Kauai Vacation: Day III

For Valentine's Day Jeff & I decided we'd try a little river kayaking adventure and a picnic lunch at the base of a waterfall... who could beat that, right? Well, it was a blast. I have to tell you at first it didn't sound that great to kayak up a river 4 miles round trip being 6 months pregnant, but it wasn't that bad in a tandem kayak. We got the best arm workout and thought we'd be miserably sore the next few days, but we're stronger than we thought I guess. The Wailua River is the longest navigable river in the state of Hawaii and it's gorgeous. After about an hour up-stream we tied up our boats and hiked about a half hour through the jungle and over streams until we rounded a corner and beheld a gorgeous waterfall, Uluwhi Falls; Hawaiian for Secret Falls. It's 125 feet tall and cascades into a small swimming hole at the bottom with several smaller pools under that. It was breathtaking... literally! It was cold water so we just waded after enjoying our lunch. I think I could handle picnic lunches like that more often. On the kayak trip downstream the current and wind were working against us and Jeff and I took the challenge of beating all the other couples in our group back to the docks. We decided we'd be awesome on Couples Fear Factor or The Amazing Race. We won by a good 15 minutes and got to relax in the kayak before venturing home. Later that night we walked around Coconut Marketplace in Kapa'a and had dinner at the local favorite: Kintaros. (Particularly amazing if you like sushi... but not for Jeff or pregnant women, so we enjoyed terriyaki chicken, rice, and miso soup). A nice cup of cookies and cream Dip'n Dots followed. Not sure how we'll top Valentine's Day next year... maybe Paris?