Kauai visit Jan 2011
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tubesteaklew
- Grom (25 or less posts to site)
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2006 9:17 am
- Location: south bay!
im going march 6
ill be on the east side. im going with mom and her christian friends and it looks like im going to be in some harbor. nawwiliwili bay? any waves within walking distance? how is hitch hiking on that island?
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Kauaikneelo
- Legend (Contribution King!)
- Posts: 514
- Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 3:38 pm
- Location: Kilauea, HI
BIG mahalos
BIG MAHALOS to RED for his latest addition to the world wide board bank.
I mean BIG... a 6'6" board
he has left heard on Kauai, for another board in the Kauai stash. Thank you. It was great to meet you and extra congrads to the newest "DAD" on the site.
Red got a taste of the ever changing conditions here and really got the run around, winds were changing direction daily; swell got real big and mean, dropped and came back up next day with a change in direction. Kinda funny as cars were going in every which way trying to get some water time.
We get'em next time... next time.
Aloha
(PM me tubestakelew we'll hook you up!)
I mean BIG... a 6'6" board
he has left heard on Kauai, for another board in the Kauai stash. Thank you. It was great to meet you and extra congrads to the newest "DAD" on the site. Red got a taste of the ever changing conditions here and really got the run around, winds were changing direction daily; swell got real big and mean, dropped and came back up next day with a change in direction. Kinda funny as cars were going in every which way trying to get some water time.
We get'em next time... next time.
Aloha
(PM me tubestakelew we'll hook you up!)
Aloha from the Kingdom of Atooi
Thanks
Thanks to all the guys on the site for their help and to the people of Kauai for their Aloha spirit. here are some snapsbefore my 'phone camera died and a diary that might be of use to other travellers.
Arrived 11am without luggage. While waiting for next plane to (hopefully) bring luggage I got a rental car, drove up to Walmart and got a kiddies tent (their selection was hopeless!), tarp, a case of water (everything's cheaper by the case at Walmart!), sterno, some instant noodles, beer and other odds and ends of food. Got back to the airport and picked up board and bags and headed west. Stopped at Salvos and picked up a $2 pan and some utensils.
Pitched camp at Salt Pond Beach. Kiddies tent is 6' corner to corner. I am 6'2". What a difference 2" makes (that's what all the girls say!):
No waves. Had a late evening fish. Got soaked. Woke early and drove to North Shore:
Stopped to check out winward spots. Here's one I considered briefly while brewing tea over sterno (not something you can do quickly):
Got to the north shore. Cruised Hanalei Bay but it was small and rife with sweepers. Headed to the campground at tunnels and was greeted by this:
Surfed. Ate. Slept. Surfed again on afternoon glass until dark with (will you believe it?) a guy from Queensland. Turtles popping up all over the place and a whale spouting and flapping in the distance. Went down to the reef a few times to look for crays. Couldn't find any (joke). Didn't get hurt, either, which was a plus.
Camped at Tunnels. Really nice beach park. Swell jumped the next day. I fished while watching the guys surf triple overhead Hanalei Bay then made a poor decision to head west (1st rule of surf travel - never, ever drive away from good surf to look for "better waves" - you don't have the knowledge!). Tried camping at Lucy Wright, but got a bad feeling from the environment (close to the edge of town) and ended up at Salt Pond again. drove to Polihale next morning (rental sedan handled the road OK, but I went slow). Massive beachbreak. Too big. Ended up surfing small beachies at Kekaha.
Playtime over I moved into the Hyatt resort. Big change from a kiddies tent and sterno'd noodles to this:
Luckily there was a small south running and Shipwrecks right in front of the hotel was breaking, so I could paddle out before sunup and get a few waves (alone!). Even a few tight little tubes. The hotel pool(s) were great for a rinse on the way back to the room.
Played hookey on the last afternoon. Rented a car and hunted west coast waves because the reports said it was 6'. No such luck. It was 2'. I crawled through bush, jogged dirt tracks until I got here:
A mere mile more jogging up the beach and I got a some really fast shorebreaks. Made a couple second tiny tube, called it quits and thanked Kauai and the ocean for a great stay.
Good to meet Scott and speak to some of the other locals. As the traditional farewell says, "until we meet again"
Arrived 11am without luggage. While waiting for next plane to (hopefully) bring luggage I got a rental car, drove up to Walmart and got a kiddies tent (their selection was hopeless!), tarp, a case of water (everything's cheaper by the case at Walmart!), sterno, some instant noodles, beer and other odds and ends of food. Got back to the airport and picked up board and bags and headed west. Stopped at Salvos and picked up a $2 pan and some utensils.
Pitched camp at Salt Pond Beach. Kiddies tent is 6' corner to corner. I am 6'2". What a difference 2" makes (that's what all the girls say!):
No waves. Had a late evening fish. Got soaked. Woke early and drove to North Shore:
Stopped to check out winward spots. Here's one I considered briefly while brewing tea over sterno (not something you can do quickly):
Got to the north shore. Cruised Hanalei Bay but it was small and rife with sweepers. Headed to the campground at tunnels and was greeted by this:
Surfed. Ate. Slept. Surfed again on afternoon glass until dark with (will you believe it?) a guy from Queensland. Turtles popping up all over the place and a whale spouting and flapping in the distance. Went down to the reef a few times to look for crays. Couldn't find any (joke). Didn't get hurt, either, which was a plus.
Camped at Tunnels. Really nice beach park. Swell jumped the next day. I fished while watching the guys surf triple overhead Hanalei Bay then made a poor decision to head west (1st rule of surf travel - never, ever drive away from good surf to look for "better waves" - you don't have the knowledge!). Tried camping at Lucy Wright, but got a bad feeling from the environment (close to the edge of town) and ended up at Salt Pond again. drove to Polihale next morning (rental sedan handled the road OK, but I went slow). Massive beachbreak. Too big. Ended up surfing small beachies at Kekaha.
Playtime over I moved into the Hyatt resort. Big change from a kiddies tent and sterno'd noodles to this:
Luckily there was a small south running and Shipwrecks right in front of the hotel was breaking, so I could paddle out before sunup and get a few waves (alone!). Even a few tight little tubes. The hotel pool(s) were great for a rinse on the way back to the room.
Played hookey on the last afternoon. Rented a car and hunted west coast waves because the reports said it was 6'. No such luck. It was 2'. I crawled through bush, jogged dirt tracks until I got here:
A mere mile more jogging up the beach and I got a some really fast shorebreaks. Made a couple second tiny tube, called it quits and thanked Kauai and the ocean for a great stay.
Good to meet Scott and speak to some of the other locals. As the traditional farewell says, "until we meet again"
