Uncovering the secrets behind Kauai's Glass Beach

By Barb Jensen

"Look at this!" my husband, Jim, said, as he handed me the American Airlines magazine on our flight to Kauai, Hawaii, on March 6. An entire page revealed the beauty of Kauai's Glass Beach.
"Oh my gosh! That's gorgeous!" I said. "We have to find that beach."
The deep blue sky, the fluffy white clouds, and the blue ocean with its white waves washing in to shore made a lovely backdrop, but it was the stones, the stones of every imaginable color on that beach that made it so impressive.
Jim and I had been to Hawaii before, but we had never seen a beach like that. I knew that there were black beaches in Hawaii, but on this beach, there were black, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, white and opaque stones or pebbles that added an elegance we had never seen.
"I wonder why it's called the Glass Beach," Jim said.
"I don't know," I said, "but remind me to charge my camera battery before we go."
Finding Glass Beach seemed as easy as adjusting to the 80-degree temperatures on Kauai. When the blacktop road ended, we parked our car and walked down a sandy road to the beach. Other cars followed us. Obviously, they had been here before and knew there was room to turn around.
When we reached the beach, it was nothing like the photo we had seen in the magazine. Oh yes, there were colored stones here and there, but in the photo, you didn't have to search for the colored stones. They were everywhere.
At other beaches, we probably would have taken our sandals off and walked into the ocean, but we were both so disappointed that we just stood there. A young couple walked hand-in-hand down the beach to our right. A young woman with several small children also found a spot in the ocean to our right where the little ones played in a shallow area. An older woman with her had the same beautiful olive skin that the young mother and small children did, so we immediately assumed that they were natives. Instead of keeping her distance, as many of the natives do, the older woman approached us.
"Is this Glass Beach?" Jim asked.
"Yes," the woman said.
"But it doesn't look like the pictures we've seen," I said.
"I know," the woman said. "People with trucks came here and filled them with stones. The said they were going to make authentic Hawaiian jewelry. It's so sad." The woman then went on to tell us that years ago, before there were landfills, people would take their glass jars and bottles to the top of the bluff on our left and then throw them in the ocean. The glass would break into sharp pieces, but in time, the ocean water and waves smoothed the edges. "They were beautiful stones."
Jim and I each reached down to pick up a handful, separating the lovely colored stones from the sand. Amazingly, the stones had no sharp edges. The urge to take those pretty pebbles home was tempting, but then, we would be no different than those who took them by the truckload. Instead, we put the stones back so that others who come here might also enjoy their beauty.
Two days earlier, Jim and I had taken a catamaran ride along the Napali Coast of Kauai. On the way, our captain pointed out a large landfill on the western side of the island. "They just keep piling the stuff up," he added.
Before we left Hawaii, Jim and I separated the trash in our condo. We put the plastic bottles on one side of the sink; the glass ones on the other. We also separated the cardboard from the cans.
Since there were no instructions to do this, we assumed that all of these recyclables would go together to that "great white mountain of trash."
Nature might transform all of that garbage into something beautiful, like it did years ago on Kauai's Glass Beach.

Utah Developers Build Upscale Hawaiian Project on Kauai

An oceanside resort community in development and under construction, located just steps from world-famous Poipu Beach, has its roots in Utah. Koloa Landing at Poipu Beach is located on 25 acres of tropical paradise. The development is comprised of 323 two-, three-, and four-bedroom whole-ownership condominiums surrounded by four expansive pools and other water amenities, day spa, fitness center and poolside bar and grill.
The project was started nearly four years ago by Utah developers Nathan Hale and Michael Thompson, Rich Bennion, The Ritchie Group and other limited partners who organized as Poipu Beach Villas, LLC. The partnership seeks to find unique real estate opportunities, and distinguish the properties through superb architecture and exceptional amenities. The amount of land available for development on the island of Kauai is limited, and development regulations imposed by the community are stringent. No condominium developments with amenities similar to Koloa Landing have been constructed on Kauai for 18 years.
The project’s scope and size make it one of the largest development projects of its type currently underway in Hawaii. With the scarcity of land and development restrictions, there may be none like it in the future. The development partners are working closely with the community to ensure that Koloa Landing honors the heritage and traditions of Koloa and Kauai.
The original partners entered into discussion with another Utah-based development company, The Argent Group, in 2006. The Hale/Thompson/Bennion/Ritchie partners and The Argent Group joined forces, still doing business as Poipu Beach Villas, LLC.
The Argent Group, based in South Jordan, is recognized for its RiverPark Corporate Center development, a 1.4 million-square-foot Class-A office park in South Jordan. The park also includes fine-dining restaurant Market Street Grill, Lifetime Fitness and other retail amenities.
“We developed RiverPark to be the ‘best of the best’ of office parks,” said Jeff Flamm, a development partner of The Argent Group. “We’ve assembled 120 acres under common ownership. Our tenants have the security of knowing they can grow into new space in the park since they are dealing with the same owners. All buildings are connected with fiber optics and phone systems so growing companies can easily expand into neighboring buildings. Our buildings have shower and locker amenities in main floor restrooms for those taking advantage of river trails and bike paths. Traffic roundabouts have beautiful water features. Market Street Grill and Lifetime Fitness also saw RiverPark as a choice location to reach south valley customers. In the same context, we’re involved with Koloa Landing to make it a ‘top destination’ resort community with the same type of global vision and customer amenities.”
Nathan Hale, another project developer said, “We are creating a family destination where memories will be made. There are just so many options for fun and entertainment that we have combined in one resort. It is a treasure in paradise.”
“The development of a top-rated whole-ownership resort community by Utah developers in Hawaii may surprise some. But we feel we have the vision, experience and history with other developments to make this project a success. Sales of condominiums to date suggest buyers seem to agree with us,” said Flamm. “We want to share this excellent opportunity with Utahns looking to invest in an upscale Hawaiian resort paradise.”

Kauai: Nature rules on Hawaii's Garden Isle

After a mile or so on the rugged Kalalau Trail, hikers who have slogged through red mud and climbed over slippery rocks stop abruptly. Far down to the right, the sapphire ocean shimmers. As the trail winds to the left, a cool canopy of deep-green foliage dotted with pink and orange blossoms awaits. In the distance, the coastline juts in and out, its steep cliffs dropping to the sea.
Ask visitors why they've come to Kauai's North Shore and they all give a variation of the same answer: to revel in that scenery. To surf in the sparkling ocean, hike in the rain forest, scuba dive among the dramatic underwater formations, kayak the rivers or just gape at the rainbows that seem to form upon command over Hanalei Bay.
Chelsea Pavone came for a week in 2006, and promptly went back to California to quit her job. "I gave 30 days' notice and had a huge garage sale," she says. "I decided that I'd just go and play for a while."
For Pavone, who spends her workdays leading hikes and kayaking trips and her free time surfing, "a while" is open-ended. For the rest of us, it may be just a few days -- but what a recess. James Thresher, an insurance analyst from Phoenix, Arizona, explored the late-spring North Shore with his wife via helicopter, boat and fins. "We could snorkel above and along the lava cliffs," he says of the complex formations at Tunnels Reef. "It's probably the best snorkeling that I've ever seen."
Immersing yourself in the scenery doesn't mean you have to sleep in a tent, though. Even at the marbled and massive Princeville Hotel, muddy, bedraggled guests are greeted charitably upon their return from the wild. Waterside rooms deliver unparalleled views of Hanalei Bay and the mountains you climbed that morning. CoastalLiving.com slide show: Kauai's call of the wild
A private beach and pool deliver post-kayak relaxation complete with fruity drinks and fresh pineapple. You can even opt for a seaside massage before dining at one of the hotel's three restaurants. Whatever else you do here, though, don't miss sunset on the patio. Visitors come from other resorts to witness the spectacle.CoastalLiving.com: Movies shot on Kauai
Staying at the centrally located Princeville Hotel allows easy access to the North Shore's 15 miles of coastline, from the lighthouse at Kilauea Point to the crashing surf of Hanakapiai Beach. For an intimate introduction, put on your oldest pair of walking shoes (they'll soon be permanently mud-stained) and drive past lush taro fields, over a series of one-lane bridges, and through Hanalei town to the highway's end. The Kalalau Trail begins here, and its first two miles to Kalalau Beach provide plenty of heart-stopping views.
You'll be tempted, but don't cool off after the hike with a swim. A sign warning of fierce currents makes its case with tick marks tracking drownings. It's far safer to sit on the rocks, enjoy a picnic lunch and watch the surf toss around the fools who ignore the sign.
James and Paula Thresher skipped the hike and spent most of their time in more placid waters, spotting everything from sea turtles to white-tipped reef sharks. James says their best day was on Tunnels Beach, barbecuing fish tacos and snorkeling the reef. "There is just a ton of marine life there," he says. "Really fabulous stuff."
While it's easy to pick up a deli picnic, don't miss at least one lunch at Tropical Taco in Hanalei. This quirky establishment with limited indoor seating and only lemonade to drink offers customers a warning on its surfboard menu: "Not to be consumed one hour before surfing!" Take your beer-battered-fish burrito and lemonade out to the lanai, and climb onto a bar stool at the railing. There, you can admire wandering roosters, passing cyclists and the yard art across the street.
For dinner, Postcards Café prepares fresh seafood and gourmet vegetarian meals using primarily organic ingredients, including herbs and tropical fruit from its own garden. The result: divine island-centric offerings such as taro fritters with pineapple-ginger chutney, wasabi-crusted ahi tuna and a mousse made from lilikoi, a type of passion fruit. While reservations are advised, the café (a replica of the 19th-century rice-plantation cottage that once stood here) is casual and welcoming.
The same can be said of Kauai's North Shore. Visitors seeking a peaceful getaway gravitate to the laid-back pace and utter lack of nightlife. Like guide Chelsea Pavone, mortgage broker and jewelry maker Aia Walker moved to Kauai permanently after a visit. (Steel yourself: The island has transformed the most resolute tourists into lifelong residents.) "I discovered how to live life slowly and savor things," Aia says. "Like sunsets. And bananas."
And indelible red mud.

Free lessons on Kauai

Princeville's 18-hole Prince course and 27-hole Makai course will offer free golf lessons in May as part of the PGA's Free Lesson Month. Resort pros will provide personalized 10-minute lessons any day, with reservations.
Lessons will be tailored to the golfer's level of experience. Beginners will receive a brief introduction to golf, casual players might get a few tips to improve their swing, and avid golfers can fine-tune a specific area.
PGA Free Lesson Month is part of PGA's Play Golf America program. Participants can win prizes from the PGA, including a two-day golf getaway at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and a custom set of Nike golf clubs. To enter the giveaway, go to PlayGolfAmerica.com, download the Free Lesson Month Card, and bring it to the golf lesson for the pro's signature.
Turtle Bay league
Turtle Bay has started a Honu League that plays every Wednesday through Aug. 20. Tee times begin at 1 p.m. The league will alternate between the resort's Fazio and Palmer courses.
There will be a different 18-hole format each week. Cost is $50 a round for kama'aina and visitors, plus a $25 initiation fee. That includes green fee and cart, practice balls, water, bag tag and post-round pupu. Prizes are awarded after each round and at the conclusion of the season.
To register, call the golf shop at 293-8574.

Study ties ohia, isles’ formation

By Edwin Tanji

In Hawaiian tradition, ohia lehua are inextricably associated with Pele, whose fiery outbursts formed the islands with layer upon layer of cooling lava rising miles above the sea. A newly released study by a Smithsonian Institution research group suggests that the association of ohia with island formation is more than myth. “Progressive island colonization and ancient origin of Hawaiian Metrosideros (Myrtaceae),” published last week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, finds that the first ohia sprouted on Kauai while the island was still in its relative youth 3.9 million years ago. From Kauai, or possibly blown across on the same wind currents that brought the first seeds to Kauai, ohia — Metrosideros species to the scientific community — sent its seeds across to the newly forming lands. The plant itself evolved into distinguishable species, although each of the species also is capable of significant variability in adapting to the wide range of microclimates occurring in the islands. Still, by analyzing the genetic makeup of 97 plants collected from different regions of the islands and comparing them to 10 other Metrosideros from around the Pacific, the Smithsonian team found evidence of an ancient legacy and evolutionary diversification that coincided with the evolution of bird and insect species endemic to Hawaii. The Hawaiians recognized the unique elements of this plant as well as its association with recent lava flows. That led to the association with Pele and ranked ohia among the sacred plants.Its flowers can vary from a brilliant scarlet to yellow, and it adapts to high montane bogs and windblown coastal cliffs as well as to dry leeward slopes. At maturity, the ohia can vary from a majestic 100-foot rain forest tree to a 4-inch swamp dwarf. Various legends say the ohia lehua is sacred to Pele and warned that anyone gathering the lehua for lei needed to be careful that they were not caught in an enveloping mist or sudden rain when picking them. Otto Degener in “Plants of Hawaii National Park” noted the ability of the ohia to establish itself epiphytically on the ferns that are among the first plants to grow in new lava, eventually strangling the host while its roots tap the nutrients of the decaying fern.The age of the ohia in Hawaii is significant to the natural history of the islands since so many species of birds and insects have evolved to be dependent on the ohia as part of their habitat. A number of endemic honeycreepers rely on the nectar of the ohia lehua, while several endemic insect species are specialized to the ohia bark, leaves and flowers. “The arrival of Metrosideros in the archipelago and its dispersal to the new islands may have been a stimulus to evolutionary diversification in those lineages, in which case evolutionary events in the bird and insect lineages will correlate with the dispersal history of Metrosideros,” the study said. The study said analysis of the processes that occurred can help in understanding adaptive radiation and the development of so many unique species in the islands. Helen James, a member of the Smithsonian research team, said the first ohia plants on Kauai are believed to have sprouted from windblown seeds of Metrosideros from the Marquesas, based on the similarity in genetic makeup of the species in Hawaii and the species found in the Marquesas. The genetic dating of the evolution of the Hawaii species makes clear that the ohia arrived in Hawaii millions of years before the first Hawaiian did. James said the primary credit for the study goes to researcher Diana M. Percy, who was lead author of the paper. Percy is with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and the Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics. “She spent a tremendous amount of time in the genetics laboratory examining the more than 100 samples. She examined 8,000 base pairs from the chloroplast genomes and looked at the amount of genetic variability and the correlation with how old the island was,” James explained. The analysis involved comparison of the genetic differentiation among plants on each island and among the islands. This resulted in several unexpected findings beyond the age of the first colonization of Hawaii by Metrosideros. Previous estimates had been that ohia first arrived just one million years ago, after the islands were already well formed. According to the study, the team found 35 haplotypes among the plants in Hawaii, with only one found on more than one island — on Molokai and Oahu. Haplotypes are differences in a chromosome that may be passed to descendents in new arrangements through the recombination process of sexual reproduction. Diversity of haplotype can reflect genetic distance — how many generations have occurred from an original set of parents. While the study said haplotype diversity, the amount of genetic differentiation among plants, was highest on Kauai, it also said there was no significant correlation between haplotype diversity and the age of the islands because of a “complex population structure found on some islands.” “Molokai has a higher than expected haplotype diversity for its age (1.8 million to 2 million years) due to the occurrence of multiple haplotypes that may have derived from both older and younger islands,” it said. “By contrast, Maui, with a monophyletic, nearly homogenous haplotype group, has a lower than expected haplotype diversity for its age (1.2 million to 1.5 million years).” James explained that Molokai plants showed evidence of being related to plants found on other islands, while Maui plants appeared to be all closely related. She said the research team is familiar with the geological connections of Maui Nui — that Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and Maui were all a single island possibly 1 million to 2 millionyears ago. “That was the mystery. We didn’t find the Maui genotypes on Molokai, which is what we would have expected. We found Molokai had genotypes for Oahu, Kauai and even the Big Island. Maui had only its tightly knit group,” she said. The full citation of the study is “Progressive island colonization and ancient origin of Hawaii Metrosideros (Myrtaceae),” Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Authors: Diana M. Percy, Adam M. Garver, Warren L. Wagner, Helen F. James, Clifford W. Cunningham, Scott E. Miller, Robert C. Fleischer.

As It Stands — 'Kauai or Bust!'

By Dave Stancliff

It seems that when we finally find greener pastures in our lives, we usually can’t climb the fence. After 34 years of marriage, my wife and I finally went to Hawaii — her lifelong dream destination. My proverbial fence however, was climbing inside an airplane to get there.
I was never enthralled with the concept of hurtling through Earth’s atmosphere at 20,000 or 30,000 feet above the ground. Call me silly or a coward. It was a plane that took me to that dirty little war in Vietnam, and I’d never forgive that airline if I could just remember which one it was!
Despite my queasiness, I knew that we all only live once. Oh yeah, I also learned a happy wife is a happy life! So, combining humor and medication, we made plans for a week-long April getaway this year to the lush garden paradise of Kauai — the place of my wife’s dreams.
In order to prove that the combination would work, we flew (a practice run if you will) to Las Vegas in mid-March, to attend my wife’s nephew’s wedding. I took a prescription sedative my doctor had prescribed and meekly climbed aboard.
So, I’m sitting next to the window, so people don’t bump into me in the aisle, and I’m wondering how experienced was the pilot of this US Airways plane. In my head, I heard a pre-flight announcement coming from the captain, who just recently graduated from an Online Flight School: “We’re going to be taking off in a few ... Whoa! Here we go!”
Somehow, I survived the flight there and back in a happy fog, rumbling stomach and all. I hadn’t been in an airplane since the very early 1990s, and I noticed some differences in today’s no-frills flights.
We were not allowed to board without exact change, which didn’t bother me as much as the smiling captain’s reply as I passed him and asked how often their planes crashed. Still smiling, he said: “Just once!”
Kidding aside, getting to Kauai turned out to be hectic. The trip consisted of my wife, Shirley, one of my best friends from high school, Larry, and his wife Nanci. We purchased our plane tickets many moons ago and thought we were very clever saving some money and we were ready to go. But no!
The day before our scheduled flight to see, “The Garden Island’s” wonders, ATA Airlines declared bankruptcy and we were left with our packed luggage and stunned looks. In desperation, Larry called the travel guide who had originally booked us and whined a lot. She came up with another plane for us but there was one small problem. We would have to wait for four days until this new flight time. Oh yea, it also cost each of us another $250 to make this happen. We took the booking however, sensing that it was going to be difficult getting one any sooner.
Good old American Airlines. You gotta love them. They decided to ground about 900 of their planes about 15 minutes before our new flight was Kauai-bound! It seemed pretty obvious that the gods of travel were conspiring against us, or the nation’s air carrier economy was just collapsing. So, we had to wait another day and got a motel.
The next morning, we were on edge and nervously approached the check-in windows at American Airlines with our most recent flight arrangements. Our hearts sank when the ticket lady looked at Larry and said there was no such flight number arriving! His eyes rolled back in his graying head and we all groaned, but all was not lost! After 20 minutes of talking to people on the phone, the clerk consulted with her co-workers and actually smiled!
She had something for us! Happy days! We were going to get to go and only had to wait for another six hours! Clutching our carry-on bags and new boarding passes, we walked over to a group of chairs and slid into them trying hard to smile. None of us had ever been to Kauai. It was Shirley’s lifelong dream.
I’m glad to say we made it and had lots of fun for a week. There’s just not enough room here to share our adventures on The Coconut Coast, but next week I’ll be glad to recall a few interesting and humorous moments. We never got in a tour bus because we were an adventuresome group and rented a monstrous land yacht instead.
We also went on a quest for the best burger on the island and I think we found it — by majority vote. Did I mention we conserved our hard-earned cash by looking for Shaka (Hawaiian for great) deals?
As It Stands, stay tuned for — Escape To Rooster Island!

Golf on Kauai

By Steve Zylius

I was 10 when I first saw that iconic coastline. The one that looks like a sleeping Sioux, beautifully laid out along Hanalei Bay. I had no idea I'd be back here 27 years later, and I didn't even bring my clubs.
I remembered the road that leads down to the Princeville Hotel and the various condo developments that all look the same – it was as if some mad city planner decided to make another Irvine on North Kauai. Nice, but nothing too spectacular from the road.
But I was jonesing for some golf. Here I am in Hawaii – Princeville, no less. I grabbed a tee time at the Makai course, the more resort-like of Princeville's two championship courses.
OK. I wasn't feeling masochistic enough to play the Prince course, with its tough layout. They say you lose a ball for every handicap stroke. That would take care of the dozen balls I bought for the occasion. Didn't feel like ruining my day by shooting 105.
I've been playing golf since I was in the single digits, but about two years ago, I got serious about my game. I try not to hit as many houses lining whatever course I'm playing on. Some days I'm proud of my game. Other days, I just thank the good Lord that I am playing golf.
I'm cheap when it comes to golf. Anaheim Hills is nice – it's inexpensive and it has great views. I seem to use every club in my bag. Love Los Verdes in Palos Verdes. A poor man's Torrey Pines, as I've heard it described. I remember playing Brea Creek Golf Course and Birch Hills many times in my formative years. Cheapola. And anybody remember Imperial Golf Course?
But what the heck. This is Hawaii. Another world. This is golf the way the founding fathers intended it to be played. Beautiful surroundings. Ocean views. Well-maintained fairways in an exotic locale. You can't beat the scenery. There aren't a whole lot more endorphin-inducing experiences than teeing off over a cliff to a green perched on the other side, with the shoreline of the Pacific and Kauai mountains in the background.
I got on fairly early in the morning. I had the course to myself. So I took the time to take in the scenery, weird birds, the smell of the ocean. I leapt at the chance to play in Hawaii. It is a destination for golfers. It is one of the pilgrimages that you have to take as a devotee to the game – something you can recount to your buddies. And I can even say truthfully that I shot an albatross on a par 4 there.
The Makai course is actually three nine-hole courses (Lakes, Ocean and Woods). Which two are open for play any given day depends on who knows what.
I started out with the spectacular views of the Ocean course. Hole three is a 100-foot drop from tee to green over a lake. I clubbed down and watched in horror as the ball sailed into oblivion on a shanked shot. There goes one of those pretty little logo balls. Hole seven is even more intimidating – 200 yards over a cliff. Thankfully, I just pulled it a bit and landed on the fringe.
The Lakes nine start off about as nice as any local country club, but by hole four, the course veers toward the ocean. I teed off on hole five and stayed awhile, trying to spot whales migrating. I almost hated to tee off on six – I'd be leaving the ocean views behind.
Trying to play a decent round, taking pictures and mental notes, and enjoying myself in the meantime, proved to be a bit much to do at once, especially when you throw unfamiliar rental clubs in the mix. I missed my Hogan irons. My putter. I wished for my trusty 3-wood. They were nice rental clubs – new Callaways. They just weren't mine. The putter, a nice model with a soft insert, felt like I was putting with cheese.
On my way out of Princeville, I stopped at the Prince course, shot a few pictures and got back in the car. I looked at the course I had yet to play.
"Next time," I told myself. Oh yeah. I'd be back.
With my own sticks.

Kauai canals provide a tubing thrill

By Linda Duval,

On Kauai, visitors are offered several ways to discover nature while having a blast.
You can take a catamaran tour to explore the inaccessible side of the island, nicknamed the Garden Isle for its lushness. During the tour, you can stop to snorkel and play in the sparkling waters off the Na Pali coast. You can swoop in a helicopter over the Waimea Canyon.
Or you can try mountain tubing.
Kauai Backcountry Adventures introduced this activity in 2003. The company has exclusive access to a private tract, the former 17,000-acre Lihue Plantation, where the tubing takes place. Adventurers are hauled up the mountain in a six-wheeled, military-style vehicle, given a safety talk and then plopped into inner tubes in the canal.
"Pretend you're falling back into a recliner," the crew advises.
Our two guides tell us how the canals, or irrigation ditches, were dug in the 1870s by plantation workers to channel rainwater to sugar cane crops. Sugar cane no longer is grown here, but the waterways remain.
Whatever their original intent, the canals offer a great way to spend a vacation day.
After an hour of twirling and bobbing through the occasional rapids and one heart-stopping drop, we pretty much float and relax.
Then, one member of our party, not paying attention, drifts into a side channel. She grabs a root to stop her progress, and the rest of us make a chain, hanging onto feet, hands or life-vest straps to swing around the corner and retrieve her.
As the tubing ends and we're helped out of the water, I keep pushing myself to the back of the line. I don't want to quit.
A catered box lunch beside a waterfall and natural pool ends the excursion. Heads nod, ready for an afternoon nap on the trip home.
We had a busy vacation, but mountain tubing was what we talked about most when we returned home. It gets you close to the nature and island history, and it's a safe thrill for the family.– On Kauai, visitors are offered several ways to discover nature while having a blast.
You can take a catamaran tour to explore the inaccessible side of the island, nicknamed the Garden Isle for its lushness. During the tour, you can stop to snorkel and play in the sparkling waters off the Na Pali coast. You can swoop in a helicopter over the Waimea Canyon.
Or you can try mountain tubing.
Kauai Backcountry Adventures introduced this activity in 2003. The company has exclusive access to a private tract, the former 17,000-acre Lihue Plantation, where the tubing takes place. Adventurers are hauled up the mountain in a six-wheeled, military-style vehicle, given a safety talk and then plopped into inner tubes in the canal.
"Pretend you're falling back into a recliner," the crew advises.
Our two guides tell us how the canals, or irrigation ditches, were dug in the 1870s by plantation workers to channel rainwater to sugar cane crops. Sugar cane no longer is grown here, but the waterways remain.
Whatever their original intent, the canals offer a great way to spend a vacation day.
After an hour of twirling and bobbing through the occasional rapids and one heart-stopping drop, we pretty much float and relax.
Then, one member of our party, not paying attention, drifts into a side channel. She grabs a root to stop her progress, and the rest of us make a chain, hanging onto feet, hands or life-vest straps to swing around the corner and retrieve her.
As the tubing ends and we're helped out of the water, I keep pushing myself to the back of the line. I don't want to quit.
A catered box lunch beside a waterfall and natural pool ends the excursion. Heads nod, ready for an afternoon nap on the trip home.
We had a busy vacation, but mountain tubing was what we talked about most when we returned home. It gets you close to the nature and island history, and it's a safe thrill for the family.

Kauai: Hawaii's "Garden Isle" is an Eden of island golf and resorts

By Brandon Tucker

Visit the second most westerly Hawaiian island of Kauai and it's easy to discover why this remote island known as the "Garden Isle" is one of a kind.
Its towering green mountainsides and small, picturesque beaches make for an idyllic setting for Hollywood films. It's home to one of the wettest spots on Earth, Mount Wai'ale'ale - yet just miles away its coastlines are sunny and temperate all year long. The island sees a fraction of the traffic and build up of Oahu and Maui - allowing guests and locals alike to find their own ray of paradise.
One of Hawaii's smallest islands has a sterling reputation.
"Kauai has always been the special island," says Matt Torry, head professional at the island's Kiahuna Golf Course. He's spent 16 of his 22 years in Hawaii on Kauai. "It's the oldest of the islands and has the most unique indigenous plants."
Torry smiles. "And there's no mongoose."
Who could forget the mongoose? The pests that inhabit Oahu and the Big Island won't be found on Kauai. But no mongoose also means wild roosters and chicken, whose forbearers were freed from their coups after Hurricane Iniki in 1992, go largely unchecked. One thing's for sure: You're not going to sleep through your morning tee time.
But you won't curse the roosters for their morning wake-up call, because an hour in bed feels like time wasted. Kauai is a "do" - not "see" - island, where the assistant pro who just checked you in at the Prince Course has snuck out on a long lunch to check the surf at nearby Hanalai beach. Locals and visitors alike head into the mountains for hiking, zip-lining and kayaking beneath waterfalls.
The island's natural wonder was revealed to the masses in Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park," though Hollywood has been a regular since Elvis Presley's day, when he shot three films here, including "Blue Hawaii."
So chances are you've probably seen plenty of Kauai, even if you didn't know it.
"My biggest mistake was waiting 25 years to go there," said Bob McIntosh, who celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary in Kauai and Maui. "Maui was also great, but for a genuine 'aloha' experience, include Kauai."
Golf on Kauai
For having only nine golf courses, Kauai greatly overachieves in quality; its top courses can hold their own with any on the Hawaiian Islands. A bonus: it's so small you can see each of Kauai's courses on one trip.
And that's a good thing, because no single course is a supreme favorite here. Each member of your group may come home with his or her own darling.
On the North Shore, the Prince Course at the Princeville Resort is often the highest rated by many publications, thanks to a stern Robert Trent Jones Jr. layout set high above the coastline through lush mountainsides. The Prince is undisputedly the most challenging on Kauai, though six sets of tees let players select their preferred mix of pain and pleasure.
Most mid-to-high handicappers are likely to favor Princeville's next door 27-hole Makai Course. It's a more user-friendly design and features more holes along the coastline, including the oft-photographed par-3 seventh.
To the island's South Shore lies Poipu Bay Golf Course, which served as the face of Kauai golf as host of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf from 1994-2006, when Tiger Woods never skipped out on the event.
Like the Prince, it's a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design but an entirely different animal. It features more forgiving fairways and greens along with coastal views at every turn. The final stretch of holes plays right along the coast, giving you the added advantage of having the often fierce trade winds at your back.
Next door's Pacific-themed Grand Hyatt Resort lives up to the course's lofty standard and is ideal for stay-and-play. Its 50 acres are full of tropical vegetation, lagoon-style pools and restaurants that soak in the island vibe.
Nearby Kiahuna Golf Club is worth a look while in Poipu Bay, offering a links-style course just off the ocean that plays firm and fast thanks to new Seashore paspalum grass.
Just up the road from Poipu Bay is Lihue on the East Shore, Kauai's largest town at about 10,000 residents. Here, the Marriott Kauai Lagoons Resort & Spa is overseeing a massive renovation project that will include a brand new Ritz-Carlton Resort to compliment the existing property. The Kiele course's back nine, which features some of the island's most dramatic coastal holes, will reopen in 2009.
Golfers can also head just up the road from Kauai Lagoons to Puakea Golf Course. It's designed by Hawaii native Robin Nelson and features two generations of holes: the original 10, built prior to Hurricane Iniki, and the more recent holes that make up most of the front side. The back nine is a real treat, with Mount Wai'ale'ale looming behind.
Kauai is only going to get better. Along with Kauai Lagoons' current renovations, the Princeville Resort is set to close later this year for massive renovations and reopen as a St. Regis Resort; its Makai course will be upgraded. A new Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course is also in development.
So the island beauty of Kauai is a secret that's certainly getting out - though the mongoose are still in the dark.