Hawaii Best Travel Blog

Once you have finished driving through the beautiful Waimea Canyon area, head back towards the ocean to explore Kauai’s western shore. From Highway 550, turn right onto Highway 50 if you want to take a drive through the town of Waimea where Captain Cook first set foot in Hawaii in 1778. The town has erected a statue to the great explorer here in Hofgaard Park and a small marker in Lucy Wright Park marks the location where Cook first came ashore in this area. Waimea was Kauai’s first major port city. It was from Waimea bay that King Kamehameha II abducted Kauai’s King Kkaumualii and took him to Oahu in 1821. Ka’ahumanu, the queen regent, then forced both Kaumualii and his oldest son to marry her, thus ensuring Kauai’s allegiance to a unified Hawaii under King Kamehameha’s rule. In Waimea, you can visit a real mill camp on the Plantation Walking Tour every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Tours visit the Waimea Plantation cottages and the Waimea Sugar Company “camp” houses from the turn of the century. Tours take approximately 90 minutes and are limited to 12 people. Tour guides provide story telling experiences along the way to help give a feel of what life on a sugar plantation was like. The Kauai Children’s Discovery Museum provides information about plants, animals and the natural history of Kauai. Cost for the museum is $5 for adults and $ for children 17 and under. Further up the road lies the Pacific Missile Range Facility and lots of beach and sand.

If you turn left on Highway 550, you will arrive at the town of Hanapepe. Founded by Chinese rice farmers in the 1800’s, Hanapepe was once considered a “wild town” and was one of the only towns that was a non-plantation town. Today, it is a quiet little town with local shops, a few artist galleries and displays. Friday nights, visit the Hanapepe Art Night beginning at 6 P.M. Behind the Ele’ele Shopping Center, you can find a Swinging Footbridge across the Hanapepe River. You can visit the Salt Pond Beach Park to see Hawaiian craftsmen creating sea salt in the pools here in the old fashioned way. The beach has a divided area with a fairly safe area for children to swim on most days. You can also head down to the piers where many of the cruises heading to the Na Pali coast can be found. Taking a cruise along the Na Pali coast is one not-to-be-missed experience while on the western coast of Kauai. Stop and visit the Hanapepe Valley Lookout located at mile marker 14 on Highway 50 for gorgeous, valley views.

If you are interested in ancient Hawaiian culture, then a trip to Kamokila Hawaiian Village might be for you. The Kamokila Village, located just above a large bend in the Wailua River, was where King Kaumualii, King of Kauai, used to launch his war canoes. Visitors can tour the recreated village and learn more about Hawaiian culture and history. The park also offers canoe adventures for the more bold visitor. Admission is $5 per person and the Village is open from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. daily. The Village is located about 2 miles west of Wailua. Turn right on Kuamoo Road just before you come to the Wailua River Bridge.

Kuilau Ridge Trail -If you are interested in a great nature hike or seeing some Hawaiian flora, consider a trip to the Keahua Arboretum in eastern Kauai. To get there, take Highway 56 north from Lehu’e. After crossing the Wailua River Bridge, take a left at Kuamo’o road and go past the Wailua Reservoir. Around 6 miles down Kuamo’o Road, you will come to Keahua Stream. Here you will find Keahua Forestry Arboretum with parking. Stop and have a look at the arboretum trails. The area has several good hiking trails here. The Kuilau Ridge Trail is one of the most scenic on Kauai. You can find the trailhead marker on the right of the road just before you cross Keahua Stream. The 2.1 mile trail winds along a steep ridge. A picnic area is located along the way but the best views are found another .5 miles further up the trail. The Powerline Trail which starts at the end of the road is much more difficult. This trail leads you on a day long, demanding climb across the mountains to Princeville. Guided tours and ATV explorations are available if you prefer to have a more formal guided tour of this gorgeous area.

Near the town of Kilauea, you will find Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. To get here, turn off the Prince Kuhi Highway near the entrance to the town of Kilauea and follow the signs to the Lighthouse. The Refuge first opened in 1985 with the purchase of the historic Kilauea Light House. At the refuge, you can see a plethora of birds such as the Nene, the endangered Hawaiian Goose, red-footed boobies, Laysan albatross, wedge-tailed shearwaters, and other seabirds native to the Hawaiian islands. In the surrounding waters, you will see the Hawaiian monk seals, green sea turtles and in winter, frolicking humpback whales which come to the warm Hawaiian waters to birth their calves.

If you want to learn about Hawaiian history, then the Kauai Museum in Lihue might be just the place for you. Founded in 1960, the museum houses artwork and artifacts from ancient Hawaiian peoples. The museum offers Hawaiian artwork of all types, cultural artifacts such as textiles and quilts as well as many native plants and animals in the Natural History collection. The museum is closed on Sundays but open Monday through Fridays from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. and on Saturdays, from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. Cost to visit the Museum is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $3 for children between 12-17 and $1 for children 12 and under. The first Saturday of every month is “Family Free Saturday when admission for the whole family is free. The Museum is located at 4428 Rice Street just across the street from the Post office.

Kauai is known as the “Garden Isle” since it receives abundant rainfall. Indeed there is an abundance of formal tropical botanical gardens to enjoy on the Emerald Isle. There are 3 formal gardens to enjoy on Kauai which are a part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden collection in the islands. Two other gardens are part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden holdings, one is Kahanu Gardens on the Hana coast of Maui and the Kampong Garden located on Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove, Florida. The McBryde Garden is located on the south shore in the Lawa’I Valley. In addition to the lush tropical flora found in this gorgeous collection of tropical flora and fauna, you will also find more unusual plants in the Canoe Garden such as chocolate, allspice and ginger. The McBryde Garden is open daily. A 15 minute tram ride from the Southshore Visitor Center and the Garden is required with the first tram leaving at 9:20 A.M. and the last tram leaving at 2:30 P.M. Cost for adults is $20 and $10 for children 12 and under. The garden walk is a one-mile walk but allow 1 ½ to see and enjoy the garden. Most walks are unpaved or grass and there are stairs in the garden. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes, long pants and a hat. Mosquito repellent and bottled water is also advised for this hike. Call the garden Visitor Center for info on handicapped accommodations.

Also located in this beautiful valley is Allerton Garden which lies between the Pacific Ocean and the McBryde Garden. This garden was a favorite place of Hawaii’s Queen Emma and it is easy to understand why she enjoyed this beautiful place. Allerton garden, fed by the waters of Lawa’I Stream, contains many wonderful plant varieties as well as waterfalls, pools and fountains. Statues grace the grounds giving this garden the feel of a European formal garden. The garden is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 A.M. to dusk. A 15 minute ride from the Visitor Center on a tram is required with the first tram leaving at 9 A.M. and the last one leaving at 2 P.M. The paths are also unpaved or grass and contain many stairs. The same recommendations for clothing apply here as for the McBryde Garden. Cost for adults for entrance and transportation to this garden is $45 for adults with the cost for children between 10-12 is $20. Children under age 10 are not allowed on this tour. Allow approximately 2 ½ hours for the enjoyment of this garden. Book at least 72 hours in advance of when you want to take the tour at the National Tropical Gardens website. You can also book a private tour of the Allerton estate (Allerton Sunset Tour) where you can see not only the estate itself but also the guesthouse where such famous people as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis stayed in this gorgeous locale. The tour ends with hors d’ouevres on the patio at sunset. Cost for this tour is $60 for adults and $30 for children between the ages of 10-12. Again, no children under the age of 10 on this tour.

The final garden that you can tour and enjoy on Kauai is the Limahuli Garden and Preserve. This verdant valley is located on the north shore between the Pacific and Makana Mountain. Behind the Limahuli Garden is the Limahuli Preserve which is home to many of Hawaii’s tropical birds and mammals. Self-guided tours take place Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 A.M. to 4 P.M. with a guided tour at 10 A.M. The self-guided tour from the Limahuli Garden Visitor Center requires about 1 ½ hours and entails a ¾ mile walk on a loop trail. The trail can be steep in some areas so again the same recommendations for clothing and supplies apply on this trail. The guided tour lasts for 2 ½ hours. The Self-guided tour costs $15 for adults with children 12 and under free. The guided tour cost is $30 for adults and $15 for children between the ages of 10-12. No children under the age of 10 are allowed on the guided tour. Guided tours are not always offered on Saturdays so check with the organization for information.