No Aina Kai Gardens

We're loving waking up each morning at 5:30 and being the only people in the gym.

After our workout, we cleaned up and checked out.

Saying goodbye to the North Shore and heading down to Poipu for Dan's conference.

It's beautiful here, but I'm not sorry to leave. I'm cold.

We visited another botanic garden, the No Aina Kai, the private home and gardens

of Joyce and Ed Doty which they opened to the community after they passed away.

Over 100 acres of gardens and bronze sculptures. 

Thursdays are open for self-guided tours (even though many reviews and even the sign posted in front

say no self-guided. Must be new.)

These are a must-see. Imagine being able to walk around someone's beautiful estate. You do it.

(Please note how sunny and blue the skies are in this picture.)

Because 30 minutes later it was torrentially raining on us.

This is their SWIMMING POOL!

The water slide is in the corner.

This is the shallower kiddie pool. The main pool is in the background.

Sculpture of Ed and Joyce Doty

(Fun fact: Joyce is the first wife of Charles Schultz

and we're guessing, how she had so much money to build such a fantastic place.

As we read more about their life, she and Schultz had a 28 acre homestead in California

with a pool, golf, baseball diamonds etc. and always wanted to create a place where their kids and their friends wanted to play. After they divorced, she married Doty and they were visionaries in creating this garden and bringing it to life.)

We finished our garden tour in a downpour, ducking for cover under trees 

and hoping the storm would let up.

When we got to the car, we were soaked through.

The good news is we were in our bathing suits because we'd planned a kayaking trip

up the Wailua river to Secret Falls and the Fern Grotto.

We've done this kayak before and its really fun.

However, while we were eating brunch, it started pouring again and we threw the towel in.

We simply weren't interested in being out in the rain anymore or a muddy hike.

We found some falls to see on our way to the hotel in Poipu.

(Wailua Falls. You just get out of your car and look.)

When we arrived at our hotel just before 2:00, our room was ready

so we dropped off our bags then found the hot tub and to our relief it

was suuuuuper hot and we could warm up after our cold, rainy day.