ʻWailua River State Park: ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls

On By nationalparkswithtIn HawaiiLeave a comment
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Aloha➢

My family and I took a cruise around the Hawaiian islands in 2019. We embarked in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Prior to embarkation, we spent a few days on land and explored Oahu. Using Hilton’s Hawaiian Village as our base, we enjoyed visiting many interesting sites before boarding the Pride of America. We spent a week on board cruising the Hawaiian Islands. Our first port of call was Kahului Harbor on Maui, followed by the big island of Hawaiʻi. Our last port before returning to Oahu was Kauai.

We stayed two days in Kauai. We spent the two days touring the island with stops at Wailua Falls, Lihue Plantation tubing, ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls, Wailua River State Park, Mount Waiʻaleʻale, Fuji Beach, Moloa’a Beach, Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge, Wai’oli Hui’ia Church, Ninini Point Lighthouse, Waimea Canyon State Park, Kōkeʻe State Park, Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park, Hanapepe Swinging Bridge, Koloa Heritage Trail and Nā Pali Coast State Wilderness Park.

After our tubing expedition with Kauai Backcountry Adventures, we began our tour of Kauai’s North shore. Our first stop was the ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls overlook. This waterfall is visible from the highway…no need to hike.

ʻŌpaekaʻa is Hawaiian for ‘rolling shrimp.’ The falls are 151 feet high and flow year round into the Wailua River in Wailua River State Park. We could see birds flying near the cascading water.

Kauai Posts➢

  • Wailua Falls
  • Lihue Plantation Hanama‘ulu Ditch
  • ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls
  • Wailua River State Park
  • Mount Waiʻaleʻale
  • Fuji Beach
  • Moloa’a Beach
  • Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge
  • Kīlauea Lighthouse
  • Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge
  • Wai’oli Hui’ia Church
  • NININI POINT LIGHTHOUSE
  • Waimea Canyon State Park: Red Dirt Falls
  • Waimea Canyon State Park: Waimea Canyon Lookout
  • Waimea Canyon State Park: Waipo’o Falls
  • Kōkeʻe State Park: Kalalau Lookout
  • Kōkeʻe State Park: Pu’u O Kila Lookout
  • Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park
  • Hanapepe Swinging Bridge
  • Spouting Horn
  • Koloa Heritage Trail: Spouting Horn
  • Koloa Heritage Trail: Keoneloa Bay
  • Nā Pali Coast State Wilderness Park

Location: Kuamoo Road, Kauai, Hawaii
Designation: State Park
Date of my visit: April 18, 2019