On one of the days of our trip, we decided to take a kayaking trip along the Wailua river. We rented the equipment and got ourselves a tour guide from Wailua River Kayak Adventures (Tel:822-5795). From there, were headed down river at a fairly leisurely pace, taking in the scenery and the warm summer air. The river narrows and becomes unnavigable several miles downstream from the launch point, and from there, the kayaks are tied up and the hike begins. (Unfortunately, our camera isn't waterproof, and we didn't dare take it out while on the water... the photos you'll see on this page were taken once the hike began.)
A word of caution: Rocks in the middle of a stream are very slippery. It took a couple minutes to pose for this shot, because there was no quick way out midstream without risking a broken neck or worse.
Time to take the plunge! Glad you can't see our teeth chattering in this photo... the water was COLD!!
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Along the trail, there are a number of things to see, including examples of native plants, the remains of an ancient Hawaiian village, and, as is required by law every fifty feet on the island of Kauai, great photo opportunities.
Oh, yeah, by the way... if you choose to take the opportunity to do this, bring along some good bug spray -- there are a lot of calm, shallow pools along the river, and the small springs and streams which feed the river create little boggy patches here and there, perfect breeding grounds for mosquitos. You were warned...
One of two waterfalls which can be reached during the hike, and a great opportunity to take a swim, since you're wearing swimsuits anyway. Be forewarned, however, that the streams which feed this waterfall don't come from hot springs -- your body will have gotten used to 80 degree air temperature, and the water is considerably below that.
After a hot afternoon of kayaking, however, there's still nothing like a brief dip into a cold pool of clear, clean water... followed by a brief rest to warm up, a drink, a snack and a liberal re-application of bug spray. Dried mango and DEET... the outdoorsman's treat.
We were also lucky enough to spot the last tourist ferry heading away from Fern Grotto, a small cave naturally decorated with hundreds of hanging ferns, used by the ancient Polynesians as a ceremonial amphitheater of sorts. This is a very rare photo of Fern Grotto when it isn't packed with a hundred tourists at one time... take a good look; you probably won't see it again. *grin*
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