Ask Ms Kauai
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Recommendations for EASTSIDE
Updated 6/20/21
BEACH COAST BIKE PATH 9-miles Round Trip from Old Kapaa Town to Donkey Beach and Back; 1.5 Hrs.
BIKE RENTALS HELE ON KAUAI 4-1302 Kuhio Hwy, Kapaʻa, HI 96746
RESTROOMS
Between Santa Maria BBQ and ABC Store
Kapaa Beach Park Restroom Facility (not well-maintained)
Porta-Potties @ Kapaa Swimming Pool Parking Lot -- near Food Trucks in NoKa (North Kapaa)
RECOMMENDATION
Get to Kapaa in the early-mid morning; have coffee and breakfast
Burn Off Breakfast with a Bike Ride; Cool Down afterwards with some Hawaiian “Shave Ice”; add a scoop of vanilla ice cream! My son's favorite: Root Beer Shave Ice Float; Yum!
Browse through Old Kapa’a Town… Souvenir Shops, Clothing, Jewelry, Art Galleries and then some!
Watch the Glass Blower through the viewing window
Farmer's Market @ Kapaa Beach Park - Wed. Afternoons
LYDGATE BEACH PARK Restroom Facilities --- Lifeguard --- Picnic Pavilions
Camp Sites --- Coastal Walk/Bike Path
Two Man-made rock wall beach ponds
Grand Playground (Community Built and Maintained)
No convenience stores nearby --- Bring Your Own Beach Stuff
RECOMMENDATION
PACK A COOLER with ICE – Most Hotels / Timeshares / Air BnB Properties will have coolers available
for guests to use; otherwise, get a souvenir collapsible cooler to use on vacation then take back home.
Fresh Fruit, Protein Snacks and Local Treats
Kauai is Humid! Drink LOTS of water!!
BRING
Swimwear -- Beach Blankets & Towels -- Head Covers (Hats) -- Sunscreen (livingkoa.com)
Beach Shoes (Flip Flops / Reefers) “Barefoot in the Sand” sounds great, but it’s HOT !
WAILUA RIVER
Smith's Fern Grotto River Boat Tour
Flat Bottom River Boats cruise up the Wailua River for approximately 3-Miles to the Fern Grotto
Disembark at the Fern Grotto for 20-30 minutes
Entertainment: Musicians/Hula Dancers one way; Stories & Legends by the Captain the other way
Smith's Tropical Paradise
A Botanical Garden and Cultural Park located in the Wailua Marina State Park; take a leisurely stroll, enjoy a picnic, photo ops with Peacocks. Also the site of Smith's Luau.
UPPER WAILUA
Opaeka'a Falls About 1-mile West on Hwy 580
Opae – Shrimp / Ka'a – Rolling; Opaeka'a Falls was the King’s Refrigerator
There's another lookout across Hwy. 580, overlooking the Wailua River Valley where the King lived
Be sure to use the crosswalk at the end of the waterfall lookout. Please Cross Safely !
RESTROOMS available
Hindu Monastery Hwy 580 to 107 Kaholalele RD Kapaa, Hawaii, 96746
Services and Access have changed since Covid; for more Information: himalayanacademy.com
Keahua Arboretum Past the Hindu Monastery
Nice, easy walking path through the "forest" of Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees
There are a few picnic areas just "down the river" from the parking lots
NO RESTROOM FACILITIES
Kuilau Trailhead The Trailhead is located just before the Arboretum Parking lots, on the right
WARNING Be sure to check the weather report for rainfall/flash floods in the area
Rain in the mountains takes 2-3 days to make its way down rivers and streams;
a flood can happen on a beautiful sunny day – BE SAFE ALWAYS !!
Wailua Falls Hwy 583 / Maalo Rd. to the End -- Accessible from Hanamaulu (Southeast)
Featured in many movies, tv shows, commercials... Wailua Falls made its debut in the opening sequence of every episode of the Original Fantasy Island.
It's always crowded, from early morning to early evening; some people try to hike down the old trail to the bottom of the waterfall -- part of the trail was damaged by a landslide several years ago, and got more eroded from the April 2018 Storm; it is Extremely Dangerous.
Every year, the County of Kauai will rescue several people from the bottom of the waterfall…
Pleeeease do not be one of them. Nuff said.
Menehune Fishpond The lookout is located inland from Nawiliwili Harbor
Hawaiian Legends describe a small race of people known as Menehune (Hawaiian Dwarves), who built these ponds over 1,000 years ago… completing construction in one night. Hawaiian fishponds were “fish farms” built along rivers and shorelines; These fishponds were designed to trap fish when they were “small fries”; Made for an easy catch when it was mealtime; This one had walls 900 feet across and five feet high.
Today, the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge is a sanctuary for endemic water birds.
Kalapaki Beach Fronting the Kauai Marriot Resort / Royal Sonesta
The Public Beach Access Parking Lot is located on the East side of the main building
Feel free to use the Restroom Facilities, maintained by the Resort for Public use
Surfing / Boogie-Boarding / SUP / Canoe or Kayaking / No Snorkeling
Ahukini Landing Hwy 570 to the end
This is where Goods were shipped in and out of Kauai, before Nawiliwili Harbor was built.
Panoramic Views of the Coconut Coastline, all the way to “King Kong” – Kalalea Moutain.
Popular Fishing Spot for Locals; I like to watch Sunrise or Moonrise from here.
Ask Ms Kauai
dba Ask Ms Kauai LLC