~ Day Three ~

We had to get a 4:45am wakeup call in order to be on our way to the North shore of the island for our catamaran ride to the Na Pali Cliffs. We used The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook for all our information on what to see, what to do and where to eat. We were not alone. It seems that everyone visiting Kauai has a copy of this book. It is like the bible of Kauai! They recommended Na Pali Catamaran because they are only one of two companies that leave from the north shore. All the others leave from the west shore which means you spend a lot of time just traveling to get to the beautiful Na Pali Cliffs, probably the most spectacular coastline in the world. Hollywood uses these majestic cliffs in movies such as The Lost World, Six Days/Seven Nights and King Kong to name but a few.

Another reason we chose this catamaran tour is they were the only company that actually goes into the sea caves. However, by mid-September the ocean was already getting way too rough to make that safe so we just got close up to the caves. This cave had a waterfall inside!

And here's a beautiful waterfall on the outside

Here's another shot of a cave that has an entrance and an exit

Ahhh! Here's some of that famous coastline that is inaccessible by car. Look at that pristine sandy beach and the waterfall on the far right. How about this spot for the next Survivor?

Most of the coastline is rugged like this. We got our best photos on the return trip because the sun had finally come up over the mountains to light them up. However, if you left later in the morning, the ocean would be very rough. It was already getting choppy and hard to take photos with the boat pitching! Jeff was glad he had his patch for seasickness. Well, at this point he was glad... later he realized he was so drugged he need me to drive home.

Just before we arrived at our snorkel spot at Nu'alolo, we saw a large pod of Spinner Dolphins. They are known for their high, spinning leaps and how they like to ride alongside of ships as if to greet them. This pod had quite a few babies who were showing off their spins. We didn't take photos while snorkeling on this outing because we needed to get the camera back in it's wet bag. We did see a lot of fish and we had fun swimming alongside several large sea turtles. I bought Jessica a Hawaiian children's book about a baby sea turtle who was blue instead of green like all the rest- kind of an ugly duckling story. I also found a blue stuffed turtle to go along with it so she can use them in her teaching. Here's a link to Limu, the Blue Turtle.

Speaking of teaching... how's this for a school setting? This is Hanalei School on the north shore. Isn't a land called Hanalei where Puff the Magic Dragon lived? After our catamaran ride and snorkel trip we drove around to see the sights of the northern parts of Kauai. I took this photo for Jessica- I think she's ready to send them her application!

Remember I mentioned Jeff's overdose with his seasick patch? Well, you can see who had to do all the driving on our north shore tour. That's me in our champagne PT Cruiser convertible. It was such a fun car. Isn't this a picturesque little church?

This is a shot of some of the Hawaii agricultural fields. You can innertube along those ditches. We decided on a kayak trip instead since I thought the ditches would be too dirty. Boy, did I have another think coming! You'll see what I mean later...

We stopped for a late lunch at The Princeville Hotel. We had considered staying at this hotel instead of the Hyatt Regency so we wanted to check it out. It was very nice but we were so happy we chose the Hyatt instead.

The Kilauea Lighthouse
This is the northernmost point of the main Hawaiian Islands

Tomorrow: I'll show you photos of our trip to Waimea Canyon and our sunset dinner at The Beach House! - the best!!!

~ Recipe of the Day ~

This was the drink I enjoyed while floating on my raft in the lagoon.
It was light and refreshing and it didn't fill you up and ruin your
dinner like some of the heavy pina colada, mai tai type tropical drinks.
Using Crystal Light Lemonade is my South Beach Diet secret!
Crystal Light works great in a Margarita, too!
~ ~ ~

Blue Hawaii Lemonade (South Beach Style)

1 oz - Blue Curaco
1½ oz - Citron Vodka
8 oz Crystal Light Lemonade (reduces the calories!)
Garnish with Lemon Slice

Blend vodka, blue curacao, and lemonade with one cup ice in an electric blender at high speed.
Can also be served straight up, over ice, or blended.
You can add less lemonade for a stronger drink
or use regular lemonade if you don't worry about calories

~ ~ ~

Traditional Blue Hawaiian

1 oz. Light Rum
1 oz Blue Curacao
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Cream of Coconut (optional)
Garnish with Pineapple Slice and Cherry

Blend light rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut with one cup ice in an electric blender at high speed.
Can be served straight up, over ice, or blended.

Click here for printable recipe