ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls in Hawaiʻi

Strange Name, Cool Place

ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls is surrounded by lush greenery on the island of Kauaʻi in Hawaiʻi, as seen during our 2018 Kauaʻi Trip.

One of our goals while we were in Hawaiʻi was to see some waterfalls. We had seen photos of several falls, and they all looked interesting to us. We donʻt have much in the way of waterfalls back home here in West Tennessee, unless you let the bathtub overflow, but that is not quite the same.

Fortunately, we did find some waterfalls to visit, such as this one. However, this was as close as we could get to the falls. Along the side of the road, there is a parking area, and just a few steps from where you park is this great view. Actually, for such a wonderful view, it almost seemed rather simple. I would expect having to walk along a trail through some thick growth to be able to see a sight like this, but it was right there by the road. That just goes to show the difference from where we live.

My only slight disappointment was that there was not much more to do than to get out of your car, look at the falls for a few minutes, and then drive away. Across the road was a nice view of a valley with a river down below, so we did walk across and see that as well. I guess I was expecting a little bit of hiking or something, but that was not the case. Still, the view of the falls was great,

According to Wikipedia, the name ʻŌpaekaʻa means “rolling shrimp.” Seriously. Some years ago, freshwater shrimp were plentiful in the stream that feeds the falls, so that the shrimp could be seen rolling over the falls and down into the pool below. And that is how ʻŌpaekaʻa Falls got its name. And to someone like me who does not know the language, that name sounds much more poetic than Rolling Shrimp Falls. I have trouble seeing many people pull over and get out of their cars to see something with that name.

Simple Pleasures

As I mentioned up above, it was rather simple to enjoy the view of the waterfall. Just drive up, get out of the car, and look. That was it. Sometimes things are rather easy to do.

And sometimes, you don’t have to do something grand to have a good time. During this COVID-19 crisis, a lot of us are looking back at things that we used to do to have a good time. We used to do such things as go to faraway places to see interesting sights. Such as a waterfall. But due to the limitations placed on travel and activities, we have not been able to do those things.

Instead, we are discovering that we can have a good time doing simple thing. I have mentioned several times our walks down our driveway. That is just a simple thing, but I have found very much pleasure in doing that. We notice the trees that have many more leaves now than when we first started our walks, or we notice all the different kinds of birds that we see.

We have played more board games in the last month than we played in the last several years put together. Also, we have watched more movies, even movies that we have seen before, than we have had time to watch in a long time. And we have written more cards than we have ever written. Hopefully, the postal service appreciates that extra business. There have been video chats, including games played over video chats. And the list goes on and on.

I am wondering what effect that will have on the world once things get back to “normal,” whenever that might be and whatever that might look like. I am sure that many of us will travel again because there is a great world out there. But perhaps we will take more time for, and put more emphasis on, the more simple pleasures that are right here in front of us, too. Because those things can be fun.

Bible Verse

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the s_eat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. - Psalm 1:1-2_

About the Photo

This photo was just a little tricky to get just right, mainly because the water going over the falls was so bright compared to everything else. Fortunately, with the Raw file I was able to adjust the highlights and shadows enough to get a fairly balanced photo.

I also fiddled with the shades of green just a bit to get those just right. At first, the greens were almost too overwhelming, so I toned them down just a little to have them more manageable. They almost took away too much from the waterfall, which is intended to be the focal point of this photo.

And how about those clouds? You can’t see too much of them here, but they really were great that day. In a gray kind of way. But they did move on later in the day, so that we had a nice, sunny day at the beach later on.

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Olympus 14-42mm IIR
Date: July 5, 2018
Location: Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi