Kauai's Beaches

The main reason people come to Kauai is to visit its world-class beaches. Kauai has over 40 beaches, each one unique and boasting its own personality. During Christine and Derek's visit, we were able to take them to several of our favorites.

Their first evening in Hawaii, after a grueling trip, we took them to nearby Hanalei Bay to see the green mountains rise over the majestic bay. This beach is about 10 minutes from our condo. Many new surfers come here to take lessons or practice in the small, forgiving waves. The photos below were taken at the end of the pier, which juts out into the shallow bay.


The second day of their trip, we went to Anini Beach - about 10 minutes from our condo in the opposite direction. Here the sun gods smiled on us and we enjoyed a game of catch football in the shallow, crystal clear water.

Thursday brought us to Secret Beach, walking distance from our old house in Kalihiwai. It requires a 10 minute hike or so down a somewhat steep trail to get there. It was overcast the day we went, unfortunately, but we were still able to appreciate the beauty of this beach with its black volcanic rock scattered throughout. This is also the unofficial nude beach of Kauai, and although public nudity in Hawaii is illegal, Conor and I have seen a few 'natural' types hanging out here on occasion. No such excitement this day for our guests, which I think relieved them!




Their last day on the island, we took out guests to Poi'pu Beach Park, on the south side of the island. This was a more crowded and lively beach, with lots of frolicking children, snorkelers, and surfers. We also saw a sea turtle hanging out on the sand, as well as two Hawaiian monk seals. The monk seals are an endangered species that are occasionally spotted on Kauai, though less than 1400 are thought to exist today. This was Conor and my first time seeing one, so it was pretty exciting (we didn't get photos though).




Stay tuned for more posts detailing a couple of our favorite beaches! Seriously, there are a LOT of beaches on this island.