12/30/2011 Kayaking in Kauai

Did I mention I bought a kayak?  

It's a Pungo 120 Ultralite; a 12' hybrid ocean / river kayak, with an emphasis on river.  I've only had her out a handful of times on Kauai rivers, so I'm not yet confident enough to take her out on the Pacific.

Narrow passage on Hanalei River

While I'm learning, I'm having a blast.  Kayaking is SO peaceful and relaxing.  Except, of course, when we are battling the currents and winds. Sometimes it's just plain hard work!   

Upstream on the Huleia River; heading for the Menehune Fishpond, Kauai

 INFO BELOW IS FROM:   www.GoHawaii.com
"Built nearly 1,000 years ago, the Alekoko Menehune Fishpond, minutes from Lihue, has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973. Ingenious ponds like this were built to catch fish, and the Menehune Fishpond is one of the finest examples of this type of ancient Hawaiian aquaculture.

The legend that surrounds the fishpond is based on the mythical Menehune, Hawaii's mischievous little people who performed legendary engineering feats. The Menehune lived in the forest and hid from humans. According to Hawaiian legends, the Menehune built this entire fishpond in one night. They managed this amazing task by lining up from the village of Makaweli for 25 miles, passing stones hand-to-hand to build the pond. Though Menehune legends abound, some say the word may have derived from the Tahitian word manahune meaning commoner, or small in social standing, not in physical size.

The Alekoko Fishpond is located near the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge, about a half-mile inland from Nawiliwili Harbor and can be viewed from an overlook on Hulemalu Road. The wall dividing the pond from Huleia Stream is 900 feet long, five feet high and meticulously assembled with lava rock. Perhaps the work of the magical Menehune?"

Margie, my kayak buddy below, is from TN.  We met while volunteering at the National Tropical Botanical Gardens (NTBG).  She's here until March, or so.  Then she is heading back to the mainland to wrap things up and make the permanent move back to Kauai.  

Margie on Hanalei River

Pedal Power!

Look.... no hands!  

Besides kayaking, Margie and I have been having fun hiking together, working at NTBG, finding good spots for lunch and last weekend we saw the new George Clooney movie "The Descendants".  The movie was good and it was cool to recognize spots where the movie was filmed both here on Kauai and on Oahu.  Shout out to "Tahiti Nui" on the North Shore!

I'll add photos of other friends I've made on Kauai soon. Everyone here has been great :)  

(I know I still have to post a summary and pics from my 5 day early December trip to Oahu with my cousin, Diane.... so much to do and so little time....when did I ever have time to work at a full time job??) 

Below are some stats on the Hanalei River, another place we've gone kayaking ~

Hanalei River

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 22°13′04″N 159°30′03″W

Lower Hanalei Valley as seen from the overlook near Princeville. Hanalei (town) is to the right.

The Hanalei River on the island of Kauaʻi in Hawaii flows north from the eastern slopes Mount Waiʻaleʻale for 15.7 miles (25.3 km)^[1] until entering the Pacific Ocean at Hanalei Bay as an estuary. With a long-term mean discharge of 216 cubic feet (6.12 cubic meters) per second,^[2] in terms of water flow it is the second-largest river in the state; although its watershed of 19.1 square miles (49 km²) is only sixth-largest on Kauaʻi, it encompasses areas of the highest recorded rainfall on the planet and plunges precipitously from its headwaters at 3,500 feet (1,100 m) above sea level.

My next blog posting will include photos from Christmas Day on Koke'e!  Stay tuned......

~ K