Among the places suggested by the lady at the snorkel shop for first-timers was Queen's Bath, a tidal pool not far from our condo (not my photo -- borrowed from Flickr). Queen's Bath seems like a good place to get swept out to sea and drown in the winter, but in the summer at low tide, the pool is clear and calm. The snorkel lady described it as a "fishbowl", uninteresting for advanced snorkelers but an decent place to get started. The pool is down another steep dirt path that was very muddy, since it had been raining for a few days. When we arrived there was nobody in the pool, but a few people standing around it warily, wondering how to get down to the edge and whether to obey the numerous warning signs. Eventually one intrepid swimmer blazed the trail for the rest of the group.Learning to snorkel is not hard. At first, it is easy to panic and hyperventilate a little bit, since you're not used to breathing with your face under water. However, once you get used to it, it feels pretty natural. The Queen's Bath was as advertised -- more or less a fish bowl. It's not very big, but there were several interesting species of fish, some of which were obviously used to interacting with people (you have to mind your fingers a bit).
We stayed there for maybe 90 minutes and went home to grill some hamburgers for lunch. Our friends A and C had strongly recommended Merriman's Restaurant on the big island for a fantastic 5-star dinner. We didn't have time to get to the restaurant while we were there, but I saw on their website that they had a new Kauai location, so we decided to try and go on Monday night. I called at lunchtime to make a reservation, and it was surprisingly easy, considering how popular the big island location was rumored to be. I asked for dinner for two at 7:30 and they said "sure, no problem."
We planned out a few things to do on the way there during the afternoon, since the Kauai location is in Poipu, on the south side of the island, an hour from our condo. First on the list was a return to the Kilauea Lighthouse, which was open until 4 PM. The lighthouse marks the northernmost point in Hawaii and was operational from 1913 to 1976, when it was replaced with an automatic beacon. It is part of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, serving primarily as a bird sanctuary for a variety of land and sea birds. There are hundreds of birds, of at least a dozen different species, that regularly circle around the cove next ot the lighthouse, including boobies, albatrosses, shearwaters and nene. We spent at least an hour at the lighthouse, including a ranger-led "tour" which consisted of walking over to the edge of the overlook and having an informal but very educational discussion about the various birds that nest nearby. There is also a small museum about the lighthouse, and several excellent views of the coastline.
After the lighthouse we stopped at the 'Opaeka'a Falls overlook, which was nice enough but not very exciting. Then we made our way to Wailua Falls overlook, which is several miles up a side road, through an old sugar plantation. You can get closer to these falls, and I thought it was a more scenic area than 'Opaeka'a Falls. There was also some very interesting sun/cloud formations in the west, as the sun started to set. Since we were reasonably well-dressed for dinner, we didn't try to make our way down to the base of the falls using the "illegal" path. 
After we had our fill of the waterfalls, we continued to Poipu, but we were still at least an hour early for our 7:30 reservation. Our map referenced something called Spouting Horn Blowhole, and we went to check it out literally just as the sun was setting. The blowhole is kind of neat, spraying into the air with each large wave.We still had a little bit of time to burn and we drove around the Poipu area, which is probably the biggest resort area on Kauai. It was surprising to see several large condo projects under construction (some in the very early stages), considering the real estate downturn. The whole area felt much more "commercial resorty", in the style of Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach, than the area around our condo in Princeville. It was not over the top, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. We found ourselves wishing there was a little more going on up on the north side.
We stalled for long enough that we felt we could go to the restaurant and have a cocktail at the bar before our reservation for dinner. Merriman's Poipu is in a brand new Even though it was obvious that the staff was still learning the ins and outs of running a restaurant (we were seated near a waitstaff terminal, so we could see some stuff going on behind the scenes), they were doing well, and there were no problems at all. The wine list was extensive and the manager/sommelier (not sure which) was knowledgeable and helpful. The menu is designed around the idea that as many of the ingredients are sourced from the islands as possible, ideally from the same island as the restaurant. The bartender said that Peter Merriman was still working on his Kauai connections, but there was a ranch just a few miles away that was providing lamb and beef, for example.
Sadly, it's taken me so long to write these blog entries that I don't really remember what we ate, besides our entrees. We shared some kind of salad appetizer and then Edith had some braised beef, while I had a lamb dish that was so good that even Edith liked it. We also had a dessert that involved a cake(?) and some kind of homemade ice cream. I know that doesn't make the meal sound very exciting, but the food was all terrific and we had a great time. There are some sample menus on their website if you want to get an idea of the rest of the cuisine.
After that my designated driver drove us home. :-) Lucky for you, dear readers, the next few days are full of hiking excursions that will probably lend themselves to photos better than text.
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