A Shaka to the System
“Hang loose,” “Right on,” “Thank you,” “Things are great,” “Take it easy” – in Hawaii, the shaka sign expresses all these friendly messages and more.
Michael demonstrating the shaka. Tracey, this “Thank you” shaka is for YOU!
When we landed in Kaua’i on Monday, we had to quickly embrace the shaka! This week has been a downshift from a very busy last 12 months and a very intense last 12 days. Thankfully, Annie’s dad is now out of the hospital and recovering. Thanks to Annie’s sister Tracey, we were able to keep our travel plans.
Beautiful sunset on the first night.
A few fun facts about Kaua’i:
- Kaua’i is the third largest Hawaiian island.
- Its nickname is The Garden Isle.
- Only 10 percent of the Island is accessible by road.
- Over 70 movies have been shot on Kaua’i.
Thanks to a pro tip from our friend Shawn (thank you, Shawn!), we downloaded the Shaka Guide (you can find it in the app store) and spent the next few days letting the Shaka Guide us (see what we did there?). Below are just a few of our stops. Oh and one other fun and VERY IMPORTANT fact: If you are coming to Kaua’i, plan to rent your own car and be sure to book all tours and entrance fees to parks, etc…in advance. We didn’t know about the “book in advance” part and missed out on a few things – but, we also saw a lot in just a few short days.
Remember Gilligan’s Island? Moloa’a Beach is where the first season was filmed! Ginger or Maryann?
At the end of a scenic peninsula known as Kilauea Point, you can see the historic Kilauea Lighthouse that used to guide trading ships from Asia into the area. (you need an advance reservation to take a tour, so we saw this from afar – still beautiful)
As you drive to Hanalei, there’s a scenic area where you can see a patchwork of taro fields in the valley.
We are staying in Poipu beach at the Ko’a Kea Resort. We’d definitely recommend staying here. The staff is excellent and the food is great. But the best part are these Green Hawaiian Sea Turtles and Hawaiian Monk Seals that rest on the beach just a short walk from the property. They are very protected and we loved seeing them from a safe distance.
These turtles range from 25-45 years old. The bigger turtles are the older ones. The mostly rest at night – from sundown to sun rise.
The seals are the opposite - they rest during the day and go back into the water at night to feed.
In our first post about this trip, we said, “Life is short. Take the trip.” We felt the “Life is short” part intensely today when we heard that our friend Mark Yakota passed away. He was one of the kindest, smartest, sweetest human beings on the planet. True story – right after we got the news, Annie saw this incredible rainbow. We hope this brings some light and peace to those of you who knew him. We’ll be back with more DearBurglar soon.
