After sightseeing around the Kauai by car, our muscles needed stretching: it was time for an excursion on the Wailua River. We rented a tandem kayak early one morning, launched, and paddled through flat water toward the Fern Grotto, a natural lava rock amphitheater used for musical shows. We arrived before anyone else, including the performers, docked, and went ashore to explore. Thick tropical ferns kept the setting dark, almost gloomy, but it wasn’t hard to imagine a performance enlivened with music, dance, and colorful costumes among the verdant vegetation.