Hawaii Day-Trip: What to do with 17 hours on Kauai on a budget

Planning our trip to Hawaii I got lots of feedback that 1) Hawaii was expensive and hard to do on a budget 2) 1 week is not long enough and 3) Island hopping or day-trips are great, are really only feasible on longer trips and you should avoid them on shorter trips because you waste too much time at the airport.

​Hawaii is more pricey than the mainland, but there are plenty of ways of enjoy Hawaii on a budget. The best things to do in Hawaii were free.  Even some of the best food places were one's more popular with locals and had a unique flavor of their own.  Sadly, one week is not long enough to see all the wonderful things Hawaii and all its islands have to offer; if I were to do it over again, I would have taken 2 weeks. But, there are plenty of ways to capitalize on a short trip and make the best of your time.

​For starters, we left really early at 6 am and flew back on the last flight at 11pm. By foregoing sleep, we got to see the sunrise, not care about the hours we missed at the airport, since everything was closed at those hours, and maximize our daylight hours.  Here were my faves:

Wailua Falls

The view of this waterfall from the scenic overlook is breathtaking. Worth the drive to check it out. There was a fenceline and large wall with signs of dangerous cliffs. But that did not stop a few brave and arguably stupid souls from bypassing the fence and adventuring down the steep rooted cliffs at a 130 degree incline, complete with ropes to shimmy your way down through the mud, army-style.  The falls are stunning.

Tree Tunnel

This is one of nature and man's most magnificent combined creations.  It is a long tunnel of trees off Highway 50 forming an arching canopy of greenery. So fun to cruise with the top down! 

Poi Pu Beach

This beach was rumored to be great for snorkeling with frequent turtle and dolphin sightings. We did not see turtles or dolphins, but we did see 4 endangered monk seals sleeping on the beach- a rare sighting since there are only 1400 left in existence.  Also, the snorkeling here was great. the water is shallow by the reefs, but there are lots of interesting creatures in the water. Make sure to wear your water shoes and maybe gloves because spiny sea urchins and sharp coral are everywhere (I speak from experience thanks to shallow waters and a heavy wave).

Glass Beach & McBryde Cemetery at Ele'ele

This is a small beach covered in pebbles of sanded glass left from a nearby glass factory. It is a little difficult to find. You will want to look for Port Allen and Eleele road that goes down past some chocolate, t-shirt, and travel shops, then ends at some factories. Just to the left of the factories you will find glass beach. After you get done checking out glass beach, look further to the left and you will find an old Asian Cemetery made on red-dirt. The tombs look ancient and are filled with sugar plantation workers.

Explore Waimea Canyon

Lots of people advised taking the helicopter ride through the canyon. If you don't have an extra $250, drive through the canyon instead. The roads are fabulous, winding, with outlets of waterfalls in red dirt and scenic outlook spots of the canyon. You may even find a local giving a free talk about ancient indigenous customs used in the valley. If you follow the road as far as it will go to the Napali coast there is a state park with a lodge restaurant and gift shop. A unique aspect here is all the chickens and roosters, and they sell bags of feed, so you have the opportunity to feed the Kauai wild chickens.

Anini Beach

This was a recommendation about where the locals go. It was hidden away through residential areas along a narrow road. There was obviously several camping areas around here too.  Worth checking out the views.

By the end of the day, we circled the island and spent $120 each for the flight, $42 on gas+ fees, $6 for Kauai tourism app, $2 for chicken feed, $60 on food, and our rental car was only $15 for the upgrade (we used my credit card reward points for a free rental)= Total $305 or $152.50 each for a Kauai day trip from Oahu.

Aloha, and Happy Travels
​~Tomorrowland Trekkers ~M