"From mauka to makai," our native Hawaiian site supervisor said, gesturing from the mountains to the ocean of the picturesque island of Kauai.
Native Hawaiians take pride in the natural beauty of their homeland, and tourists can enjoy beaches on each coast, in addition to guided boat tours of the sea, kayak tours and even helicopter rides!
Our group managed to squeeze in some sight-seeing; part of the Habitat for Humanity Challenge trip each Intersession involves learning about the culture and environment in which students are immersed for two weeks in January.
We took our leisure time very seriously, gazing in amazement at surfers attempting to wrestle the gigantic waves.
At one of the first beaches we pulled up to, Alexis Rosker complained, "These waves aren't even as big as the ones on the Jersey shore." A few days later, we headed out to the west coast of Kauai to a beach named Polihale. In order to reach Polihale, we had to endure a tumultuous five-mile drive down a dirt road.
After about 45 minutes of turbulence in our tightly packed 15-passenger van — named The Silver Bullet since it somehow survives times like these — we pulled up to possibly the most gorgeous coastline I have ever seen.
With infinitely high cliffs coming straight down to meet sandy shores and waves that towered over any wave on the Jersey shore, surf enthusiast, Alexis, was not complaining any longer. After experiencing a perfectly hued sunset, we packed up and prepared ourselves for the bouncy journey back to the main road.
The next day we woke up way too early for our kayak trip and hike to a fresh spring waterfall. We met our tour guide, a tall and soft-spoken hippy with a towering pile of dreadlocks on his head.
He patiently helped us load our kayaks into the Waimea River, one of the longest in all of Hawaii, and took us on an half an hour trip downstream.
After arriving at the rocky bank where we docked our kayaks, we commenced our hike to the waterfall. Since it had rained the night before, the trails were very muddy and we were warned to take extreme caution while trekking along the 2-foot -wide ledge overlooking the river.
We could hear the rushing waterfall in the distance as our guide pointed out ancient Hawaiian remains of villages and carvings in the rocks bordering the native habitat.
Finally we arrived at a towering waterfall and quickly noticed that we were in the company of colorful roosters. The waterfall looked as if it had come out of a storybook and provided us with a cool swim in the hot midday sun.
We learned that the surrounding vegetation had been introduced to the island by foreigners. Lisa Irizarry commented, "It was hard to believe how developed the trees were since they were not originally indigenous to the island."
On the final day of our exploration, we exited our cabins to hike up the lofty mountain range of Kahili Mountain Park. We spent a good 45 minutes practically scaling the extremely steep, narrow trail and attempted not to look down until we reached the peak.
Finally arriving at our destination, we braved the wind and enjoyed a breathtaking view of the entire southern coast of the island, disbelieving the height we had achieved.
On our way down, the leading member discovered the most efficient way to descend: sliding down on our rears. It was a swift journey to the base, where we raced back to our cabins for lunch.
I cannot fully express the natural beauty of this amazing island. It is understandable how the native population enjoys such a peaceful, placid and spiritual connection to their homeland and ancestors.
The culture of the island is directly intertwined with the natural environment, but I will save that for next time. Aloha!
Francesca Peretti spent her Intersession in Hawaii working with Habitat for Humanity. This is the second installment of a three-part series detailing her experiences.
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