Hiking to Secret Falls - Kaua'i

As I wrote about earlier, I went to Kaua'i recently for a short trip of hiking, coffee drinking, and kayaking.  It was the second time I had traveled to the northernmost Hawaiian island and it was also the best visit.  The highlight was by far kayaking the Wailua River followed by a hike to Secret Falls.

This 5 hour trip starts with a Kayak trip up the Wailua river, through tropical jungle. Several miles up the river you paddle in to shore, secure your Kayak then hike inland through a tropical rainforest to Secret Falls, a 100 foot waterfall that you can swim beneath. Along the trail you will pass other smaller, but even more beautiful falls at hidden places. While you can rent a Kayak and do this trip without a guide, it is probably easier to make this part of a guided hike/trip - that way you don't have to worry about the Kayak when you leave it tied up during the hike.

Our guide was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, which made it all the more entertaining.  He told us about all the different fauna along the way.  Of course I forget most of what he told us, and for all I know he could have lied about most of it anyway.  Nonetheless, it was interesting while we were there.  The hike itself was along a well-worn path through fairly thick rainforest.  At the end of the mile-long hiking trail, the path opens up to the waterfall.  We brought lunch, ate, and then went swimming underneath the waterfall.  Yes, I was worried about leptospirosis, but I quickly got over that when I jumped in and my testicles shriveled up to the size of raisins.  The water was unbelievably FREEZING.  It was still fun, though.  Definitely one of my favorite hiking trips I've done here.

Kayaking the Wailua River - Kaua'i

This weekend I went to Kaua'i.  Kaua'i is the northernmost island of the Hawaiian Islands and is where many movies - Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, etc. - were filmed.  I've been to Kaua'i before and hiked the Na Pali Coast, but didn't really think there was much appeal to the island itself.  Sure, there is pretty scenery, but we have pretty scenery on O'ahu, so why would I need to go somewhere else?  I still have that opinion, but this weekend we did something pretty cool.  We kayaked the Wailua River en route to hiking to the "secret falls."

Wailua River is a long, slowly meadering river that starts at the Wai'ale'ale Crater and is fed by several tributaries on the way to the ocean. This is the only navigable river in all of Hawaii.  Several forks in the river lead to waterfalls and can be easily explored by kayak.  We ended up going with a guide so we didn't have to worry about getting lost or leaving the kayaks unattended.  We found a great deal with Kayak Wailua for $42 per person with the kayak rental, guide, tax, and gratuity included.  You need to call to make a reservation, and they were really helpful with getting us set up.  I recommend getting a reservation for noon as that is the least crowded time.  Our group was only 6 people and when we got to the waterfall, there was hardly anyone around.  We landed on the island at 6:30am and were able to call and make our noon reservation for the same day.

Anyway, when we landed, we still had about 5 hours before we had to show up for the kayaking tour.  So we killed some time at the Kaua'i Coffee Company, checked into our hotel (more on that later), and got some breakfast at an awesome diner in town.  When we showed up at the Kayak place, they gave us dry bags for all our belongings as well as a cooler so we could bring our own lunch to picnic at the waterfall.  The kayak portion of the trip is 2.5 miles each way, followed by a 1 mile hike to the waterfall.  The river is really calm and peaceful and was definitely my favorite part of our trip as well as my favorite thing to do on Kaua'i.  It was just a lot of fun and really relaxing (even if kayaking does require some exertion).  It was definitely easier than kayaking to the mokolua islands in lanikai.

On the river itself, kayakers are given their own "lane" on the right side of the river. To see the Secret Falls, take the right fork in the river, about 35 minutes from the mouth. A few minutes later you come to an island. Dock on the right side and follow the trail to this secluded waterfall.  If you're interested in doing the guided tour, which I highly recommend, I suggest going with "Kayak Wailua:"

4565 Haleilio Road
KAPAA, HI 96746
(808) 822-3388

Kaua'i Coffee Company

History Lesson

When we went to Kaua'i last week, I wrote about how we went to the Waimea Brewing Comany and sampled their beer.  After a few beers, though, we needed some coffee to sober up.  Fortunately for us, right now the street from the brewery was the largest coffee producer in the United States.  The Kaua'i Coffee Company is also located right off the main road in Kaua'i and is a short distance from the brewery.  The Kauai Coffee Company is does all the work - from growing the beans to packaging them - right there on the premises.  There are over 4 million coffee trees grown on 3,100 acres, which makes the company responsible for HALF of all coffee produced in the U.S.

Who Doesn't Like Free Samples?

This was a really cool place to visit, and I wholeheartedly recommend stopping by if you're ever on Kaua'i.  First of all, when you walk in, there is someone there to greet you with a really friendly attitude.  This person will tell you all about the variety of samples they have on the back deck and will point you in the direction of the walking tour, coffee bar, or ice cream shop.  When you walk in, you're in the middle of the gift shop, but if you walk through that, you end up on a covered patio out back.  There, you will find 3 tables with about 8 different coffee-filled thermoses.  That's right, there are 24 FREE samples of coffee.  They actually encourage you to try all of them.  I don't know about you, but whenever I go to, say, an ice cream store and they offer free samples, I always feel guilty (and a little judged) if I asked for multiple samples.  Not here.  No one is there monitoring anything and they encourage you to try everything, so there is no guilt with trying every sample they have.  The tables are broken down by type of roast.  They have espresso roast, dark roast, and flavored.  I was really impressed.  Everything I tried was really good.  So good, in fact, that I purchased a few bags (more on that below).

Little Museum Inside

As you sip your coffee, there is a running video that you can sit and watch that details the way coffee is produced.  Various plantation workers talk about how coffee beans are grown, pulped, and processed.  You can also get ice cream, but ready for this? NO COFFEE FLAVOR!  They just had basic flavors.  Wtf!?  That doesn't even make sense!  Oh well.  They also have a coffee bar where you can get a big cup of coffee if you don't want to mooch and just try the samples.  There are plenty of tables, benches, and chairs on the patio for you to sit and relax outside.  You can also walk into the coffee fields where they have tables and chairs and umbrellas set up to sit outside if you want.

Once you're finished sipping samples and milling around, take the walking tour.  I never knew how coffee was produced (not that I ever really cared to think about it...).  This tour was really informative, but perfectly short.  They had about 8 or 9 stations set up with brief plaques explaining the different steps in the process of producing coffee beans.

Coffee Fields

After you go through the garden walking tour, you can go into the gift shop and purchase bags of coffee beans if you want.  They have other stuff, too, but I actually thought the coffee was really good.  So I bought a couple bags.  But what if I don't have a coffee grinder?  Well, they will happily grind it for you, for free!  And you'll also get a 10% discount if you have a Kama'aina (resident) Discount.

So how do they produce and process the coffee? Did you really think I wouldn't explain it?

Blossoming:

Coffee starts like many other fruits - it grows on a tree as a fragrant and delicate flower blossom. These blossoms eventually develop into the coffee cherry.  The seeds of the cherry (usually two to a cherry) are what become the coffee bean familiar to most of us.

See the Cherries?

Harvesting:

On Kauai, the blossoming begins in February or March, and by May, the cherry begins to form.  The fruit ripens around late September, and harvesting begins.  They employ harvesting technology very similar to many wine grape harvesters in regions like California's Napa Valley.  The Kauai Coffee Company’s harvesting period runs from mid-October through early December.  They harvest 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, using 3 shifts.  Due to the size of the estate, and the existence of varying island climates, daily scouting reports are used to select the fields with maximum ripeness.  Twelve mechanical harvesters that were originally designed for blueberries perform the harvesting.  On the tour they tell you that it would take literally every man, woman, and child on Kaua’i to harvest by hand.  I guess that means they don’t have an influx of Mexican immigrants here.

Wet Processing:

After the coffee cherries are harvested, trucks deliver them from the fields to the “wet processing plant.”  At the plant, the cherries are separated into three stages of maturity - ripe, natural and immature coffee.  They put the cherries in water and the overripe float to the top and the under-ripe cherries sink to the bottom. by using inherent differences in density and hardness.

Pulping:

They take the ripe cherries and remove the skin and fleshy part of the fruit until just the seed (i.e. bean) is left.

Drying:

The leftover beans are then washed to remove the sticky mucous and crap that coats them before the beans are sent to pre-dryers - a fluidized bed of air that is the start of the drying process. After this, the beans are puy in heated drying elevators for 18 to 36 hours.

Milling:

The coffee rests in parchment for a while, and is then milled to remove more skin.  Throughout the process, the producers still have quality control tests that monitor bean temperatures and preserve each bean's flavor and quality. Sizing screens and density tables further sort out the best beans.

Sorting:

The final sorting step in the dry mill is the color sorter, where an electronic eye scans each bean for color, selecting the finest colored beans and rejecting those that don't pass with a blast of air.

Grading:

After the beans are sorted, each batch of coffee is then inspected by the State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture, which gives each batch a different graded designation. The DOA inspector officially certifies each batch of coffee by grade quality and origin.  Finally, they roast it and ship it.

Waimea Brewing Company and Beer Reviews

As devoted readers of The Pineapple Project know, I enjoy beer.  I especially like microbreweries and trying and sampling new beer styles and flavors.  With so many different combinations you never get bored. It is also a great way for me to get different ideas for recipes I might try at home.  Imagine my surprise (and delight) when I discovered the Waimea Brewing Company in Kaua'i driving back from the Waimea Canyon.  Located right off the main road (Kuhio Hwy), this small micro-brewery was in a serene location with quiet outdoor seating.  It's located right on the Waimea Plantation grounds where they used to grow sugar.  The ambiance was perfect for an afternoon visit when we stopped by.  Unlike the Kona Brewing Company, the Waimea Brewery is a much smaller production, but it does get to say it is the World's westernmost brewery.  Despite living on nearby O'ahu, I had never even heard of it before.  I asked the waiter whether they sold beer on the other islands and he said they did not.  I have not seen the beer, so I am inclined to believe him.

I read a few reviews of this place in preparation for writing this post and was really surprised by what I saw.  Everyone was pretty negative.  There were a lot of complaints about the service and the fact that they were out of certain types of beer.  I attribute those reviews to East Coast assholes who can't figure out that they are on a small island in the pacific at an even smaller microbrewery.  One of the nice things about this place is that you can just sit back, grab a beer, and relax.  If you're looking for a 5-star dining experience, don't go to a small microbrewery.

Our experience was pleasant.  The selection of beer was great.  Waimea Brewing Company has 9 different beers of different styles listed on their menu as well as a 10th "brewer's choice" that rotates regularly.  Although they were out of the Leilani Light, there were still plenty of options.  The restaurant also offers a beer flight with four-6oz samples for about $8.50.  We ordered two flights so we could try 8 different beers and the waiter threw in a free brewer's choice beer since they were out of the Leilani Light.  The service was like that the entire time we were there.  Very attentive and incredibly friendly.

Overall, I was not too impressed by the taste of the beer.  There were a few that were good, but nothing too special.  The best way to describe it is to say that if offered by a friend, I wouldn't refuse.  At the same time, I wouldn't be upset if they ran out and I couldn't have another.  We had some disagreement about which was the best one.  I am typically a fan of chocolate/coffee porters and stouts and hate IPAs and hoppy beers.  I also really like wheat beers and the occasional pale ale and lager.  All right, here's the list and my review:

Lilikoi Ale - an American blonde ale with a passion fruit flavor.  I was disappointed by this one.  I thought it seemed a little watered down and almost flat.  The passion fruit was non-existent but it was still a "fruity beer."  I just couldn't tell you what fruit was there.  It was just sweet. I actually think this would have benefitted from being served colder.  It was kind of warm when we got it.  It has a hazy to opaque thick gold color with very little head.  


Pakala Porter - this was my favorite of the bunch. I love dark beer and the Pakala Porter has a smooth and malty roasted flavor with a creamy head and coffee overtones.  A bold, full-bodied, robust porter with a rich chocolate, roasted flavor. Not for the light hearted beer drinker but a delight for any dark beer fan.  Fun Fact: This beer was named after the famous west side surf break.


Uli Uli Brown - At 3.8% abv, this is not a very strong beer, especially for a Brown Ale.  There is a subtle coffee aroma that complements the strong roasted malt taste and slight hop finish.  Light carbonation and a luxurious mouthfeel place this brown ale among other English Dark and Mild.  Fun Fact: ’Uli ’Uli are brightly colored feather gourds used in hula dancing.


Wai'ale'ale Ale - Kind of unremarkable.  There is a slight Golden/Blonde Ale taste balanced with a touch of sweet light malt coating a light hop taste.  Unfortunately, it is also a little watery.  The malts are so lightly roasted they don't have much to offer and there are scarcely any hops to speak of.


NaPali Pale - More body, color, and hop character than the Wai'ale'ale Ale.  This American style Pale Ale is an easy drinking beer, perfect for the warm climate of Hawaii. This beer is darker than Wai'ale' Ale, and has a small bitter zing to it. 


Captain Cook's IPA - If you're a big fan of the hoppy, bitter taste of IPAs, then you may find this one under-whelming.  I thought it was pretty good and as I said, I'm not a big IPA drinker.  It only had a slightly bitter finish but was otherwise smooth.  An argument could be made that it was weak, but I thought it had a complex aroma with a nicely balanced finish.  This might have been my second favorite of the group.


Cane Fire Red ale - It has a nondescript aroma and deep red hue.  The flavor was nicely balanced and I thought this one was very drinkable.  There is a rich malty taste at first but then the beer finished with a slight bitterness that gave it some complexity that the other beers were lacking.  Overall, this one was pretty good.


Westside Wheat - another disappointing one.  This was served up with a lemon and I thought it would have a strong fruit taste to it.  It's a traditional American wheat ale, lightly hopped with a refreshing clean crisp flavor, but it wasn't very complex.  Again, a little watery.  After the lemon sat for a little while and steeped, that's all you could taste because the beer wasn't strong enough to balance the fruitiness. 

Waimea Canyon

Waimea Canyon, on Kauai's West Side, is described as "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific." Although not as big or as old as the Grand Canyon in Arizona, there isn't anything like this geological wonder in Hawaii. Stretching 14 miles long, 1 mile wide and more than 3,400 feet deep, the Waimea Canyon Lookout provides panoramic views of crested buttes, rugged mountain peaks, and deep valley gorges.  The grand inland vistas go on for miles. 

The canyon was carved thousands of years ago by rivers and floods that flowed from Mount Waialeale's summit.  The lines in the canyon walls depict different volcanic eruptions and lava flows that have occurred over the centuries.  The canyon is protected by the Koke'e State Park which encompasses 4,345 acres of land and has 45 miles of trails that run through the canyon and the nearby Alakai Swamp.  Kokee State Park is covered in forest, wild flowers and hiking trails making it an excellent spot to see native plants and colorful Hawaiian forest birds.  As we were driving along Waimea Canyon Road, we saw several 4x4 trucks parked on cliffs and in the forest where it was clear people were hiking.  Some of the park's hiking trails lead to views of Waimea Canyon, others wind through wet forests with sweeping views of valleys opening up to the North Shore.  We didn't do any of that as we were still exhausted from the Na Pali Coast craziness.  If you're a big time hiker, though, I imagine you might argue that it would be fun to trudge through uncut forest risking life and limb climbing up and down 3,400 ft of canyon walls into pure nothing-ness.  Send me an email and let me know how that works out for you.

Getting there is simple, as with pretty much everything on Kaua'i. You take the major road (Kuhio Hwy) west.  Turn right on Waimea Canyon Rd.  Drive 40 miles.  There are no gas stations along the 40-mile road, though, so be sure to fill up before starting this trip.

Na Pali Coast and Hanakapi'ai Falls

The Na Pali Coast, which is officially a State Park, may be one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen.  It's hard to describe in words and even in pictures don't really do it justice.  The entire coast is inaccessible to cars so you have to drive to the end of Kauai's only main road (Kuhio), park at the beach at the end of the road, and hike the coast.  This 15-mile stretch of rugged coastline is on the northwest shore of Kauai.  It literally means "the cliffs" (remember, Pali means cliffs).  The coast is inaccessible because of its sheer cliffs that drop straight down thousands of feet into the ocean.


The Kalalau Trail from the end of Kuhio Highway (the only major road on the entire island) provides the only land access.  This trail is a strenuous 11-mile hike and crosses five major valleys (and many smaller ones) before reaching Kalalau Beach at the base of Kalalau Valley.  If you hike the 11 mile trail, you have to set up camp and then hike back the next day (camping requires a permit).  We didn't have that kind of time (or a permit).  The trail is no joke.  I have written before about hikes I've done that kids and old people can do.  This trail got a 9 out of 10 from the Sierra Club in degrees of difficulty.  In fact, you can't even hike the trail if it has rained within 24 hours because it is so dangerous and becomes one slippery mountain of mud.  It takes an entire day to do the 11 miles.  Of course, here I am saying how tough it is and there were plenty of kids and locals hiking barefoot or in flip flops (most were not, though). Another great way to see the Na Pali Coast is by boat.  We didn't do this, but we said at the end of the day it would have been amazing.  By boat you can see the entire coast and you don't have to deal with the strenuous hike.

Fortunately, the trail can be experienced in pieces.  The most popular section is from Ke'e Beach (at the end of Kuhio Hwy) to Hanakapi'ai Falls.  This section of the trail winds through a tropical rainforest and ends in a lush river valley. The falls are 4 miles from where you park your car (8 miles roundtrip, it's not a loop).  If you aren't up for the whole hike to the falls, though, about 2 miles in is the Hanakapi'ai Beach.  This isn't the most beautiful beach in the world, but it's a great place to rest before taking on the next 2 miles of the trail to the falls.  The river flows into the ocean here and when we went, a lot of people were playing in the river.  Apparently, the tide and currents are so strong that no one goes in the ocean.  In fact, before we left, someone specifically said not to go in the ocean because "it's not worth your life, guys."  There is a sign along the trail that literally tallies the number of people who have drowned.  We weren't dressed for swimming anyway.  Since a lot of people kayak the Na Pali coast, there were a few kayakers resting on the beach as well.

I can't emphasize enough how intense, but gorgeous, this hike was.  We're talking 3,000 foot climbs over unstable and slippery rocks, rivers and streams to cross, trees to climbs over, and valleys with smaller waterfalls.  We had to watch every step we took.  The first 1/2 mile took 40 minutes.  The entire 4-mile hike to the falls takes about 3 hours...and we were going quickly.  It can take longer.  The views were incredible, though.  There are various points along the trail where the trees open up and the entire coast is visible.  You're literally standing on a mountain (covered in mud) looking out over shimmering blue water, 4,000-ft cliffs, and lush tropical rainforests.  After 2 miles (and about an hour and a half), we made it to the beach where we stopped to have lunch.  Apparently, we were lucky and didn't even know it.  During the winter months this beach is often washed away.  When we went, though, there was a huge sand beach full of people.
  

After we ate, we hiked the rest of the way.  The second half consists of more streams (high probability of getting wet - we fell in up to our knees when we slipped off a rock - so bring waterproof hiking boots or water shoes), more jungle, and more climbing.  At the end of the trail, though, is a gorgeous 300-ft waterfall with a swimming pool at the base.  Since you just hiked 4 miles in 3-4 hours (and you still have to turn around), take a dip, cool off, and forget about Leptospirosis.  Also, since nothing on this blog comes without a fun history lesson, I thought you'd want to know that the falls are named after a Menehune princess descended from the first human settlers to canoe here from the Marquesas Islands (part of modern day French Polynesia).  Here is a video of the falls:

Kaua'i

This weekend I went to Kaua'i (it's easy to go for a weekend when you have Furlough Fridays off).  Kauai is Hawaii’s fourth largest island and is sometimes called the “Garden Isle,” which is an entirely accurate description. It is the oldest and northernmost island in the Hawaiian chain and is littered with valleys, sharp mountain spires and jagged cliffs that are pretty draw dropping. Centuries of growth have also formed tropical rainforests, forking rivers and cascading waterfalls.

If you've never been to Kaua'i, you may nevertheless be familiar with its scenery.  The mountains and coast were backdrops for movies such as Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Six Days Seven Nights, and South Pacific. It was also the setting for the TV show Gilligan's Island.  Kaua'i is nothing like O'ahu.  It is as secluded and untouched by development as you can get and has none of O'ahu's city-like feel.  There is only one major road that follows the coast and only a few minor roads that go to the center of the island.  In fact, vast parts of the island can only be seen or accessed by boat or helicopter.

Kaua'i is circular in shape with lush, mountainous regions in its center and beaches covering almost half its shoreline. Kauai's age makes it one of the most scenic islands in Hawaii from the 3,000-foot elevations of Waimea Canyon to the waterfalls and deep gorges of 5,148-foot Mount Waialeale in the uninhabited center of Kauai, which you can only view by air.  We didn't have much of a plan when we arrived, but had a pretty packed weekend of activities.  Someone recommended we hike the Na Pali coast, so we did that when we got off the plane.  We also went to Waimea Canyon, the Waimea Brewing company (more beer reviews to come!), the Kauai coffee company, and a beach.