On the Road in Kaua'i

On the way home from New Zealand, I've stopped off for a week in the island of Kaua'i, the least developed and least populated of the "big four" of Hawai'ian islands.  I think that's why Kaua'i appeals to me so much.  It's a heavy-duty farming island, with no huge shopping malls, sprawling cities, or jam-packed freeways.  The closest I've seen to an invasion of brand names (besides the big resorts) is one Walmart, one McDonald's, one Taco Bell/Pizza Hut joint outlet and a few Shell and Chevron gas stations.  The traffic on the (mostly) two-lane main road is a bit of a trial, but see below for how to handle that.

For me, this kind of environment is the definition of relaxation.  The resort I'm staying in is not huge, the staff are very friendly, and the food is excellent.  Service?  Well, that's another matter.  You have to park your ideas of doing anything in a hurry on Kaua'i.  Life here moves at a leisurely pace and you should too.  And why not?  You're on a holiday and the world isn't going to come to an end just because your lunch took an hour and a quarter instead of 30 minutes flat.  You just learn to start a bit earlier, expect to end a bit later, and then hang loose (with thumb and baby finger extended, of course!).

Last time I came to Kaua'i, two years ago, I visited the spectacular Waimea Canyon and Na Pali Coast overlooks, and you can see the pictures of those places here:  Another World.  The scenic drives I've been on yesterday and today really highlighted the reasons why Kaua'i is known as "the Garden Isle."  

There are two spectacular waterfalls near my resort, Opaekaa Falls:

And Wailua Falls:

Both are taller than Niagara, although obviously not quite as much water dropping over the edge!

I visited those yesterday.  Today, I broke my own rules about moving at a leisurely pace to get up at 5:30 and be on the road, after breakfast, by 7:15.  The reason?  I wanted to drive to Ke'e Beach, the literal "end of the road", and you do need to get there early if you want one of the limited number of parking spaces.  Even arriving as I did at 8:15 I had to park in the backup lot, a 7-minute walk from the beach.

But first, there's some great scenery on the way up to Ke'e.  (By the way, the apostrophe indicates a syllable break, so this name is pronounced "Kay-ay."  Kaua'i is a three-syllable word: "Kow-ah-ee.").  

All the amazing mountains on this island are the eroded remnants of an original single large volcano, although that's hard to believe when you see how many separate mountains there are today!

Two different overlooks give wonderful views of the almost magical Hanalei Valley.  I'd better add that this was not the spelling of the name in the original lyrics of Peter, Paul, and Mary's famous song, "Puff, the Magic Dragon" -- but that hasn't stopped people here from making the connection anyway.  And why not?  It's such a beautiful, unique landscape that perhaps a magic dragon wouldn't be at all out of place.

The bridge across the Hanalei River is the first of half a dozen single lane bridges along the road, and these bridges have done more than anything else to keep this area relatively pastoral and quiet.

The coast is lined with a string of gorgeous beaches, some of which remain relatively underused because the surf of this north shore is so treacherous, especially in winter.  Lumaha'i Beach west of Hanalei is a good example.  Just beyond the first point of land is the curving section of beach used for location work in the 1950s film of South Pacific.  

Walking from the parking lot into Ke'e Beach you pass this dark cave.

The eroded tree roots on the beach testify to just how far the waves can roll up on a stormy day.

Even on this relatively calm day, the big rollers created a thunderous roar as they smashed onto the offshore coral reefs.

Walk a few minutes along Ke'e Beach to the east, and then turn around and look back -- and you'll see this splendid view of the Na Pali Coast.  There's a hiking trail along the base of these incredible cliffs for some distance to the west, but it does not go all the way through to the far end.  The cliffs tower up for as much as a thousand metres above sea level (3300 feet).  The air here almost always looks hazy because of the spray flying up from all the waves battering against the rocky coastline.

To conclude, a couple of helpful hints about Kaua'i.  If you are staying in the resorts of Princeville (north) or Kapa'a/Waipouli (east), be prepared for a lot of breeze.  The prevailing winds of Hawai'i are the northeast trade winds and they blow directly onto this coast.

Evenings in particular are apt to get cool, no matter how hot it got in the daytime.  Since virtually all Hawai'ian restaurants are open-air, you may well want to add on some long trousers or a sweater/jacket/hoodie when going for dinner.

For the same reason, these areas are also apt to get rained on from time to time, although the rain usually kindly holds off until the clouds bump into the central mass of Mount Wai'ale'ale, which is said to be one of the wettest places on earth with average yearly rainfall of 452 inches since records were kept from 1912, and a record amount of 683 inches (17.3 metres) in 1982.  I've only ever seen the summit of the mountain once, in 1998, during a record drought!

The southern resorts around Po'ipu are a bit drier and a good deal less windy -- so, no surprise, these are the premium brand resorts and the prices reflect that fact. 

Unlike the traffic-jammed city of Honolulu, this is a place where you probably need a rental car.  You can use tours to get around, but they're pretty expensive.  Having your own wheels opens up all the beautiful beaches to you, and that's great because -- in Hawai'i -- there is by state law no such thing as a private beach.  All beaches in the entire state are open to the public except a few inside restricted military areas.

And finally, on the subject of food many (most?) restaurants offer early-bird dinner specials.  Get seated by 5:45 or 6:00 and you can order from a limited menu at prices far lower than the regular menu dishes.  If the restaurant also offers a bar happy hour you can get a complete meal with beer or wine at a really notable saving on normal high prices.