Hawaii (part 4)

On our last full day in Kauai (and Hawaii), we drove over the the north side of the island. The hotel we were staying at in Poipu Beach on the sound side of the island was owned by the same company that owns the Princeville Hotel on the north side, so we were able to use the facilities there. The hotel sits high up over Hanalei Bay, where steep green mountains run right down to the white sandy beaches.

Bathers at Hanalei Bay (note snorkeling heads on the right)

We'd brought our snorkeling gear with us, and snorkeled for a while around the reef right off the hotel's beach. The snorkeling was okay, but the reef was very, very shallow, and we were both uncomfortable swimming only a few inches above coral. (A coral scrape can easily become infected, so we didn't want to get cut.)

After snorkeling, we had a light dinner at one of the hotel's lounges that has a great deck high up over the bay, where we could watch the sun slowly set.

Traditional lateen sailboat obligingly cruises across Hanalei Bay to round out the Polynesian view

Sunset over the Pacific

That's all for our trip to Hawaii, and for our Summer Tour 1999!

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