Kela Yzeiraj was born on Albania’s Mediterranean coast, a tucked-away landscape of wild mountains and undeveloped crescent beaches. She came to the Bronx, New York as a refugee from the civil turmoil in the early 90s. Amid towering concrete buildings and blaring car horns, her early years were defined by contradictions. As a young adult, […]
Snaking across the upper rim of Kauai’s Nualolo Valley, a footpath thrusts its travelers onto a sheer edge. That’s where I find myself this sunny December morning, teetering on the ridge after a two-hour traipse through damp woods where spongy mushrooms and delicate wildflowers grow. Pitted against an unblemished blue sky that melts seamlessly into the hue of the
Inside an 80-year-old farmhouse dressed in a cheery slick of lemon yellow paint, a mealtime utopia is unfolding. Patrons prime their palates with tropical fruit and fresh-squeezed juices. A steady trade breeze cools the cozy dining room that feels like the home of an old friend. In a kitchen designed to run on 100 percent
In winter, when Kauai’s shores morph into a magnet for monster swells, a cluster of sleepy, jungle-encroached surf towns transforms into a world-class destination for seasoned wave riders. In this wonderland of reef and point breaks reside some of surfing’s most revolutionary board makers. The Guru: Dick Brewer Dick Brewer, 81, has shaped 50,000 surfboards—and
No one is allowed to visit Hawaii’s Forbidden Isle—the 70-square-mile island, which on a clear day can be spied from Kauai’s west coast—unless they are invited by Niihau owners the Robinson family, or by one of its 70 full-time Native Hawaiian residents. The one exception is reserved for those who book a tour through the
When Graduate Gemologist Brenda Reichel was approached by a local family at her store, Carats & Karats Fine Jewelry in 2011, she was given what appeared to be a Super Bowl Ring, and a case to crack. The heirs of the ring wanted Reichel to solve a mystery: Is the ring real, and if so, how
Standing at the edge of the red bowl of Kauai’s Waimea Canyon, it’s hard to imagine a more spectacular sight. At 3,600 feet, the main lookout presents panoramic views of “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” a deep, colorful gorge accented by waterfalls, a snaking riverbed, frequent rainbows and goats teetering on rugged cliffsides as
When the whistle sounds, it can only mean one thing: The train is ready to chuff out of the station. As I settle into the mahogany bench seating aboard the Hanalei—one of three historical, steam-powered trains in service at Kauai’s Kilohana Plantation—I begin to get a taste of what life was like in Hawaii during
For centuries, people in search of healing have journeyed to a humble hillside by a stream in Lawai. Originally the site of an ancient heiau, or Hawaiian temple, the 32-acre valley on Kauai’s southern shore later became host to iconography of another religion: 88 Buddhist shrines. Measuring no larger than a dollhouse, the series of
Inside a tiny, cream-colored shanty shrouded by coconut trees, vegan chef Hollan Hamid cooks up delights that are sweet and savory. On a floor of crushed sea glass in the backyard garden, diners feast on Hamid’s delicious, plant-based creations—lilikoi (passion fruit) cake or blackened tofu over sautéed kale and mustard-cape—surrounded by green vines and banana
I haven’t eaten a thing all day, but luckily, my self-imposed fast is about to end. The Tasting Kauai food tour is beginning at Kickshaws, an avant garde food truck in Lawai, owned by chef Seth Peterson. My stomach can hardly wait. Before launching Kickshaws, Peterson was an organic lettuce farmer who loathed cooking. Then
The breath is yoga’s foundation. On the mat, breathing exercises unlock the code to stress relief, mental clarity and pranayama—the Sanskrit word for conscious breathing, which literally means “to extend the vital life force.” Native Hawaiians have also revered breath. Similar to other Polynesian cultures, Hawaiians greeted one another with a traditional honi—the joining of
