Kauai, Hawai'i (Day Nine): Sleeping Giant, Lydgate Chocolate Farm, & Hanapepe
If you missed Day Eight of our belated-honeymoon to Hawai’i, go read about it here.
Sleeping Giant Trail
This was our last full day of the trip and looking back, I’m shocked by how much we were able to pack in before our flight left that evening! The day began with a sunrise hike (or what was supposed to be a sunrise hike) to the Sleeping Giant. We were exhausted by day nine of nonstop hiking and traveling, so we may have slept in a little longer than planned, and we were dealing with vet calls to home before we could leave. Nevertheless, early in the morning, we set off on the Nounou East Trail, a 3.4-mile trail near our hotel.
The trail is rated as hard, but it was way easier than any of the moderate trails we did in Hawai’i. The only problem areas were due to the rain making it slippery and muddy (this is where Ryan had his own hilarious Scooby-Doo moment). The trail ends at a picnic shelter on the "chest" of the Sleeping Giant, and you get pretty good views of the ocean coastline, as well as inland to the Wailua River and Mount Waialeale.
Lydgate Farms
One of the top-rated activities to do in Kauai is to visit a coffee farm. There’s only one problem: neither myself nor Ryan like coffee. Not even a little. But by some happy chance, I ran across a recommendation while researching for this trip to instead visit a local chocolate farm. And I’m so happy we did. By far, going to Lydgate Farms was one of the best decisions of this trip.
The tour began with a walk through the cacao tree groves, where we learned about what it took to grow the cacao fruit. They also grow other fruits on the farm, as well as vanilla. We learned that each vanilla flower must be hand-pollinated at the right time to grow into a vanilla bean, which is why it’s so expensive. We took a break partway through the walking tour to taste a variety of locally grown fruits, which were just unbelievable. My favorite that came out of left-field was the soursop, a white fruit with an almost custard-like consistency and sharp citrus flavor.
We then tasted the cacao seed, which is coated in a strangely sweet soft white rind that you can suck on. The inside of the unprocessed cacao seed is very bitter.
We then ended the tour with a chocolate tasting. We were given chocolate that Lydgate made, fair-trade chocolate from Africa, Lydgate’s chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, and plain old Hershey dark chocolate. Let me tell you, my life was changed at this chocolate tasting. I always thought I hated dark chocolate. Like despised it. But I almost liked the Lydgate dark chocolate more than the milk chocolate. It turns out that when dark chocolate is actually dark (good quality and not pumped full of oil and milk powder and other gross stuff), then it’s good! Who knew! And don’t even get me started on their white chocolate dulcey coins—I thought I already liked white chocolate, but I’ll never go back. It’s pure, rich cocoa butter with caramel flavors and natural sweetness.
I know this sounds like an ad for Lydgate Farms, but I promise it’s not. Ryan and I have spent way too much money on chocolate from Lydgate in the past year because it’s just that good. (Lydgate, if you do want to sponsor me, I will gladly espouse the magic of your chocolate forever.)
Hanapepe
We had just a little bit of extra time to fill before we needed to head towards the airport, so we decided to make one last roadtrip—this time, to the town that inspired the fictional one in Lilo & Stitch, one of my all-time favorite Disney movies. We literally only had fifteen minutes to be there, so we saw the mural and took a walk across the swinging bridge, then it was time to head to the airport.
And that brings us to the end of our adventures in the gorgeous Hawai’i! We really loved our time there, and if you’re planning on visiting, I would recommend doing some research on how you can do so while learning about and honoring the Native Hawaiian culture and minimizing your contribution to the increasing gentrification and capitalistic destruction taking place there. I would also consider that COVID case rates are consistently higher in Hawai’i right now than they have been at any point during the pandemic, partially driven by tourism and the ending of the air-travel mask mandate. If you do travel there, be conscientious. Wear a well-fitted N95 or KN95 mask wherever there are large groups of people, indoors or outdoors, and especially on the plane there and back. I wore one throughout the duration of my time in Hawai’i, and it in no way diminished my enjoyment of the trip.
Full Kauai Itinerary:
Day One:
Kauai Sea Tours 1/2 Day Raft & Snorkel Trip
Lunch: Included with tour
Poipu Beach
Dinner: The Dolphin Poipu
Day Two:
Waimea Canyon State Park
Lunch: Packed
Dinner: Lava Lava Beach Club
Day Three:
National Tropical Botanical Garden
Lunch: Keoki’s Paradise
Kalapaki Beach
Dinner: Saimin’s Dojo
Day Four:
Sleeping Giant Trail
Lydgate Farms Tour
Lunch: Jimmy’s Grill
Hanapepe Swinging Bridge
Left for airport
Thanks for reading about our adventures in Hawai’i!