On our last morning at Waimea Plantation Cottages we awaken to the landscapers cutting palm fronds left and right to the delight of the Cattle Egrets. We can see them from our patio as we eat breakfast as they search each fallen frond for something, not sure exactly what.
We take one more stroll around the grounds which by now we know so well enjoying the trees and the birds all around us.
We also take one last walk on the beach enjoying the secluded beach before returning to the car, packing all our stuff and starting our trip to the new resort halfway around the island.
The road around the island is always busy but is also quite scenic and we enjoy our drive to Lihue, our first stop.
We planned our trip quite a bit around being able to visit the Kauai Museum which has limited hours. Ultimately today is our only chance to visit it so we stop there first as it closes at 2PM. It is located in downtown Lihue in an impressive building, the former Kauai library.
The museum has a good gift shop and then we enter the exhibit area which is split across two buildings and multiple rooms. The first rooms are related to the ancient history of Kauai with petroglyphs and dioramas of how life was before the white people.
There are multiple beautiful artifacts from the Native Hawaiians made from wood and we enjoy walking through exhibits looking at each of them.
The second building is dedicated to the more modern history of Kauai with exhibits related to surf, immigrants and local cowboys.
Before leaving we go through the main exhibit hall with relics from the Hawaiian royalty including feather garlands and some interesting history about Kauai wars and royalty.
Before leaving the downtown area we walk a bit through the historical downtown area but there are quite a few homeless so we decide to move on.
