Seniors Winter in Hawaii

I know of two seniors who have, within the last few years, fallen into the habit of wintering in Hawai'i, or more specifically, the island of Kauai, often referred to as "the Garden Island".  Dianne and I like to escape the cold Oklahoma winters for the mild, tropical climate of Kauai. 

A week from today we will arrive at home in OK and we are eager to be home, though we do cherish the friends and memories in Kauai.

Approximate Population of Main Islands

Oahu is the largest with 953,000

Hawaii Island is 201,000

Maui  is 167.000 

Kauai is 72,000

Molokai is 7,000

Lanai 3,000 

Niihau is about 130

Kahoolawe is now uninhabited 

Kauai is the northern island of Hawaii.  If you're looking for glitz or glamor, Hawaii or Maui would probably be you destination of choice.  

Kauai is less populated and appropriately called "The Garden Island".  

While all of the islands are beautiful, Dianne and I prefer the smaller crowds and the more relaxed pace.

The pictures you will see here are not in any particular order.  They are in fact, jumbled.  This post will reflect only a small part of things to see and do in Kauai.  

After reviewing this site, you may wish to consider putting a trip to Kauai on your bucket list.  We feel the excursion would be well the effort.

As the picture to the right (below) suggests, the east side of the island tends to me more verdant than the west side.  The mountains, which tend to run north and south through the center of the island, encourage the easterly or northeasterly winds to rise up and form clouds, which in turn create rain.

So the rain tends to fall more abundantly on the east side of the mountains, while the west side remains more lacking in rain .

I am no botanist or expert on flowers, but I do consider myself to have an understanding of beauty when I see it.   While I haven't seen this flower in OK, I do admire its beauty and enjoyed seeing it in Kauai, along with many other flowers of varying types, colors, designs, and shapes.  

You may wish to know more about the available flora and fauna found on the island.  I am sorry I am not able to provide such information.  As was mentioned earlier, I know something of beauty.  That's pretty much it.


This is the State Flower of Hawaii.  It is the Yellow Hibiscus, on the right below.  It also comes in red and a combination if various colors, such as seen on the left below.

One of the places a group of us liked to go on Friday evenings, was the beach near Poipu.  It offered grass and sheltered tables and, of course, a great view of the ocean. 

Every now and then we'd see a whale breech the water, sometimes several of them. They are on their journey north to Alaska, so as March comes to an end, they have pretty much departed the waters off Kauai.  

We are still treated by the arrival of turtles to the beach every evening.  The area is staked off to keep people away and not frighten the turtles.

One Friday evening, as the turtles crawled up on the beach to rest, the volunteer rangers noticed one turtle was restricted by a fishing line wrapped around his head and front flipper.

The volunteers called some especially trained rangers to free the turtle from the fishing line.  When the rangers had removed the fishing line from the turtle, he immediately made a bee line back to the ocean, showing very little appreciation for his new freedom from the fishing line.

The beach Dianne and I probably most enjoyed is Salt Pond.  It seems to be less crowded than other beaches because it is not generally as well known.  It is largely protected from large waves by a reef that is well off the shore.  It got it's name because it is adjacent to the beach and is a very shallow pond that the locals let flood with ocean water.  When the pond dries, the remaining salt is gathered.  Notice the clear water!

Pictured here is bananas growing on a banana tree.  These bananas, while a b''it smaller in size than many imported to the mainland, are sweeter and enjoy a longer shelf life.  I much prefer them to the ones we get at home.

I'd like to show you more pictures and even some videos.  I'm still trying to lean about how to do these things.

Please share your thoughts and any response you may have in the form below.

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