Return to the Garden Isle - Kauai Island, Hawaii

Sunset, Jan, 1997 by Jeff Phillips

About a mile and a half beyond the first Kilauea Point exit from State 56, Kalihiwai Road snakes a mile down to a gem of an undeveloped beach park edged by a shady grove of ironwood trees. This secluded cove is one of our favorite swimming holes on days when the surf isn't too big. On calm days experienced snorkelers will find plenty of fish among the big rocks just off the tip of the eastern point.

Continuing on State 56 past the north shore's main resort and golf complex at Princeville, the road dips down to cross the Hanalei River on a single-lane steel-frame bridge. This historic landmark has been an effective barrier to tour buses and big-time development. Intent on preserving their lifestyle, locals spent years fighting to keep the state from demolishing the bridge and building a wider one.

Which is undoubtedly why the 7 winding miles of narrow road beyond the village of Hanalei edge what is still one of the most unspoiled and dramatic coastlines in the state. Exactly 1.7 miles beyond historic Waioli Hui'ia Church on the edge of town, you'll find parking and a trail down to the gorgeous strand of Lumahai Beach, where segments of the movie South Pacific were filmed. Go another 3 3/4 miles to the driveway leading down to the shallow corals and underwater grottoes of Tunnels Beach, which offers some of the island's best snorkeling as long as there's no shorebreak.

From Tunnels it's only 1 1/2 miles more to the end of the road. Drive too fast and you'll miss the turnoff to Limahuli Garden, a branch of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, whose headquarters are on the south shore of the island. An entire stream watershed donated to the NTBG by Juliet Rice Wichman and her grandson Chipper, who manages it today, Limahuli Garden is important both as a natural preserve and as a cultural site. A 3/4-mile loop trail leads past ancient rock terraces where taros, breadfruits, bananas, and other plants are grown. Past the village site, the trail climbs to a hilltop for a spectacular view of the valley and the coast.

The road ends abruptly at Kee Beach, whose sandy edge offers a front-row view of Hawaii's most spectacular meeting of mountain and sea. Edged by cliffs that climb nearly 4,000 feet in deeply eroded tiers, the Na Pali Coast on Kauai's northwestern edge is a photographer's dream and a hiker's fantasy.

Kee Beach is the Na Pali coastal trail-head for the rugged, 11-mile-long Kalalau Trail, which climbs and drops from lush valley to sheer ridgetop. The first 2 miles take you to treacherous Hanakapiai Beach, a popular day-hike that can be muddy (hiking boots and drinking water recommended) in the best weather. A worthwhile side hike for the energetic extends 2 miles up the river valley to the streaming 300-foot veil of Hanakapiai Falls.

LEEWARD FROM LIHUE Poipu's beach and botanical gardens

With its famed shoreline of scalloped white-sand beaches, the Poipu area, about 12 miles southwest of Lihue, was by 1992 about as touristy as things got on Kauai. Hurricane Iniki's two-story surf changed all that. Today, in spite of the fact that the Hyatt Regency Kauai resort and all of the area's condominiums are once again open, Poipu is only starting to regain its beach-resort luster.