Inspiring island brimming with 'aloha spirit'
Hawaii's garden spot offers spectacular scenery, great golf and a special laid-back feel
By Jim Byers Toronto Star
KAUAI, HAWAII–One Sept. 11 took away much of what made this scenic island such a special place for visitors. But another Sept. 11 helped give it back.
There was little to suggest that the morning of Sept. 11, 1992 was anything other than a normal day. There was a big storm on the horizon but experts thought it would pass Hawaii. Instead, Hurricane Iniki slammed headlong into Kauai, wiping out entire hotels at Poipu Beach, a stretch of several golden strands that has been named the best beach in the world by some experts.
Walter Maza moved to Kauai from California in 1993. "It still looked like a bomb had just hit," he said. "The trees were all bare. Houses were in disrepair. It was a mess."
Then came the events of Sept. 11, 2001, after which many Americans decided to spend their travel dollars at home, and for many seeking something a little more exotic than the Gulf of Mexico or Southern California, that meant a trip to Hawaii.
"Initially a lot of people stayed home after the attacks," said Paul Ito, director of golf at the lovely Puakea Golf Course in the main town of Lihue. "Then, when they started to travel they decided to stay in America. We've noticed a pretty good increase in tourism since the last 9-11."
But signs of Iniki are still visible. The hurricane is said to have freed thousands of chickens from coops, and brightly coloured roosters dart over lawns and through thickets of brush. Not everyone likes having them around. "If you love Kauai, take a rooster for lunch," reads one bumper sticker.
Driving past Lihue toward fabled Hanalei and the north shore, where South Pacific was filmed, there's evidence that not even the developers have fully recovered. The Coco Palms resort was one of the first big, romantic spots on Kauai, with nightly torch-lighting ceremonies around a beautiful lagoon and a thatched-roof look to the rooms, some of which featured patio hot tubs in the shape of a giant clam shell. The hurricane ripped it to shreds.
The Poipu Beach Hotel was a low-key, affordable spot in the middle of the mostly dry and dependable Poipu resort area, but workers are just now starting to rebuild it.
Kauai, the Garden Isle, is the piece de resistance of Hawaii. On top of great beaches, incredible golf and fine restaurants, it offers magnificent scenery on an island that you can drive around in (almost) two hours.
In addition to the Hanalei area, with its lovely cliffs dripping with waterfalls and green valleys covered with patches of Hawaiian taro plants, visitors can take in miles of golden beaches. On the northwest side of the island is Waimea Canyon, a gaping slash with miles of reddish-brown soil juxtaposed with stunningly green mountain slopes. It so inspired Mark Twain that he labelled it the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."
Try to leave Lihue or Poipu by 9 a.m. and head straight up toward the Canyon. The view at the top of the hill is perhaps the most wonderful, inspiring sight in all Hawaii.
It might be raining when you get there – nearby Mt. Wai'ale'ale is the wettest spot in the world – but things can change quickly in these parts. Take a rain jacket and a sweatshirt. On the way home, stop in Waimea for lunch at the Shrimp Station. For $11 – about the price of an appetizer at some upscale island restaurants – you get a plate of close to a dozen plump shrimp with fries or rice. There's sweet chile garlic shrimp, legendary coconut shrimp (just right; not too sweet) and Thai shrimp with lemon grass and spicy salsa. You can kayak on the Hanalei River or on the Wailua River on the south side of the island. You can tee it up at the stunning Kauai Lagoons or up north near Hanalei at the Princeville Course, rated one of the top tracks in the world. You can hike along the Kalalau trail just past Ke'e beach and enjoy some of the most spectacular views in the Pacific. Or you can simply sit back and enjoy the sunset from Poipu. Maza talked about what makes Kauai so special.
"I just got back from a U2 concert on Oahu," he said. "And I've been to Maui. But Kauai. I don't know; it's just better. Just the feel of it. It has that aloha spirit."
By Jim Byers Toronto Star
KAUAI, HAWAII–One Sept. 11 took away much of what made this scenic island such a special place for visitors. But another Sept. 11 helped give it back.
There was little to suggest that the morning of Sept. 11, 1992 was anything other than a normal day. There was a big storm on the horizon but experts thought it would pass Hawaii. Instead, Hurricane Iniki slammed headlong into Kauai, wiping out entire hotels at Poipu Beach, a stretch of several golden strands that has been named the best beach in the world by some experts.
Walter Maza moved to Kauai from California in 1993. "It still looked like a bomb had just hit," he said. "The trees were all bare. Houses were in disrepair. It was a mess."
Then came the events of Sept. 11, 2001, after which many Americans decided to spend their travel dollars at home, and for many seeking something a little more exotic than the Gulf of Mexico or Southern California, that meant a trip to Hawaii.
"Initially a lot of people stayed home after the attacks," said Paul Ito, director of golf at the lovely Puakea Golf Course in the main town of Lihue. "Then, when they started to travel they decided to stay in America. We've noticed a pretty good increase in tourism since the last 9-11."
But signs of Iniki are still visible. The hurricane is said to have freed thousands of chickens from coops, and brightly coloured roosters dart over lawns and through thickets of brush. Not everyone likes having them around. "If you love Kauai, take a rooster for lunch," reads one bumper sticker.
Driving past Lihue toward fabled Hanalei and the north shore, where South Pacific was filmed, there's evidence that not even the developers have fully recovered. The Coco Palms resort was one of the first big, romantic spots on Kauai, with nightly torch-lighting ceremonies around a beautiful lagoon and a thatched-roof look to the rooms, some of which featured patio hot tubs in the shape of a giant clam shell. The hurricane ripped it to shreds.
The Poipu Beach Hotel was a low-key, affordable spot in the middle of the mostly dry and dependable Poipu resort area, but workers are just now starting to rebuild it.
Kauai, the Garden Isle, is the piece de resistance of Hawaii. On top of great beaches, incredible golf and fine restaurants, it offers magnificent scenery on an island that you can drive around in (almost) two hours.
In addition to the Hanalei area, with its lovely cliffs dripping with waterfalls and green valleys covered with patches of Hawaiian taro plants, visitors can take in miles of golden beaches. On the northwest side of the island is Waimea Canyon, a gaping slash with miles of reddish-brown soil juxtaposed with stunningly green mountain slopes. It so inspired Mark Twain that he labelled it the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."
Try to leave Lihue or Poipu by 9 a.m. and head straight up toward the Canyon. The view at the top of the hill is perhaps the most wonderful, inspiring sight in all Hawaii.
It might be raining when you get there – nearby Mt. Wai'ale'ale is the wettest spot in the world – but things can change quickly in these parts. Take a rain jacket and a sweatshirt. On the way home, stop in Waimea for lunch at the Shrimp Station. For $11 – about the price of an appetizer at some upscale island restaurants – you get a plate of close to a dozen plump shrimp with fries or rice. There's sweet chile garlic shrimp, legendary coconut shrimp (just right; not too sweet) and Thai shrimp with lemon grass and spicy salsa. You can kayak on the Hanalei River or on the Wailua River on the south side of the island. You can tee it up at the stunning Kauai Lagoons or up north near Hanalei at the Princeville Course, rated one of the top tracks in the world. You can hike along the Kalalau trail just past Ke'e beach and enjoy some of the most spectacular views in the Pacific. Or you can simply sit back and enjoy the sunset from Poipu. Maza talked about what makes Kauai so special.
"I just got back from a U2 concert on Oahu," he said. "And I've been to Maui. But Kauai. I don't know; it's just better. Just the feel of it. It has that aloha spirit."
posted by ams at 4:20 PM
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