Distance: 25 miles (40km)
Time: 2–3 hours
START: Lihue
END: Kapa’a
POINTS TO NOTE: Take a deep dive into this area on a day where you’d like to take it a bit easy – this trip won’t take long. Lydgate beach is the best spot on the island for young children, so pack the beach gear.
Legendary Kauai
Kauai legends and oral traditions are among Hawai‘i’s richest. In the last decade, visible remnants that embody ancient Hawai‘ian culture have become popular with travelers, including a gathering of rocks at Wailua. The site is a few hundred yards up Kuamo’o Road towards the mountains from the now defunct Coco Palms Hotel 1 [map], where Elvis once stayed and filmed Blue Hawai‘i.
Kayakers on the Wailua River
Hawaii Tourism Authority/Tor Johnson
Birthstones and waterfalls
Traveling north from Lihue on Highway 56, Kuhio Highway, turn right before crossing the Wailua River bridge at Lydgate State Park 2 [map], a favorite local beach with full facilities and a nice, protected swimming area perfect for young families. Walk towards the river. A grove of coconut palms shelters the Hauola o Honaunaua place of refuge for fugitives in old Hawai‘i, and the Hikina o Kala Heiau. Take care not to move or change anything, nor leave any sign of your visit, as these sites are considered sacred.
Back in the car and just after the bridge, turn left onto Highway 580, Kuamo’o Road. Two miles (3km) up on the right is a parking lot for Opaeka’a Falls 3 [map], most spectacular after heavy rains on Mount Wai’aleale. You can’t see them, but shrimp lay eggs in the pool at the bottom of the 40ft (12-meter) waterfall. Do not try to reach the top of the falls, as water conditions change quickly and each year, tourists are lost to falls. Walk across the road for a broad view of the Wailua River gently snaking below, once lined with secret sacred temples all the way up to its origin on Waiale’ale; cliffs and bluffs along the way were ali’i burial places.
On the river, barge-like boats carry tourists to the Fern Grotto 4 [map], where ferns grow profusely at the mouth of a lava tube. It’s commercially promoted ad nauseam as a must-see but is actually somewhere you could pass by because of the intrusive showbiz style of the tour operator, both on the river and at the grotto. Better to spend your time and money visiting the streamside Kamakila Hawaiian Village 5 [map] at the junction of Kuamo’o and the highway, or renting a kayak and paddling up the river at your own pace. No forced serenades, no elbow-to-elbow crowds, just the beauty that is Kaua’i. Bring a picnic and take your time.
Continue to the end of Highway 580 for views of Mount Wai’aleale and to drive across the river. Park just after you cross the ford and walk downstream a bit to find a rope swing and swimming hole.
Opaeka’a Falls
Steven Greaves/Apa Publications
Sacrificial shrines
Back on Highway 580, close to the main highway, there are several sacred outdoor shrines, including the Poli’ahu Heiau 6 [map]. Nearby is a bell stone, which rang out when hit with a stone to announce royal births. Holoholoku Heiau, a sacrificial altar with royal birthstones nearby, is an older heiau, and has more than coincidental resemblance to Tahitian temples. When you’re done, skip the Smith’s Luau, which is a bit hokey, and instead, delve into some Portuguese bean soup and pie at Ono Family Restaurant, see 1, (open for breakfast and lunch only) on Highway 56 before calling it a wrap.
Food and Drink
1 Ono Family Restaurant
4-1292 Kuhio Highway; tel: 808-822 1710; daily 7am to 2pm; $–$$
This restaurant has the best macadamia nut pancakes in town. Portuguese Bean Soup is a local treat loved by all – hearty and thick, it’s a meal unto itself.