As Dani loaded up her truck with kayaks and a paddle boards, the other couple who were joining us on our adventure arrived. A delightful young, fit looking Californian couple who have been camping out and hiking in the canyon for the past few days. Dani is an incredibly fit, tanned mother of 5 grown up children who is 1/2 my size with about 20 times my energy. And then there was us.
The journey to Kalihiwai bay took about 1 1/2 hours and the weather changed completely from grey and stormy looking on the west coast to blue skies and calm waters on the north shore.
Our destination was a very picturesque bay, fringed with palm trees and a river outlet. Our plan was to kayak upriver, then secure our kayaks on the riverbank and walk upstream to the waterfall.
The land is privately owned so we had to walk in the water rather than along the river's edge so that we weren't trespassing. This is where the river shoes came in . We were both wearing borrowed shoes. The view on the way up river was amazing, green, lush tropical jungle, hibiscus flowers floating the water, with the sound of wild roosters crowing in the background. Raf and I had some issues with steering and coordinating the paddling, so we initially zigzagged up the river rather than heading straight up the middle, but eventually we got a bit of a rhythm going.
Once we could go no further in the kayaks, Dani secured them on the riverbank and we headed up on foot, on very slippery rocks. We managed to stay upright most of the time. But a coupe of tumbles and one broken shoe later we arrived at the falls. They were breathtaking. A triple level waterfall, with a pool at its base and no-one else but us to be seen. Apparently the only other access is via horseback tour, so it's not known to tourist at all. Just locals. We swam across the pool, sat under the waterfall and felt the serenity.
The return trip seemed quicker and easier, as return trips usually do. It helped that we had the current working with us rather than against us. We still managed a couple of tumbles but only bruised egos.
Then lunch under the trees on the beach before the next part of the adventure. We were going to kayak out of the river, into the bay towards open ocean, then around the point to a place called Mermaids Cove. Again Dani checked with me to make sure I was okay with a 'bit of a scramble" up the rocks. "No worries " said I blithely. I was more worried about the kayaking in the direction of the open ocean bit, given that we have a hurricane coming and everyone has been saying how quickly things can change. But I was willing to defer to local knowledge and forge on ahead.
We almost made it out of the river into the sea without a problem, until the first wave hit and we capsized. Of course we were just demonstrating the incorrect way to exit a kayak and the incorrect side to be on said capsized kayak so that when the next wave hits, the kayak knocks you over. Again.
Anyway, back into the kayak and heading out to the point. We managed to avoid all the rocks and then we saw the cove. We had imagined a nice sandy beach with a bit of a snorkelling trip at the other end. What it was in fact, was a small rocky cove, no beach, entering into a sea cave with a blowhole inside. We were given instructions on how to get out of the kayaks and up the rock face between waves. Dani made it sound pretty straightforward. It was all going quite well until I tried to get out of the kayak and capsized it. Again. Luckily years of guiding and bringing up teenagers has made Dani very calm, so no panic ensued. We all made it up the rocks without further mishaps.
So then we see the entrance, and I use this term loosely, to the cave. It is in fact a 10 foot drop into the pool in front of the cave. Everyone else took the leap, Raf included. I backtracked down the rockface, slipped quietly and gracefully into the water and swam into the pool. There is only so much intrepid adventuring I can take in one day.
The next swim was through a narrow rock opening into the cave itself. Again this had to be timed between swells of water, which seemed to me at this stage to be getting larger and more frequent.
Once we made it into the cave, it was incredible. It was filled with water, so we were still floating, but at the back of the cave was a blowhole. I have stood next to many blowholes, but i have never been swimming in a sea cave next to one. Very awesome.
Going in
We spent a few minutes in there then swam out again through the rock opening into the cove, with the ever increasing swells coming through the entrance. Up the rock face again, and across some rocks to have a look at a little bay around the corner which looked delightful, with yet another triple waterfall but which was only accessible with a hike and a...........and this is where the sensible half of the partnership lost it with the iPad. So the slighly less sane but taller one takes over.
Then way out.
Suffice to say this place was at the base of a cliff on which Ben Stiller has his house and we found a pair of socks. After some really complicated manouvres to get back into our kayaks, We headed back to land and tried very hard to line up the surf and the entry to the river. Yep! we flipped her again. Still we were laughing as we come up. By the way Damian and Nina( young, fit, athletic couple) flipped theirs too. It was tough. So tough we had a ten year old give us a push off to get on our way to the landing.
Truly an awesome day. We both did stuff we probably would never have thought to do and it was good.
On our way home Dani invited us to view the sunset with her church group at Salt Pond Beach. We did, we were also invited to eat with them and joined in their after meal bible games and sing along. OK, all you cynics can stop now. No, it is not normally us. However we were invited and accepted so openly and warmly that we had a thoroughly enjoyable time.
OK that was yesterday. I will try to catch up on today during the evening.
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