Every morning at the Marriott Kauai Resort they have a Koi fish feeding.  Small plastic cups filled with food pellets are given to the guests to throw into the giant pond.  However, sometimes the pellets fall on the floor, and the ducks waddle over for some breakfast.  Funny thing, there was a swan that would only eat out of people’s hands; nothing off the floor.  We arrived to the feeding a little late, so I had to wait for the swan to finish drinking before it ate out of my hand.  Watch the video to see!  It was a strange feeling, but it did not hurt.

After the Koi fish feeding, we started the long drive up to the North Shore.  The first major stop along the way was Kilauea Lighthouse.  We did not go into the National Wildlife Refuge, but did take some photos from the scenic point.

Continuing along, our next stop was Anini Beach.  The water was really calm and shallow there.  Since we still had a ways to go before reaching our final destination, we opted not to get into the water.  But the tide pools caught our attention, so we walked around the rocks looking for fish, crabs, etc.

Princeville was the next major stop.  At the end of the road, there is a magnificent St. Regis Hotel with a grand lobby and a beautiful view.   I do not think the bellhop was very happy with me when I told him that my husband dropped me off to use the restroom and not their spa.  Oh wells…

We stopped for lunch at Tropical Taco in Hanalei.  We shared the Tropical Taco (beef taco in a thick, handmade tortilla fried crispy filled with the works – beans, lettuce, salsa, cheese and sour cream) and the Baja Special (two fish tacos topped with lettuce and salsa with a side of beans).

beef taco and baja special

The last couple of stops before the end were of the caves.  Nothing spectacular but it was interesting how they were randomly off the side of the road.

dry cave (left) and wet cave (right)

The road ends at Kee Beach, which has the best snorkeling.  We arrived around 2pm and witnessed sea turtles feeding on the reef.  It was incredibly amazing and mesmerizing.  People on the beach said that they saw about a dozen of them at the end of the reef, but Hubby and I only saw five.  We were about three feet from one of the sea turtles, which was kind of scary but really rewarding as well.  We also so an eel that we quickly swam away from.

the sea turtles were where the waves were breaking

Kee Beach is also the start of the Kalalau Trail (22 miles round trip with lots of rocks and mud).  It was too late in the day for us to do the shorter hike to the falls, but we did go up to a lookout for a beautiful view of Kee Beach below.

On our way back, we stopped at the Hanalei Valley lookout point.   I remember it being sunny (hence the sunglasses), but the background looks way overcast.  Gotta love tropical weather.

Back at the hotel, we had dinner at Duke’s Barefoot Bar.  Hubby ordered the Mango BBQ Baby Back Ribs, and I tried the Kalua Pork Sandwich.  For dessert, we enjoyed the Hula Pie – “macadamia nut ice cream piled high on a chocolate cookie crust and topped with chocolate fudge, whipped cream, and more macadamia nuts”.

A filling meal required a evening stroll along the beach and down to the nearby plaza.  The next day we explored the other side of the island.

Kilauea Lighthouse - free for scenic lookout, $5/person for National Wildlife Refuge
Tropical Taco- 5-5088 Kuhio Highway, Hanalei, HI 96714
Duke’s Barefoot Bar - 3610 Rice Street, Lihue, HI 96766

Previous Aloha Posts
Diamond Head Crater, Aquarium, Hanauma Bay
Pearl Harbor, Aloha Tower, Waikiki Beach