June 7, 2017 - Day #6 Wailua River
June 7, 2017
Today is our big group adventure day. It took a lot of planning for a group of 21 people. We are canoeing/kayaking on the Wailua River and hiking 1 mile to the Secret Falls. Vincent and I strategized pairing up strong rowers with non-rowers. After much debate, we finally came up with a list we can agree on.
After doing an internet research on Wailua River kayaking adventure, I found a place that was very reasonable in price. Most places charge $50/person and require a start time of 7am or 12pm with a 5 hour limit. On TripAdvisor, most people recommended Kamokila Hawaiian Village. They charge $30/child and $35/adult with no time limit. Just return before closing time of 5pm. Even though their rentals are on a first come first serve basis, they agreed to reserve them for us because of our large group. We arrived at the Village at 8:30am. On top of the great price, they gave us a group discount, everyone is charged the kid's price of $30! That's a $75 savings! Boarding the kayaks/canoes was a breeze, everyone knew their partners and there was no arguments. It took about 15 mins to kayak to the banks of the Secret Falls hike. It was an easy to moderate hike. The most exciting part was crossing a creek holding on to a rope for safety and balance. We made it to the Secret Falls, which was about 1 mile, in an hour. The kids swam at the base of the waterfall while the adults relaxed on the rocks. We stayed for ½ hour and moved on to the next destination: The Swimming Hole.
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The hike back to the river bank was a little harder but we all made it without a scratch. It took us another 15 mins to get to the Swimming Hole. The boys (and Jillian) watched people jump off a small cliff before they attempted it themselves. Mikey gathered his courage to jump off as well followed by Sam. Mikey liked it so much he did it again. Hanh had made spam sandwiches early in the morning and it was needed to be ration out. It was already 12:30pm and we wanted to head back to have time to go to Tege Tege for shaved ice. It took a lot more effort kayaking back as we were going against the current and wind. Lucas had a hard time because he was the lone rower and carrying Sam as well. David almost had to go out again to help him but he finally made it in and was exhausted. Sam proudly exclaimed as they reached the dock, "I did nothing!"
The line at Tege Tege was not that long but we still waited over 30 mins. They were located in a food truck area in Kapaa. The business was operated by two people and they make it order by order using two hand cranked ice shaver. People who come here are well aware that there is a wait and have to be patient for each one is made as an art and takes 5 mins. I had Green tea with azuki beans and it was delicious! Everyone agreed that Tege Tege tops the list of best shaved ice!
We were back in Princeville by 3:30pm. Since we had time before dinner, I didn't want to leave Kauai without doing the Queen's Bath hike. It was literally 200 feet from the house. I was advised by the Doctors (Dr. David and Dr. Adriane) not to hike it due to my leg injury (muscle sprain from a few weeks ago). So AMA (against medical advice), I recruited Jillian to go with me. It hasn't rained all day so the hike wouldn't be as dangerous. There were several warnings on the way, one with tally marks of how many deaths so far. We saw many sea turtles on the way. The hike was strenuous but short. When we reached Queen's Bath, there was a party going on. About 50 teenagers having a blast, listening to music and doing cliff jumps. They make it so easy.
For our last night in Kauai, we decided to splurge. Moses and Adriane found a place on Yelp that looked interesting. Kauai Ono is a Farm to Table communal dining that host up to 50 people. The cost was $60/person, 5 course dinner, and BYOB. David and Hanh picked up pizza for the kids and left Vincent in charge. Since it was an outdoors dinner, we armed ourselves with mosquito repellent and made the 5 min drive to the venue. The ambiance was casual and friendly. We were seated together and dinner was promptly served after everyone was seated. The food was so fresh and so good. Even my parents who are very critical loved it. We enjoyed every single course and was full at the end. The chef came out and Dad told him that Kauai Ono was hands down much better than French Laundry. What an amazing way to wrap up our Kauai experience.
Today is our big group adventure day. It took a lot of planning for a group of 21 people. We are canoeing/kayaking on the Wailua River and hiking 1 mile to the Secret Falls. Vincent and I strategized pairing up strong rowers with non-rowers. After much debate, we finally came up with a list we can agree on.
After doing an internet research on Wailua River kayaking adventure, I found a place that was very reasonable in price. Most places charge $50/person and require a start time of 7am or 12pm with a 5 hour limit. On TripAdvisor, most people recommended Kamokila Hawaiian Village. They charge $30/child and $35/adult with no time limit. Just return before closing time of 5pm. Even though their rentals are on a first come first serve basis, they agreed to reserve them for us because of our large group. We arrived at the Village at 8:30am. On top of the great price, they gave us a group discount, everyone is charged the kid's price of $30! That's a $75 savings! Boarding the kayaks/canoes was a breeze, everyone knew their partners and there was no arguments. It took about 15 mins to kayak to the banks of the Secret Falls hike. It was an easy to moderate hike. The most exciting part was crossing a creek holding on to a rope for safety and balance. We made it to the Secret Falls, which was about 1 mile, in an hour. The kids swam at the base of the waterfall while the adults relaxed on the rocks. We stayed for ½ hour and moved on to the next destination: The Swimming Hole.
.
The hike back to the river bank was a little harder but we all made it without a scratch. It took us another 15 mins to get to the Swimming Hole. The boys (and Jillian) watched people jump off a small cliff before they attempted it themselves. Mikey gathered his courage to jump off as well followed by Sam. Mikey liked it so much he did it again. Hanh had made spam sandwiches early in the morning and it was needed to be ration out. It was already 12:30pm and we wanted to head back to have time to go to Tege Tege for shaved ice. It took a lot more effort kayaking back as we were going against the current and wind. Lucas had a hard time because he was the lone rower and carrying Sam as well. David almost had to go out again to help him but he finally made it in and was exhausted. Sam proudly exclaimed as they reached the dock, "I did nothing!"
The line at Tege Tege was not that long but we still waited over 30 mins. They were located in a food truck area in Kapaa. The business was operated by two people and they make it order by order using two hand cranked ice shaver. People who come here are well aware that there is a wait and have to be patient for each one is made as an art and takes 5 mins. I had Green tea with azuki beans and it was delicious! Everyone agreed that Tege Tege tops the list of best shaved ice!
We were back in Princeville by 3:30pm. Since we had time before dinner, I didn't want to leave Kauai without doing the Queen's Bath hike. It was literally 200 feet from the house. I was advised by the Doctors (Dr. David and Dr. Adriane) not to hike it due to my leg injury (muscle sprain from a few weeks ago). So AMA (against medical advice), I recruited Jillian to go with me. It hasn't rained all day so the hike wouldn't be as dangerous. There were several warnings on the way, one with tally marks of how many deaths so far. We saw many sea turtles on the way. The hike was strenuous but short. When we reached Queen's Bath, there was a party going on. About 50 teenagers having a blast, listening to music and doing cliff jumps. They make it so easy.
For our last night in Kauai, we decided to splurge. Moses and Adriane found a place on Yelp that looked interesting. Kauai Ono is a Farm to Table communal dining that host up to 50 people. The cost was $60/person, 5 course dinner, and BYOB. David and Hanh picked up pizza for the kids and left Vincent in charge. Since it was an outdoors dinner, we armed ourselves with mosquito repellent and made the 5 min drive to the venue. The ambiance was casual and friendly. We were seated together and dinner was promptly served after everyone was seated. The food was so fresh and so good. Even my parents who are very critical loved it. We enjoyed every single course and was full at the end. The chef came out and Dad told him that Kauai Ono was hands down much better than French Laundry. What an amazing way to wrap up our Kauai experience.
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