It was pouring today. Not the light mists, drizzle, and beams of sunshine that we encountered on our first two days, but nonstop, torrential rain. So we went to a fancy spa for glorious massages. Dreamy. Afterwards we were allowed to use the spa facilities including the hotel’s fancy “meandering pool.”
The great thing about tropical rain is that it’s not really that cold. Chilly, to be sure, but not insufferable. Luckily, it was too chilly for most guests, so Sarah and I shared the massive pool (and multiple associated hot tubs) with just a few other guests. I would never want to stay at a hotel like this, but the pool was amazing, with multiple waterfalls (including one with a cave behind it), two waterslides, a sandy zero-depth-entry faux beach, and the aforementioned hot tubs. See some pics below.
A few short video clips:
Little did we know while frolicking in the pool that the rainfall total was unusually high, especially higher up on the mountain. After drying off, we strolled around downtown Kapaa and ended up stopping for dinner at the Olympic Cafe. Our waitress informed us that the only bridge to our part of the island had been closed since the morning. (Apparently it had closed shortly after we crossed it on our way to the spa.) She thought it would be closed overnight until the river level dropped. Yikes!
I confirmed the closure online, discovering that they close the Hanalei bridge whenever the water level rises six feet above normal. Astonishingly, the USGS provides excellent graphs of water levels for just about every river on the island. (Nerd glory!) They update automatically every ten-minutes; this is what we found:
Note that today’s level (March 14) went above six feet in the morning, peaked around noon, and has been falling ever since. Based on this, we were hopeful that the bridge would reopen, but weren’t sure.
Gotta love being on vacation, though, because who cares? Worst case: we find another hotel room for the night or sleep in the car. Neither are ideal, especially facing an unexpected expense, but both would be fun in their own way. So we ordered Mai Tais and relaxed at the Olympic.
Eventually, we decided to drive north and take our chances. Miraculously, as we approached the bridge, the police opened it and we were part of the first group of cars allowed to cross. The vacation gods are smiling upon us.