North Shore

The North Shore of Kauai is known for it's strong ocean waves and breathtaking beauty. It is also known for being wet, so we weren't sure if the weather would cooperate while we were here or not. But when we woke up Tuesday morning, we were in for an incredible trip. We had driven to our condo in the dark the night before, so we couldn't really tell exactly what our view would be, but THIS is what we saw when we woke up...The sunrise was magnificent, and all without leaving the comfort of our own deck. Not a bad spot for a morning cup of coffee...
Here is the view from our little condo. I didn't photoshop the background, I promise. And, no, Bob and I did not share the twin bed in the picture. :) This was an extra bed that we turned against the window; it became my reading nook.
This was our bedroom...
After the sunrise and breakfast on the deck, we took the 10 minute hike down to the beach below us. This was a little spot right outside our condo that felt like the perfect little piece of heaven.
The hike down to the beach was through a beautiful jungle. Well, not sure if they call it a jungle, but it sure felt like one to me. What is the difference between a jungle and a forest, anyway??
The beach at the bottom was secluded and beautiful. There were about 4 other people there while we were there. It is only accessible by foot and kayak. It had more fun tide pools to explore, and we even got to watch what I think was an eel, up close and personal!
I got to have fun driving the Jeep, too! We spent the rest of the day driving all around the North Shore and sight-seeing.
Overlooking the taro fields...
We stopped at this beautiful church and walked around taking pictures. The white building in the background is the oldest church building on the island of Kauai. It was built by missionaries from Boston that came in the early 1800s.
We spent more time at a couple beaches along the way, but made sure we were at the Hanalei Farmer's Market by 2:00 p.m. People come from all over for this farmers' market, and they all line up waiting for the 2:00 opening, then everyone runs in for the first pickin's.
Yum! Fresh tropical fruit everywhere! I had to get one of these cool coconuts. It was really hot this afternoon, so the cool coconut water was super thirst-quenching. And, besides that, I looked cool carrying it around!
Stopped at another church along the way.
Went to see the Kilauea Lighthouse. It was closed by the time we got there, but we got to look at it from a distance.
We ended our day by heading to the Hanalei Bay (the birthplace of Puff, the Magic Dragon!) to enjoy the sunset. How can there be so many breathtaking beaches on one island??
The sunset did not disappoint us!
Perfect ending to a wonderful day. We didn't realize how blessed we were by this day! Since then the weather has been more finicky, and there have been too many clouds for a pretty sunrise or sunset. So thankful we got to see BOTH on this day!