Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Mahaulepu Beach -- Kauai

A zip line guide (yeah, we did) told us about a beach that was located on private property. We had to drive about five miles on a dirt road to get there, but we were so happy that we did. Not only was the isolated beach amazing, we also found a trail there that led us to a huge and wildly barren landscape.

Don't take the time to enlarge all of these things, but a few of them are worth it
After driving a few miles down this road,

we arrived at the this gate. It was very nice that the owners of this giant farm let people have access to the coast, but they were very clear about the rules. From here we had to drive a few more miles on a VERY rough red dirt road (hey, we were in a rental car, no problem!).  The road ended at a tree line. We parked and walked through the trees.

To the right we saw this.

To the left we saw this. We started hiking over these rocks following the coast line. Around that far point we found another beach.

Part of it was very calm and shaded by pine trees.

I'm going to shut up now and just post a few of the photos I took as we hiked.









 what the heck? I can't get this to orient properly





The trail ended on a point that jutted out into this huge natural bay. As far as we could see in any direction there was not a single sign of civilization. Not a building, a boat, a car, a power line, or even another human. We saw many great sights during our time on the island. To me, this was the best thing I saw. It was like we just discovered something that nobody else had ever seen. Of course, that isn't true, but it was that desolate.
More Kauai posts to come...


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67 comments:

  1. Great images from a beautiful place Patrick.
    Costas

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  2. Very cool! Definitely the best part of the trip you've posted so far. My favorite picture is the calm and shaded beach - looks wonderful.

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  3. I don't think I've ever seen a "bad" picture of HI

    You're pictures are fanastic (as usual!)

    I may actually get a chance to go to HI :D

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  4. Paradise!! These photos are breathtaking. A couple years ago I hiked out to the point at Cape San Blas in Florida. The area is maintained by the National Forest Service and there are no roads out there. My hike took over six hours, roundtrip, and I didn't encounter another human or sign of civilization. It's amazing, isn't it? Like stepping back in time and experiencing a place (seemingly) untouched by human hands. So glad you had this experience. Post more pix!!!

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  5. Costas - Thanks so much! It really was beautiful. It was fairly overcast most of the time. As you know, it makes a big difference in the photos.

    Sarah - Thanks Sarah! A great place for a picnic with the shade and all.

    Nariane - Why thanks! When might you go? You will love it!

    Brian - Thanks Brian. Yes, we did zipline, several times.

    Nicole - It sure was! Thanks! You are so right. I was imagining what it would be like to be the first person to see a place. It must hae been amazing "back in the day."

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  6. I need beaches in my horizon. Those shots are just so beautiful and tranquil.

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  7. favorite pic was the shaded beach. nice.

    were you out by 6pm?

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  8. The photos are amazing, even the one that needs to be rotated. (made me dizzy with the skyline on the right side, lol) Imagining a place, with no signs of civilization, sounds like my kind of place! Looking forward to more!

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  9. The water is such an amazing shade of blue. I love the pic with the pine tree shading part of the beach. All great photos.

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  10. I don't know why, but I'm amazed at the clarity of the water. my in-laws lived on the Big Island and I visited there, so I've experienced the water but to see these photos still fills me with awe. and I DID take the time to enlarge every one. the 10th one is extraordinary - that BLUE. great shots Pat. you must have had the time of your life.

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  11. This looks exactly like my kind of place.... great photos, Pat :-) Now when do we get to read more about the zip lining adventure??

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  12. What an opportunity! And you got some great photos in the process.
    Rental cars were made for abuse!

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  13. I love this set of shots, Pat...the variety of blues in the sea and sky are just glorious! I particularly like the wild freedom that the last photo exudes...:)

    I also enjoyed your comment on my Sedona cactus...I had to go back in and look, as I'd completely missed the heart shape...LOL.

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  14. very refreshing and tranquil shots!

    amazing views!

    have a great rest of your day, Pat.
    betty

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  15. Those are some great shots Pat! Looks like you found some peace and quiet on your vacation. Hey be out by 6 or else...

    I will be posting my Fiji trip shortly...it was frickin' amazing!

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  16. So pretty! I love that it's so peaceful...no crowds!

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  17. Tim - I think we all need it. It felt pretty good to be there.

    Budd - It was very nice spot. Oh yeah, we were out by six.

    Ms A - It sure was my kind of place, but eventually I'd want the internet and TV and all the other crap I've gotten used to. Thanks!

    M Pax - Depending on the sun it was all different shades of blue. thanks so much!

    Ms Becky - We did some snorkling and the water if very clear. My last trip there I did some scuba diving and it got even more clear. We did have a great time. We're talking about maybe going back next year (if we can afford it that is.)

    Nat - I may do a post about the ziplining. It was cloudy and we were in shade so much that photos didn't come out very well. Maybe...

    Alex - Yes, it was a fantastic trip. I've much tougher on rental cars than this though. Thanks Alex.

    Lynette - Thanks Lynette! I agree, the colors were amazing.

    Betty - thanks Betty! It was all just sitting there waiting!

    Baby Sister - thanks! If you ever have the chance, it's well worth it.

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  18. Beautiful images.. makes me think I
    should reconsider going to Hawaii
    .. never really thought it was
    appealing.. there is that long long
    flight.

    Pat,couldn't you find one empty
    bench to photograph for me ??

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  19. Pat! This is so cool! I feel like Robinson Crusoe.

    Every vista is perfect!

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  20. Wow, that was an exciting adventure. I love the curved rocks. I'm assuming the water shaped them that way. These are gorgeous photos. Thanks for taking us with you to see nature at its most beautiful.
    xoRobyn

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  21. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful pictures!
    It is exciting to feel like an explorer. I'm sure it was hard to leave and the memory will last forever.

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  22. Oh that's beautiful, Pat.
    I wish I had done the zip line when I had the chance, I'm not sure I'll get another. At least I did rappel.

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  23. Oh man! Gorgeous pics Pat!! I wish I was there right now!

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  24. It's the road which impresses me because it is not something I am used to.

    The photo which stays sidesways - when I have had that problem, I've put the image on photoshop, said I wanted to crop it - but have put the marker all the way round so nothing is taken off - and saved. That way, blogger seems to accept that really is the wanted orientation.

    I still have a photo that blogger changes the colours for - haven't cracked that one!

    Lucy

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  25. Wow! It's like you got transported back in time or is it forward in time to Lost?

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  26. Chuck - Thanks so much Chuck! Yes, we did a ton of things and had a couple of adventures, but we had PLENTY of time for peace and quiet.

    Marlene - That's what I love about it also. Even during the peak tourist season, it never gets very crowded.

    faye - All of the islands are beautiful, you can do so many things, or nothing at all. Too funny about the benches. I'm pretty sure I have some bench shots!

    Jenny - That's how I felt. While we were there I was reading Mysterious Island by Jules Vernes. While we were down at this end of the island I imagined I was on Lincoln Island.

    Robyn - Yep, the water and the elements. Kauai is the fastest eroding land mass on the planet! It's been my pleasure! More to come.

    OWT - Thanks so much! You know, it never bothers me to leave a place I love because I know, I'll be coming back and that there are many other places to see. We've got several trips (RV type) in the works.

    Kato - Thanks so much! If you get the chance, do it!

    Lucy - There are many dirt roads there. Most of them used to old roads in the middle of sugar cane and/or pineapple fields.

    Jesse - Either way, it was desolate and wild.

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  27. Now that's the kind of beach I love, down a rough road and no one else around. Great shots Pat, the scenery is beautiful.

    Hope you were out before 6PM.

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  28. You were brave to venture "off road" like that, and it obviously paid off for you. Lovely photos and nice memories. You are showing us parts of Hawaii that we don't usually see.
    Rosemary

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  29. It may be desolate but it looks like paradise to me.
    Gorgeous shots of Kauai's beauty, Pat. If only I could fly, but alas.. I have no wings.

    be well and happy
    Pam

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  30. I remember having that feeling that you are the only person, even the first person, to ever see or be at at certain place. I was driving the Alaska Highway in 1973 when I first experienced the feeling. I so fell in love with the feeling that I have spent a lot of the next 35+ years photographing places that people have abandoned because I like hearing the wind describe these places to me. I'm not a hermit, or isolationist, I love being surrounded by my students and friends, but I long for those places where there are no people, also.

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  31. Gorgeous pix, Patrick. I love knowing that places like this still exist on the earth.

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  32. Oh, I feel all calm and relaxed now! Wonderful photos, Pat.

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  33. Would be easy, as you suggest, to imagine one's self the only one on the planet...

    Pearl

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  34. Breathtaking views and photos! What a spectacular place!

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  35. Not jealous at all. :) OK I AM.

    It is SO beautiful. I mean...why am I not living there? Beautiful pics!

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  36. These are wonderful shots of a seemingly magical place.

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  37. Such cool pictures. I've never been to Hawaii but I'd love to go.

    Thank you for your kind words on my blog, for reading both of my books and for letting Amazon know...hehe. Since you have the old version of Treasures, if you'd like the new, re-formatted version with a table of contents just let me know and I'll get you a coupon from smashwords.
    Nancy

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  38. Well, Pat, give me a beach that desolate and my clothes come off lickety-split and I'm a fish. Like Becky, I enlarged each photo, just to soak in that blue blue water (man, I miss home... going next week!)... and perhaps not surprising, my favorite shot is also #10... the one with the bunch of greenery growing on rock overlooking that delicious blue...

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  39. Hello Pat. I saw where you stopped by my Photoblog. Thanks for visiting. I checked out your blog and I loke your photos too. I signed up to follow you also. I have to get out and take some more photos. My husband passed away last week after almost 4 months in the hospital so I had not gotten out much. I want to start getting out to take photos again. I also love to hike. Hope you check out my hiking blog. You can find a link for it on my Photoblog.
    Kay

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  40. That looks like a dream place. A dream beach. Next time I am in Hawaii...

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  41. Brilliant shots yet again Patty. The water is so beautiful. Looks very Meditaerrean. Great colours too.
    =]
    Might have to get there one day. Not that far from Australia. Not like Europe.

    =]

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  42. Hi Pat, thanks for stopping by! This beach you is amazing! What a treat for you and for us. It looks/sounds wonderful - no sign of human activity. You don't even find that in the desert. I always seem to see some power lines in the distance. I'm jealous! Your photos are wonderful and your wife looks happy and healthy. Let the good times roll...

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  43. Wow...! Beautiful.. Ofcourse, a dream beach.!!!

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  44. Phenomenal, Patrick! Raw nature!

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  45. Soooo beautiful beach and coastline. All great shots. And they are best when isolated and perhaps with some trees for shade.
    Perfect.

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  46. Jesse - It could have gone either way. It really was an odd feeling.

    Judy - I totally agree! I could picture a little house and not much else. we did make it out before 6.

    Rosemary - Thanks Rosemary! I know it was all in my head, but it really did feel like exploring.

    Pam - I'm with you! thanks so much! Hope things are going well for you also.

    pitchertaker - You do a great job photographing those places. You are making a photographic record of things that won't be around much longer. I've never driven that highway in Alaska. Sounds like an adventure...

    Margaret - thanks so much Margaret. I agree with you!

    Talli - The place relaxed and invigorated me at the same time. Thanks!

    Pearl - Hey, I'm good with that. As long as I have the internet! Of course, if I was the only person on the planet, there wouldn't be one.

    TVA - Thanks so much! I know why I'm not living there. Humidity! I have to admit though, my skin and sinuses loved it.

    Rek - Thanks so much Rek! It is magical...

    N.R. - Thanks! If you ever have the chance, it's worth it. You are most welcome and it was my pleasure! You have a vivid and active imagination. It's fantastic that you can transfer those things into written words.

    Francisca - Thanks! I'm with you! I liked that photo the best also. I'm not running around there in my birthday suit though, I got enough bites on my legs as it was!

    Kay - Thanks so much for commenting and signing on. I really appreciate it! My pleasure to follow your blog. Great pics there!

    Cheeseboy - It sure was! Although there isn't a lot of "beaten path" on Kauai, it's nice to get off of it.

    Anthony - Thanks so much Anthony! I think it's about 5000 miles from Sydney to Honolulu! Still worth the trip though...

    Stickup Artist - thanks! It was nice to get away, that's for sure. I'm always torn between the desert and the ocean. I guess we're pretty lucky to be close to both.

    Kochuravi - Thanks so much! It was like a dream!

    Emille - thanks so much! Raw and unspoiled.

    Carola - Thanks! Yes, some shade is always welcome! A great place to put up a tent.

    California Girl - That's exactly what I said! Thanks!

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  47. Thanks for checking in on me Pat, I'm still around still taking pics just not posting them and I have no idea why !! I'm still enjoying your photos and adventures every day, just in silent mode and I don't know why that is either !! Maybe senility setting in, lol ! Rock On. Vickie

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  48. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Truly a paradise on earth. I think the first photo, of the road, is particularly stunning. When I enlarged it, I gasped!
    Ann Best, Memoir Author

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  49. Vickie - I check in on you because I miss you! It's good to hear that you are doing alright! Hope everyone there is okay also.

    Ann - Thanks so much! Dirt roads and/or photos of dirts roads are some of my favorites! Thanks for taking the time to enlarge! I'm reading your book!

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  50. How wonderful! Thanks for sharing something I'll most likely never get to see first hand.

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  51. These are some spectacular images. Thanks for sharing with us! Hope you were able to get a few rounds of golf in too.

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  52. Ree - thanks! It's my pleasure. Well, if you ever get the chance...

    Stephen - Nope! No golf for me! Maybe one of these days.

    Blue Wave - Thanks so much! You live in a great state!

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  53. What a beautiful area and very well captured. Very nice of the property owner to give access and you have to love clear cut rules.

    Great adventure for the family.

    Darryl and Ruth :)

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  54. No one came out with a rifle to stop you from entering?

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  55. What a fantastic part of the coast! The photos are just amazing, and beautiful.

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  56. Que maravilloso lugar!!!!!,te dan ganas de estar ahí....
    Fantásticas fotos!!!

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  57. Beautiful series of photos of this wonderful beach as paradise.

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  58. Wow.. what a fabulous find.. I'm with you Pat, this secret discovery would have been my fav also.. beautiful shots.. Thanks for taking us along..

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  59. Boy, did you hit the jackpot with this little adventure. So much beauty surrounding you, and of course, you had your camera in hand. The captures are stunning with their lovely color and scenes. What a fabulous posts for those of us who have never been to that little end of the world, Oh...I have 2 plastic sewing machines and they stink. The 2 OLD Singers are heavy and are true workhorses. If there had been anyway for me to save that one I would have; sadly so much was missing it would have been a losing battle. At least I have the picture. Genie

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  60. Laura - thanks Laura! It was really nice...

    NarnianFan - You are right, it was beautiful. I was told that they really do lock the gates at 6:00. It really was an adventure.

    Ann - Nah! We never saw anyone at all.

    Icy BC - Thanks so much! It was hard to take a bad pic.

    Expresarte - Thanks you so much for the nice words!

    Leovi - thanks! It was a paradise!

    Lynne - I wish I had been the only one who discovered it!

    Genie - We sure did hit the jackpot. I was happy to report from there. About that machine, that is why we always carry a camera of some type, right?

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  61. WOW! Great! Awesome! Glad you found this and decided to share!

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    group? There's a lot of people that I think would really appreciate your content. Please let me know. Thanks

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    ReplyDelete

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