ISLAND OF KAUAI
County Offices
4444 Rice Street
Lihue, Kauai 808-241-6300
www.kauai.gov
Chamber of Commerce
2970 Kele Street
Lihue, Kauai 808-245-7363
www.kauaichamber.org
Visitor’s Bureau
4334 Rice Street
Lihue, Kauai 800-262-1400
www.kauai-hawaii.com
Kauai Island is the last in the string of populated islands, a wonderland of rugged mountains where Captain James Cook became the first European to set foot on Hawaiian soil. Waimea Canyon on the western side of the island was dubbed the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” by Mark Twain. The breathtaking and dramatically rugged Na Pali Coast rises to 4,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean on the northern shore. The north shore is also home to the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. The eastern side features the Coconut Coast, the county seat of Lihue, Kauai’s main business district, and Kalapaki Beach.
Best known as “the quiet island,” Kauai is nevertheless a popular destination for tourists as well as for the film-making industry. A number of major motion pictures have been filed on location, taking advantage of spectacular, unspoiled scenery. Most residents of the County of Kauai live and work in the districts of Hanalei, Lihue, Koloa, Wailua, or Waimea. The state government and the healthcare industry are major players in the island’s economy, complementing the agricultural activity anchored by several large plantations.
Services
First-rate educational facilities and services are available on Kauai, where students from kindergarten through 12th grade attend public schools within the Kapaa-Kauai-Waimea Area Complex. Kauai Community College, part of the University of Hawaii System, serves as a social and cultural center as well as a comprehensive educational resource. Business, hospitality, health, early childhood education, and liberal arts programs are available as a transfer-level liberal arts education. The college also provides many vocational and professional training programs. Four-year and graduate degrees are offered through the University Center, making it possible to earn upper-level degrees without leaving the island. In addition to the University of Hawaii campuses scattered across the islands, Oahu is home to a number of private colleges. Options include Argosy University Honolulu, Brigham Young University-Hawaii, Chaminade University, Hawaii Pacific University, Heald College-Honolulu, Remington College, TransPacific Hawaii College, the University of Phoenix, and Wayland Baptist University.
State-of-the-art healthcare is anchored on Kauai by the Samuel Mahelona Memorial Hospital—the oldest hospital on the island—Wilcox Memorial Hospital, and the Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital. The latter is not a hospital for the Veteran’s Administration but was named to honor the Veterans of the Korean War. Wilcox Memorial Hospital is part of Wilcox Health, combine with Kauai Medical Clinic to meet a wide spectrum of needs from routine to advanced. Kauai Medical Clinic combines the intimacy of a neighborhood clinic with the resources of Hawaii’s largest multi-specialty clinic, placing physicians in every neighborhood for primary and secondary care close to home. Kauai Veterans Memorial and Samuel Mahelona Memorial hospitals are both within the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, which operates a complete network of facilities across the islands. As one of the largest hospital systems in the nation, HHSC delivers excellence in care that is supported by access to leading-edge specializations.
Lifestyle
The “Garden Isle” of Kauai is also known as “the quiet island,” a widely varied landscape that brings together rugged coastlines, crimson canyons, tropical rainforest, cascading waterfalls, and velvet hillsides. Kauai’s famous coastline is breathtakingly majestic, from wave-lapped sandy shorelines to the colossal emerald cliffs of Na Pali. The island is known for having one of the wettest places on earth, Mount Waialeale, receiving as much as 485 inches of annual rainfall. Some places on Kauai are accessible only by helicopter or along miles of footpaths, although many other attractions like the Na Aina Kai Botanical Gardens are easy to visit.
Kauai is the oldest of the main Hawaiian islands and may have been the first island to be settled by Marquesan seafarers around 750 A.D. The volcano that formed Kauai is believed to have begun erupting about 10 million years ago. Seclusion from the rest of the island chain and this rich sense of history gives Kauai an undeniable sense of place. Eons of erosion have lowered the original 10,000-foot volcano into two 5,000-foot peaks, with the rest of the mountain sinking into a crater and forming the Alkai Swamp. These same erosive forces created the 3,000-foot Waimea Canyon, the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” The contrasts of terrain and weather will always be a major part of the enchantment of Kauai.
Recreational opportunities are as diverse as the geography, including hiking, biking, camping, backpacking, rock climbing, water sports, boating, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, parasailing, and horseback riding. Although the smallest of the main Hawaiian islands, Kauai’s age and erosion have created more miles of sandy beach than any other island. Kauai is also the least populated of the four counties, with development and tourism concentrated in a few locations. The spectacular Princeville Resort, the charming village of Hanalei, the rolling Waimea River, and world-class golf courses are just a few of the highlights on Kauai. Colorful celebrations and events bring the island to life throughout the calendar year, including the Waimea Town Celebration, the Prince Albert Music Festival, the Kauai Mokihana Festival, and the Kokee Museum’s Emalani Festival. Take your time discovering the obvious and hidden treasures of “The Separate Kingdom” of Kauai.
Hanalei, Princeville
County Offices
808-241-6300
www.kauai.gov
Chamber of Commerce
808-245-7363
www.kauaichamber.org
Charming and brimming over with attractions and scenic beauty, Hanalei and Princeville share a location near the lush sea cliffs that tower of picturesque Hanalei Bay. This area is only minutes away from the world-famous Na Pali Coast, where magnificent velvet hills form deep valleys in their folds and plunge to the sea below. The renowned resort of Princeville was named in 1860 for Hawaii’s crown prince, Prince Albert. Home to sugar plantations and cattle ranches through the decades, this area now provides a breathtaking backdrop for vacation and residential homes. Two of the finest golf courses in Hawaii are located in Princeville, both commanding ocean views. Hanalei offers a charming village with boutiques, restaurants, eateries, and fine art galleries. Historically an agricultural community, Hanalei is home to a number of unique attractions like the 17-acre Limahuli Gardens, picturesque taro farms, and the unique strains of ukulele concerts. Many artists are drawn to this area for its breathtaking landscapes and appealing atmosphere.
Kapaa Town
County Offices
808-241-6300
www.kauai.gov
Chamber of Commerce
808-245-7363
www.kauaichamber.org
The most heavily populated of Kauai’s developed towns, Kapaa features a significant concentration of hotels, shopping centers, tourist-oriented shops, and restaurants from casual to formal. The town is nestled in the ancient district of Puna, guarded by the imposing figure of the “Sleeping Giant” of Nounou Mountain. This section of the island features pie-shaped wedges of land that stretch from mountain to sea to command a full range of landscapes and climates. Agriculture was a booming early industry, and growing sugar cane combined with the largest pineapple field on Kauai for a picturesque countryside. Modern condominiums are the new crop rising from yesterday’s former pineapple canneries. Serene residential neighborhoods and country homes are convenient to a bustling world of business and commerce for a rural-suburban atmosphere.
Koloa, Poipu Beach
County Offices
808-241-6300
www.kauai.gov
Chamber of Commerce
808-245-7363
www.kauaichamber.org
The southern shores of Kauai are home to one of the nation’s finest beaches, named by the Travel Channel as “America’s Best.” Even the local marine life are drawn to this wonderful beach, making sightings of spinner dolphin, large green sea turtles, and even endangered Hawaiian monk seals have been seen sunbathing on its shores. Sheltered coves and adjacent Nukumoi Point are ideal for viewing colorful fish or snorkeling. The charming village of Koloa features the Koloa Plantation Days Celebration, an annual events that commemorates the local sugar industry and the unique heritage of the island. The Koloa Heritage Trail offers a tour of the area’s historical significance, from a sugar mill that first inspired Hawaii’s commercial sugar production to a Buddhist Temple and the first Catholic Church on the island. One of the south shore landmarks is the Spouting Horn, where the Poipu surf channels into a lava tube and releases a spout of water up to 50 feet high.
Kalapaki, Nawiliwili
County Offices
808-241-6300
www.kauai.gov
Chamber of Commerce
808-245-7363
www.kauaichamber.org
Communities that neighbor the county seat of Lihue, the towns of Kalapaki and Nawiliwili expand the options for residential living in close proximity to the most developed city on the island. Among the highlights in this area is the Alekoko (Menehune) Fishpond, which lies along Huleia Stream and drains into Nawiliwili Bay. Kukui Grove Shopping Center offers a convenient retail center with shops, services, eateries, and restaurants. Kalapaki Beach fronts the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club as well as the Kauai Lagoons championship golf course. This crescent-shaped sandy beach opens out to Nawilwili Bay, the harbor, and to vistas of the Hoary Head Mountains. The Kalapaki area is also ideal for kayaking Indiana Jones style, a literal adventure since this is the site where Harrison Ford swung on a vine, dropped into the stream, and swam to a sea plane to escape his enemies. Championship golf courses, fine dining, and a beach that excels in water sports are just a few of the attractions to the Kalapaki, Lihue, and Nawiliwili areas.
Lihue Town
County Offices
808-241-6300
www.kauai.gov
Chamber of Commerce
808-245-7363
www.kauaichamber.org
Distinguished as the second-largest town on Kauai, Lihue is also the site of the island airport and the seat of county government. The main seaport for Kauai is Nawiliwili Bay just southeast of Lihue. In addition to the county administration complex, the town is home to the largest shopping center on the island, the Kukui Grove Center. Most of the traffic lights on this quiet island are located in the bustling Lihue area, where residents enjoy commercial advantages like major car dealerships, cafes, restaurants, and convenient services. The Kauai Museum showcases the art and history of the island, while Grove Farm Homestead preserves the former home of George N. Wilcox and his descendents. Today, this site serves as a museum that offers visitors a glimpse of plantation life more than a century ago. To the north is the town of Kapaa adds another cluster of shopping centers close to home. The presence of the campus for Kauai Community College adds intellectual and cultural enrichment to the area, including guest speakers and live performances. The college even provides opportunities to earn four-year degrees through its affiliation with the University of Hawaii.
Waimea
County Offices
808-241-6300
www.kauai.gov
Chamber of Commerce
808-245-7363
www.kauaichamber.org
The landscapes and the development in the Waimea area of the island are both varied, giving residents and visitors an opportunity to live near the spectacular Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali Coast. Situated along the western section of the island, Waimea features the Waimea County Club with its Scottish links that command views of the ocean and Mauna Kea. Some of the finest bent greens on the Hawaiian Islands were once pasture land, surrounded by cattle ranches. Other highlights include one-of-a-kind accommodations like the Waimea Plantation Cottages, a cluster of authentic plantation homes that have been meticulously restored with period furniture.
Waimea Canyon is the largest canyon in the Pacific, often referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Ten miles long, this spectacular multi-layered, multi-colored canyon plunges more than 3,500 feet. The canyon is protected by Kokee State Park, encompassing 4,345 acres of scenic wonderland and 45 miles of trails.
