We noticed a fair number of moa (wild chickens) when we visited different areas on Maui. On Kauai, they are absolutely everywhere! One of our borrowed guidebooks (thanks, Catharine and Henry!) explained why. Hurricane Iniki swept through in 1992 and scattered the existing moa population all over the island. Since then, a population explosion occurred. The population explosion led to an increase in the number of roosters. When there is a large number of roosters, they are not just noisy at dawn: they are noisy … ALL … DAY … LONG. In some areas, they are also noisy all night long! And here I thought the roosters were confused because they were crowing every few minutes from at least 8am onwards. Nope!
We started our day by finishing off the rest of the sliced pineapple that travelled with us from Maui to Kauai, and some yogurt purchased the night before from Safeway (remember our dinner disaster?). After breakfast, we had a leisurely stroll around the resort grounds. We checked out a few of the amenities and then headed to the front lobby to post a couple of updates. Once we were done, we returned to our unit to enjoy a cup of coffee and prepared for the rest of the day.
For lunch, we headed to a nearby establishment called Shrimp Station. We shared a plate of sweet chilli garlic shrimp and a plate of coconut shrimp. They were both very tasty. While we were eating lunch, a couple of moa were so bold that they literally came into the restaurant through the open windows and briefly wandered amongst the tables.
After lunch, we headed to Kilohana Plantation, a former sugar plantation estate. We took the 40 minute plantation railway tour. The railway was 2.5 miles long and circled the property. The train conductor/tour guide, "Tiny", was quite informative. The train cars were all original and restored. He called our attention to the many different fruit trees as we travelled through the plantation's orchards. Some of the different fruits included avocado, banana, lychee, longan, canistel, tangerine, starfruit, and rambutan. There were also rows of pineapple plants and even cashew trees. We even stopped to feed some "wild" pigs, goats, and yes, moa. After the railway tour concluded, we took a few minutes to explore the manor house.
From Kilohana, we drove back to Kapaa. We browsed through some of the little shops and then looked for a place to have a few caffeinated beverages. We stopped in at a placed called Java Kai. I was adventurous and ordered a Cortado Kai (espresso with condensed milk). I enjoyed it. Matt made a face at it; it was too sweet for his taste. While we were sitting at one of their outdoor tables, we watched as a moa boldly wandered in and out of the slow moving traffic. It was not in a hurry, but it did not manage to cross the street.
For dinner, we moved next door to Mermaids Café. We learned our lesson from last night and had dinner at a much earlier time. We would not be foiled again! Matt enjoyed a coconut curry plate and I had an ahi nori wrap. The portions were very generous and the food was flavourful and tasty.
After dinner, we browsed a few more shops. And I finally completed my EC newbie raider initiation quest: I found some "lava orbs" ;)