This morning we joined about 5 other couples for a kayak/hiking trip along the Wailua River. It was hot and muggy, but we were thankful for the cloud cover so the sun didn't beat down on us for the entire paddle. We met our guide, Justin, and left from the boat ramp at Smith's Tropical Paradise.
We had a two mile trek up the river, passing by passenger barges that were coming to and from Fern Grotto.
After a small fork in the river, we paddled through thicker brush and a more narrow stream to our docking spot. Justin shared lots of stories and historical facts about the island.
We loaded up our backpacks with lunch and water
and trekked through the stream to begin our hike.
Justin played his ukelele the entire mile in and mile back…loved hearing Pink Panther, Stairway to Heaven, theme song from Titanic and Over the Rainbow!
We were warned about getting wet and muddy and we were certainly glad we invested in new Teva's for the adventure. Justin and the rest of us were quite irritated with the group of men who kept trying to keep their socks and hiking boots dry. I'm pretty sure Justin even called them princesses. The mud added to the adventure!
After about a mile, we got our first view of the Secret Falls down the hill.
We ate lunch with the chickens and had time to play in the water while Justin sat up above serenading us with his ukelele.
The waterfall was pretty amazing and Matt had fun getting some cool GoPro video with the water rushing over him.
We met another couple from San Marcos and enjoyed chatting with them as well. We loved the adventure inland
and had a beautiful morning on the water. Our arms and legs were pretty sore by the end
so we drove to Lydgate Beach Park across the street to relax in the calm water. This man-made beach area has rocks built up preventing strong waves and a perfect little lagoon.
Our final stop was Hee Fat General Store for a delicious Lava Flow shave ice…two thumbs up!
