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KAPAA — Warm smiles and ukelele songs greet us as we board the Smith family’s spacious riverboat for an afternoon cruise along the Wailua River. Four generations of Smiths have hosted guests on this tranquil, two-mile ride, which takes you to the geological wonder known as Fern Grotto. The only way to see this natural lava-rock cave is via the river.
We take off, passing thickets of hau trees and lush mangroves on either side of the river. The Wailua is not only Kauai’s longest and largest river, but the only one navigable by boats larger than kayaks in the Hawaiian islands. And this tour, which Walter Smith, Sr. and his wife Emily started in 1946 with a small rowboat, is the only river boat cruise in all of Hawaii.
The gentle cruise offers visitor to Kauai’s east side a welcome opportunity to kick back for 80 minutes, away from the resorts and high-adrenaline adventures, take in the culture of the early Polynesians and explore one of the island’s unique, family-friendly attractions. It’s also delightfully retro: The captain and entertainers wear matching aloha shirts and offer a hula lesson on board.
It gives you all the feels, especially as the captain explains the history and significance of the river, which gets its fresh water from Mount Waialeale, one of the wettest spots on the planet. These lands along the Wailua were the sacred capital of ancient Kauai and the birthplace of the island’s royalty. Centuries ago, those royals probably turned this very bend in the river and spied the edge of Sleeping Giant — Nounou Mountain looks like a slumbering colossus — and his forehead in the distance, just like we’re doing now.
Our open-air cruise boat is covered to protect us from the strong Garden Isle sun, but it provides great views during the trip upstream. Save for a group of jet skiers, the river is all ours, and we melt into the band’s quiet songs as our guide explains the sea life lurking below the surface, from silver mullet and tilapia to rainbow trout, barracuda and Samoan crab.
As we approach the concrete docks of Fern Grotto, our captain explains that we’ll take a short paved nature walk to the fern-covered lava cave. We disembark, stretching our legs on the ADA-compatible pathways leading to the grotto. It’s a veritable rain forest, lush with colorful tropical plants like bamboo, red ginger, guava and beehive ginger, an ornamental plant that can grow to more than six feet in height.
And then we see the fern-filled cave. Native tropical sword ferns grow upside down from the top of the 80-foot opening, which was formed millions of years ago. They hang down like green, swaying stalactites. Mist from an ancient waterfall adds to the magical beauty, and keeps us cool as we pose for pictures in front of the natural amphitheater.
The beautiful acoustics only add to the serene and romantic setting, so it’s no surprise when the cruise boat band starts playing “The Hawaiian Wedding Song” and encourages us to kiss our travel partners. There was a time when the grotto was off-limits to all but Hawaiian royalty. But for more than 50 years the Smith family has shared it with visitors like us, snapping photos and singing lyrics made famous by Elvis Presley as we make our way back to the dock.
If You Go
Fern Grotto boat tours depart from the Wailua Marina State Park at 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. daily. The tour takes approximately 80 minutes with a short nature walk from the docks to the grotto. Tickets: $25 adults, $12.50 kids. Wailua Marina State Park is located at 3-5971 Kuhio Highway, Kapaa; www.smithskauai.com