RVentures with Doug and Chris: Kauai, Hawaii: Take A Stroll Through The Garden Island

Waves crash against rocky cliffs and rush up the sandy beaches of its coastline. Lush green rainforests blanket its rolling landscape. A deep canyon cuts through its central mountains. As we arrived on our second Hawaiian island, we were excited to experience some of the many beautiful reasons Kauai is known as ''The Garden Island''.

Sunshine is an important component for a lavish garden, and there are plenty of sun rays shining down on this tropical paradise. But as any seasoned gardener knows, rain is also important for a garden's success ... and as we found out, Kauai is an overachiever in that department. Yes, the brief daily rain showers and occasional all day drenches made our visit a bit more challenging, but they also added to the surrounding beauty.

For every majestic waterfall,

or delicate bloom,

or colorful rainbow,

begins with a few drops of rain

... or in this case, a huge cloudburst

cascading over the mountains.

Yes, Kauai is known as the Garden Island because it gets a lot of rain. In fact, it is the location of one of the wettest places in the world, Mount Waialeale, which receives over 400 inches of rain a year.

All that rain helps sustain the

abundant blossoms found on the island.

Here's a little science that I wish I would have reviewed before I made our Kauai Airbnb reservations ...

Because the damp northeasterly Pacific trade winds produce condensation as they hit the mountains in the center of the island, the windward (northeastern) side of the island will typically get the most rain. The leeward (southwestern) side of the island will typically be dryer and sunnier. Guess which side our Airbnb condo was located on?? Yup .. we were hanging out on the lush, green, and rainy windward side.

After landing in Kauai, we rented a car in order to explore the island. While there are a lot less people on Kauai then on Oahu, there didn't seem to be less traffic ... and the wild chickens strutting freely alongside the roadways seemed to add to the congestion. Kauai has two main roads that almost, but not quite, circle the island. The roads ''dead end'' on the north and south sides of the Napali Coast, so all trips become an ''out and back''. While Kauai is not very big ... only 25 miles long by 33 miles wide, the traffic moves slow. A trip from one end of the island to the other usually takes around two hours

... unless one of these colorful fellas decides to stop traffic and share one of his jokes.

Why did the rooster cross the road?

To prove that he wasn't chicken!

OK, the humor may be bad, but the scenery is amazing. Come along as we ...

Take a Stroll Through the Garden Island.

Napali Coast

Our Airbnb was located about ten miles from one of the most striking geological features on Kauai ... the Napali Coast. This stretch of steep, rocky, and oh-so-gorgeous cliffs is only visible by boat, helicopter, or foot. Because of the popularity of the hike along the Kalalau Trail, once again, we found out (a little too late) that a reservation system is in place. Those who plan well in advance can snag one of the few parking spots at the trailhead in Ha'ena State Park for $10/car and $5/person. For the rest of us, we get to park a few miles away and take a shuttle into the park. It wouldn't have been a bad option, except that the shuttle company charged $35 per person ... a tad bit more than the $20 it would have cost us if we were ''advanced planners''.

But the views that awaited us were worth it!

The Kalalau Trail stretches 11 miles along the Napali Coast. While many expert hikers do the whole thing, I'm glad that we chose the two mile hike out to Hanakapiai Beach which is the more popular (and achievable) option. We soon realized why this was named one of the most beautiful and dangerous hikes in the US as there is

... amazing scenery

... along with steep, muddy, slippery trails.

Because this trail is located along Kauai's rainiest coast, the path is almost never dry. But the feast for the eyes kept us going for almost two miles until just before we began our descent to the beach area.

Shortly after we took this picture, the smiles disappeared when we realized that someone forgot to put the lunch in their backpack. Not willing to risk a ''hangry'' attack on the way back, my wise husband decided that we would enjoy this view and head back. There would undoubtedly be other scenic hikes in our future.

Waimea Canyon

Nicknamed ''The Grand Canyon of the Pacific'', Waimea Canyon cuts through the center of the island. This wilderness area was formed by the massive amounts of rain that falls in the nearby mountains. Panoramic scenery and numerous hiking trails make this a popular tourist destination. From the many vistas along the road, we were able to enjoy the views of waterfalls cascading down the red rock cliffs.

Doug was true to his word and delivered another scenic and muddy hike along the Awa'awapuhi Trail. No food emergency stopped this hike ... common sense did as we both decided that sliding down the trail was not our idea of a good time.

Our second hike in Waimea Canyon along the Cliff Trail proved to be a winner ... dry trails as well as scenic views.

Beach Time

Kauai has more beaches per square mile than any of the other Hawaiian Islands, so there were plenty of opportunities for beach walks and wildlife sightings.

Just be aware ... that lava rock that you think you are stepping on may be a dozing seal,

... and be sure to take time to greet the waving sea turtles.

Wait for the sun rays to break through the clouds,

... and join the palm trees

... and the ocean waves in their happy dance when the sun shines bright!

One of our favorite beach visits included a hike on the Mahaulepu Coastal Trail that is found near Shipwreck Beach on Kauai's sunny south side. The trail was dry and the views were

... spectacular!

At the end of the the 2.5 mile hike along the cliffs, we came to a unique oasis to cool down, and we crawled through a small passageway to enter

... Makauwahi Caves.

An interesting Hawaiian history lesson from the friendly park volunteer accompanied this cave visit.

After our hike back to Shipwreck Beach, we watched green sea turtles frolic in the surf from our trail high above them.

As we ate our lunch (we're getting good at remembering to pack the food) under the shade trees that line the beach, we were entertained by adrenaline junkies jumping from the cliff that we had just finished hiking down.

Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge and Lighthouse

On the northern coast of Kauai, a lighthouse serves as a beacon that calls each of us to help protect Hawaii's important and fragile wildlife population. Hawaii's state bird, the Nene, happily calls this sanctuary ''home''. Once on the brink of extinction, the rarest goose in the world proudly struts his stuff as he entertains the park's visitors.

While it is free to visit with my ''senior'' National Parks' pass, advanced reservations to visit Kilauea Point are required due to limited parking. With all the pre-planning that we're forced to do, we may just develop some ''planning ahead'' skills that will be helpful during our future travels.

But for now, we were happy to just be able to enjoy spectacular views of the powerful waves crashing into the cliffs below.

Coffee, Chocolate, and Rum Tasting

All the rain, ample sunshine, and near perfect temperatures make Kauai a paradise for growing some of the world's favorite foods. And we found that a trip to the farms that produce fine coffee, chocolate, and rum is also a good ''rainy day'' activity, because who doesn't want to eat and drink their troubles away?

Kauai Coffee Estate is the largest coffee farm in the United States. Rows and rows of coffee plants lined the road for miles as we drove to its visitor center. After sipping the various types of coffees, we were encouraged to stroll around their grounds to learn how our morning joe is grown, harvested, and roasted on the island. We were intrigued by the few similarities and the many differences between this coffee plantation, and the smaller coffee farms that we toured while visiting Colombia. There is a lot more automation here with only one harvest a year instead of the continuous ... and hand-picked harvest seen in South America.

When we stopped at Lyngate Farms, we were invited to sample some amazing chocolate while learning how they turn the seeds of the cacao tree's fruit into the beloved sweet treat.

Who would guess that this funny looking fruit produces some of the finest chocolate in the world?

This small batch, made-with-love chocolate is so good that it even converted my ''milk chocolate only'' husband into a 70% Dark Chocolate fan. We walked away with a few bars that we hope to share with family and friends ... if it survives our trip back home.

And finally, from the sugar cane fields of Kauai comes some of the finest rums. We stopped by Koloa Rum Company and were able to snag a last minute reservation for their rum tasting demonstration and learn the secret to making the perfect Hawaiian Mai Tai.

Take a Stroll Through a Botanical Garden

On the Garden Island, there are plenty of opportunities to visit beautiful botanical gardens. One such oasis is the Na Aina Kai Garden and Sculpture Park. Luck was on our side as the sun was shining on the morning that we planned our visit. Na Aina Kai means ''sea lands'' in Hawaiian, a perfect name for this luscious green garden overlooking the deep blue ocean. This acreage was a flat, over-ranched piece of land when Ed and Joyce Doty bought it in 1979 as a ''retirement'' project. Over the course of the next few years, they transformed it into a serene garden bursting with trees, flowers, water, and art.

Native Hawaiian as well as exotic plants of all shapes and colors line the paths.

Over 200 whimsical bronze sculptures greet the visitor at every turn.

Orchids of all colors cascade down trees and trellises.

Waterfalls tumble where the land was once barren and flat.

A uniquely shaped swimming pool and slide tempts the visiting youngsters to test the waters ... while the friendly, but vigilant garden volunteer makes sure that the children stay dry.