Kauai, Hawaii is said to have been the first of the Hawaiian Islands settled by Marquesan seafarers. The earliest Polynesians lived along Na Pali coast and left behind evidence of their existence dating from as early as 200 A.D. to 600 A.D. The ancient findings, combined with its distance from the rest of the island chain, may be why Kauai was earlier proclaimed The Separate Kingdom with a royal bloodline that was considered the purest in the Islands.

In succeeding migrations, the strong, fearsome Tahitians arrived and overpowered them, establishing the Tahitian religion and culture as the basis for Hawaiian society.

Kauai Hawaii History

In the early 1700′s, Kauai had withstood the ravages of Kamehameha’s army, an assault resulting in conquering of all the main islands except Kauai for the purpose of creating a unified Hawai’i under one king. Later, it was Kauai’s Chief Kaumuali’i who peacefully ceded authority over his island to the Kamehameha the Great in 1810.

Kauai was the first island English explorer Captain James Cook landed his ships Resolution and Discovery – at Waimea Bay on the west coast of Kauai – while sailing from Tahiti toward North America in 1778. It was Captain James Cook who opened the door to the influx of westerners missionaries, businessmen, laborers and succeeding cultures that gradually diminished the numbers of full-blooded Hawaiians.

Kauai took its place as part of an island chain over 5 million years ago. Magma spewing from a hot spot beneath the floating Pacific Tectonic Plate formed Kauai as it did the other islands in the chain. Kauai is the oldest of the Hawai’ian islands and it is believed the volcano that created Kauai first began erupting some 10 million years ago. Once rising more than 10,000 feet above sea level, Olokele Volcano has since eroded down to two main peaks Wai’ale’ale (5,148 feet) and Kawaikini (5,243 feet) with the rest of the mountain sinking to form the crater that is home to Alaka’i Swamp. Alaka’i Swamp is the largest high-elevation swamp in the world and the starting point for Waimea River, the longest river in the Islands. The 3,000-foot-deep Waimea Canyon, dubbed “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” is also the product of these erosive forces.

Kauai’s age has also led to something of a geographic anomaly: although it is one of the smallest of the main Hawaiian Islands, the forces of nature have had more time to break the island down and produce more sand beach around its 110-mile coastline than any other island in the chain. Meanwhile, it remains the least populated of Hawai’i's four counties with roughly 56,000 permanent residents, and both development and tourism have been concentrated in relatively few locations. All of which furthers the sense that Kauai- Hawaii is, in fact, a separate kingdom.

Kauai is someplace very special, our little heaven on earth!  If your travel plans do take you to Kauai, please take a moment to review our Kauai Vacation Rentals... Many Thanks!

Chasing the Sun

If you dial 808-245-6001 for the weather report on Kauai, you will probably hear this ‘forecast’: “Mostly fair today, with occasional windward and Mauka (Mountain) showers. Tonight, mostly fair, with showers varying from time to time and place to place.”  Except for storms, Kauai’s normal weather pattern is mostly sunny, with showers passing over the ocean, crossing the coastline and backing up against the island’s mountainous interior.

Like all the Hawaiian islands, Kauai’s sunny side varies with the winds.  Normal trade winds from the north and northeast bring rainfall to these ‘windward’ shores and create the ‘lee’ of the island in the south, at Poipu, and west, at Kekaha and Polihale.  When the clouds back up against the mountains and bring showers to the north shore beaches, Poipu and Salt Pond may have very sunny skies.  However, when the winds blow from the south and west, called “Kona Winds”, the lee is in the north and northeast.  The north shore may be spectacular while the eastern and southern shores have rain.

Planning cam make the most of any weather, since Kauai has ‘micro-climates’ and a 20 minute drive may take you from rain to sun.  Be prepared to drive to the sun – all the way west to Polihale if necessary.  If it’s clear up north, visit the north shore, for these beaches are by far the most spectacular, and if your stay is only for a few days, you may not get another chance.  Rain outside?  Drive south to Poipu or west to Salt Pond or Kekaha, wher it’s usually drier.  With heavy rain, Polihale might be your best option.

Only an island-wide storm should send you indoors to rent a movie, so check the Kauai weather and Kauai surf report before deciding whether to go north to Hanalei, south to Poipu, or west to Kekaha.  Call 245-6001, try our local paper: Kauai World, or call these friendly merchants who have agreed to be your weather tipsters: Nukumoi Beach Center, Poipu (742-8019), Wrangler’s Steak House, Waimea/West (328-1218), Pedal & Paddle, Hanalei (826-9069 or Hanalei Surf Company, Hanalie (826-9000).

Weather patterns vary with the seasons.  Showers are more frequent in the winter and spring, while summer months are warmer adn more humid, fall months are clearer and more dry.  Temperatures range between 60′s at night and mid 80′s most days, and in the summer months can reach the low 90′s.

Kauai beaches also change their moods with the seasons.  In summer, the water may be calm and clear, but winter surf at the same beach can foam and crash like thunder.  Some north shore beaches disappear entirely under winter surf, and may officially close for safety.

Have fun, be safe and soak up the sun weather it be via rays or sometimes in liquid form (aka: rain).