Traveling is certainly a favorite pastime for me. Everyone in my family has access to my current location, I think it’s because they know I can’t sit still. Because of the distance from Florida, I always thought visiting Hawai’i would be an adventure I’d need to wait on until life slowed down a bit. Never did I imagine I’d get a chance to explore Hawai’i so early in life. Nonetheless, here are some highlights of our trip and interesting facts about the beautiful, lush island of Kauai.
Since my teammate, Chad Jones, likes to fact-check me, I guess I should start by citing my sources. Most of whom are locals from the island. So, the accuracy is surely to check out.
Of the eight main islands, Kauai is the oldest—somewhere in the ballpark of 5 million years.
Undoubtedly, its age contributes to the deep valleys of the Waimea Canyon and the emerald cliffs of the Na Pali Coast. It’s known as the Garden Isle because 97% of Kauai is covered in forests or mountain ranges.
I could talk about the beauty of Kauai for hours.
Pictures and words alone would never do it justice. Although I might have already lost readers by now due to the incorporated pictures. Interestingly enough, the culture is just as beautiful. Locals treat one another as family, or Ohana, partly because that’s Hawaiian culture in a nutshell, but also because of its smaller population. To preserve the natural beauty and small town feel, no building can be taller than a coconut tree.
The musubi that we tried on our visit was made by a very sweet local woman.
If I could count high enough, I’d tell you how many rolls of her spam musubi we ate. That and shave ice (yes, shave ice, not shaved… don’t ask me why). Not only that, but we also had the chance to hang out with family members of professional surfer Bethany Hamilton. If you’ve seen the movie Soul Surfer (my favorite movie on the planet), you know who this is.
I’ll conclude with a couple of my favorite memories: jumping from the Hanalei Pier at sunset with the local kids (I felt 10 years old again), swimming in the bay, and taking a surf lesson with my husband. Even while getting slammed by waves, we’d always come up laughing from the thrill of the experience.
I must pay tribute to Darren and Karin Cote with Kauai Christian Fellowship for hosting. This island will hold a special place in our hearts for life!
August 2025
