Getting Dirty with Kauai ATV

First of all, I can't believe someone let me be in charge of this machine.

But I'm sure glad they did!

Of all the activities Aaron and I planned for our visit to Kauai, we were most excited about doing a muddy ATV tour with Kauai ATV. It ended up being our most fun activity by far, and one of the most awesome things either of us had ever done!

We were up bright and early for our 7 a.m. waterfall tour. After checking in at the Kauai ATV office in Koloa, we drove three minutes down the road to the actual site with all the vehicles and gear.

Our guides, Cole and Josh, got us set up with shorts and tees that could get dirty. We had worn our bathing suits under our clothes, so after a quick change, we were ready to go.

Aaron and I were the only two people in our tour group who had signed up for single-rider ATVs. Other couples had chosen two-seater MudBugs, while families opted for Ohana Bugs, which accommodate three or four people.

We're both too adventurous and adrenaline-seeking to take turns driving a shared vehicle. If I could do it again, I would still choose my own ATV! They just seemed more badass... and we got to wear cooler helmets.

Cole explained all the safety rules and basic hand signals to our group, had us sign paperwork that swore we wouldn't drive dangerously (I gave Aaron some serious side-eye during this part — he likes to push limits) and got us acquainted with our vehicles. I started to get a little nervous.

We began the tour with a lap around a dirt track just to get a feel for our vehicles. My main fear was that I would get going too fast and lose control of the ATV, but I realized it was pretty easy to drive and had great brakes. I was ready to head out on the real trail.

Here's where taking the 7 a.m. tour worked to our advantage: The trail was plenty wet from overnight and early-morning rain, so we had plenty of mud puddles to zoom through. It also helped that it poured torrential rain twice throughout our tour — so much fun!

I drove slowly at first, especially when making turns, but I went faster as I became more confident. We rode in a single-file line, and I was second — right behind the lead guide, Cole — so I felt like I needed to keep up and not slow down the whole group. It was good motivation for me to drive more adventurously.

Aaron, who was right behind me, can attest to the fact that I rode a little too adventurously at times. I might have nearly veered into the bushes a few times, and at one point got momentarily stuck in a really muddy patch. It was nothing I couldn't handle, though. : )

Cole stopped us at a few interesting points during the tour and did a great job of giving us some background info about the land. He told us all about the Wilcox Tunnel, for example, and how it served as a shortcut for trucks to transport sugar cane back when Grove Farm was an operational sugar plantation.

And it was really cool to drive through the half-mile-long tunnel.

Halfway through the tour, we stopped to swim at a pretty waterfall and have lunch. We could even jump off the waterfall, but Cole advised us not to go head first.

Did I mention that Aaron likes to push limits? This was mid-flip; he didn't actually land head first! He nearly gave me a heart attack, though.

I meant to do a cannonball, but it somehow turned into this lame jump. Heh.

It was so nice to rinse off and relax. We enjoyed PB&J sandwiches, chips, cookies, juice and water before heading back out on the trail for more muddy fun.

I felt way more confident during the second portion of the tour and really shredded my ATV. It was just awesome and I never wanted it to be over!

We stopped to take in the most beautiful scene near the end of the tour. Recognize this view from Jurassic Park?

I put this picture on Facebook and people commented that the background looks fake. It looked surreal in person, too! So gorgeous.

I was reluctant to say goodbye to this view, but it was time to head through the Wilcox Tunnel again and back to Kauai ATV. I made sure to hit every puddle on the way for good measure.

The only downside to driving an ATV versus a MudBug or Ohana Bug, if you're looking to get really dirty, is that only your legs and shoes really get muddy; the ATV's fenders protect you from most of the splashing. Everyone else on our tour was soaked and mud-spattered from head to toe.

I was happy to stay a little more clean. : )

We had a fantastic time on our tour with Kauai ATV and highly recommend it if you're looking for an adventurous and scenic activity on Kauai.

Aaron and I now have ATV fever and might even try to ride ATVs wherever we travel. My friend Joel Runyon recently rode an ATV in a desert in Jordan — a very different experience, but equally awesome, I'm sure.

I can't wait to ride again.

Disclaimer: We enjoyed a discounted tour with Kauai ATV. This is an honest review and all opinions are my own.

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Living in the Hawaiian Jungle (Plus, Where I'm Going Next!)

Aaron and I are back from our week on Kauai!

Last year, we spent a great week on Oahu, and this year's trip just confirmed that Hawaii is kind of our special place.

We just love piling our beach gear into a rental car, rolling down the windows and blasting Hawaiian/reggae music.

We love the scenery.

Waimea Canyon.

The sunsets.

Poipu Beach.

The waterfalls.

I have no clue what this waterfall is called! It's on Grove Farm land.

The fruity drinks.

Drankin' at Roy's Poipu Bar & Grill.

And the ice cream.

Ohhh, how we love the ice cream. We made several trips to Lappert's Hawaii throughout the week.

One of the things we loved most about this trip was where we stayed.

On Oahu, we went the typical hotel-on-the-beach route. The Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel was nice, but it was full of tourists and surrounded by other hotels and shops and restaurants packed with even more tourists. Waikiki Beach wound up being one of our least favorite beaches (incredible sunsets, but lame for swimming and surfing), and we rarely even hung out in the area. On top of all that, hotels ain't cheap.

Based on positive experiences I'd read about from other bloggers, I suggested we look for a private vacation rental for our trip to Kauai. We scoured sites like VRBO and Roomorama before finally finding our perfect jungle hideaway listed on Airbnb.

For $80/night, we scored a self-contained studio tucked away in a quiet Kalaheo neighborhood just two minutes off Route 50. It featured a fully screened lanai, which housed beach mats, snorkel gear and floaties...

...and the inside had everything else we could possibly need for a relaxing, homey stay!

We really enjoyed the kitchenette with full refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven, hot plate, dishes, utensils and condiments.

The comfortable couch was great for watching the finale of The Bachelorette (I'm not ashamed) and the Olympics on the cable TV. Wi-Fi was fast and free, too.

The bathroom was stocked with nice bath towels, beach towels and toiletries.

And the king-sized bed was ridiculously huge and adorned with plenty of blankets and extra pillows. There were also fresh flowers on the lanai, coffee table and bathroom counter when we arrived, but I snapped these photos right as we left, so you may notice that they're all dead. : (

The owners, Neil and Sharon, live in the entirely separate upstairs portion of the house, and we only saw Neil twice: once when we arrived and once when we left.

Aaron and I were up and out of the place early each morning to do various activities, and Neil was out surfing each night. I don't know what Sharon was up to, but we never met her. Apparently, they called us "the ninja guests."

Neil encouraged us to come knocking with any questions or concerns, but we never had any. He started us off on the first day with many wonderful recommendations for local restaurants, beaches and activities, and that was enough for us!

Enjoying the sunset at Poipu Beach, about 15 minutes away from our studio.

Now that we've had a great first experience with a private vacation rental, Aaron and I will probably do a mix of vacation rentals, hotels and possibly hostels on our next trip. Hmm, have I told you what that is yet?

ITALY this fall!

From Milan to the Amalfi Coast, we'll spend just over two weeks exploring, eating and drinking our way through Italy. I'm leaving most of the planning to Aaron, but I have my heart set on two activities: 1) Taking an amazing cooking class; 2) Doing a bicycle wine-tasting tour. Recommendations are welcomed!

Lots more to come from our trip to Kauai. Here's a preview of what's next!

I did not stay this clean for long...

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Days 3-5: New Zealand's Stunning Bay of Islands

Let's go back to the very beginning of my trip and revisit one of the most beautiful places I've explored so far: New Zealand's Bay of Islands.

The first leg of my Stray bus itinerary took me north from Auckland to Paihia, a touristy beach town that serves as a hub for activities around the Bay of Islands.

I had only planned to stay one night in the Bay of Islands before heading back to Auckland, but all that changed when the bus arrived in Paihia and I caught sight of the clear, sunny skies and sparkling water.

I spent the afternoon wandering through Paihia with a few friends from the bus — Becky from Boston and Tom from Germany. (Side note: I've met so many German backpackers in every country I've visited so far. It's nuts!)

We visited a small farmer’s market and sampled blueberries, guacamole, limoncello and more. I couldn’t resist a freshly made berry-and-cream crepe.

Later, the three of us sat on the beach and swapped life stories. I proceeded to get sunburned even though I was covered in SPF 50 sunscreen. The New Zealand sun is no joke!

The real fun began the next afternoon, when I boarded The Rock boat for an overnight cruise.

My Stray bus driver really talked up The Rock cruise as an awesome experience, and I remembered reading Gerard and Kieu's post about it and thinking it looked like fun. And, hey — we were all correct!

Within minutes of boarding the boat, I was armed with a paintball gun. Whoa.

We each took three shots at a duck decoy that trailed behind the boat, and whoever hit the duck the most won a free drink from the bar. It... was not me. I didn't even hit it once!

However, I had a bit more luck with our next activity: fishing for snapper. One of the crew members made it look oh-so-easy, as she caught a fish in less than a minute while explaining how to use the fishing pole!

This fish was just barely 17 cm — the required size to be able to keep it — so the crew released him, just to be safe.

I caught a little runt of my own and had to kiss him before he went free.

He kept wriggling as soon as I got close!

Don't worry — I eventually got him good. : )

Another member of the group caught a big-enough snapper, and we enjoyed it — along with steaks, sausages, salad and more — for a delicious dinner prepared by the crew. And let's not forget the incredible sunset that capped off our fishing adventure.

After dinner, we enjoyed the most magical activity of the 22-hour cruise: night kayaking.

The ship had dropped anchor near a pitch-black island, and we paddled toward it in complete darkness. As our eyes adjusted to the cloudy, starless night, we could see phosphorescent algae glittering in the water with each stroke of our paddles.

The experience was quiet, peaceful and just... awesome. I'll never forget it.

The next morning, I was thrilled to wake up to brilliant sunshine.

We fueled up with cereal and muesli for breakfast as we zoomed toward the lovely island where we'd spend our morning. Most of us kayaked from The Rock to the beach...

...as a nice warm-up for some barefoot hiking!

The view from the top of this hill was ridiculous — like a postcard. (The Rock is that rust-colored boat on the left.)

We enjoyed a 360-degree view of the surrounding islands, and our very knowledgeable crew explained various facts about each of them. I can't remember any of the info, but I promise I appreciated it at the time.

As we headed back down to the beach a different way, I almost slipped a few times — and some people weren't so lucky. That sucker was steep.

I grabbed my kayak once again to tour the area, and then we all donned snorkel masks and flippers to search for kina, or New Zealand sea urchins. Apparently the spiny creatures would provide us with an afternoon snack!

The water was a bit too cold for me and the underwater landscape had nothing on Oahu's spectacular Haunauma Bay (I guess I'm a snorkeling snob now?), so I retired to the beach to enjoy my Rock-provided picnic lunch: a sandwich, muesli bar, apple, delicious brownie and bottle of water (soda was also an option). You can pay $20 extra for the lunch and the use of a beach towel, but I got them for free with a credit I received for booking the cruise through my Stray driver.

It was a perfect day to relax on the beautiful beach! We had plenty of time to soak up the sun before we headed back to The Rock.

I was a bit sad once the boat started heading back to Paihia, but the crew had one more adventure in store for us.

Remember those sea urchins I mentioned earlier? One crew member cracked open a few and encouraged us to sample the roe.

Well, I'll try anything!

And it tasted just about how you'd expect: slimy and ocean-y. I preferred the lamb testicles, to be honest. : )

Overall, The Rock overnight cruise was wonderful and I'd recommend it to anyone! At $188/person for a shared cabin (I bunked with a pair of girlfriends in their 20s), I felt like I got my money's worth considering it included all those activities, yummy food and a night of accommodation.

We only had 13 people on our cruise — the boat's capacity is 36 — and I was actually the thirteenth wheel! There were five couples ranging in age from mid 20s to early 60s, one pair of friends... and me. I felt a bit awkward at first, but everyone was really friendly. The crew told me that the vibe of each cruise depends on the crowd, and I can imagine that a bigger group would make for an even livelier experience.

So, that was my first big adventure in New Zealand! Thanks to beautiful weather and a great time on The Rock, it was a pretty great start.

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