Hawaii has always been the most appropriate place to go for all season. The surfs, the beauty of the island, the ethnic appeal, the exotic tradition, the lovely scenery, the food, the sands, and I can go on and on.
Maui has always been most known destination to go to when visiting Hawaii. How about trying something different this time of the year? Visit
Kauaʻi this year (or next). Known also as the "Garden Isle," Kaua
ʻi (to be exact, their first capital: Waimea) was the first place in Hawai
ʻi visited by British explorer Captain James Cook in 1778.
The island of Kaua
ʻi has been featured in many Hollywood movies, and even on television, including the musical "South Pacific" and Disney's
2002 animated feature film and
television series Lilo & Stitch. Waimea Canyon was used in the filming of the
1993 film Jurassic Park. Parts of the island were also used for the opening scenes of
Raiders of the Lost Ark. Other movies filmed here include 6 Days and 7 Nights and the remake of
King Kong.
Coco Palms Resort is a famous resort located on this island and many of Elvis' films including
Blue Hawaii where filmed here.
Kauaʻi is a paradise for nature lovers. Hiking, kayaking, camping, a helicopter tour (~$180) and/or a boat tour (~$115) are the only ways one can see the true beauty of the island. There is one main highway, which does not circle the entire island. The highway goes along the coast from the north at Keʻe Beach, goes around the east side where the town of Līhuʻe and the airport are located, continues along the south shore and then west, ending at the remains of a town called Mana and Polihale State Park.
The northwest part of the island contains the Nā Pali Coast State Park, a range of breathtaking, rugged cliffs that are inaccessible by car. A view of this spectacular vista, either by hiking, helicopter or boat, should not be missed when visiting Kauaʻi.
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Nā Pali coast from helicopterIn the northwest interior of the island are the Waimea Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and the high altitude Alakaʻi Swamp. In the center of the island is the top of the inactive Waiʻaleʻale volcano. The summit is shrouded by clouds 300 days a year and gets an average of 1.5 inches of rain everyday, making it is the wettest place on Earth.
Almost the entire island is lush green wilderness, perfect for hikers and campers. Some of the hiking trails along the cliffs are very steep and are not for beginners. There are streams and rivers at the bottom of the Waimea Canyon and throughout the island. Kayaking on these rivers is a popular activity. Ocean kayaking is also popular.
One way to see the scenery is by taking a helicopter tour. Tours leave from Līhuʻe Airport and fly over the shorelines, the valleys where the ancient Hawaiians used to live, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, and the swamp at 2000 feet elevation. Some helicopters fly into the shaft of an old volcano. Half of the crater had fallen off due to erosion. The remaining half forms a semi-cylindrical opening. When a helicopter is in the opening, the passengers are surrounded by a vertical wall 270° around. The cliff walls are covered with plants and numerous threads of tiny waterfalls. The Hawaiians called it the Wall of Tears. The ceiling of the shaft is always covered by clouds. On the rare occasion when the mountain clouds clear up, the helicopter can fly up the shaft vertically and it feels like you're looking up from the bottom of a well. Even most seasoned pilots have seen the sky from the shaft only a few times.
Nā Pali coast from helicopterAnother fun thing to do is to take a raft expedition. The trip leaves the north shore on a motorized raft (temporarily discontinued by US Government authorities due to environmental concerns), which holds 14 passengers and a crew of 2. The raft travels along the west shore to see spectacular views of the cliffs. When the lava flowed from the volcano to the sea, it cooled to form the rocks and continued to flow in underground tunnels. When the flowing lava stopped, the tunnels became sea caves along the shore. Rafts can enter into the sea caves; some of the cave entrances are covered by waterfalls. Some raft trips land on a beach for a lunch break, followed by time for snorkeling in the coral reef. The colorful coral fish swim to the divers begging for food.
Large power and sail catamarans also tour the island coasts, with the primary port being Port Allen on the southwest coast. Catamaran tours offer from as little as simple sight seeing of the Nā Pali or the southern coasts, to dinners at sunset, to snorkeling off coral reefs.
Another way to see the island is by car. One can basically drive the entire stretch of the highways on the island in a few hours. At one end is the viewpoint at Waimea Valley and Kokeʻe to see part of the sea cliffs and lush green valleys and the desert-like Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
About one mile from the north end of the highway is a dry lava cave that the visitor can walk inside. The end of the highway offers the trailheads for Nā Pali hiking. Along the ways are numerous resorts and white sand beaches.
There is a place called Spouting Horn on the south shore near Poʻipū, where the ceiling of an undersea lava tunnel is cracked; the sea waves push water into the tunnel and water spout shoots 30 feet into the air.
There is a famous coral reef on the north shore, one can stop by any rental store to rent snorkeling gear for $1.99 per day (in 1996's US dollar value). Drive to a place called Tunnel Beach, it is the largest reef on Kauaʻi. Park the car on the roadside and just walk into the water. There is no road sign to Tunnel Beach, one has to look it up in the map and guess the way there. The map actually shows many coral reefs around the entire shore line, but Tunnel Beach is the best around May when the ocean waves are pounding on the south shore, the north shore is perfect for snorkeling.
Tourists can also attend a lūʻau. They cook a pig in the imu (the ground oven) and serve shredded pork with poi (mashed taro root) and other traditional dishes in the buffet-style dinner. Afterwards, they have a show of different Polynesian dances for the tourists.
To be Continued...
