Honeymoon Day 7, Kauai's East & North Coasts

This was probably my favorite day in Kauai. We had seen the Napali Coast from the water and it was wonderful. Now it was time to explore the east and north sides of the island. We stayed in Lihue which is located about 1 hour from the north shore of Kauai. We started the drive and soon after we started to see all the beautiful beaches on the East coast. We could not resist to stop for pictures. The water was very strong in some beaches and in those we stayed away from the water. I'm not afraid of the ocean, but I'm used to the flat water in Florida. When I see huge waves, I stay away. Plus my uncle broke his clavicle while vacationing in Hawaii, so I respect the waves and shore breaks even more. We used our map to drive around the island and found the most beautiful beaches. I saw a post card with Bali Hai beach on it, and I wanted to see it more than any other beach in the island. I am a beach person and I also love the mountains, so if you have a beach with a mountain in it that is my idea of a perfect beach. This happens very often in Kauai. Get ready for lots of pictures!!

We took route 56 towards Princeville. The first beach that we stopped was Kealia Beach. The water was very strong and there was a sign for no swimming. We only stopped for a few minutes to take pictures and walk around.

We later made a turn off the main highway towards a beach in the map marked as a beach that appeared in six days and seven nights. I don't remember the movie, but I was curious. We had to walk a small trail to get to the beach. We were hoping to see some Hawaiian Monk Seals since there was a sign for them.

Can I live in that house?

Kilauea Lighthouse is also the location of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, a sanctuary for seabirds. The entrance fee is $5 per person. From December to May this is supposed to be a good lookout for whales.

Andre looking at Secret Beach

We continued our drive towards Bali Hai. We stopped at Hanalei Bay, another perfect beach along the way.

We also stopped at Lumahai Beach is located right after Hanalei Bay. This was beautiful because there was a river that met the ocean here and the sand was different from all the other beaches along the north-east coast. This was probably the widest beach that we saw that day. I later read that because of the currents, shore breaks, and waves this is one of the most dangerous beaches on Kauai. I also read that during the summer is calm enough for swimming. I visited during the summer and it was not OK to swim here, except on the river side. This beach was full of roosters, like most of the other beaches in Kauai.

Kauai's notorious resident

River

Close up of the darker sand

We stopped for lunch at the Princeville Center. We walked around the food court and saw a Mexican restaurant, Federicos. They have natural chicken and beef and use organic produce. We decided to have some tacos from there. They were probably the best tacos I've ever had. The owner is Mexican and she gave us directions to Bali Hai. It turns out it is not in the map because you need to find Tunnels beach not Bali Hai. We shopped for some t-shirts at Live a little. This was a great store with tons of good quality souvenir shirts.

After lunch, we drove towards Tunnels Beach. This is a popular beach for snorkeling, but I was just looking for the post card perfect scenery. This was the only beach where we could swim for a bit. When you visit Hawaii make sure that you know how the currents are. During the summer months and winter months the strong waves switch between the south and north shores.

The tunnel

Inside the tunnel

The mountain on the far right is the one in all the "Bali Hai" postcards

While we were walking towards Haena Beach, located west of the tunnels, we found a monk!!! I could not stop looking at him. 

Finally a Hawaiian Monk Seal

On our way back, we could not resist to take more pictures of the monk.

Finally opened his eyes

I love Hello Kitty and this towel that I got in ABC

The last beach that we visited was Kee Beach. This is the end of the north shore. Kee Beach is the beginning of the famous Kalalau Trail that leads into the Napali Coast.

On our way back, we wanted to go stop by the Wailua Falls, but it was already late and dark. The next day was our last half day in Kauai and we had plans to see the island from the air.