Inside the Terrarium of Kauai

Shades of green and waves of gold begin to form as major swell follows a night of tropical rain. Surf skier is out early to ride the the leading edge of waves heading toward Hanalei. Landslide closed Kuhio Hwy last week.

Waves today are forecast at 20-plus feet at north facing surf breaks on the Hawaiian Islands. Here on Kauai we have been pelted with rain for more than a week, with the largest storm and biggest waves starting last night.

Even when the rain is falling in buckets people want to be outside doing their recreational thing, whether it’s surfing, hiking, golfing or simply strolling along the footpaths. It reminds me of home in Santa Cruz where recreation is taken seriously at every opportunity. I’ve been in the water once over the past eight days, and that was just for a refreshing dip at Kalihiwai beach with family and friends. The water was remarkably brackish from all the runoff. Water quality? Who knows.

Examples of the effects of these storms are the five landslides that have closed main roads on the
island over the past four weeks. The result has been closed schools; people stranded and not able to get home, some stuck in their cars for up to seven hours.

A few hardy souls have still been getting waves. I say, good on them. I’ve spent a few hours honing my golf swing at the Wailua Golf Course and Princeville Makai Course driving ranges. I hope to get out for a round as soon as the current storm passes. I don’t cotton to playing golf through puddles and driving rain. I’ve also taken advantage of a couple of the yoga sessions offered on the island led by seasoned teachers and at very reasonable rates.


I have not mentioned the high quality time we’ve had with our daughter and granddaughter. That’s another story that I hope to tell.

Just being on Kauai is like being immersed in a giant terrarium of lush greens and bright flowers (. The air is thick with sweet fragrances and warm enough to always be in shorts and flip flops. Aloha!