If you’ve ever visited Kauaʻi and thought, this view looks like it was plucked straight from the big screen, it probably was. The epic Nāpali Coast dramatically cuts into the Pacific, offering up a quintessential picture of paradise. With sea-sprayed limestone cliffs, water-streaked emerald mountains, rich volcanic red dirt and a tropical jungle setting that […]
The story of the Lydgates on Kaua‘i begins in 1865 when Will Lydgate’s great-great-grandfather William Ludgate (later changed to Lydgate), an engineer and a millwright, came to the island to work in the plantation business. His son, John Mortimer Lydgate, Will’s great-grandfather, worked for King Kalākaua as a land surveyor, and was an assistant to
A fraction of a second. That’s what it’s all about. The late-night track preps. The early morning tow. The money. The time. All for a fraction of a second. On the west coast of Kaua‘i, past the small country town of Kekaha—where, for many, farmers markets and shoreline fishing are the premier weekend activities—lies a
A stroll down rice street in Līhu‘e, under the sporadic shade of monkeypod and palm trees, leads to the historic County Building in the center of town, past the great lawn. Often the location for community gatherings, the Kaua‘i County Building is a nod to the past; it’s the oldest operating government building in the
In today’s world of technology with navigational aids in the palms of our hands, getting from here to there is pretty much a cinch. On land, smartphones provide turn-by-turn driving directions, and GPS devices can pinpoint your exact location on the globe, even in the middle of the sea. But at the turn of the
Since guided tours have been paused, I worried that my self-guided visit to Kaua‘i Aadheenam would hinder the experience. Thankfully, I could not have been more wrong. After driving inland toward the lush mountains of Wailua, I arrived at the Kauaʻi Hindu monastery. With a pareo covering my shoulders, I made my way to the
Walking through the Ching Young Village Shopping Center is like taking a step back in time. With mom and pop shops that have called the center home since the 1980s and ’90s, the plaza captures Hanalei’s charming mix of small-town spirit and surf culture. Generations of residents and visitors have come to cherish browsing through
You wouldn’t expect a slippah store to be a place for learning strategy, but in Kaua‘i’s Kapa‘a town, that’s exactly what Sole Mates turned out to be when I arrived on a weekday afternoon. In between walls lined with various kinds of rubber slippers, sandals and Hydro Flasks sits a wooden table with a burlap
Most people might throw away the bottle caps, fish nets, buoys, plastic fragments and other marine debris that washes ashore, but 26 Kaua‘i artists turned what most of us would consider trash into 66 thought-provoking works of art. Those pieces are now on display at the Kaua‘i Society of Artists’ “Washed Up” exhibit at the
Friday Art Nights used to be when sleepy Hanapēpē Town woke up, drawing hundreds of people to art galleries, eateries and shops – many located in historic buildings—the street filled with musicians, artists, and craft and food vendors. That changed in March 2020 when the state shut down, in-person Art Nights paused, and businesses shortened
What were once plain, tan and brown walls typical of a government building are now filled with color thanks to the addition of three new murals painted in 2020—all of which you can see just walking the historic neighborhood. The murals depict a scenic valley and sunset, native birds and flowers, colorful geometric shapes, a
It’s a crisp Saturday morning, and I’m thoroughly enjoying myself as I pick through baskets of laua‘e, kupukupu and palapalai ferns, allspice, red and green ti leaves, Song of India leaves, carnations, baby’s breath, fuchsia bougainvillea, red ‘awapuhi (ginger), roses and other flowers and foliage I don’t know the names of. I’m gathering materials to
