When reading about Kaua'i pre-trip, figuring how to plan 2-ish days of sightseeing pre-retreat, the impression I got was the North Shore is less tourist-friendly in the winter time. With its bigger winds and waves. And weather-dependent. With all these ideas out of the Jeep window, me and my two new friends headed North one fine Saturday.
Quick Links :: Kilauea | Hanalei | Maniniholo Dry Cave
North Shore
Perhaps Kaua’i’s most famous and mysterious spot is on the North Shore. The remote Nā Pali Coast, that is. You can see this nearly 30 KM stretch of coastline four ways – glimpsing the tops from a lookout point in the Kokee State Park, hiking to it, from the sea or from the air. We saw the peaks of these 3,000 foot cliffs on our trip to Waimea Canyon which is connected to the Kokee State Park. With two of us prone to sea sickness, the ocean approach was definitely a no, especially in the choppy winter seas. Another time.
Yet, there is much more to the North Shore than the rugged beauty of Nā Pali Coast. On our half-ish day out, we managed to see quite a good bit and had a great time.
I had wanted to drive to literally the end of the road. You know, just to see. Just to say. This, you need to enter Hāʻena State Park. For this, you need a reservation, to enter or to park. And these spots are limited – gone already for the day and for the month of December. The other option was for us to hop on a shuttle. This, we were going to play by ear.
These rules are all part of a new permit system, put in place after the roads were re-opened after the flooding in 2018. As the local communities rebuild and also because tourism has grown so much, especially with everyone wanting to hike and camp their way to the Nā Pali Coast. Note: while local residents are exempt, their guests aren’t!
Hāʻena State Park Reservations | Kaua’i North Shore Shuttle
Kilauea
Kilauea is a quaint little town on the North Shore. This town grew as its sugar plantations grew, its population swelling with people from as far away as Japan, China, and Portugal.
Here, we visited the lighthouse, had lunch at the Bistro, and got lei’d. On the road to the lighthouse, we saw a sign for leis and we stopped there on our way back to Kilauea. Here, a lady of Chinese-Korean ancestry makes leis with Puakenikeni blossoms. She showed us a newspaper clipping since we were unfamiliar. Called “ten cent flower” since the “Steamer Days” of the 1800s to 1900s, these flowers are prized for their fragrance, selling for 10 cents. We had a great chat with this sprightly lady, who seemed particularly interested in my own ancestry.
Just for fun, according to this History Collection article, in 1900 you can buy a can of Campbell’s soup for 12 cents, one bottle of cocaine toothache drops for 15 cents, a large pack of Quaker Oats for 10 cents, or a silent movie ticket for 10 cents or less. And a kenikeni lei.
From the Big Island blog:
Pua Kenikeni: Recorded by Tony Conjugacion
Na ka pua kenikeni ko‘u ho‘ohihi
Ke ‘ala ho‘oheno i ku‘u poli
Onaona i ka ihu ke honi aku
A ke këhau a‘e hali mai nei
Na wai e ‘ole ko‘u ho‘ohihi
Ke ‘ala hu‘ihu‘i o ia pua
E kui nö au a lawa
I lei ho`oheno no ku‘u kino
Ha‘ina ‘ia mai ka puana
Na ka pua kenikeni ko‘u ho‘ohihi
English Translation
The pua kenikeni is what enchants me
The cherished fragrance at my heart
Softly fragrant to inhale
That which the dewdrops bear
Who would not share my enchantment
The thrilling perfume of that blossom
I will string enough to make
A cherished lei for my person
Tell the refrain
The pua kenikeni is what enchants me
At breakfast that morning, we found a business card just sitting on the table. Black Dog Gallery and Goods. Its mysterious appearance sparked our curiosity and we decided to head there while we were in Kilauea. Interestingly, by the time we got there, after lunch and shop browsing in Kong Lung Historic Market Centre, we had just missed the owner by half an hour. She was flying to Maui for an event, as you do.
Kilauea Point Lighthouse
Our first stop was the Kilauea Point Lighthouse, also the island’s northernmost point. This 52-foot tall structure was built in 1913 and after its light was turned off in the 1970s, the lighthouse houses an automatic beacon.
Located inside the seabird sanctuary of Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, our entry fee supports a worthy cause. Educational signages about different birds can be found all around the lighthouse, and you can spot many of them in flight. Included in the entry fee is a tour of the lighthouse itself, available Saturdays and Wednesdays. Because of the timing, and yes we were hungry for lunch, we skipped the tour and spent time looking at the scenery, seeing if we can spot any humpback whales. December through May is whale watching time. Not this time…
The lighthouse is a great spot to stop, even if you don’t have time for the tour. The scenery is breathtaking and you can see so many different birds here. Perhaps your luck at whale watching would be better than ours that day.
The whale is the physical mammal of the ocean, but he is also the elder, a kupuna of the ocean, with power to navigate from one place to another through the natural elements….The Na Poe Ka Moana are all the fish, corals, seaweed, octupuses, whales, dolphins, and sharks.
The Higher Beings of Hawaii by Tanis Helliwell
Not far from Kilauea is Kalihiwai Point or what the locals call the Dragon’s Breath. From a lava field, when water moves into the cave, a dragon’s puff of breath appears. A sink hole like Spouting Horn on the South Shore. You can get here from either Kalihiwai beach or Secret beach, both include a steep cliff climb.
Tanis Helliwell shares that this is a sacred site to Kauaians and she was invited to meet a water dragon who calls one of the caves home. His guide Danny said, “In the Hawaiian tradition, sharing breath is very important and here we’re sharing breath with the mo’o.”
Kong Lung Historic Market Centre
We stopped at the first place we saw, The Bistro. Seated overlooking the courtyard of the market centre, we delved into our food. My friends shared a Kauai Burger (“Kauai beef, cheddar cheese, bacon, Kilauea greens, tomato, onion & fries”), I had the Fish Rockets, which are “wrapped with lumpia & furikake served with a wasabi aioli” and we shared purple sweet potato fries. Delicious!
According to the Kong Lung Historic Market Centre website, the plantation rented a building to a Chinese businessman called Lung Wah Chee, who then moved his business here from its original location. A general store, barber shop, butcher shop, diner, and post office all in one. This family-owned business closed in the early 1970s, when the plantation did.
After lunch we browsed a bit, starting with Kong Lung Trading, which was transformed by new owners from the original enterprise. A store, so full of ideas and products, it takes time to wander through it. Christmas trees were decked out in different themes. Beautiful jewelry, bags, cards, books…I was eyeing some delicate paper night lights and unwielding mobiles, tetrising ways I can repack an already rather full suitcase.
We also stopped at the Black Dog Gallery and Goods, only to find it closed. We peered through the curtains that separate it from another retail shop. The artwork looks beautiful; worth a look if you are in the area.
Our last stop before heading out to Hanalei and the Maniniholo Dry Cave was Kilauea Bakery & Pizza. Everything looked great and we were tempted to buy some to share later at the house. Since they needed refrigeration and we were only starting the day, we left with just a coffee.
Daniel K. Inouye Kīlauea Point Lighthouse | Dragon’s Breath | Kong Lung Historic Market Centre | The Bistro | Kong Lung Trading | Black Dog Gallery & Goods | Kilauea Bakery & Pizza
Hanalei
As we drove to our next stop, the Hanalei Pier and beach, we were blessed with an awe-inspiring scene. Over the tops of the trees, we could see shafts of light breaking through an ominous-looking sky. It brought to mind biblical events. Our first clear view, we were driving by a church. Hmmm. As I was driving, I could not really look at this amazing play of light and shadows, only to find it in full display when we arrived at the pier.
Hanalei Bay was the stomping ground of our friend. It’s where he learned how to surf. I could see why. Lots of kids were wakeboarding and surfing when we arrived. The younger ones building sandcastles and playing in the gentle surf.
Hanalei beach by the pier is by far the calmest beach we visited in Kaua’i this time. I sat in the water for a while, enjoying the laughter of kids playing and the sound of the surf. For some reason, I couldn’t find my swim top, and with only my board shorts on, I went out waist deep – still safe for my phone/camera.
The pier itself isn’t anything spectacular. What was breathtaking was how the pier seemed to be the pivot point between dark and stormy weather and bright blue skies. I actually didn’t walk all the way down; it was crowded. Instead I found a nice spot on the walk and played with my new Sandmarc hybrid filter. It was pretty fiddling and the clip-on method resulted in a lot of light leaks. Sometimes I got interesting flares; mostly odd reflections and unusable images.
Vogue called Hanalei “the hippest town in Kaua’i” in 2017.
Hanalei has many names – “crescent bay”, “lei making”, “wreath valley” and is apparently for its many different kinds of rains. Hanalei Bay, a long sandy coastline, has three beach parks, with rolling swells that call to surfers from other islands and beyond in the winter.
We stopped in the town of Hanalei on our way back from the dry cave. It was a desperate bathroom stop. The shops were already closing up. Before heading home, we got our first shave ice at Jojo’s. Our friend who’s been to Kaua’i before ordered for us. Lilikoi or passionflower is a must, she advised. Ours had macadamia nut ice cream at the bottom. Boy, was it delicious!
Hanalei | JoJo’s Shave Ice | Hanalei Bay beaches & other North Shore beaches
Maniniholo Dry Cave
According to the book Ancient Sites of Kaua’i, Maniniholo was the head fishermen of the Menehune. As they were preparing to leave Kaua’i, they began storing food against the rock formation. However, tiny spirit beings called ‘e’epa from the rock fissures stole their stores. Maniniholo ordered his men to dig into the rock face to punish them, creating the dry cave we find today.
The Maniniholo Dry Cave looks deceptively small from the outside. The deeper we went, the deeper we went, showering the walls and crevasses with our phone light to look at possible petroglyphs. It wasn’t until we looked back to the entrance that we noticed these circles, marked off by stone. I looked online to find out more; nothing, so far.
We parked across the street at the Ha’ena Beach Park. A guy was there selling fresh coconuts and the parking lot was still pretty full. We walked to the beach, the surf rolling in, families strolling, surfers doing their thing.
We headed out at nearly 1 PM, aiming first for the Kilauea Lighthouse, an easy GPS locator. From there, we leisurely explored the North Shore, first in the town of Kilauea then off to Hanalei pier where we enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, dipping into the cool water. My friends went for a walk as I experimented with my new phone filter. Then it was off to the dry cave, knowing the Ha’ena State Park and the two wet caves were off the books. Some other points of interest/attraction – Queen’s Bath, Princeville (maybe a cocktail at St Regis), and browsing at Hanalei, where the organic shop is said to be well-stocked. And of course, next time, I will plan ahead and reserve entry and parking permits and maybe even a hike inside the Ha’ena State Park. Nā Pali Coast!
