I have been lucky enough to spend nine days vacationing in Hawaii. We started off on the island of Oahu then switched to the island of Kauai, which is easily the most beautiful place I have ever been. This trip served as the inspiration for three of my original origami designs - my Hibiscus, Heliconia Bihai, and Torch Ginger.
We stayed at Waikiki Beach for the first half of the trip.
The Hilton's pool.
Waikiki Beach.
This is Waimanalo Beach, my favorite of all the beaches I've been to. It was absolutely gorgeous, almost entirely deserted, and the sand is large grained and easily wipes right off.
We spent a lot of time in the waves at Waimanalo.
It was easy to ride the waves all the way into shore on a boogie board.
We weren't really supposed to, but we couldn't resist climbing down to where the waves were crashing over these rocks.
This is the view from the back patio of where we were staying in Hanalei Bay on the island of Kauai.
This torch ginger at the Hanalei Bay Resort is what inspired my design.
This map shows the hike we made along the Na Pali Coast to Hanakapiai Beach. We then followed the stream up to the Hanakapiai Falls.
As we hiked the Na Pali Coast, the trail repeatedly swung in and out. One minute we would be in the dark jungle, the next we would be in the bright sunlight with a clear view of the ocean and the horizon.
This may not immediately be the most impressive picture but, for some reason, it's one of my favorites.
The Hanakapiai Beach is absolutely gorgeous, but getting in the water is very dangerous as the following sign shows.
This is the stream that flows out of the mountains and down to Hanakapiai Beach.
The stream turns left and runs parallel to the beach then turns right and runs into the ocean, making a perfect place to rinse the sand off your feet before putting your shoes back on.
After reaching the beach, we hiked along the stream that flows down this valley up to the Hanakapiai Falls.
As we hiked up the stream, we began to encounter thick bamboo groves.
The vegetation started to become more varied.
This was the part of the hike where I felt the most like I was in a tropical jungle.
When we reached the falls, the air was shimmering with the mist of the water hitting the pool below. This was the most peaceful, serene place I have ever been.
The falls fell into a bowl, the walls of which were covered in green growth due to the amount of water hanging in the air.
