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Up early again but we headed out to shop and have lunch before our Fern Grotto tour. We had a little while before our tour and stopped to do some shopping. It was great until Betty decided to walk off. Seems to be a more and more common problem. If I had not noticed we would have been looking for a while to find her  The Smiths Grotto tour was nice. After a short wait we were guided to our boat for the trip up the river to the grotto. We were serenaded by musicians as we loaded. We had some beautiful views on our way up the river. This is the Only Navigable River In Hawaii. At the grotto ( the Hawaiian wedding song) and on the return trip which included hula “lessons”. The Smith family started the tours back in 1946 with just a small boat but grew over the years to have boats that could carry more than 100 at a time. With 7 boats, they were at one time very busy. They may not need more than one operating now because of the change to the grotto. Our boat only carried 30. I remember when we kayaked up the river during our 25th anniversary trip that the boats looked full and several were in use at one time. It was a bit disappointing as we are not allowed up close to the ferns or the cave. In 2006 part of the wall fell taking many of the ferns with it. This caused the State to put restrictions for safety. Now there is a platform that limits how close we can get but with so few ferns left it was a let down over old photos of the grotto. If we had gone on this tour during our 25th wedding anniversary trip, we would have seen the grotto closeup and with many more ferns and been able to walk up under them. On our return trip out guide pointed out and spoke on filming locations in the area. Most recently all of the river scenes in Disney's Jungle Cruise movie were filmed here. In the opening of Fantasy Island, the TV show, the falls were shown. Some scenes from Elvis Presley's Blue Hawaii. South Pacific river and jungle scenes. Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark running through the reeds and swinging out to a float plane were filmed here. When we came on our 25th anniversary we could still see the rigging used for him to swing out with.  Back at the condo to rest and plan for our beach trip tomorrow but we had a scare as Betty decided she did not need to hold the hand railing to the condo and fell backward onto Shawna. Both seem to be ok but it was scary.
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The roosters woke us about 4am but quieted down by 6am.  Most of the day relaxing other than going to the pool for time in the hot tub and pool swim. For part of the time, we got a sprinkle of rain. Late in the afternoon, we went back to the pool for free Mai Tai's. Gave us a chance to talk with other owners. I headed down to Chicken in a Barrel in Hanalei bay to get BBQ chicken, beef, pork, and ribs. $50 for two plates and a required 10% tip. The plates were piled up and we did get two meals out of purchase so not that bad.  Up early not only because our internal clocks are a mess but the roosters were crowing soon after 5am. The condo supplies really REALLY GOOD coffee. We only got one 10 cup pack but it was Kauai 100% Hawaiian coffee. Fantastic! We stepped out of the condo and on the sidewalk were several huge land snails. After breakfast, we headed out for Waimea canyon. This will be our longest driving day of the trip and will be over 120 miles and 4 hours. We will climb up over 3000 feet on a ridiculously curvy road with lots of hairpin curves. There is lots of construction on the road. We chose Sunday instead of any other day as there would not be any crews working. The views were spectacular and then we headed down. Shawna found a place where we could get tacos in Waimea Village. Next stop the Kauai Coffee company to drink some samples and get a bag of fresh ground coffee for the week.  Going to Walmart for a few things. They have the 10 oz bag of 100% Kauai Coffee for $16 per bag. At home it is $18 to order plus $7 shipping but it is only 10% Kauai. It is good coffee but nothing like 100%.
Back to the condo for a nap. The drive back will take almost an hour with all the construction. For dinner, I went out to pick up pizza. The pizza shop is in a hotel and the parking lot was almost full. I had to park a good way from the building and of course as soon as I started from the car it started raining. I was pretty much soaked by the time I reached the pizza shop. $45 for an extra large pizza. Prices are crazy in Hawaii. A gallon of regular gas is $5. Today, we fly from Phoenix to Lihue. It was a bit of a long flight but the time passes pretty quickly. Getting up at 5am Saturday morning, we headed out to the airport from our hotel. Our flight to Hawaii would have no food service so we picked up sandwiches Friday night to carry on the plane. Almost 7 hours later, we landed in Honolulu to change planes to Kauai. As soon as we walked into the airport, we were hit with warm humid air. What a change from Phoenix. There we had a long wait for our rental and then a 1 hour drive to the condo in Princeville. We are staying at the Makai Club condos. The same ones that Betty and Tommy first stayed in, and the ones we used for our 25th anniversary. These are divided into two suites of a large bedroom, changing/closet, and large bathroom with a double walk in shower. Between is a full kitchen, laundry room, living room, dining area, and back deck with a view of the golf course. They are still very nice. The views from the condo are really nice. Kauai is the garden island. The Nene were frequently around the porch. It is a type of goose only found in Hawaii but similar to the Canada Goose. After settling in, we went to dinner at Tiki Iniki. They have very good food, and we took some food back to the condo. Next to the local grocery to get something for breakfast, then back to the condo and off to bed. We are exhausted.
Our trip to Hawaii this time will take a bit of a detour. We will fly first to Phoenix to visit with Anthony's Family before flying on to Hawaii. The flight was interesting getting our luggage even more so. Baggage handlers were not on strike or anything just disorganized.
After a few days visiting family, we flew on to Hawaii. We will be in Hawaii and specifically Kauai island for the week. |
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December 2025
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