Hawaiian discoveries
From coastline to canyon, enjoy the best-kept secrets in lesser-known Kauai
KAUAI, HAWAII— A grandmotherly type in a flowered dress with a hibiscus tucked behind one ear — that’s who I was expecting to see when I showed up for a lei-making class at my hotel.
I wasn’t expecting Jhensen Sembrano-Mahuiki, a buff 20-something guy who looked like he’d be more at home shredding waves than stringing flowers. I had to ask. What did he know about making leis?
That’s when my stereotypes crashed and burned in the Hawaiian sand.
“I’ve been making leis since I was 9,” said SembranoMahuiki, who was born and raised on Kauai. “We learned how to do it in school.” Boys and girls? “Yes, boys and girls.” And with that, he dumped a box of purple orchid blossoms on the table at the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas and showed us how to snap off the stems, gore them through the centre with a long needle and line them up snugly on a string.
It was surprisingly easy, and it took only half an hour to create a lush, fragrant lei.
When we wore them to lunch after the class, people asked whether one of us was celebrating a birthday. Although leis are a traditional symbol of greeting and affection throughout Hawaii, locals tend to wear them only on special occasions, such as graduations, birthdays and weddings.
These were the first of a few surprises on Kauai, which isn’t nearly as well known as its neighbours Maui, Oahu and the Big Island.
Kauai is as lush as Maui but not nearly as developed. Like Oahu, it boasts big surf, but boarders won’t have nearly as much competition for the perfect wave. And although it shares much of the sleepy charm of the Big Island (properly known as Island of Hawaii), it has more shopping and nightlife.
Kauai’s profile received a boost in 2011, when it served as a backdrop for several scenes in the George Clooney film The
Descendants. But with just 67,000 residents and much of the island protected from development, it’s unlikely to lose its rustic appeal.
Even at the swanky St. Regis Princeville hotel on the island’s north shore, for example, you stand a good chance of being roused from your sunbathing stupor by a rooster roaming the beach, crowing for no apparent reason.
Since hurricane Iniki liberated thousands of domestic birds from their backyard pens in1992, there are few places on the island where you won’t run into a roaming group of chickens, often competing for food with the island’s protected nene geese.
Most visitors to Kauai end up in one of the two major tourist hubs on the island, Poipu on the south shore and Princeville in the north.
Both boast major hotels, rental con- dos and golf courses, but Poipu’s proximity to the international airport in Lihue (about half an hour’s drive as opposed to almost an hour to the north shore) has spurred more development there.
In either destination, it’s tempting to just park yourself at the beach or the pool, but force yourself out of your lounge chair long enough to explore the rest of the island.
West of Poipu, the little town of Hanapepe looks like it’s stuck in the 1970s, with funky clothing stores, cafés and art galleries.
Every Friday night, the galleries open their doors and offer live music and nosh to encourage visitors to linger.
Keep heading west and you’ll hit the Waimea Canyon, which the tourism brochures describe as Hawaii’s version of the Grand Canyon. Don’t expect quite that much geographical drama, but a drive along the ochre gorge will yield some spectacular photos.
Even more stunning is the Napali Coast on the western edge of the island. This 25-kilometre stretch of rugged cliffs, otherworldly enough to have served as a backdrop for the first Jurassic Parkmovie, can be seen only by boat, kayak or helicopter, but it’s worth the effort.
On the north shore, the town of Hanalei is a good spot for a casual dinner and a bit of retail therapy. If you promised someone you’d bring home a ukulele, there’s a shop there that specializes in them.
One word of warning: Kauai’s reputation as a surfing mecca means swimmers might have to travel a bit to find a sheltered beach without a strong undertow. And one more: If you make friends with the roaming chickens, you might have to order something else for dinner. Joanne Blain was hosted by the Kauai Visitors Bureau, which didn’t review or approve this story.