{"id":4606,"date":"2023-06-29T15:52:52","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T19:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/?p=4606"},"modified":"2024-02-22T11:19:40","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T16:19:40","slug":"kauai-hawaii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/kauai-hawaii\/","title":{"rendered":"Kauai: A Day in the Life of Hawaii\u2019s Oldest Island<\/strong>\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kauai: A Day in the Life of Hawaii\u2019s Oldest Island<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

By Dale Myers, Pleasant Holidays <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The islands of Hawaii are diverse: Maui is a mecca with its Seven Sacred Pools. The Island of Hawaii is bigger than all the other Hawaiian Islands combined, is the most ecologically diverse and has one of the most active volcanoes on Earth. Oahu, the \u201cGathering Place,\u201d draws the most visitors, due in no small part to world-famous Waikiki Beach.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, one of Hawaii\u2019s smallest main islands packs one of its biggest punches and was the genesis of it all. Primordial Kauai, the \u201cGarden Island,\u201d was the first Hawaiian island to form approximately five million years ago and is home to the largest canyon of any island in the Pacific and Hawaii\u2019s only navigable river.<\/p>\n\n\n

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9:30 a.m.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wailua River, East Side of Kauai<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are sharks in Wailua River so keep your hands inside the boat at all times,\u201d the captain of our low-lying vessel only half-jokingly says. \u201cSeriously though, we do see sharks here occasionally,\u201d he adds, which prompts every passenger on the slow boat to the fabled Fern Grotto to look overboard.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The banks of the Wailua River, which is fed from rains on Mt. Wai\u2019ale\u2019ale (one of the wettest spots on Earth), once served as the sacred capital of ancient Kauai and the birthplace of its ali\u2019i (royalty). We dock at a small pier on the river and are let loose in the jungle. A well-trodden path winds its way through a dense rainforest and the faint melody of Hawaiian music beckons. We are greeted by a troupe of musicians performing the Hawaiian Wedding Song in front of the Fern Grotto, where couples are told they can now consider themselves married in the Hawaiian tradition. This evokes laughter in most, but terror in others. The jade-colored ferns of the amphitheater-like grotto appear to be swaying to the Hawaiian rhythms bouncing off the acoustically sound black lava rock from which they sprout upside down. <\/p>\n\n\n

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2 p.m.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waimea Canyon, West Side of Kauai<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the town of Waimea (Hawaiian for \u201creddish water\u201d), I ascend Waimea Canyon Drive. In the distance is Hawaii\u2019s privately owned \u201cForbidden Island,\u201d Ni\u2019ihau. Waimea Canyon, aka the \u201cGrand Canyon of the Pacific,\u201d is a 14-mile-long, one-mile-wide gorge that is more than 3,600 feet deep. From the Waimea Canyon Lookout\u202f(mile marker 10), the red layers of the canyon\u2019s walls appear stained by the \u201creddish water\u201d of the Waimea River, which helped carve the canyon in centuries past. In fact, however, the canyon walls are red due to lava flow that pooled and throughout the years turned from black to red. Across the canyon Waipoo Falls plummets 800 feet while wild goats cling to the cliffs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The road from Waimea Canyon ends at the Pu\u2019u o Kila Lookout (mile marker 19), with its panoramic views of Kalalau Valley, the largest valley on the N\u0101pali\u202fCoast. Although only 11 miles across to Ke\u2019e Beach, there is no more road, thus making circumnavigation of Kauai impossible unless on foot, so it\u2019s back in the car for more than 80 miles of driving to see its paradisiacal lagoon. <\/p>\n\n\n

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5 p.m.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hanalei, North Shore of <\/strong>Kauai<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stop briefly in storied Hanalei to visit the 19th<\/sup>-century Wai\u2019oli Hui\u2019ia Church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The helicopters from Waimea Canyon beat me to the other side of the island and are swarming near the silver-threaded waterfalls cascading from the sheer cliffs behind the green church.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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6 p.m.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ke\u2019e Beach<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eight miles from Hanalei driving past some of the most scenic land on Earth and I land at Ke\u2019e Beach. Ke\u2019e, ironically, means \u201cavoidance,\u201d but is rather so enticing I sprint to the shore and immerse myself in its warm-water lagoon as the sun starts to dip below the cathedral-like N\u0101pali Coast mountains. The heavy surf pounds the protective reef and washes over the lagoon as the trade winds ruffle the palms. I can see the beginning of the Kalalau Trail, which traverses the N\u0101pali Coast and is perhaps the most famous hike in all of Hawaii. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m more amazed by this quintessential tropical setting straight out of a Melville novel or the fact that I experienced all this majesty in just one day.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find your dream vacation to Hawaii at https:\/\/ustoa.travelstride.com\/trip-list\/hawaii<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

About Pleasant Holidays<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 1959, Pleasant Holidays is one of the largest tour operators in the U.S., offering vacation packages, flights, hotels, cruises, car rentals, travel protection and related travel services to the world\u2019s most popular destinations including Hawaii, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Central America, Las Vegas, Orlando, New York, Canada, Fiji, Cook Islands, Tahiti, Bora Bora and French Polynesia. The Company\u2019s portfolio of travel brands includes Pleasant Holidays, Journese, Air By Pleasant and Pleasant Activities.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dale Myers is the Digital Content Editor for Pleasant Holidays. He has traveled extensively throughout Hawaii and Europe.  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Kauai: A Day in the Life of Hawaii\u2019s Oldest Island By Dale Myers, Pleasant Holidays  The islands of Hawaii are diverse: Maui is a mecca with its Seven Sacred Pools. The Island of Hawaii is bigger than all the other Hawaiian Islands combined, is the most ecologically diverse and has one of the most active […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4610,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-4606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hawaii","tag-live-like-a-local"],"yoast_head":"\nKauai: A Day in the Life of Hawaii\u2019s Oldest Island\u00a0 - USTOA Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One of Hawaii\u2019s smallest main islands packs one of its biggest punches and was the genesis of it all. 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