Makauwahi Beach and Caves

On Saturday we visited Makauwahi Beach the last of the top 15 beaches in Kauai that we wanted to see. To get to it we had to drive through another ubiquitous bumpy dirt road. That's all there is around here if you stray from the main highway or highly populated areas. I now know why Hawaii has the Hula dash board dolls. They can put up quite a show as you get around.

The beach was beautiful but the water was choppy as it is most everywhere this time of year. We enjoyed watching some people kite surf. The wind at times picked them up and flew them several feet high. It must have been quite a thrill.

At the opposite end of the beach from where we started is a stream and hiking trail that leads to the Makauwahi caves where they recently filmed part of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

To talk Emilia into walking all of the way there we told her that caves near the ocean is where Pirates hide their treasures and that we were going on a treasure hunt.

While there I noticed a small, clear Rubbermaid container on the ground partly hidden by some tree roots and branches. There was a man rappelling along the cave wall cutting rocks and roots. I thought the container may be something left behind by him or his colleagues. When I picked it up I found a treasure. It is a geocashing site box filled with trinkets people have left.

The best part for me was reading the entries of other people from all over the world that since 2005 have stood in this same spot, admire the beauty of Kauai and shared with us the secret of this find.

For Emilia the best part of course was finding a box full of toys. It was a difficult choice but she finally settled on trading a beautiful large shell we found along the hike for a shining green whistle.