Day 11: “Surfing with the dolphins!”

There’s always this bittersweet feeling on the last day in a new place. Everything we’ve done and explored seems to be coming to an end, but it’s just the beginning of a learning experience (and a larger adventure). We wanted to leave Hawai’i with a tradition that dates back over 1000 years to these islands, SURFING.

We woke up early for an 8am session out in the picturesque Hanalei Bay, on the north shore of Kaua’i.

This bay is the largest on the north shore, and though it is known for its late early afternoon tranquility, there are a few good swells that come in the early hours. There are a few waterfalls that can be seen in the mountains to the south, and their freshwater flows all the way down to meet the ocean at the westernmost part of the bay (which is where the popular surf break is). We even spotted a pod of spinner dolphins in the distance!

After a morning of surfing with some locals (shoutout to Pono and the dolphins!) on the north shore in Hanalei Bay, we made our way back east to the Kapa’a area. Check out this view of the taro fields in Hanalei Valley below! The north shore is such an awesome area with hilly terrain and lush vegetation that leads out to coastal bays with amazing sea life…such diversity.

Surfing took a ton out of us and we had worked up a serious appetite for a good burger. Everyone on the island has been recommending placing for us to try, but a place that has gotten multiple recommendations from different people is Street Burger right next to our hotel in Kapa’a. They have a ton of specialty burgers, all of which sound amazing, but the significant feature is that all of their ingredients (meat included) are locally sourced from the island of Kaua’i.

After doing our kayak tour in Day 9 that brought us along the Wailua River to the Secret Falls, we’d been hearing about a couple other waterfalls that feed this famous river (one being ‘Opeaka’a Falls and the other Wailua Falls). These falls have viewpoints that are easily accessible by car, as they are essentially viewpoints from the road. The base of these falls can be accessed, but it is our understanding that it is dangerous and illegal to do so.

After checking out the waterfalls, we wanted to try some local ice cream before we left Kaua’i.

After checking out the waterfalls, we wanted to try some local ice cream before we left the island. Lappert’s Ice Cream is well known around the island, and we were dying to try it, but the stars did not align this time. We were close to Skinny Mike’s Ice Cream, and it definitely did not disappoint! A scoop of local macadamia nut ice cream and pineapple cream ice cream will brighten any day!

Since we’ve been on the island, we’ve really recognized the cultural influence of various Pacific Island nations (the Philippines being one of the major ones). We’ve really wanted to try one of the many Filipino restaurants here, particularly because of the heavy influence of Filipino culture here in Hawai’i. We stopped at Mama Lucy’s for an early dinner and got enough pancit and BBQ skewers for the entire ohana (two staple dishes in the Filipino culture)!

After a nice dinner with the ohana, it was time for all of us to head back to Līhuʻe Airport for our flight back to the mainland. As sad as it is to leave Hawai’i, we know we’ll be back. We planned a long layover in Seattle tomorrow for a little mini-vacation. This is the first time we’re utilizing a layover to adventure around a city, so make sure to stay posted.