I love Hawaii. I have a wish that I could spend a month there every winter. I love the ocean, the greenery, and the culture; the vibe is very chill. It’s a nice break from the dry climate and lack of water in Colorado.

The first time I went to Hawaii was in the early 2000s with my dad. We went to Oahu, and a few years later, the Big Island. I went back to Oahu with my mom about five years ago. Then, after a very busy 2024 with almost no vacation time, I decided to start taking two vacations a year. Last year, I did a road trip through Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, followed by this trip to Kauai with my mom. This was our first time on Kauai.

The most interesting thing was driving around the island. Kauai is not large, yet it contains seven microclimates. You go from the tropics to the desert to the rainforest very quickly. It’s obvious when you change zones because the plant life shifts drastically. For example, the mountain peak gets over 600 inches of rain a year, but only 45 minutes away on the west side, there is a rain shadow that gets less than 17 inches annually. Kauai also has what they call the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” which is the Waimea Canyon. It’s a massive canyon that forces the road to go all the way around the island because you can’t drive through it.

We were definitely at the mercy of Mother Nature. We stayed in a condo community, but our building was just a little bit off the coast. Even just walking out to the water, the wind was insane. There were very few calm days, and you didn’t really want to stay exposed to that wind for very long.

It was also hard to know what the weather would be like in one area of the island versus another. We went to this beautiful beach and got lucky because the rain stopped right as we arrived. But when we went to explore the town, the rain rolled in again. We had to head to a completely different part of the island to find something else to do. You just had to be flexible in your plans.

The weather apps only predict “rain” for the day; they can’t predict those one- or two-hour gaps of sunshine. And the news channels weren’t helpful because they give the weather for the whole of Hawaii across multiple islands, which doesn’t help when you’re dealing with specific climate zones on one island.

They actually have this “Coconut Weather Station” that was really funny, but it’s a silly joke. If the coconut is wet, it’s raining; if the coconut is moving, it’s windy. It’s a way of saying you truly cannot predict the weather there. If you want to know what the weather is, you just have to look outside.

A huge percentage of the plant life on the island is actually non-native and invasive. Because the climate is so hospitable—with rich soil and plenty of water—invasive species have drastically changed the landscape from what the Native Hawaiians would have seen centuries ago.

We went to a luau where they explained the history of hula and the various cultures it came from. I learned that there was a long history of war among island nations—Tahitians, Polynesians, and others—fighting over the different islands. The culture we know today as “Native Hawaiian” is a combination of all those older island cultures. That context made the hula even more interesting. I loved it so much. It was more than just a performance. 

We also went to a hula demonstration at a big hotel that was put on by the woman who taught our lei-making class. The demonstration was incredible because it was up close with just two dancers.

We didn’t get out on the water this time, but I know there are major reef protection efforts. You can actually see the importance of the reefs just by watching the water; the waves break far out on the reefs or rocks rather than hitting the shore with full energy. Without those reefs, the shorelines are under much more threat from erosion and intense waves. 

The last day. We had “perfect” Hawaii weather. It was a completely clear day. We got into the ocean, went to a nice restaurant right on the water, and watched the sunset. It was a lovely end to the trip.

It was definitely a much-needed mental break. I successfully managed not to check my email or Slack the entire time, which was a big win for me. But beyond just the break from work, I came back with a renewed desire to pursue my creative interests. I do a bit of everything—sketching, painting, knitting, pottery, glasswork, and quilting. Being in Kauai really sparked that again.

The island’s beauty was a big part of inspiring my creativity. I found myself taking pictures specifically thinking, “Oh, this would make a beautiful painting.” We also did a few hands-on creative things while we were there. We took a lei-making class, where we learned to weave real leis using orchids and ti leaves. It was so cool that I actually brought home some ti leaves so I can teach my nieces how to make them this summer. 

The other reason I came back inspired was because my favorite souvenirs are pieces of artwork. I tend to visit a lot of art studios whenever I travel. The artist I was most impressed by on this trip to Kauai was Troy Carney. He makes these 3D art pieces by cutting out intricate designs and layering them in epoxy.  He has a video of the process on his website.

It would be neat to visualize the historical sailing routes between the islands, showing where the different villages were set up and coloring the routes by island culture, like Polynesian versus Tahitian, for example.