Menehune Fishpond
This was our last full day on Kaua'i, and we spent it doing the East Shore Prowl. The guidebook defines the east shore as everything from Lihue to Kapa'a - again, a small portion of the island, but again, with a lot to see.
Ron and Mindy, remember, live just west of Lihue. Usually, to get into town, we would drive straight out to the highway. This morning, we took a back road, and stopped to look at...
Menehune Fishpond
...also thought to have been constructed by the Menehune.
I also took a picture of...
Mt. Ha'upu
...a mountain near their house.
In Lihue, we went to...
The Kaua'i Museum
...which contains, as you might expect, exhibits about the history and people of Kaua'i. The museum is across the street from the county government building, in front of which is a monument given to the city by a sister city in Japan.
Japanese Monument
I then drove out a side road past the airport, and ended up at...
Hanama'ulu Bay
Hanama'ulu Bay Again
We had lunch at a place called Aromas, at Nawiliwili Bay, and then went shopping at Hilo Hattie's (the ULTIMATE Hawaiian tourist gift shop) for macadamia nuts and stuff to bring home to friends.
We spent most of the afternoon exloring back roads. Since, as I've said, the whole island is one big mountain peak sticking out of the water, most of the population lives around the outer edge of the island. But on the east side, in the valley of the Wailua River, which flows down from the top of the mountain, there are a number of roads which go deeper into the center of the island than at any other place. One road in particular, goes to within a few miles of the mountain peak. Alas, much of that road is unpaved, so I couldn't go there. But I went as far as I could.
Between Wailua and Kapa'a is a mountain ridge popularly known as...
The Sleeping Giant
Use your imagination. He's lying on his back, with his head to the left.
There are a large number of coconut palms on the east side of the island - that's how Coconut Beach got its name - and I took this picture to try to illustrate how they tower above you.
Look Out Below!
Here's a picture of Wailua Bay, at the mouth of the river.
Wailua Bay
And once again, the picture doesn't come close to capturing the real beauty of the place.
We drove on up the Wailua River...
Wailua River
...stopping at a number of scenic overlooks. There were also several more heiaus. This one is the Holoholo-ku Heiau.
Holoholo-ku Heiau
And we also stopped to look at...
'Opaeka'a Falls
And I spent a lot of time meandering around back roads, still trying - and still failing - to get a glimpse of Mt. Wai'ale'ale.
We had dinner that night at a fancy restaurant called...
Coconuts