April 1, 2001
Blessed with arresting natural beauty, few places can compare to Kauai, the Hawaiian island dubbed the “garden isle.” Unspoiled white sand beaches, lush mountain valleys, precipitous cliffs watching over the vast Pacific, Kauai’s natural assets inspire the visitor with an incomparable mixture of nature’s most dramatic jewels.
But as the island, especially the funky North Shore, wrestles with increasing pressures to accommodate more and more visitors, this paradise is stretched to the breaking point as developers rule the roost at the expense of quality of life for the locals.
In public meetings held late last year by the Kauai County Council to seek comment on a general plan for island development, wave after wave of discontent crashed into the microphone. Many locals were seething with anger because they felt the draft plan weighed heavily in favor of developers at the expense of a fragile environment and infrastructure. Faced with dozens of problems – affordable housing, no meaningful mass transit, gated communities that have cut off access to the shoreline, bumper-to-bumper traffic in Kapa’a, lack of high-quality jobs, a homeless population estimated to be in the hundreds, trash removal, etc. – the island’s discontent has, especially on the funky north coast, bruised the spirit of “aloha.”
Long-term solutions to the island’s problems appear to be beyond the grasp of angry locals, ineffectual government officials and greedy developers. As visitors to this island, we’re more than willing to support mass transit, pay user fees for beaches and trails, recycle our garbage and support local farmers. We think visitors awed by the beauty of this island would gladly contribute to and support programs to help Kauai come to grips with itself.
As former sugar plantations become divided up into subdivisions, locals complain of moving from the plantation to the hotel, yet few alternatives are on the table. This small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is at the crossroads of the northern and southern Pacific, and a potential link between the west coast of the U.S. and the Far East, but the island’s economy remains dominated by tourism.
Unfortunately, the island seems intent on sealing its fate as a single-industry economy based. In October, the local newspaper, The Garden Island, reported that monster-sized cruise ships will be making more and more stops on the island, despite parking problems at piers in Nawiliwili.
According to The Garden Island, the state has projected about 30,500 visitors per day by the year 2020. Between 17,000 and 19,000 people visit daily now. Unless the lofty projections are drastically reduced, and some means of managing crowds is implemented, Kauai’s incredible natural will be but a memory.
While it’s hard to ignore the persistent problems plaguing Kauai, as locals grumble about affordable housing, off the roads and on the beach or trail, the unmistakable allure of this island is hard to resist.
October seems to be a good month to visit, with crowds and traffic at reasonable levels. It’s difficult to imagine enjoying the island’s north shore in high season. A light, misty rain fell every afternoon (sometimes a few times a day), but soon passed. Low, fast-moving clouds raced across the skies. Both air and water temperatures were perfect, in the low 80s.
Princeville on the north shore and Poipu on the south are the main “resort” areas. Princeville is a master-planned resort with the requisite golf course. Construction crews were busy building more homes in Princeville, and the amount of traffic coursing up and down the main drag, much of it bound for the Princeville Hotel and the Hanalei Bay Resort, was nearly non-stop.
While we only spent a short few hours in Poipu, this resort in the southern portion of the island, seemed friendly and cheerful, and in October, the surf was a bit calmer than on the North Shore.
Beaches
Variety is the operative word for Kauai’s beaches. From intimate coves to long stretches of sandy shoreline, the beaches here are suitable for swimming, lounging, snorkeling and beachcombing. Conditions of each change with the season, and can change within the day. Each beach has its own personality, which can be quite different from another beach half-a-mile down the road.
The surf on some beaches can be ferocious, and caution is advised, even when conditions appear to be calm. The Kauai Ocean Rescue Council (Box 3626, Lihue, HI, 96766) produces an excellent brochure explaining the hazards of each beach, as well as phenomenon such as rip currents which can take the unsuspecting swimmer for an unplanned ride.
We found ourselves drawn to Hanalei Bay on the north shore for its swimming and views. On various days, the surf was calm, then relatively wild, perfect for body surfing. The half-moon-shaped bay is a great place for a long swim on calm days. Views of the lush mountains inland from the beach were spectacular, and depending on the light and cloud cover, one can see the thin, white trails of waterfalls high in the mountains.
Unfortunately, marauding waves of helicopters were a constant sight and sound.
After a few delightful days on the Hanalei Bay beach, we read that agricultural runoff from the Hanalei River pollutes the bay – a disturbing perception we were unable to verify and blissfully ignored.
State highway 56 wraps around the island from Lihue north to the Na Pali Coast. At the end of the road is Ke’e Beach. On one visit, we found this picturesque, short stretch of sand to be strewn with trash, over-crowded and uninviting. On another afternoon, it was clean, uncrowded and very welcoming, a refreshing place to cool off after rambling up and down the famed Kalalau Trail, which embarks from the Ke’e Beach parking lot.
Moving clockwise around the island and east of Hanalei, you find a string of excellent beaches. Hideaways Beach, accessed by a path running between the Princeville Hotel parking lot and the adjacent tennis courts, is a small, thin stretch of sand with excellent snorkeling a few yards off-shore. In and around the reefs are dozens of small, colorful fish.
Another north shore treasure may be found by following a trail from a parking area in a Princeville neighborhood seaside to a tumble of black, volcanic rocks. Following the shore to the left, Queen Anne’s Bath, a small rectangular pool, appears. The “bath” is fed by waves crashing into a small entrance and “drained” by an opening on the far side. The water is about 8-12 feet deep with many kinds of small, colorful fish darting in and out. Just offshore, one may spot in between the rolling waves, large sea turtles cruising around in underwater grassy areas.
Secret Beach, just to the west of the Kilauea lighthouse, is a long stretch of sand accessible by a short trail. On our visits there, 8- to 10-foot waves crashed dramatically on this picturesque stretch of sand.
Further down the road east of Kilauea is Larsen’s Beach, a lonely stretch of coarse sand better suited for beachcombing than swimming. While strolling this quiet beach, we found a sign asking visitors to report shark sightings – the origin of the sign was unknown, and may possibly have been placed there to shoo away tourists.
Some say the spirit of “aloha” is of the land, not of the people. We certainly found this to be true as on the shore, in the water and on the trail, a magical siren song of rugged, pure nature captivates the traveler and casts a spell.
However, the shrill cries of discontent, unaccompanied by meaningful government or private sector support or problem-solving, endanger the beauty and tranquility of the Garden Isle.
Story and photos by David Iler