(all pictures are High res, for low res click here)
During our trip to
Kauai, overcast skies brought us to
a little known beach trail found in
Poipu, called the
Mana'ulepu Beach Trail. We drove down a dirt road to find this
somewhat secluded beach - video takes a
long time to download, be patient - (secluded in Kauai means there aren't
more than a couple dozen people using the beach)
to have fun snorkeling and eat our lunch of
Laulau
and Kauain pork.
.
After a little fun lounging around, we headed on our trek.
The hike took us down the beach to various outcroppings of lavarocks
where we could view marine life up close.
After we got our fill of marine
life and the cloud covered views
,
we headed up the trail
to the lava ridges
.
To our delight, the ridges were surrounded by meadows
that made us feel like we were in the mountains -- it was quite surreal. As we
started climbing the ridges
we were amazed at how the ocean had carved the lava and stone into these amazing
shapes.
The other great added treat to this hike, was the fact that we've been having
tropical storms on Kauai, so the surf had been higher than usual. The water was
beating against the rocks (video) with
incredible force
.
We hiked up a little higher
and continued to gaze at the incredible force of the
pacific ocean. (video) . We continued to be
awed by the views of the mountains
as well as the views of the sculpted lava.
This was an amazingly special hike for Elle and I, and if you are in Kauai, you need to make time to experience this adventure. It is definitely worth your time.