ABOUT
KAUAI:
The fourth largest and the northernmost and oldest island of all
the major Hawaiian Islands, Kauai island is wonderful tropical oasis
in the middle of the Pacific. Located just under 3000 miles from
the California coastline and 95 miles from Oahu, Kauai is the fourth
largest in the Hawaiian archipelago. Kauai consists of 553 square
miles and is 33 miles in length and 25 miles wide. Like the other
major Hawaiian Islands, Kauai has its official designations. Designations
are a part of island protocol and used at official events and celebrations.
The official color is purple a deep royal purple. The official flower
is the Mokihana. This flower is actually a fruit that is medium
green about the size of a pearl. At official events mokihana, is
intertwined with Maile and worn over the shoulders in an open lei
style. The official name of the island is the Garden Island. The
name symbolizes the seemingly lush vegetation, waterfalls and vistas.
Mt.
Waialeale is the islands second tallest mountain. It has been
nicknamed the wettest spot on earth since rainfall there can reach
12-18 inches in a 24 hour period and over 600 inches annually.
Kauai
like the other Hawaiian Islands has mild weather, which can get
warm and even hot in the summer. Kauai has glorious green mountain
slopes and remarkable cliffs, valleys and beaches. Kauai is also
home of the wonderful Waimea
Canyon. beautiful shoreline panoramas and a slew of sightseeing,
swimming, sunbathing and other water and ocean activities.
Like
the other islands, Kauai is free of snakes, billboards, rabies,
cholera, malaria, small pox and yellow fever. It is the only Hawaiian
island that does not have the feral mongoose, and the is home to
the only navigable river in the island chain. Kauai does not have
any buildings that are taller than a mature palm tree. The four-story
height limit insures that the island will keep its tropical appeal
for years to come. Kauai has 43 white sand beaches more per mile
than any other island.
Kauai
has several points of interest. All can be visited for free and
should be respected and revered for the natural, cultural or scenic
beauty and pleasure it provides. It is important that when visiting
cultural sights, that rocks or anything at the site should never
be moved or removed.
Hanalei
Valley is one of the more picturesque places on the island.
The valley is filled with rice and taro patches and the view from
the overlook along Kuhio Highway is certainly a must-do. Lumahai
Beach is one of Hawaii’s beach treasures. Not easy to
access, but once on the white sandy shoreline, it is truly paradise.
Opaekaa Falls. A wonderful overlook that offers stunning views of
the waterfall featured in the Fantasy Island TV series. Easy access
makes it a perfect spot for photos. Spouting
Horn is a fabulous spot where one can stand at the overlook
and watch the waves fill up under the lava shelf and shoot water
high into the air. This ocean-powered geyser is fantastic especially
when the waves are high.
There
are 5 different districts on the island. Hanalei,
Kawaihau, Lihue,
Koloa
and Waimea.
The districts are separated on this almost perfectly round island
mass of much like wedges of a pie. The land divisions follow the
ancient Hawaiian districting system of ahupua'a.
This system allows each area to have access from higher elevation
mountains to the sea.
Starting
from the northernmost district, the Hanalei district encompasses
the north shore area from the Na
Pali Coast to Kilauea.
Primarily a windward district, the Hanalei Bay weather can be rainy
in the winter months and sunny in the summer. It is the perfect
location for a secluded honeymoon. There are several hotels, resorts,
luxury vacation rentals and cottages in the Hanalei
and Princeville
areas on Kauai Island. The Hanalei Bay Resort is perched on a hillside
overlooking the Hanalei Bay while the former Princeville
Resort Kauai is now the newly opened St Regis, offers luxury
Kauai accommodations and one of the best Kauai golf resorts. Hanalei
is also popular for Kauai weddings.
Continuing
clockwise around the island the next Kauai island district is Kawaihau.
The area is filled with Kauai attractions, Kauai vacation homes,
Kauai condo rentals, Kauai vacation homes along with restaurants,
shopping, timeshares and a few moderately price hotels including
the Outrigger
Waipouli beach resort, the
Aston Aloha Beach Hotel, Kauai
Sands Hotel and the Kauai
Coast Resort At The Beachboy. Also in the area are Smith’s
Luau and various spas, massage and facials. Also referred to
as the Coconut coast, this is where some of the most easily accessible
Kauai waterfalls are (Wailua
falls and Opaekaa
falls).
Continuing
along the Kauai coast, the next district is Lihue. Lihue is the
official seat of Kauai County and is the largest commerce, government
and residential area on the island. Lihue also offers several beachfront
resorts such as the conveniently located Hilton Kauai Beach Resort,
and The Kauai Marriott Resort, which was originally the Kauai Surf
when it was first, built on Kalapaki
Beach. Lihue is also the location of Nawiliwili
Harbor where cruise ships arrive and depart along with the Lihue
Airport which services inter-island flights along with non-stop
flights to and from the continental US. Arriving at Lihue Airport
is an enjoyable experience. The airport is small, compact and hardly
ever busy. Pono Taxi is available for transportation when flights
arrive and depart through the day.
Lihue
has its origins in sugar production and plantation living. The town
grew in the mid 1900’s to support the burgeoning sugar plantations.
German immigrants established Lihue Sugarcane Plantation in 1849.
That was followed shortly by Grove Farm, which was established in
1864 by islander George Norton Wilcox. Today Lihue hosts several
shopping centers, banks, fast food restaurants, schools and a handful
of big box retailers. Wal-Mart, K-mart, Home Depot are all quite
popular on the island, but Costco remains one of the favorites since
it is the location on the island to fill your gas tank at a discount.
Gasoline prices on the island are typically and consistently 10
percent or more than on the mainland. The pumps open early and do
a brisk business from islander and visitors.
The next
district is Koloa.
It’s a twenty-minute drive from the Lihue Airport and a wonderful
area that boasts some of the sunniest weather on the island and
an abundance of Kauai luxury hotels. Immediately adjacent to the
plantation town of Koloa, Poipu
is the Kauai beach resort where one can find golf packages, Kauai
rental properties, Kauai beach house rentals and more. Poipu
has several nice restaurants, shopping, Kauai maps and outlets that
offer Kauai deep-sea fishing, Kauai kayak tours, Kauai adventure
tours and Kauai zip line adventures. There are several good hotels
in the area. The
Point at Poipu, Poipu
Kai, the Lawai
Beach Resort, Poipu
Kapili and the Makahuena
at Poipu.
The last
and possible the most remote region of Kauai is the Waimea district.
This district stretches to include most of the West side of the
island. Not to be missed in Waimea is a visit to Koke'e
State Park and the Waimea
Canyon. The canyon is more than 3500 feet deep and sits at an
elevation of about 3500 feet. Waterfalls and a myriad of fantastic
colors make a visit to the overlook a memorable experience
This area is accessible via a long narrow road that winds up to
an elevation of 4000 feet. The cooler weather makes for enjoyable
hiking, fishing and camping. A quicker visit should be a scenic
drive to include stops at the Kalalau
Valley and Na Pali Lookouts and the Koke'e Natural History Museum. Also in the Waimea
district is the beautiful, sunny and remote Polihale Beach. The
west end beach can be treacherous and unforgiving, but the wide
sand beach and the adjacent sand dunes make for a beautiful secluded
spot to have a picnic, sunbathe and enjoy the scenery.
Getting
around Kauai can be easy with Pono Taxi and Tours, especially for
Kauai tours, personal tours, to get to Kauai beaches, Kauai resorts,
Kauai luaus, Kauai parks, Kauai beaches and Kauai restaurants. One
of the best ways to see the island is via personal tours via a Pono
Taxi. Kauai transportation is limited and at best expensive, and
a Pono Taxi can be one of the better ways for a Kauai tour.
Kauai secrets revealed at Kauai
Vacation Secrets
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