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Hawaii’s Back yard Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi |
Kayak along the
rugged coast of Na Pali
The Na Pali coast begins where the paved road ends at Ke'e Beach on the north shore of Kauai and Polihale State Park to the west. Its sheer fluted cliffs tower more than 3,000 feet above the Pacific. Pristine valleys, beaches and sea caves are tucked within its lush green folds.
Rugged and remote, standing firm against the relentless waves, Na Pali has for centuries been a destination sought only by avid adventurers. Its 10 valleys are uninhabited; some have never known the sound of a human voice or the touch of a footprint.
No photo can fully capture Na Pali's mystique, grandeur or spirit; this awesome tropical wilderness is a treasure that must be seen firsthand.
Rick Haviland made his first kayaking trip along this magnificent coast in 1984, and he has been back hundreds of times. Now the owner and general manager of Outfitters Kauai, one of Kauai's top tour companies, he offers active excursions islandwide, but kayaking Na Pali remains his favorite.
"I'll never forget a winter trip I took a few years ago with (acclaimed travel writer) Paul Theroux," Haviland recalls. "We got up with the sun and paddled; there was no wind and the water was calm and dark. A big school of spinner dolphins came upon us. We sat in our kayaks at the base of 1,000-foot cliffs with our paddles in our laps for an hour while the dolphins danced around us. It was so quiet and still that all we could hear was their breathing and the splashes they made when they leaped out of and reentered the water. There were 18-inch babies that shadowed their mothers' moves perfectly."
Outfitters Kauai's Na Pali Kayak Adventure is geared for the physically fit, and Haviland is upfront about the challenges: "It's a 15-mile paddle, and you can expect the ocean to be rough and wind-blown. The morning is the long part; we paddle 10 miles before we stop for lunch. People who are prone to motion sickness often will get seasick in the kayaks. It's a long way to go if you are feeling weak and nauseous."
The ruddered open-cockpit double kayaks used for the journey are made of polyethylene, a durable plastic, and are, according to Haviland, stable and seaworthy. But because the tour goes out in typically heavy seas, paddlers sometimes tip over and have to right their kayak and climb back in.
"That is a pretty simple process," says Haviland, "but it's a daunting possibility to some people. The old saying in the kayak tour industry is, 'Ask yourself before you sign up for the trip -- if I flip over, will I flip out?' "
DURING THE 12-HOUR expedition, participants do a complete circumnavigation of Kauai by kayak and van. The road around Kauai is shaped like a horseshoe, the open section being Na Pali, which is too steep and craggy to be paved.
Says Haviland, "We meet early in Poipu on the south shore, which is close to where most people stay, and drive to the launch site at Maniniholo, a beautiful beach on the north side. We paddle one way to Polihale, an incredible beach on the dry west coast of the island, where the van driver is waiting to pick us up and whisk us back to our original starting point in Poipu. Et voila -- around Kauai in a single day!"
A lunch stop is made at Miloli'i, a strip of land at the base of one of Na Pali's verdant valleys.
Fringed by a barrier reef, it was the site of an ancient fishing village. A stream and remnants of ancient taro patches can be seen near the picnic area.
"Miloli'i is inaccessible eight months of the year due to huge surf," notes Haviland. "Very few people actually set foot there."
Before the kayaks launch, Outfitters Kauai's guides monitor wind and surf conditions. "The ocean changes from day to day and from minute to minute," notes Haviland. "Serene and calm or rough and wild, whatever she brings us has its own special and wonderful qualities, and we appreciate our days on Na Pali however they come to us."
Energetic waves make launches and landings exciting. "Paddling out through a big breaking wave or surfing your kayak to the beach with the white water all around you is a heart-pounding thrill," asserts Haviland. Since the tour goes one way downwind, he says strong winds make it a fast trip.
When the water is glassy, "That's great, too, because we can hug the shore and check out all the hidden spots. We go in and out of sea caves, pass otherwise inaccessible beaches and glide through waterfalls plunging from high sea cliffs into the ocean.
"Kayaking Na Pali is one of the most rewarding experiences on the planet; be ready for a day you'll remember forever!"
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and Society of American Travel Writers award winner.