Our Own Kayak

September 19, 2005 | In Kayaking | No Comments

After wanting one for so long, we finally bought a kayak for ourselves. It’s a two person, self-bailing, sit-on-top, Cobra II kayak that we bought used. It’s wide and stable which also means slow, but good enough for us. We didn’t get a chance to try it out over the weekend, so we went today after work:

This is taken on the Opaekaa Stream, near where it meets the Wailua River. We’re fortunate to live only 5 minutes away from some great kayaking on the largest river in Hawaii. There are lots of other rivers to explore this winter and bays next summer when the ocean is calmer again. I’m also proud of the rope and pulley system I installed to hang the kayak right over the car in the carport for easy loading and unloading.

Kalihiwai

August 28, 2005 | In Beaches, Kayaking | No Comments

We spent all of today at Kalihiwai beach, the one where we got married almost a year ago. It’s a great beach, very wide, very long, fine sand, no rocks, lots of snorkeling spots, and even shade most of the day. We arrived early around 10 am and saw some spinner dolphins in the bay. They’re always around, but that was the first time either of us had seen them. We snorkeled out to see them, and we saw them jump out of the water and spin around in the air from about 50 yards away. When we tried to swim closer, they just swam off.

Later, we borrowed our friend’s kayak to paddle out to sea, around the rocky point to the next beach east. We were hoping to see more dolphins, but all we got were nice views of the coast. We were never more than 100 yards from shore, and the ocean was as flat as it gets without much wind, so it was really easy as could be. Both of us are new to kayaking, but it’s lots of fun to be out on the water, and you get to see the island from a different perspective. Also, it’s something Sonja has no trouble doing while pregnant.

After a picnic, some frisbee on the beach, and some more snorkeling in the bay, we took the kayaks on the river. It’s very green and peaceful, but I think the view of the valley is better from the road bridge. Still, well worth the effort, and you can go all the way up the river to a waterfall. Also, the river was so flat, I risked taking the camera along, so that’s where I took todays photos:

A shack with a tin roof, 3 cars, a truck, and a boat—must be paradise!