The transformer explodes in a shower of purple and white smoke and electrical sparks. They rain down onto the soaked campsite as the streetlights flicker and go out.
It is four in the morning and I have never seen rain come down this hard in my life. It is as if Lono, the Hawaiian rain god, has forgone showers and decided on a power washer. Water streams through the sand towards the ocean, giant puddles form all over the campsite, you have to shout to be heard over the rain. Our tent is quite literally floating in a pool of water.
My partner and I share a glance in the dim glow of our headlamps. A strategic retreat is agreed upon. We lock our bikes up best we can, pack as much as we can stuff into our soaking backpacks, and trek through the rain towards the highway and a Kaua’i island bus stop. A dry hotel is sorely needed.
Kaua’i is the fourth largest island in the Hawaiian chain and along with the rest of the state is a tropical jewel, smack dab in the middle of the Pacific. Kaua’i was the first of the Hawaiian Islands to see European explorers, with Captain Cook first setting foot on the island in 1778 at Waimea Bay, and was the last of the islands in the chain to join the Hawaiian Kingdom under King Kamehameha in the early 1800’s.
Hawaii is a laid back place, but the Kaua’i islanders take it to the next level. Unlike the rest of the state, Kaua’i is much less touristed with flights from O’ahu arriving into the island largest city Lihu’e only a few times a day and with a total population of just over 67,000, you can and will be able to find a quiet place for yourself.
For us, our Kaua’i travel started in a Walmart parking lot. With the purchase of two solid bikes for a price only Walmart could offer, we pack and re-pack our gear so it fits securely onto the bikes and set out on the winding, hilly roads on the south shore of the island. Climbing out of Lihu’e and into the small suburban communities along the south shore of the island, the lush jungle pokes out onto the road, cracking the cement as we pedal along towards the south shore and its sand beaches.
As a Torontonian and a North American driver, one gets used to a certain way of driving and as a cyclist in a large city, a certain way of biking, being ready to dart out of the way as you know that everyone is going to inadvertently attempt to kill you. Yet driving and cycling in Hawaii will instantly restore your faith in the human race and its ability to drive wheeled vehicles. Drivers across Kaua’i stop to let you in, don’t pass when doing so may be risky, drive at a reasonably fast speed so as to actually be able to get where you may have to go and easily my favourite part of driving in Hawaii, the ‘thank you’ shaka out the window if you let anyone in. Faith restored with the shake of the thumb and pinkie finger.
If exploring Kaua’i, or any of the Hawaiian Islands is your goal, the best way is a mix of both hotels and camping. Hotels can and will be hugely expensive across the island chain, yet camping is next to nothing. Anywhere between $3 and $5 dollars per person, per night. The grounds where were continued to go back to was Salt Pond Park just outside of the town of Eleele. Salt Pond is possibly one of the most beautiful campsites I’ve stayed at. Perched just above the curving sand beach, it delivers a stunning sunset nightly.
For those who want to get even more off the beaten path, continue west along the highway towards the town of Waimea. Here you must, and I mean must, stop for shaved ice at JoJo’s as it may or may not be life-changing. Unlike in North America where one gets a ground, icy, crass ‘snow-cone’, the shaved ice of Hawaii is just all round better. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that we had been cycling in 30C heat for a few hours, but either way, JoJo’s is worth the stop.
If you are driving through Waimea, make the turn onto Waimea Canyon Dr. and enjoy the turns and the views as you head up to the central mountains of the island and the eventual stunning views of Waimea Canyon.
Just past Waimea, we hit the longest and straightest piece of highway on the island. To the north, the interior mountains loom above, to the south and towards the ocean, razor wire and the Barking Sands Naval station, where all manner of weird and clandestine things are launched and tested from. For us this is the last leg of the bike trip, our final destination being Polihale State Park, on the far western edge of the island. Access to the incredible Polihale cliffs and shores is from the north of the island. For us, the beach and sands were calling.
The highway abruptly ends at the foot of the mountains. Surrounded by farmers fields you turn left onto a road with signs stacked upon signs. Drivers be warned, if you take a rental car, or regular car for that matter on the road into the park. All insurance is instantly waived, the road is that rough and unkempt. Even on two sturdy mountain bikes it was a long, muddy, rutted challenge.
However at the end of the road is real prize. Miles of endless white sand beaches. You pull up, pitch your tent and you are set.
It is one of those places that reminds you why you travel. Endless waves rolling in, giant seals sunning themselves on the beach, surfers running from tent to swell throughout the day. And perhaps the icing on the cake, daily visits from migrating and calving Humpback Whales. The Hawaiian Islands are famous for a reason; all the clichés are there for reason. It is a trip that can be as touristy or as adventurous as you want, filled with the oddities of island life and the laid back vibes that so much of the world is sorely in need of.
Kaua’i travel photos by James MacDonald
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