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Local Hangout near Wailua Golf Course and Nukolii Beach Park

5/1/2014

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A friend told me about a neat little beach heading north from Lihue just before getting to the Wailua Golf Course (apparently the cheapest place for a round of golf on the island).  Turn Right on the dirt road just past the sugar cane field and right when you see the golf course lined with trees.  The road follows the canal (see map below) along the golf course and then out to the ocean.

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On your way in there will be a gate on your right after the road makes a hard left hand turn.  This is where they dirt bike rallies from time to time.  I saw a guy 'grooming' the ground and found out later they were getting ready for a weekend race.
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Looking North toward Lydgate Beach Park with Wailua Golf Course on the Left.
Beyond that are some cool trees with sporadic picnic tables and the beach, with incredible views looking north along the Wailua Golf Course.  You can't see the golf course very much since there is a buffer of trees, and lots of folks had driven along the rugged dirt road to park their vehicles overlooking the ocean and grill or fish (or both!).  It definitely felt like a local hangout, but I was told not to hang out there after dark due to drugs.

You can take that dirt road (I'd recommend a 4x4 or mountain bike) all the way up to the camping area of Lydgate Beach Park.  There you will find one of the coolest playgrounds ever!
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Cool Play Structure at Lydgate Beach Park!
A cool biking trip I plan to take is to ride down the Kauai Bike Path to Lydgate, then take the dirt road along the ocean south past the Wailua Golf Course and then come back the same way or along the road.
Another adventure I plan to take is kayaking in the canal that separates this little spot between the golf course and the Kauai Beach Resort.
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Canal to Canoe? To the left is Kauai Beach Resort; behind is the ocean.
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Where the canal meets the ocean - an ideal launch point for a kayak adventure!
On the other side of the Kauai Beach Resort is Nokolii Beach Park, apparently created and managed by the Kauai Beach Resort.  Turn off Kuhio Hwy at the Kauai Beach Resort main road and drive down through an astounding corridor of old banyan trees - quite spectacular!  As soon as these trees end and before the solar-panel-covered parking lot, turn right and head down a paved road until you reach the ocean. 
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Looking north from Nukolii Beach Park
There is a small parking lot with restroom facilities and outdoor showers to rinse off the salt water.  I didn't see any picnic tables like the place on the other side of Kauai Beach Resort, but there was a nice mowed trail that loops around the area along the ocean and back through the field.  Other than a lady and her dog, I was the only one there!  A nice little find on an otherwise overlooked section of Kauai most people just drive past to get to other places!

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Looking South from Nukolii Beach Park - not much beach!
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Wai Koa Plantation Trail

4/19/2014

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Selfie on the trail with young Mahogany trees all around
I took my mountain bike out for a spin behind the only mini golf course on the island in my local town of Kilauea.  It turns out this is private land that the public is allowed access to for a 5-mile loop for walking or biking.  There is a dog park, community food forest, farms, orchards, forests, a dam and more all to see along the way of the winding path.  I really appreciated the work of the Wai Kai Plantation run by Kauai Fresh Farms to maintain a beautiful space open to the public, especially when so much private land has become off-limits to locals and visitors.  It's easy to rent bikes from the Namahana Cafe right by the road.
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A corridor of Mahogany
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Say what?? It was pretty big...
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North Shore Dog Park - not bad!
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My friend Mark helps manage this 'food forest' - with 40 community plots
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Shot of the local organic orchard
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Finally - a way too see what peaks are what in the Hanalei Mountains. Unfortunately, the clouds covered the peaks :-(
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The Hanalei Mountains... covered in clouds :-(
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I appreciated all the signs to stay on the trail and information about what we were seeing... still, I wanted to explore even more!
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The local mountain backing the town of Kilauea
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Namahana Mountain and the Trail
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A panoramic view of both mountain ranges
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An historic and still operating fish farm
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More info on the Kalihiwai Lagoons
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These signs could be everywhere on Kauai with its ubiquitous chickens!
Halfway through I stumbled upon what felt like the Garden of Eden on Kauai!  I'm sure the several botanical gardens on the island are even more beautiful, but the sheer surprise of coming across something so unexpected and beautiful was a real delight!
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Imagine biking through flat farmland and orchards and then stumbling upon this!
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Cool mossy stump - too bad I messed up the focus!
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A more respectful photo of the Buddha
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An old irrigation ditch
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The water flowing underneath the irrigation gate with a cool cross symbol over it... on Holy Saturday no less!
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Little bridge over the irrigation canal
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Apparently this land was a guava plantation not too long ago!
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The perfect way to end this 5 mile loop would be to stop at Banana Joe's for a fresh, frozen fruit shake of banana and pineapple!  Unfortunately for me it was after 5 pm by the time I finished.  I'll have to return with Emily!
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Kauai Bike Path

3/11/2014

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Spectacular Shoreline View looking south toward Kealia Beach
The Kauai Bike Path is a multi-year project designed to follow an ancient Hawaiian path entirely up the east coast of Kauai.  It currently connects Lydgate Park in Wailua with Donkeys Beach north of Kapaa.  The paved path ends well before Anahola but one can follow a dirt path up to the point just before Anahola Bay.  Many people say it will never be completed, yet the 7 miles currently paved make for a nice and beautiful stroll or ride.
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Donkeys Beach
Named by the Hawaiians for the mules seen hauling sugarcane up in the hills from here
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A nice rest area overlooking Donkeys Beach
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Smooth Riding
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Some sort of old fishing pier
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