it's 40k kilometers around the world's circumference
That’s a wrap on our family trip to Kauai! We left the island with quite a few takeaways on how not to travel with kids, and of course, with many many memories of adventuring together. Emerson still talks fondly about the dolphins we saw in Hawaii. (Note: We did not see any dolphins in Hawaii.)
On our very last day in Kauai and with the sun finally out, we felt it appropriate to visit a nearby beach. It was an easy crowd pleaser. Pro tip: baby powder removes sand and waves wash away cars.
On our last day in Kauai, we boarded the Kilohana Plantation train, an old-fashioned engine that took us deep into the heart of the plantation. We learned about star fruit and cara cara oranges and sugarcane and taro. We had a picnic lunch, then on to feed the wild hogs, cows, horses, and chickens, all of whom eat tortillas. Emerson donned his Hawaiian finest for the day, matching the painted eucalyptus beautifully.
On Wednesday, we booked an animal interaction tour through Airbnb Experiences. The Kauai Animal Education Farm is a nonprofit dedicated to serving native Hawaiian animals by taking in native animals who are no longer wanted (like chickens who no longer lay eggs) and by providing a safe space for non-native animals that disrupt the ecosystem. Our little animal lovers were fearless in doing their part to care for the animals.
That evening, we went to a different kind of farm, this one a regenerative food forest called Common Grounds. Here, they plant banana trees next to papaya trees next to starfruit trees. They practice no-till farming and cover cropping to reduce soil erosion, a significant issue worldwide. They’re also of the belief that with better farming practices, Hawai’i should not need to import 85% of its food. In fact, with one anise plant, they supplied the entire island with enough spice for every Thanksgiving pie. The tour concluded with an absolute feast crafted entirely of food sourced from the farm.
On Tuesday, we ran around the Na ‘Aina Kai Botanical Gardens, a private sculpture garden. While we’d originally hoped to book a guided tour, Emerson became our tour guide extraordinaire. He ran from one sculpture to the next, with Shiloh surfing in the wagon behind him. We loved feeding the koi, engaging with the bronze, and doing airdry in the palm tree garden.
At night, Emerson surprised us all by going onstage to learn the hula at the Tahiti Nui luau.
Much to our surprise, one of our more successful outings was to dinner at the 1Hotel, Kauai’s new top resort. We couldn’t quite justify the cost of a resort stay given the fickle nature of children, but we did thoroughly enjoy some buttered pasta with a side of fruit.
The next day led us to another rainy adventure, this one enjoyed under the cover of a boat. With the exception of a wipe-out from running on slick mud, the Smith Family Grotto Boat Tour was a hit for the boys. Emerson continues to sing the songs that were shared with us as boat entertainment. “Tiny bubbles, in my wine, make me happy, make me feel fine…”
On our way home, we stopped for fresh fruit smoothies, freshly dried mango, and shave ice in the town of Kapaʻa. Shave ice was a hit throughout the trip, with Emerson eating nearly two bites per purchase.
On our first day in Kauai, we stepped out in the rain to tour a fruit farm. This farm tour, found on Airbnb Experiences, takes us through Moloa’a Organica’a, a private fruit, vegetable, and spice farm in the northern part of Kauai. Rather than organized rows, the trees were all intermixed in a disorganized array, some old, some new, and nearly all bearing fruit across 30 acres. As we weaved through the orchard, our host would stop at a tree and take out his cutting board, slicing the exotic fruit as he told us stories about medicinal uses, history, and flavors. We tried noni, apple banana, star fruit, avocado, breadfruit, coffee fruit, and more. Shiloh and Emerson enjoyed sucking on the many varieties of oranges from their comfortable positions in the carriers. We were all soaked by the time we meandered back to our cars, arms full of fresh fruits to bring back to our Airbnb, grateful for the experience and exhausted by the skipped naps.
We’re daring to travel in the stage before any child can be considered easy. While I’d like to imagine that Shiloh could be easier if he’d had his own airplane seat, the truth is that both children ended up on our laps for the duration of the fight. The days of complaining about long flights without legroom while quietly watching movie after movie and snacking on Chex Mix and cranapple are long behind us. Now the flight is a marathon that leaves us thoroughly exhausted and in need of relaxation upon landing.
Joyfully, children are wonderfully predictable in their needs. The next many days were a dizzying array of activities interspersed with the predictable: cooking, cleaning, laundry, and naptime battles. Toys were constructed from Costco delivery boxes and the stairs were ever-guarded as our little crawler learns to move. We’re in the thick of it, and we’re embracing all the little moments, from the frustrating to the hilarious.
