to witness these 40+ ton creatures propel themselves out of the water...they make quite a splash! Here is one that we saw that night.

In the center of the island, backing up to the Napali Coast is the breathtaking Waimea Canyon, also known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific". We got there mid day and the clouds had already made for a hazy view...but still just incredible! 

Another memorable day was spent kayaking down the Wailua River. Calm waters with beautiful scenery. We parked our canoes and hiked some trails in to have a picnic lunch and swim at Uluwehi Falls or "Secret Falls".

It was very beautiful but very cold!

We ate so much delicious pineapple and tried some other exotic fruits while we were there. Cannot remember now what the red fruit was called but after peeling away the soft, spiny skin it had the texture and taste of a large, kind of sour grape.

Everywhere there were so many gorgeous flowers...even garnishing our food and drinks...what a treat! The hibiscus is one of my favorite. Isn't this color lovely? 

The Kilauea Lighthouse offered another spectacular view. That morning we saw a female whale and her calf frollicking in the bay right there.

We did a lot of hiking down rocky trails and carefully climbing up and down large rocks to get out onto cliffs near the sea to enjoy views like this one near the Queen's Bath.

and these petrified cliffs and sand dunes along the Mahaulepu Trails. We never knew what we were going to see, but always knew we would be rewarded with an amazing view for our efforts.  

One of the best surprises we came along one day was this guy (or gal?)...isn't he/she cute!?

Sadly, the Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world. They come ashore after a long night of fishing to rest and bask in the sun.

I was so glad we got to see one again during this trip. We spent some time in Kauai only five years ago and saw several on that trip. I hope that doesn't mean that their numbers have diminished that rapidly since our last visit.

Aloha until next post! Check back if you would like to see some scenes captured on Maui. 

In stamping news...I do have a few more of my Butterfly Basics Watercolor Kits available that I can send out beginning of next week. Check this post for more info and contact me to receive a paypal invoice for this kit.