Our first full day started with a walk on Tunnels Beach.
Then we zipped down to Hanalei Bay to see the Polynesian Canoes. They are on a fantastic voyage across the Pacific Ocean. The canoes were beautiful and I’m glad we had the chance to see them before they head out. Check out the website for more details: http://www.pacificvoyagers.org/
After this we ran into to Lihue to stock up on food items and other important stuff to survive the next few weeks. It is about a 40-45 minute drive to Costco, Walmart and Foodland, so we try to do as few as trips as possible.
After running around, we stopped at Mermaid’s Cafe for lunch. Our favorite place to eat out, fresh ahi tuna wraps are the best!!
Next we continued on our way, landed at “home” unpacked, napped, then walked around the yard. This year the citrus, avocado and papaya trees are bearing fruit. We are hoping items ripen during our time here, so we can pick straight off the trees. Last year, none of the trees produced for us.
This year a beautiful purple orchid has sprung forth.
After a full day, we cooked up dinner and then headed down to Tunnels for the entertainment of the evening…sunset viewing.
This ends the day. We are tired, still trying to overcome jetlag. We are hoping to go on the Kalalau Trail for the first two miles in the a.m. and then go to our favorite farmer’s market at Waipa in the afternoon. All in all I would say it was a good first day.
CTHikergal Travels 
Loved your trip report. Where did you stay? My friend and I are considering the Tropical Thai Cottage. Were you near that?
Aloha Sally,
We luckily didn’t have to rent, we housesat a friend’s house, just a 2 minute walk to one of the access points to Tunnels. We probably walked by the cottage, but it doesn’t jump out at me. It is a beautiful side of the island. Make sure you have a car, though. Mahalo for the kind words.