Koaie Stream

Hawaiian First Descent by Sam Drevo

After 14 days of sunshine, and only five days left on this whitewater mission to Kauai, I wondered if it ever rained here (despite the fact that it's supposedly the rainiest place on earth). With all the riverbeds dry, finally, the Weather Channel showed a winter storm on the horizon. Calling for up to six inches of snow at high elevations on the Big Island, Paul (the Team Leader) ordered us to pack up and at least go through the motions of preparing for a remote exploratory river trip.

Although I couldn't imagine anything 'remote' about this tiny island, I complied and loaded six kayaks on top of our Astro Van. We drove all the way to far side of the island Waimea. Within three hours of leaving the North shore we started driving up Waimea Canyon, and picking up elevation quickly--1,000, 2000, 3000, 4000 feet above sea level. A thin cloud layer appeared and it started raining. Our spirits rose as we drove to the end of the paved road, and hit mud puddles on the rutted dirt road. Within an hour it was pouring, and to my surprise all the side streams were reacting to the localized storm.

Our plan was to hike into the Koaie Stream (the largest tributary of the Waimea), run five miles of uncharted Class V whitewater dropping close to 400ft/ mile (you do the math), and then hit the confluence of the Waimea River, and paddle the remaining 10 miles and 1,000 vertical feet down to the ocean (to the exact spot where Captain Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands). The only problem was figuring how to penetrate the forbidding tropical gorge.

There is only one trail that accesses the stream so high up, but it would be more fitting to call it a route--a climbing route. After a four-hour scout on foot (trying to find this 'secret' trail) Friday afternoon in 30 mph winds and a torrential downpour, we got a view of the river from about 1,500 feet above. Looking through a zoom lens we could see that the r

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