Our day of snorkeling was a bust…high waters and rough seas. But it was still a beautiful day. We tried Tunnels Beach (Makua) first, which is on the North Shore, to the west of Hanalei. On a normal day, there are underground tunnels and caves you can see when snorkeling. Not today! From there we tried Ha’ena Beach, further west. Still very wild. There are caves there. Caves give me the total and complete creeps, but I took a picture for any of you who like such things!

Tammie and I went on to Ke’e (Kay-ay) Beach, which is the end of the road on the North Shore. There are several trailheads there, one of which is 11 miles through some intense terrain to Hanakapiia Falls, which is supposed to be stunning. We walked up just a bit to get a better view of the ocean. Most of the trail is right along the coast.

From there we went back east to Lamahai Beach — this was stunning. Lumahai Stream crashes right into the sea here, creating mini surfboard waves. In fact, this is where Mitzi

Gaynor sang “I’m gonna wash that man right out of my hair” in South Pacific! Several local surfers were working there magic on the river there. (This also reminds me of a place in Panama called Rio Mar, where a river runs right into the sea; it was a great place, too.) Further out from the river is an outcropping of lava rocks. With the crashing surf, it made for spectacular viewing.

Our last stop was Anini Beach, further east still. Lots of lava rocks strewn around, with not much space to swim around them. This was a much quieter beach, with clear water and lichen on the rocks. Really lovely.

We pretty much gave up on the snorkel thing after all that, but I went on to the beach near Tammie’s — Kealia — and spent a wonderful few hours there on the east shore. The waves were PERFECT for swimming and I had a great day!