Debi and I celebrated our 30th anniversary with a trip back to Kauai, where we had spent our honeymoon.  Our son Krisitan was going to join us for part of the trip and we were looking forward to introducing him to the beautiful island. 

     We flew into Lihue and drove a few miles north to our hotel in the quaint town of Kapaa.  We quickly discovered some nice paths along the beach and explored the area. The Kauai Path went past our hotel and continued for almost 9 miles along the spectacular coastline.  The path is paved and many of the sections are fairly level.  There are several access points along the way.  We enjoyed strolling into Kappa to sample the excellent food in the local restaurants.

     Kristian joined us and we traveled to to west side of the island to explore its many attractions.  We drove up the winding road through the spectacular Wiamea Canyon, which is known as the Grand Canyon of Kauai.  We marveled at the colorful cliffs and spectacular views along the way.  We stopped at Poipu Beach on our way back and Debi and I reminisced about the site of our honeymoon.  We remembered that we had a special dinner at a restaurant in Poipu and were were pleased to find that Kioki's Paradise was still there.  The atmosphere and food made for another special dinner.

     The next day we booked a helicopter tour that took off in Lihue and flew over the spectacular Na Pali coast.  We had hiked along the trail that follows the coast on our honeymoon and we enjoyed revisiting the area from the air.  We were amazed by the waterfalls and dramatic 4,000 foot cliffs  that we viewed on our flight.  We finished our day with a luau at the plush gardens of the Smith Family Plantation.

     We traveled to Hanalei on our last day, where we explored the shops and enjoyed a tasty lunch.  We went to the beach to enjoy another spectacular sunset and were struck by the image of a young Hawaiian woman paddleboarding with her infant on the glass smooth waters of Hanalei Bay.  A perfect end to a wonderful vacation.