Fern grotto: A definite "must see" for Kaua'i visitors.
Written: May 14 '01 (Updated May 14 '01)
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Pros: Relaxing boat ride, lush fauna and scenery, very romantic excursion for honeymooners.
Cons: Zippo!
The Bottom Line: Wailua river valley boat ride is enjoyable for all ages. Fern grotto is truly one of the most beautiful spots. See why ancient Hawaiian chiefs reserved this land for themselves.
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| tubehead's Full Review: Wailua River State Park |
The next time you visit the island of Kaua'i, do not miss out on taking the boat ride up the Wailua River. The entrance to the park is only a few minutes away from Lihue airport. The best time of the day to go is in the morning, 9 or 10ish. After you park your car in the lot, you simply head out to the pavilion area where you will see a ticket booth at each end. That's because there are two boat operators. From what I understand, both companies are family owned and offer the same admission price for what is essentially the same excursion. The operator me and my wife chose for our boat ride was Smith's Boats. They had boats leaving about every 30 minutes.
The boats are the flat bottom types designed for shallow waters. Passengers sit on padded-bench seats that are alongside the edges or in the middle. I would estimate that the boat can carry up to 100 passengers, although the guide told me that they rarely carry more than 30 on each trip. Because the water is calm and the boat is traveling very slowly, you would have to be chronically queasy to get seasick on this journey. Along the way on your 30 minute trip to the fern grotto, you'll see a lot of tall grass on the sides of the river. Ho-hum. But the mountain-side scenery, another matter entirely! Be sure to have your cameras ready.
A guide gives you informative history and facts about Wailua River Valley. In ancient times, much of this beautiful valley was considered sacred and was kapu (Hawaiian word for off-limits) to commoners and could only be enjoyed by the chiefs. After western contact, the fertile lowlands of the valley was used for agriculture. In the late 1800s to early 1900s, there were rice plantations here. When the plantation operations were shut down, the area was turned into the park that it is today. A few years ago, this area was used for filming some scenes in the movie, Outbreak, starring Dustin Hoffman.
When your boat docks at the end of the navigable part of the river, you step off and take a short 5 minute walk up to the luscious fern grotto. The grotto is very shallow, but the outside of it is truly breath-taking. You'll definitely want to take a picture of it. In front of the grotto is a long hanging piece of fern with water trickling down from the top. A paved pathway takes you into the cave, at which point some of the boat company employees at the bottom of the grotto start serenading you with Hawaiian songs. It is here that you notice the unique acoustics of the cave adds a shimmering echo to the performance of the singers as well as the musicians playing guitars and ukuleles. When they play the Hawaiian wedding song for the newlyweds and the newlyweds-at-heart, you can't help but feel that there aren't too many places on Earth that are more romantic and serene than this.
The return trip takes you back down the same way you came up. But don't worry about getting bored. Some of the same entertainers at the grotto will do their thing again at the front of the boat. This time, they'll be accompanied by a couple of hula dancers. The tunes I recognized included "Blue Hawai'i" and "Beautiful Kaua'i." There's even a song where the dancers will try to get everyone involved by dancing a simple hula. And before you know it, the boat is getting ready to end its trip.
The fern grotto boat ride should be at the top of your list of things to do on Kaua'i. The entire excursion takes about 90 minutes. It's especially romantic for couples but it also makes a wonderful trip for the family.
One more thing: Rental kayaks are available for those who want to paddle up the river themselves and to go up to the very end of the river (which is too shallow for the boats.)
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: Anytime
Recommended for: Couples
Review Topic: Hiking & Trails
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Epinions.com ID:
tubehead
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Location: Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
All of the following: High school teacher, baseball fan, loving husband, and child of God.
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