Kauai

Hawaiian narrative derives the name's origin from the legend of Hawaiʻiloa, the Polynesian navigator credited with discovering the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates that he named the island of Kauaʻi after a favorite son; a possible translation of Kauaʻi is "place around the neck", describing how a father would carry his child. Another possible translation is "food season".[7]

Kauaʻi was known for its distinct dialect of the Hawaiian language, which still survives on Niʻihau. While the standard language today is based on the dialect of Hawaiʻi island, which has no [t] sound, the Kauaʻi dialect had this sound. This happened because the Kauaʻi dialect had retained the old Polynesian /t/ sound, which has changed in the "standard" Hawaiʻi dialect to [k]. This difference applies to all words with these sounds, so the native name for Kauaʻi was pronounced "Tauaʻi", and Kapaʻa was pronounced "Tapaʻa".

Polynesian inhabitants settled on the island hundreds of years before Europeans arrived, as shown by excavations dating to as early as 200 A.D. to 600 A.D.[8] These first inhabitants, originally from the Marquesas Islands, lived undisturbed for around five centuries until a second wave of seafarers arrived by sea-canoe from Tahiti.[9][10] Many Hawaiian traditions and belief structures are rooted in the religion and practices that arrived with these Tahitians.[9]

In 1778, Captain James Cook arrived at Waimea Bay, the first European known to have reached the Hawaiian islands. He named the archipelago the "Sandwich Isles" after his patron, the 6th Earl of Sandwich, George Montagu.[11]

During the reign of King Kamehameha, Kauaʻi and Niʻihau were the last Hawaiian Islands to join his Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Their ruler, Kaumualiʻi, resisted Kamehameha for years. Kamehameha twice prepared a huge armada of ships and canoes to take the islands by force, and twice failed, once because of a storm, and once because of an epidemic. But in the face of the threat of a further invasion, Kaumualiʻi decided to join the kingdom without bloodshed, and became Kamehameha's vassal in 1810. He ceded the island to the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi upon his death in 1824.[11]

Aerial view of Kauai

Na Pali Coast State Park

Kalalau Beach

Kauaʻi's origins are volcanic, the island having been formed by the passage of the Pacific Plate over the Hawaii hotspot. At approximately five million years old, it is the oldest of the main islands.[17] It consists of a large eroded shield volcano with a 9.3–12.4 mi (15.0–20.0 km) diameter summit caldera and two flank calderas. Rejuvenation of the volcano 1.40–0.6 million years ago resulted in the eruption of lavas and cones over the eastern two-thirds of the island.[18]

Kauaʻi's highest peak is Kawaikini, at 5,243 ft (1,598 m).[19] The second-highest is Mount Waiʻaleʻale, near the center of the island, 5,148 ft (1,569 m) above sea level. One of the wettest spots on earth, with an annual average rainfall of 460 in (38.3 ft; 11.7 m), is on the east side of Mount Waiʻaleʻale. The high annual rainfall has eroded deep valleys in the central mountains, carving out canyons with many scenic waterfalls. On the west side of the island, Waimea town is at the mouth of the Waimea River, whose flow formed Waimea Canyon, one of the world's most scenic canyons, which is part of Waimea Canyon State Park. At three thousand ft (910 m) deep, Waimea Canyon is often called "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Kokeo Point lies on the island's south side. The Na Pali Coast is a center for recreation in a wild setting, including kayaking past the beaches and hiking on the trail along the coastal cliffs.[20] The headlands Kamala Point, Kawelikoa Point, Kuahonu Point, and Molehu Point are on the southeast of the island, and Makaokahaʻi Point is at the south.

Tourism is Kauaʻi's largest industry. In 2007, 1,271,000 people visited Kauaʻi. The two largest groups were from the continental United States (84% of all visitors) and Japan (3%).[27] As of 2003, there were a total of approximately 27,000 jobs on Kauaʻi, of which the largest sector was accommodation/food services (26%, 6,800 jobs), followed by government (15%) and retail (14.5%), with agriculture accounting for 2.9% (780 jobs) and educational services providing 0.7% (183 jobs).[28] The various sectors that constitute the visitors' industry accounted for one third of Kauaʻi's income.[28] Employment is dominated by small businesses, with 87% of all non-farm businesses having fewer than 20 employees.[28] As of 2003, Kauaʻi's unemployment rate was 3.9%, compared to 3.0% for the entire state and 5.7% for the U.S. as a whole. Kauaʻi's poverty rate was 10.5%, compared to the contiguous 48 states at 10.7%.[28]

As of mid-2004, the median price of a single-family home was $528,000, a 40% increase over 2003. As of 2003, Kauaʻi's percentage of home ownership, 48%, was significantly lower than the state's 64%, and vacation homes were a far larger part of the housing stock than the statewide percentage (Kauaʻi 15%, state 5%).[28] Housing prices decreased significantly in 2008. As of spring 2014, the median price had risen to about $400,000.

Pacific Missile Range Facility northwest of Kekaha, Kauai

From the 1830s through the mid-20th century, sugarcane plantations were Kauaʻi's most important industry. In 1835, the first sugarcane plantation was founded on Kauaʻi, and for the next century the industry dominated Hawaiʻi's economy.[29] Most of that land is now used for ranching.[27] Kauaʻi's sole remaining sugarcane operation, the 118-year-old Gay & Robinson Plantation, plans to convert its operation to cultivating and processing sugarcane ethanol.[27]

Kauaʻi is home to the U.S. Navy's "Barking Sands" Pacific Missile Range Facility, on the sunny and dry western shore. MF and HF ("shortwave") radio station WWVH, sister station to WWV and low frequency WWVB in Fort Collins, Colorado, is on the west coast of Kauaʻi, about 3 mi (5 km) south of Barking Sands. WWVH, WWV and WWVB are operated by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, broadcasting standard time and frequency information to the public.

Land in Kauaʻi is very fertile; farmers raise many varieties of fruit and other crops. Guava, coffee, sugarcane, mango, banana, papaya, avocado, star fruit, kava, noni and pineapple are all cultivated on the island.

Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) is a not-for-profit electric cooperative headquartered in Līhuʻe, which provides electricity for the island. With 24,000 member-owners who elect a nine-member board of directors, it is the only electric cooperative in the state.[30]

In the 1970s, Kauaʻi burned sugarcane waste to supply most[31] of its electricity.[31]

By 2008, transition of energy sources and growth in generating capacity had occurred, with most of Kauaʻi's electricity now produced by importing liquid petroleum. In 2006 and 2007, the inputs cost $69.3 million and $83 million, respectively.[32] By 2011, 92% of KIUC's power came from diesel.[33]

By early 2017, KIUC's fuel mix was 56% fossil fuels, 9% hydroelectric, 12% biomass and 23% solar. KIUC had successfully integrated large-scale solar into its grid so that, during daylight hours on most sunny days, 97% or more of its generation comes from renewable sources. KIUC offers $1,000 rebates to residential customers who have solar water heating systems installed on their homes by Energy Wise Participating Contractors.[34]

In March 2017, KIUC opened a Tesla Energy 13 MW / 52 MWh battery next to the 12 MW Kapaia solar plant[35] for 13.9¢/kWh.[33] In December 2018, KIUC opened an AES Distributed Energy project for 20 MW solar with 20 MW / 100 MWh batteries priced at 11.1¢/kWh.[36]

Līhuʻe, on the island's southeastern coast, is the seat of Kauaʻi County and the island's second-largest town. Kapaʻa, on the "Coconut Coast" (site of an old coconut plantation) about 6 mi (9.7 km) north of Līhuʻe, has a population of over 10,000, or about 50% greater than Līhuʻe. Princeville, on the island's north side, was once the capital of Kauaʻi.

Communities on Kauaʻi range in population from the roughly 10,000 people in Kapaʻa to tiny hamlets. Below are the larger or more notable of those from the northernmost end of Hawaii Route 560 to the western terminus of Hawaii Route 50:

Kauai Hindu monastery in Kauai Island in Hawaii.

The Spouting Horn: located on the southern coast of Kauaʻi

The Kauaʻi Heritage Center of Hawaiʻian Culture and the Arts was founded in 1998. Its mission is to nurture appreciation and respect for Hawaiʻian culture. It offers classes in Hawaiʻian language, hula, lei and cordage making, the lunar calendar and chanting, and trips to cultural sites.

• Alakai Wilderness Area
• Allerton Garden
• Camp Naue YMCA
• Fern Grotto
• Haʻena State Park
• Hanalei Bay
• Hoʻopiʻi Falls
• Honopū Valley
• Kōkeʻe State Park
• Limahuli Garden and Preserve
• Makaleha Mountains
• Makauwahi Cave Reserve
• McBryde Garden
• Moir Gardens
• Moloaa Bay
• Na ʻĀina Kai Botanical Gardens
• Nā Pali Coast State Park
• ʻOpaekaʻa Falls
• Paoʻa Point
• Poipu Beach Park
• Polihale State Park
• Queen's Bath
• Sleeping Giant (Nounou Mountain)
• Spouting Horn
• Wailua River
• Waimea Canyon State Park

Panorama gallery

A view of the Hanalei Valley in Northern Kauaʻi. The Hanalei River runs through the valley and 60% of Hawaiʻi's taro is grown in its fields.

A view of the Nā Pali coastline from the ocean. It is part of the Nā Pali Coast State Park which encompasses 6,175 acres (20 km²) of land and is located on the northwest side of Kauaʻi.

A view of the Kalalau Valley on Kauaʻi's Nā Pali Coast from the Kalalau Lookout

Manawaiopuna Falls known as "Jurassic Falls" featured in 1993 Steven Spielberg film Jurassic Park

Kauaʻi has been featured in more than 70 Hollywood movies and TV shows, including the musical South Pacific and Disney's 2002 animated feature film Lilo & Stitch along with its franchise's three sequel films (2003's Stitch! The Movie, 2005's Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, and 2006's Leroy & Stitch) and first television series (Lilo & Stitch: The Series). Scenes from South Pacific were filmed in the vicinity of Hanalei. Waimea Canyon was used in the filming of the 1993 film Jurassic Park and its 2015 sequel Jurassic World. Scenes from the 2016 comedy film Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates were also filmed. Parts of the island were also used for the opening scenes of the Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Other movies filmed here include Six Days Seven Nights, the 1976 King Kong[37] and John Ford's 1963 film Donovan's Reef. Recent films include Tropic Thunder and a biopic of Bethany Hamilton, Soul Surfer. A scene in the opening credits of popular TV show M*A*S*H was filmed in Kauaʻi (helicopter flying over mountain top). Some scenes from Mighty Joe Young, Just Go with It, George of the Jungle, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides were also filmed in Kauaʻi.[38] A Perfect Getaway is set in Kauaʻi.

Parts of the 2002 film Dragonfly were filmed there, although the people and the land were presented as South American.

Major acts of two Elvis Presley films, 1961's Blue Hawaii and 1966's Paradise, Hawaiian Style, were filmed on Kauaʻi. Both have scenes shot at the Coco Palms resort. In 1992 Hurricane Iniki destroyed the Coco Palms and it was never rebuilt.

The Descendants, a film by Alexander Payne released in 2011 and starring George Clooney, has major parts shot in Kauaʻi, where the main character and his cousins own ancestral lands they are considering selling.[39] The film is based on the 2007 novel by the Hawaiian writer Kaui Hart Hemmings.

• Cook, Chris (1996). The Kauaʻi Movie Book. Landscape photography by David Boynton. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing. ISBN 1-56647-141-9.
• Joesting, Edward (February 1, 1988). Kauai: The Separate Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1162-4.
• Sprout, Jerry; Sprout, Janine (November 22, 2016). Kauai Trailblazer: Where to Hike, Snorkel, Bike, Paddle, Surf. Diamond Valley Company. ISBN 978-0-9913690-6-5.

• Kauai Community and Visitor Information
• Kauaʻi Chamber of Commerce
• Hawaii Scenic Byways