Our last full day in Kauai was magical. We woke up before the sun and saw the most beautiful sunrise. Man, I miss seeing those Hawaiin sunrises. I think it is funny how at home we wake up before the sun all the time and get going on our day. We even see the sunrise and notice that it is pretty, but it just isn't the same as in Kauai. I think it helps to not be as pressed for the time. Also, just watching it get lighter and lighter over the jungle is all kinds of magic. Definitely hits different than noticing it while trying to get our kids up for school or before going to basement to workout.
After a leisurely morning getting things ready for our day, we headed to a viewpoint that we had passed but hadn't stopped at yet. The Hanalei Valley overlook was simply stunning.
Looks like something out of a movie. So picturesque.
After the lookout we stopped by a mostly closed shopping center to catch a bakery for malasadas. We actually had to wait for them to open. I can't believe how hard these were to find. We didn't realize that they were a breakfast/morning item, which is why we couldn't ever find them in the evening. It was worth the hunt though. They were like a doughnut but more dense and chewy. So so yummy!
We headed to Tunnels Beach just a little down the road to enjoy the malasadas. This is a popular beach where we kind of had to hike to get to a better snorkeling spot. I feel so lucky that John looked into things so thoroughly so we new we needed to hit this beach early in the day to get a parking spot.
There is a cool sea cave across from the beach. It was so much deeper than I thought it would be. I think I have vague memories of this cave from when I went to Kauai as a kid.
Off shoot tunnel that we had to crawl to go into.
After exploring the cave and enjoying our treat, we hiked down the beach to a good spot. This was such a fun morning. The little girls really loved playing in the sand. We found a cute beach swing. We enjoyed snorkeling over the huge reef. It got a little exciting when we got over a section of reef that was so high that it took real effort to not touch while we were snorkeling.
Those green mountains--are you kidding me?
She worked so hard on this sand castle.
Many many rounds of "Ring around the Otter."
I love how we never got cold because of the wet suits. The sun protection is equally as cool.
Just a seal chilling on the sand.
We grabbed some treats from a food truck--fruit smoothies and coconut shrimp. So yummy!
Next up was driving to Ha’ena State Park. This was such a highlight of the trip. I was so glad that John researched this trip so thoroughly. It was definitely something we couldn't have done without a lot of planning. Tourists allowed in the park are very limited, which adds so much magic to the experience of being there, but also made it so we had to be on our game to be able to go. John got up several days in a row at 4am (midnight Hawaii time) to try to click reserve as fast as possible. I am so glad it eventually worked. I think it is funny that the way they frame it is that you are reserving the parking spot. If we couldn't have gotten a parking spot we could have tried for a spot on the shuttle, which would have been several times more money, and we would have had to carry all of our stuff.
The view from the coveted parking lot, which wasn't actually full.
It was a bit of a walk to the beach and to the start of the hikes. We ended up making this trip several times to exchange items. So grateful we didn't have to carry everything initially. We just couldn't have done everything we wanted to.
We made it to the start of the hike. I know I said this about every hike this trip, but I really think this one was my new favorite hike. :)
I love having Darcy on my back.
We hiked in our swim suit coverups, but there were some legit hikers that passed us with their overnight gear. Sounds kind of fun, but also, totally impossible with our crew. It was a funny juxtaposition.
I feel like this whole hike was just Kauai showing off.
We almost turned around at the first lookout, but I am so glad we didn't I think everyone else is glad we didn't turn around too, even if I kind of had to bully them in to hiking farther. It was so windy on that outcropping, and pretty high off the water. Hiking in that humidity was no joke. The breeze was nice when we could feel it.
Holland, wait for us!
Is this even real? It looks like something out of a movie. It probably is in a movie. We only went beyond this second lookout for a little while. I liked this lookout even better than the first--so glad we kept going.
We went off trail just a little.
The walking sticks were actually pretty helpful even though this hike wasn't as muddy.
Holland caught a ride for part of the way back.
A corn plant in the wild.
Miriam collected this gorgeous bouquet for me.
After our hike we switched gears and went to explore a beautiful beach. We decided to stay to watch the sunset, and it was stunning. It was also one of our best experiences snorkeling, which is nice to our trip on. We brought a picnic dinner, and just enjoyed our later afternoon and evening. It was delightful. We didn't wait until pitch black to head back to the rental car, but it felt like that on the walk back to the car. It always takes longer than you'd think to gather up all the beach stuff, rinse everything off, and get to the car. That jungle walk from the beach to parking lot was so dark! Thank heavens for phone lights. One fun aspect of going at night though was that there were so many frogs that came out. We were trying to avoid stepping on them. It was wild!
I love seeing my girls play together.
Our last Hawaiian sunrise and then we packed up and headed to the airport. It was lovely. One fun aspect of the fight home was that the route took us right over Oahu, and shortly after we could see Maui and even the big island. It was super fun to see them all in such a short time. Airplanes truly are a marvel.
Oh hi, Oahu!
I think you can see Maui on the right and the big island on the left. It was way easier to tell in person.
The next morning was pretty rough. I think I got Holland to school at 10am which was 6am Hawaii time, so not so bad.
So much unpacking to do!
We all had to get a little Hawaiian gear. Holland wore her dress to school that day with the hibiscus flower in her hair. She's so adorable! Of course, Darcy had to wear her matching one too.
I feel so incredibly lucky to have been able to go on this trip. It was right on the heals of my mom's death, and I needed it. It was maybe one of our best trips ever. I loved it so much. I am so grateful to be in a position to do these kinds of things. And I hope John felt celebrated on this big milestone in his life. We love him more than we can say.
After a leisurely morning getting things ready for our day, we headed to a viewpoint that we had passed but hadn't stopped at yet. The Hanalei Valley overlook was simply stunning.
After the lookout we stopped by a mostly closed shopping center to catch a bakery for malasadas. We actually had to wait for them to open. I can't believe how hard these were to find. We didn't realize that they were a breakfast/morning item, which is why we couldn't ever find them in the evening. It was worth the hunt though. They were like a doughnut but more dense and chewy. So so yummy!
We headed to Tunnels Beach just a little down the road to enjoy the malasadas. This is a popular beach where we kind of had to hike to get to a better snorkeling spot. I feel so lucky that John looked into things so thoroughly so we new we needed to hit this beach early in the day to get a parking spot. 
There is a cool sea cave across from the beach. It was so much deeper than I thought it would be. I think I have vague memories of this cave from when I went to Kauai as a kid. 
After exploring the cave and enjoying our treat, we hiked down the beach to a good spot. This was such a fun morning. The little girls really loved playing in the sand. We found a cute beach swing. We enjoyed snorkeling over the huge reef. It got a little exciting when we got over a section of reef that was so high that it took real effort to not touch while we were snorkeling. 
Next up was driving to Ha’ena State Park. This was such a highlight of the trip. I was so glad that John researched this trip so thoroughly. It was definitely something we couldn't have done without a lot of planning. Tourists allowed in the park are very limited, which adds so much magic to the experience of being there, but also made it so we had to be on our game to be able to go. John got up several days in a row at 4am (midnight Hawaii time) to try to click reserve as fast as possible. I am so glad it eventually worked. I think it is funny that the way they frame it is that you are reserving the parking spot. If we couldn't have gotten a parking spot we could have tried for a spot on the shuttle, which would have been several times more money, and we would have had to carry all of our stuff. 
We almost turned around at the first lookout, but I am so glad we didn't I think everyone else is glad we didn't turn around too, even if I kind of had to bully them in to hiking farther. It was so windy on that outcropping, and pretty high off the water. Hiking in that humidity was no joke. The breeze was nice when we could feel it.
Our last Hawaiian sunrise and then we packed up and headed to the airport. It was lovely. One fun aspect of the fight home was that the route took us right over Oahu, and shortly after we could see Maui and even the big island. It was super fun to see them all in such a short time. Airplanes truly are a marvel. 
The next morning was pretty rough. I think I got Holland to school at 10am which was 6am Hawaii time, so not so bad. 
We all had to get a little Hawaiian gear. Holland wore her dress to school that day with the hibiscus flower in her hair. She's so adorable! Of course, Darcy had to wear her matching one too. 
