Kauai is the fourth-largest island on the Hawaiian archipelago. I visited once — three summers ago, when traveling so far away was acceptable. And I will visit again.
When you think of Hawaii, your first thought might be beaches. They are wonderful, to be sure — and there are many of them. In the words of Lura Seavey, writer for the travel blog Planetware, “Along Kauai's 63 miles of accessible shoreline, visitors can find a beach for every need.”
But beyond them, and beyond the towns that line the fringe of the island, is the most distinctive part, what makes this tropical place so special. The wilderness.
There’s a reason Kauai is known as the “Garden Island.” As the landscape rises into hills that climb towards the mountains — two peaks that reach over 5,000 feet of elevation — the beaches are quickly supplanted by greenery. Bamboo, palm trees, acacias, and such strange plants as the Mimosa pudica, a small one that closes its leaves when touched. Flowers are abundant as well.
It rains here. Kauai is tropical, not a desert, and the center of the island has recorded 666 inches of rain in a single year, making it one of the wettest places in the world (though most of the island fortunately falls in the range of 17 to 110.) This fosters the rainforest climate and once again distinguishes Kauai among the islands of Hawaii.
Over half the land is classified as “conservation.” This means that wildlife preserves, parks, and other wild land composes the core of the island. Many hiking trails cross these areas, weaving into canyons and over mountains, through bamboo forests and fields. Writes Lisa Kaylor on another travel blog, Wheretravel, “There are hundreds of trails to hike and miles of unspoiled territory—a hiker's paradise.”
On my first visit, with my family, we spent too much time on the beaches. They’re gorgeous, of course — but if beaches are what we were there for, there would be other places to go. When I return, I want to experience what makes Kauai unique. What I felt when we took a day trip and hiked through a bamboo forest, and the reason I took dozens of uninspired and poorly composed pictures of the natural beauty on my cheap digital camera.
When I return I will take the trails in. I will summit all the peaks I can find, and plunge down into the Waimea Canyon, the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” I will walk through the rain, taking that in as well because it is a part of the place.
And, of course, the parts of the island that are not natural. Like shave ice—not shaved ice, as anyone who’s experienced it will tell you, and certainly not a snow cone. My favorite spot for that was the Hee Fat General Store in Kapa’a, where you can also pick up a novelty license plate or a version of the Bible in Hawaiian pidgin. Like the restaurants; not the kitschy ones that serve $12 drinks out of plastic pineapples, but the ones where people simply make good food—poké, hamburgers, or whatever else they might serve.
When I return — after the days of resort-bound quarantines, after the days of multiple required COVID tests, in a world where we no longer have to worry about our current pestilence — I will experience the Garden Island, as I did before. But this time, I’ll know what’s important.
At a Glance:
What: Kauai, Hawaii
Climate/Weather: Tropical, highs in the high 70s most of the year. Rainforests as well as drier parts.
Recreation opportunities: Surfing/bodyboarding, hiking, sailing, wildlife watching, nature tours.
Where to stay: There are a number of hotels and Air BnBs, as well as fancy (and expensive) resorts.
Links: Kauai County's official visitor site, Tourism site by the Kauai Tourism Authority, Waimea Canyon State Park page, Planetware article, Things to do in Kauai (neverendingvoyage.com).
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