Wai'a'nae: Fun Times on the West SIDE!!!

It was Sunday after a trip to Pearl Harbor, when I decided to head to a less touristy side of the island (and to give Jennie and her roommates a break to study and write papers). I had found a cheap overnight stay on Craig's List with some guy named Thunder, a Native American guy, and his partner, Tina, over in Wai'a'nae. My plans to go to the island of Kauai never came to fruition as the task of planning it seemed daunting to me, especially since the cost of a helicopter ride, a second rental car and overnight stay, might send my budget for this trip through the roof. When I first got to Thunder and Tina's I was a bit taken aback since the place was in transition and was being renovated. I quickly met Stacey, who was now a New Orleans/Californian transplant and was staying with Thunder and Tina in the hopes of finding a place to stay in Hawaii. The same night that I arrived, our hosts made us delicious burgers.

Sea Turtle Siting!
The same day that I arrived, Thunder drove Stacey and I to a spot where we could see a sea turtle beaching himself on the shore. This was such a rare sighting on the island, but the West is mostly underdeveloped and it's where most Hawaiians live, so a beaching on this side of the island must've been much nicer than some touristy place like Waikiki for this sea turtle.
That same night, Stacey and I went to the beach at night. Yes, we did go at night and ended up meeting a local Hawaiian nicknamed "G." He rode his little moped into the beach right behind us and immediately was curious as to where we came from. He also told us about his desires to leave the island for Las Vegas (a place many Hawaiians seem to want to go to because of the gambling). He was a young buck, I'd say about 21 or so, hustling on the streets and probably needed to hear some stories from the mainland. I had read that this side of the island is where the native Hawaiians are and that many of them face all kinds of economic hardships. Sad for an island that brings in so much money from tourism, yet doesn't share the wealth with the people that are native to the place. Gentrification at work as usual.

Bright and early the next morning, Stacey and I headed for the Mahaka beach (still on the Wai'a'nae coast). It was sooo peaceful and so nice to be the only soul on the beach until a few straglers came around. We saw a lone surfer paddling along the shore and dangerously close to some rocks, but he never stood up to surf.

Hello Stacey, Morning Glory. Stacey and I later went on a road trip along the middle of the island where we visited the Dole plantation and got stuck in traffic after a surfing competition. Thunder and his friends suggested we try eating at Hali'ewa Joe's, a famous restaurant in the Surfing Capital.