I make a scoop with my hand and pull out sticky, slippery white beans from a ridged, yellow pod. It’s a cloudy Friday afternoon in Kapaʻa in East Kauaʻi. I’m in a small clearing in a cacao orchard on Lydgate Farms. Every month, Will Lydgate, the owner and namesake of Lydgate Farms, hosts cacao-harvesting volunteer […]
It’s been over a year since the north shore of Kauai faced record-breaking rainfall and torrential flooding, which inundated farms, destroyed homes and disrupted many local businesses. While some community members are still reeling from the floods’ effects, others eagerly await the reopening of the western end of Kuhio Highway and the renewal they hope
My son was only a couple of months old when he embarked on his first hike—snug in an Ergo and napping the entire 2-mile trek to the top of the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail along the southeastern coastline of Oahu. It’s an easy hike I’ve done my entire life growing up here, and one I did
Kauai is known as the Garden Island, a nature lover’s paradise dotted with dense tropical forests, sparkling beaches, and historic Hawaiian towns. Did you know Kauai is also a top travel destination for coffee lovers? As the home of Kauai Coffee Co., the largest coffee farm in the United States, no trip to the island is
In need of some puppy love on vacation but couldn’t pack your own dog? The humane societies of Kauai, Maui and Hawaii Island offer “field trip” opportunities for their adoptable canines, where you can take a shelter dog out just for the day. (Oahu’s Hawaiian Humane Society doesn’t offer this program.) Visitors and residents alike
If you love everything coffee, then this two-and-a-half hour tram tour of Kauai Coffee’s expansive farmland is more than worth your money. Bus it around the plantation’s red dirt roads and learn about the farm and its history from entertaining tour guides onboard. After experiencing bird’s-eye views of the farm, relax back at the visitor
If you’re still wondering why Kauai is called The Garden Isle, look no further than these Top 5 botanical gardens. With picturesque views and one-of-a-kind plant collections, these spots from our 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards prove the island is worthy of its name. 1. Allerton Garden Photo: Getty Images Nestled in the Limahuli (which means
There I was, standing in front of the Historic County Building in downtown Lihue one afternoon last November, wrapping a tape measure around the thick trunk of an old kukui when I realized it was official: I am a tree hugger. That’s not a big surprise. I grew up in the Midwest climbing trees. This
“Here, try this.” That seems to be the common directive I hear whenever I step into a local brewpub. I’m not much of a drinker, but since my husband brews his own IPA at home, I’ve become accustomed to the invitation to sample frothy, hoppy, sometimes bitter, sometimes sour batches of beers. This is what
If youʻre headed to the northern coast of Kauai from Oahu, you’ll be happy to know that Makani Kai Air has begun flights to the Princeville Airport, a private airport just 3 miles east of Hanalei. The normal route you’d take to Hanalei, flying into Lihue and driving, is in comparison a much longer journey,
About five years ago, Shannon Hiramoto, a Kauai-born fashion designer who uses secondhand materials to create garments and bags, received a box of old muʻumuʻu (relaxed aloha print dresses) from a friend’s mom, thinking she could repurpose the material into other clothing. “I upcycled a few into tote bags, but it broke my heart to
A messy-haired boy in a superhero-red T-shirt and Crocs lowers himself to the level of two baby goats. One nudges his hand with its bony head, and the kid laughs hysterically. “Mom, mom, the goat head-butted me,” he calls out, smiling. Getting up close and personal with farm animals is part of the experience at
