day four: limahuli, lighthouse & luau

Before reaching the Limahuli Garden in Ha’ena, in the northern part of Kaua’i, we caught a glimpse of another beautiful beach and hit the brakes. This day wasn’t intended to be a beach day for us, but we couldn’t pass on spending at least 10 minutes at Tunnels. After we’d had our fill and handstands were done and photographed, we went on about our way.

Limahuli Garden is part of Kauai’s National Tropical Botanical Garden and is one of the most beautifully landscaped gardens I’ve ever roamed around. Maybe it was the backdrop of the Makana Mountain and the slowing waters running through it. No, it was the magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean from the top of the garden. Every turn presented something striking. And all the details about the ancient garden are found in the tour booklet which is a real jewel if you’re not an every day gardener or botanist.

After about a hour 1/2 to two hours in the garden we went back down the highway to the south. The first time we had tried to see the Kilauea Lighthouse it was closed for Easter Sunday. Since it would make for a quick stop in the direction of the B&B we swung in. For $5 you can stroll along the grassy square surrounding the lighthouse or look out into the ocean where various bird species can be seen. We easily spent 30 minutes checking out the lighthouse, the birds and the small lighthouse museum.

That night we had dinner at Gaylord’s and watched the theatrical Lu’au
Kalamaku all in Kilohana. You can see my tiny review of the lu’au here. As for Gaylord’s the dinner was nice, but nothing amazing. This was said to be one of the best restaurants on the island, but for us it was just good. (Still I am most thankful.) Anyhow, the lu’au was fantastic. I tried taking a few photos to share with you here, but I really didn’t even want to take pictures. Luckily my battery died just as the fire dancers came out. Having done the usual lu’au more than a time or two in Oahu I would seriously recommend this one for anyone wanting an upgrade.

All photos by Adrienne C. Wilson; except where pictured. This dream vacation became real when friends, family, strangers in chat rooms and people who believed in my Trazzler piece about a place called, Haiti, voted for it. Many Mahalo to all the voters and to Trazzler. Major Mahalo to the contest sponsor the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.