Called Steelgrass because of the super strong bamboo growing on the property, the chocolate farm we toured today is one of the few places in Hawaii where the cocoa bean grows. We saw an article in the Travel section of the StarTribune on this place and decided to take a tour. The farm is in the highlands away from the ocean - just above a residential area. It is always fun for us to go off the beaten track. We took a three hour tour which gave us the chance to taste many tropical fruits and veggies that I have never even seen before. Egg fruit which tastes and has the texture of cooked pumpkin. Watermelon radish which is pink, white and green like a watermelon. Sugar cane with lime juice - sort of a tart limeaid taste. We saw cocoa plants growing and then tasted 10 different kinds of dark chocolate. What a flavorful morning.
On our trip back we stopped at several overlooks to the Waiamaia river valley and falls. This part of the island was cultivated for farming in the early days of the native population. We could see the giant surf along the shore in this area. Still a high surf warning for this end of the island. It is quieter on our southern beaches now with no warnings. We stopped in a State Park for a picnic lunch (watched with great intensity by the ever present chicken population). On our way back to the condo I found a quilt store. We both agreed that we had been to this store the last time we visited this island. It has a nice front porch with comfortable chairs for the quilting spouses.
A day on Kauai is not perfect without some time in the water. The ocean is amazingly warm and wonderful. One end of the beach is pretty rocky and the waves are fairly high. Each day we have seen novice surfers hone their skills on the relatively gentle surf in this bay. As the beach curves around the bottom flattens out and the waves are more gentle so it is great for kids and us older folks. Nothing like a warm ocean. I just love it.
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