A morning on the water and an afternoon on the couch

On Monday, when Brett and I went to the 'activities familiarisation session' (yes, very Love Boat) we won a two for one voucher for a kayak and snorkel excursion.  it was too good an opportunity to turn down, so we split as a 3 for 2 and Dan joined us too.

It was an early start and Kathy dropped us down at Hanalei Bay, before she headed off with Josie on a tour through an organic cocoa and exotic fruit farm.

We got kitted up and introduced to Gabe and Kalani - a couple of guys who had been born and grew up here, so were not only really competent but also really passionate and knowledgeable about the island and its history.  

Off we went down the Hanalei River, which was as smooth as a millpond, with Brett and me in a double kayak and Dan in a single.  We stopped in the river for a history and landscape lesson, then on down to the river mouth.  Here we could really clearly see the landscape that inspired the song Puff the Magic Dragon.  When the waves are big enough to crash into the 'nose', it looks like stream coming from its nostrils.  One of the guys on the tour actually knew the songwriter and apparently it really was written about a boy with a big imagination in the 'land of Hanalei' and he was really gutted that the druggie spin was attached to the song.

Off we went into the sea, rounding the point past the St Regis beach where we swam yesterday.  It was hard work into a head wind for some of the way, but well worth it when we arrived at a sheltered little beach with a great reef immediately off the beach.  After a few tips, a lesson on reef ecology and some fish identification, we headed off snorkeling over the reef.  We really wanted to see turtles, so had to head out a long way to where the reef drops off but it was SO worth the effort, as all 3 of us managed to spot and swim along with a turtle at some point.  It is way cool.

Before you knew it, an hour had gone by and it was time to head back to the beach for a picnic lunch before hopping back into the kayaks for the return journey.  It was a fantastic morning, but we were all knackered and fell asleep for an afternoon nap back at the resort.

On waking we moseyed up to the pool.  The James were playing tennis, but we got a beer from the tennis pro shop and propped under a pool umbrella for a chillax.  The Taco truck came by at dinner time, so we had fresh fish tacos for dinner by the pool - yes, it is as good as it sounds - and once it was dark we returned to the condo for a game of cards.

Sadly, it our Kauai stay is all over now, we're back to the airport in the morning to return to Honolulu.  If we had known what a paradise it was here, we would maybe have switched the stay lengths around a bit, but que cera.  We will just have to come back .again for more.  Mahalo and aloha Kauai