Spending a few nights in Kapaa allowed me to get the rest of my accommodation organized for my week on Kauai. I did my research before descending on this place and learned that camping was really the only option for budget accommodation. And like The Big Island, the state and county (island) parks required you know exactly where you want to be and when. I spent my first afternoon cruising around to visit the various beach parks to see what the camping was like. Afterall, the island really isn’t that big.
What I hadn’t anticipated was the amount of rain this place gets. The rainiest point on top of Mount Waialeale averages more 40 feet (12+ meters) of rain a year! And I thought Milford Sound in New Zealand was wet! Fortunately the coastal areas aren’t THAT bad, but they are still very wet on the eastern and northern coasts. My strategy was to camp where it’s wet first so I could use the camping where it’s dry (in the south and west) to dry out my tent before I have to pack it up for another flight.
My first night of camping started out very nice. I found a beautiful spot right on the beach under some pine trees at Anini Beach Park. The swimming was very nice, but as with most of Kauai at this time of the year, the sea was a bit too rough for good clear snorkeling. There was a brief shower after I got my tent set up, but no other precipitation problems until around 6AM. I wouldn’t have minded a downpour overnight while I stayed nice and dry in my tent, but to have an 8 hour downpour start at 6AM is no fun at all — especially when you are expected to pack up your tent and head for your next destination by 10AM.
Having a nice lightweight freestanding tent, I worked out a strategy where I could pull up the stakes that were holding it in place, carry it into the men’s room, and pack it up out of the rain in there. It seemed to work okay and I got the tent and the rest of my gear back in the car. Good for the time being, but the thought of attempting to set the tent pack up in the continuing downpour at a dodgy-looking park didn’t thrill me. I was confined to my driver’s seat, where I tried to read papers and pass the time waiting for the downpour to finish.
And then I remembered something about a YMCA camp being available if it wasn’t hosting any groups. I found the deserted place, knocked on all the doors I could find, and as I was just about give up, a woman came walking across the lawn (in the rain) with her dog. I saw a big pavilion on the far side of the grass on the edge of a beautiful cove and asked whether she’d mind if I pitched my tent under there. It was cool with her and it turned out to be one of the best spots I found to camp on this island. I could set my tent up out of the pouring rain, sprawl out on the picnic tables and read the paper, cook my meals, have lots of privacy, darkness, dryness, and quiet when it came time to sleep. I decided to stay there two nights while I explored the area. It was the perfect spot for the rainy climate.
For my last few days on the northern wet coast, I explored the area around Hanalei, Princeville, Haena (where I camped) and the rainforests of the Na Pali Coast. There was a hike I was hoping to make along the spectacular northern cliffs (known as “Bali Hai” in the movie “South Pacific”), but I was advised by the state park service that it was very slippery, very wet, and closed in many sections due flash flooding. Instead I did some short hikes instead and a bit of snorkeling on Tunnel Beach that turned out to be okay.
