042 – Kaua’i, Hawai’i – For That Price, Buy It, Throw It Away!

With the arrival of Rick and Sarah we wasted no time kicking things into full Hawaiian swing.

We cracked open a few fresh roadside coconuts,

And hit up the local Ho’omana Thrift Store to outfit ourselves for an authentic Hawaiian luau!

 With their “donate one dollar, get everything you buy half-off” sale we couldn’t go wrong!

 Of course no luau would be complete without some slow cooked pork. The 22hr37min cooking time may have been a little excessive, but you can’t argue with the tasty result.

 Mmmm…..smoky pork goodness...

In keeping with the theme, the pork was complemented nicely by Aloha Coconut Candied Yams,

 Island Coleslaw with Tangy Mandarin Dressing,

 And Cheryl’s World Famous Baked Pineapple Surprise.

 After dinner we were treated to a sultry hula performance,

 Before capping the night with a classy luau family photo shoot.

 Nice muu muus ladies…

By the midway point of our stay, Britt was nominated our official guide after we realized that in reading the entire Kaua’i section of the Lonely Planet front to back she had become a wealth of information on all things Kaua’i. 

 Everything from tidal flows and lithofied sand dunes,

 To one lane bridge etiquette and local surfing hotspots.

 Looking for an evening art festival?

 Britt is your girl.

One of the many highlights was our hike along the stunning Na Pali Coast,

 To Hanakapia Beach.

 The water was rumoured to be a little unsafe,

 Though I think the danger was grossly overrated, as Ciel seemed to make out just fine on her own.

 We nearly lost Britt on the hike back to the car park when, whilst distracted by her running commentary on the local vegetation, she decided to smash her face into an adjacent rock.

 Fortunately, she quickly recovered and we were able to press on.

St Paddy’s Day marked another mandatory outing to the Ho’omana (and another 50% off sale), followed by the First Annual Kaua’i St. Patrick’s Day Backyard Badminton Showdown…

 …And an excessive number of lime-laden gin and tonics.

 Surprisingly, we held it together long enough to craft an eclectic dinner of guacamole, green salad and green apple crumble.

 The badminton merely whetted our appetites for competition. Soon after, we hit the hard courts for the lesser-known ATP Kaua’i Open.

 The athletes were nothing to write home about, but the ball girl was quite skilled.

 We rounded out our days lounging on the beach,

 Enjoying refined dinner conversation,

 And engaging in cutthroat games of Boggle (Ho’omana purchase price: $1.00).

Cheryl and Dan totally got their groove on with Ciel.

 Cheryl has proclaimed herself Ciel’s new BFF, and Dan only refers to himself by the self-titled eponym, “Dantie”.

 But, the time has come for Ciel to say goodbye to all her Hawaiian friends, 

 And lush tropical climes.

After five and a half months it’s time to return to our home and native land, where the beer is cold, the ice is colder, and, with any luck, Uncle Tom will have my skates, along with a week and a half’s worth of hockey games lined up to greet me upon our arrival in Vancouver…

Game on.