Kauai Things to Do

 
by kellinwood
 
  •   Things to Do
    by kellinwood
  •   Things to Do
    by kellinwood
  •   Things to Do
    by kellinwood
  • Fern Grotto
      Fern Grotto
    by kellinwood
  • Smiths Fern Grotto Cruise Boat
      Smiths Fern Grotto Cruise Boat
    by kellinwood
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Hanalei bay

by mindcrime

Exiting the Princeville we stopped at the Hanalei Valley Overlook. Pic 1 shows a familiar image of Kauai because every book and postcard includes this one. It’s really beautiful to look down the gorgeous valley and the Hanalei river splitting the numerous green fields and mountains around it. The hawaian people have grown taro in the valley for many centuries If you want to see the Hanalei town there is another viewpoint just a kilometer north from the right side of the road.Dont miss the Historic Hanalei bridge (pic 4), now old and rusty but beautifully standing there. It was built in 1912, one among 7 onelane bridges on the 560 Highway. Watch out and respect the rule which is the first car on the bridge has priority and the same cars with the cars that follow. After eating something light at the beautifully located Dolphin restaurant (check my restaurant tip) we walked a bit along the...

Tip Photo
Princeville

by mindcrime

Betwen Anini beach and Hanalei bay you can visit the 11,000 acres of Princeville. First you will see the fountain (pic 1) and then you will start drive at the almost empty wide roads (pic 2) with trees on both sides. We started to wonder how much the residents of the houses (pic 3) pay here and then I’ve read that it’s a place for really rich people here. There are also time share complexes, golf courses and two luxury hotels. At the end of the main road is the Princeville hotel that overlooks Hanalei bay (pic 4). It was built in 1985 and if luxury is your style the goldcrowned columns will do the job. For me Kauai is so beautiful that there’s no need for something more than wood and stone but they say the sunset is beautiful from the resort. Their shopping center is probably useful for you too on your way further north on the island because you can get supplies from the super market,...

Tip Photo
St Raphaels Church

by mindcrime

St. Raphael’s church is the oldest catholic church in the island of Kauai. It was founded in 1841 by Robert Arsenius Walsh who did the first Mass on december 25 of the same year. Walsh established the parish two years after Catolics were granted religious freedom in Hawaii. of the first catholic missionaries that arrived in Hawai’i in 1827 but they forced to leave due to the earlier seeds of anticatholicism that the Protestant Missionaries had planted.You can see the relics of the old church (pic 1) but the one that stands there today was build in 1854 (but it was blessed in 1856) and renovated in 1936. It is simply decorated inside (pics 2-3). There were no visitors inside and noone that could give me more info about the church but on our way out I noticed some simple leaflets that have some general historical info.We walked a bit around and visited the small cemetery (pic 4) of the...

Tip Photo
Old Town of Koloa and Poipu

by mindcrime

The day we drove to the south of Kauai we passed through a Tunnel of Trees. From Lihue we took Kaumuli’i Highway(hw 50) and then turned left on highway 520(maluhia road) which is actually a highway covered with trees from both sides (pic 1). The double row of eucalyptus trees were planted by Alexander McBryde in 1911 and they cover about 1,5km along the road! It was great to see from helicopter too but I missed the photo from up there. This road leads to Koloa (tall sugar cane) town, which had one of the first sugar plantations in the island, founded in 1835 and shut down only a few years before, in 1996. At Koloa’s main intersection is a brick chimney (pic 2), we parked to check it and read the sign that says that it is the Old Koloa Sugar Mill, a national historic landmark. It was built in 1841 and it was the the plantation’s third sugar mill. There is a monument (pic 3) in front of...

Tip Photo
helicopter ride

by mindcrime

Definitely one of the most expensive things to do in Kaua’i is to take a helicopter tour. You have to pay about $200 dollars depending on the company, the type of helicopter and where your seat will be. We tried the first class seat which is next to the pilot and we didn’t regret it, the ride was amazing and the reason is that in the island of Kauai doesn’t have roads in a big part (the majority of the island is mountainous) of it and only the helicopter can take you there. Check carefully many companies before you choose, we booked ours through a tour agent at the lobby of our hotel. She explained the advantages of every company (some have newer helicopters, some have bigger windows, some less noise, some bigger space etc). Sunshine Company had a great service with free pickup from the hotel and the type of our helicopter is called Black Beauty (pic 1), officially the model is ASTAR...

Tip Photo
Opaeka’a falls

by mindcrime

I have to say that I enjoyed the Opaeka’a waterfalls much more than Wailua waterfalls. The view point is much better here, just walk along the short path. The Opaeka’a waterfalls (pic 1) are 61meters high and you can see the twin cascades fall smoothly while the whole area is full in green. The pool area at the base supposed to have shrimps so no wonder why they called Opaeka’a (rolling shrimp). Like in other waterfalls a small sign reminds us how dangerous is to go down there….After seeing the waterfalls we passed the other way of the road. There is a scenic stop over the spot where Wailua river splits into north and south fork, the view from there is very nice (pics 2) and the there is an info sign:The mountain ridges of Maunakapu and Nounou divided the Wailua ahupua’a into two sections, Wailua Kai, traditionally referred to as, „Wailuanuiahoano“ encompasses about 2800 acres of land...

Tip Photo
Hindu monastery

by mindcrime

I always thought of Hindu monasteries that are something exotic and far from the Greek culture and then I’ve heard about this one on the banks of the Wailua River here in Hawaii, a weird feeling visiting this monastery temple complex that covers 458 acres. It was founded in 1970 by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001) and has two temple the Kadavul Siva Temple where you can see the 2m tall bronze image of Lord Nataraja and the new San Marga Iraivan Temple both of them in south indian style. The second temple expected to be finished at the end of 2012.The monks have a a strict daily program with several specific services and religious worships (to Lord Ganesha, Lord Muruga and Lord Siva). You can be there during some worships (especially if you are Hindu and they are open to any visitor) but you have to make an arrangemet before arriving there, they usually suggest to attend the...

Tip Photo
Memorial Gardens and Lydgate State Park

by mindcrime

We stopped at the Memorial Gardens on our way back from Wailua waterfalls. This cemetery was full of flower upon small graves of Japanese people. The worker seemed focus on his job but the sun was so strong that we could barely stand there more than some minutes. So, we just walked around a bit, we saw the statues and went back to our car.Back into highway 56 we turned onto Leho Drive to check the Lydgate State Park. It is named after the name of a protestant minister that found the Kaua’I Historical Society and helped to protect several historic sites of Kaua’i. The Kamalani playground is the highlight of the park if you have kids, they can play in a play lava tube, crawl up a small volcano (7meters high) and slide from the other side. The facilities of the park (restrooms, picnic tables, drinking water etc) will help you if you have kids. We relaxed for a while at the beach (which has...

Tip Photo
Wailua river and waterfalls

by mindcrime

Wailua river (pic 1-2) was always important since the ancient Hawai’i. The kings chose this area as their capital, I guess because it was a garden of plenty because the river gave them the water and the ground was fertile. So they have everything they need, vegetables, bananas, coconut trees and fish from the ocean.Wailua river is 16km long and its source is at Mount Wai’aleale. 3km from the ocean it splits into north and south fork, actually Wailua means “two waters”. A good way to see/explore it is with a kayak of course, choose one of the lisenced companies of the area.Wailua falls (pic 3) used to call Wai’ehu (spraying water) and they are 25m high. You can see a double cascade of water but the high presure of water turns them into one at the bottom. The last king of Kaua’i Kaumuali’i supposed to jump off the falls... There is a sign that warns that people have been killed because of...

Tip Photo
Menehune Fishpond

by mindcrime

I have read about Menehune before we visited the Menehune fishpond. Actually, you can’t visit the fishpond because it’s private but you can see (and admire) it from the view point which is up the road. It is a huge dam that used to have three gaps. That was until 1800s when some Chinese farmers filled two of them so they could raise mullet in the fishpond.The area was used for fishing since the ancient times when the Hawaiians were trapping fishes with wooden fences with slats across the gaps. The slats were used to trap the big fishes when they moved between fences. The pond must been there the last 1000 years more or less and that makes impressive the fact that the wall between the stream and the pond is 2meters high and 300 meters long. It was really tranquil looking at it…The Hawaiian name of the fishpond is Alekoko (rippling blood!) because the legend says that Menehune people (a...

Tip Photo
Fun things to do in Kauai

Top 3 Hotels in Kauai

The Villas at Poipu Kai  Poipu

 63 Opinions

 Hotels in Poipu

Hale Ho`o Maha Bed & Breakfast  Hanalei

 109 Opinions

 Hotels in Hanalei

ResortQuest Islander on the Beach  Kapaa

 2 Reviews and 725 Opinions  The Islander is an unpretentious, comfortable resort hotel with a little funky edge but certainly... 

 Hotels in Kapaa

149 Hotels in Kauai
 
Explore the World
Travel Destinations
Travel Highlights

The Place

Reviews and photos of Kauai attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Kauai sightseeing.

Experience Kauai
Things to Do: Cities in Kauai
  1. Kapaa Things to Do
  2. Poipu Things to Do
  3. Lihue Things to Do
  4. Hanalei Things to Do
  5. Nawiliwili Things to Do
  6. Haena Things to Do
  7. Kilauea Things to Do
  8. Hanapepe Things to Do
  9. Waimea Canyon State Park Things to Do
  10. Wailua Things to Do
  11. Waimea Things to Do
  12. Lehua Things to Do

More Cities in Kauai

 

Questions and Answers

kellinwood profile photo

Q:  My wife and I leave tomorrow for a 7 night stay in the Lihue area of Kauai. We've booked a rental car and will be touring the... 

atufft profile photo

A: See my tip for the Luau on Kauai. That's a dining experience you can't miss, and there are several of them which provide some kind of discount ticket. 

Read 4 Replies

postQuestion_button