Translated to English, Koke'e literally means "to bend" or "to wind." And while the reason for the bending and winding reference is unclear to me, I do know that a group of folks from the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club had the opportunity to experience a weekend of twists, turns, hiking, eating, and each other's company at Koke'e on the beautiful garden isle of Kauai.
The cast (in alphabetical order): Randy Ching, Mabel Kekina, Lita Komura, Bill Melemai, June Miyasato, Carole K. Moon, Naomi Nasu, Dayle Turner, Charlotte Yamane, Thomas Yoza.
We depart from Honolulu on an Aloha Airlines flight at 7am (save for Bill who has to work and would catch a flight later in the day). The flight goes smoothly. A harbinger of things to come? Heh. Not quite.
Okay, so we arrive at Lihue Airport, retrieve our luggage and partake of some complimentary coffee and fruit juice offered by the Kauai Visitors' Bureau (I consider filling my empty water bottles with juice but opt not to--too tacky).
Thomas and I are the designated rental car drivers so while the others hang out to guard our gear, we head off to secure our respective vehicles. I proceed to Alamo where a friendly local rental agent quickly processes my transaction, all the while trying to offer me "good kine deals" for a van ("Will be so much more comfortable, brah" he says). Though tempted, without the approval of the rest of the cast, I stick with the mid-sized car reserved under Carole (Moon's) name. Somehow, in the process, the car ends up being rented to one Dayle K. Moon. Whodat?
Meanwhile, Thomas and Carole, just minutes behind me, also arrive at Alamo (when they are supposed to head to Avis). Things start to get chaotic here. Let's just say that we end up with two mid-sized cars (and mid-sized cars ain't what they used to be, gang) when we should have had a mid-sized car and a van. Surprised looks, discussion, and scrambling ensue. And by 9:30, we finally have the vehicles we are supposed to have and head westbound on Kaumuali'i Highway under partly-cloudy skies.
The drive from Lihue to Koke'e is around 40 miles, and on the way we stop at Poipu to pick up the keys to our weekend abode (we'd be staying in a private cabin rather than the state-maintained ones), and at Waimea, to stretch our legs and grab something to eat. I devour some awesome banana bread ($1 for a big chunk) at the Waimea Kitchen and even give thought to purchasing a second chunk. Almost everyone buys something to munch on, with Mabel's fried noodles (from Waimea Kitchen, also) the most tempting to eye and opu.
Our hunger temporarily sastified, onward to Koke'e we proceed (perhaps the "turning" reference pertains to Koke'e Road, a winding, twisting, mother of a road) The immediate goal: find our cabin. None of us has ever been to the cabin, but we have a map, and we are seasoned mountain trekkers used to finding our way in varied and rugged terrain. So how difficult should finding this place be? Cupcake, right?
Uhh, not quite.
The drive takes us up Koke'e Road, past turnoffs and viewpoints of Waimea Canyon and to a point just before the state-maintained cabins. Here, we turn right on Faye Road (everyone erroneously refers to it as "Fire Road"). Our map says it will take us to our cabin, or at least quite close to it. Now, I'd have no problem negotiating this semi-muddy, rutted road if I were home on Oahu in my Jeep Cherokee. But I'm in a mid-sized passenger car (read: low ground clearance) with two passengers and a load of luggage. And Thomas and five others and their load of stuff are in the van. And it's raining now. Get the picture?
Well, we slip and slide and bump and grind our way down the road in our two non-offroad vehicles. The passengers of the van have meanwhile vacated it (claiming that they'll guide us down the road but there's an unmistakeable look of fear on their faces--heh). A few close encounters with dirt berms and rocks occur and soon enough, Thomas and I have driven a half-mile down the road to the doorstep of an interesting looking spire-roofed home/cabin. Could this be our weekend abode? Please let it be so said the collective will of all concerned.
No dice.
The cabin keys don't work, and the great cabin hunt continues. Naomi, June, Randy, and Carole tramp off down Faye (aka Fire) Road to see what they can find. Since the road looks even dicier than the part we had already traversed (but actually is no worse), Thomas and I decide to drive no further and the rest of us hang out in the cars at the spire-roofed house. I recline the seat of the car I am in and take a nap. Thomas checks the outdoor thermometer on the porch of the house--54 degrees. And did I mention that it was raining? Brrrr...
After about half an hour, the scouting party returns. No success. Carole, who booked the cabin, looks distressed. Mabel, the calm in the eye of the hurricane, suggests returning to the main (read: paved) road since a rainstorm could make the dirt road impassable with our asphalt-loving modes of transport.
So slip-sliding away we go again and once back on the main road, we make the short drive to the Koke'e Lodge and Museum. While the rest of us tool around the museum, Carole makes phone contact with someone who knows the directions to our cabin. Ahhh, success at last. Come to find out, to get to our cabin we have to hike about a mile on a hilly, muddy Halemanu Road which is way too steep and slippery for our vehicles. Hey, no problem. We're hikers, right?
Did I mention it was raining?
By this time, I have to drive back to Lihue to pick up my buddy Bill Melemai from the airport. So while the others begin the process of lugging provisions and gear to the cabin (they ultimately have to make two trips to complete the task), off to Lihue I motor.
Bill arrives as scheduled and he and I are back at Koke'e just before dark. We park at the head of Halemanu Road and after a few minutes of hiking along, we meet Thomas, dispatched to guide us back since neither Bill or I know the route to the cabin. In about 20 minutes, we arrive at our weekend retreat, a charming two-bedroom cabin equipped with a kitchen, running water, a flush toilet, a hot shower, fireplace, and most of the basic comforts. And it has stopped raining. Hooray!
Dinner (lasagna) is about to be served, and we all consume the kaukau with vigor. Mahalo to the wahines, especially Naomi, for preparing the fine meal.
After dinner, we talk story, and begin to get settled for the night--the guys occupying the floor of the living/dining room area and the women, except Naomi who hits the couch, to the two bedrooms.
By 11, a chorus of saw-like sounds echo through the cabin. Of course, no one will admit that he or she is responsible for these sounds. Me snore? Nonsense. :-)
So went day one--not what we expected, but adventure-filled nonetheless.