By Tom Neal
Bigfoot Trails Basecamp | Independent Adventure Media
Beach Time
Tommy at Uncles Shave Ice
Late August 2016, the whole family ventured off to Hawaiʻi: myself, my wife, my parents, my wife’s parents, my wife’s aunt and uncle, our two kids, and my future son-in-law.
Damn. That’s a lot of people.
My wife’s family stayed at their timeshare, and the rest of us opted for a vacation home rental. The place was great. We had a four-bedroom home outside of Poʻipū, near the Spouting Horn, about a quarter mile from a small beach park, and we were right on the water.
The only two things that would have made this home perfect were air conditioning and a swimming beach, or at least a sandy beach rather than rocks.
No such luck.
But damn, it was still awesome.
The weather was a lot more humid than normal. Even the locals were complaining. This was partly due to the tropical storm that was skirting us. Meteorologists expected a couple of hurricanes to hit the Big Island and that we would see the storms, too, but we lucked out and just got the humidity instead.
Now, we had all been to Hawaiʻi many times before, but this was a first for Kauaʻi. Well, unless you count the helicopter tour we did twenty years ago, but I don’t because we really never hit the ground. We went from the airplane to the helicopter and back to the plane.
If you ever get the chance, do it! It was great, but you need to experience Kauaʻi on the ground, too.
It’s even better.
Poʻipū made a great little home base for the week. We had Uncle’s Shave Ice often. They give you A LOT. It’s almost a meal there. The blue raspberry will turn your tongue, lips, and anything else blue. Very refreshing!
The Poʻipū Shopping Village was excellent. My shopping-loving wife and daughter enjoyed browsing, and my mom appreciated having a nearby natural market. Everybody got something they wanted, so that was a win.
The trip was filled with action as well as relaxation.
We had a zipline tour with Kōloa Zipline, which was FANTASTIC!
I am not a fan of heights and HAD a fear of falling, so I was very nervous about the zipline. I wanted to try it anyway. We met up with the company in town, where they put us in a badass truck and took us out into the middle of the jungle.
The first line was, of course, the short and easy one, which for me was good. It took the fear out of me.
The rest of the lines were just fun as hell.
The last line was a half mile long!
The guides we had were fabulous locals who knew how to have a great time. They packed up snacks and drinks for us, had plenty of water, and basically took care of everything.
They knew when to push you a little and when to just let you have fun.
Can’t thank the folks at Kōloa Zipline enough. It is HIGHLY recommended!
We also had a great time tubing the old sugar plantation irrigation canals with Kauai Backcountry’s Mountain Tubing Adventure.
Now this was refreshing when we got there.
Again, it was hot and humid out. The water, well, let’s just say it wasn’t even close to warm.
You get tossed into this old van and head out into the middle of nowhere. You know, the kind of place where it looks like they could rob you, kill you, leave you, and NO ONE would ever find you.
Well, instead, our guide, BJ, was an amazing dude who made you feel comfortable in an uncomfortable ride.
You get banged around on old, potholed roads through some private land, and then you’re told to get into some freezing-ass-cold water. They do it with a smile, though, and make you laugh while you're wondering what the hell you just signed up for.
Once you’re in the tube — and numb — you just float down the canal.
You bounce off the walls, brush against low overhanging branches, bounce off other tubers, enter some cool-ass caves, and make new friends along the way.
We started out with our family pretty much together, but by the end, my wife was back behind, my in-laws were way back, and my son and future son-in-law were up ahead taking point and racing.
That’s pretty much how family adventures work.
Everybody finds their own pace.
It was a blast.
Another good recommendation.
We also went up toward the Nā Pali Coast State Park, where we found what was, in my opinion, “da best shave ice on da island.”
It wasn’t some fancy shop.
It was a trailer in a parking lot with a funny and friendly dude running the place.
I got a root beer shave ice, and he asked if I wanted sweetened condensed milk on it.
What the hell?
At first I said no.
With a little convincing, I tried it.
HOLY CRAP.
It was like a root beer float made out of shave ice.
Amazing.
Of course, I think ANYTHING you do on the islands is going to give you great memories.
To me, Hawaiʻi is home.
Maui is where I feel most at home, but so far Kauaʻi is a close second. Maui was the first island I visited, and I immediately fell in love with it, so it will always be number one for me.
Hawaiʻi Island, the Big Island, was a lot of fun too. Oʻahu has its pluses, but it’s too busy and touristy for me. Lānaʻi was just a quaint little place.
Every island has its own personality.
For me, Kauaʻi was different. It had the adventure, the scenery, the slower pace, and enough things to do without feeling like you had to spend the whole trip chasing attractions.
It was just a damn good place to be.
So go book your flight. Find a hotel, a vacation home, whatever.
Just get to Kauaʻi and spend a week — or two.
Enjoy what the island has to offer.
And remember to take with you only memories. Leave the sand, the rocks, and all of Mother Nature right where they belong so somebody else can enjoy them too.
Mahalo!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tom Neal is the founder of Bigfoot Trails Basecamp, an independent adventure media project built around real experiences. He’s spent most of his life around vehicles, motorcycles, racing, travel, and projects that tend to take longer and cost more than originally planned.
After decades of doing all that stuff, he’s learned that the best stories usually aren’t the ones you planned. They’re the people you meet, the places you stumble across, the things that go wrong, and the moments you never expected.
That’s what he wants to capture with BTB.
He doesn’t want to write about adventure from the outside. He wants to go experience it, then tell you what happened.
Bigfoot Trails Basecamp | Independent Adventure Media
Me ziplining
