Kauai

Kauai is the oldest of all the Hawaiian Islands and is referred to as the Garden Isle. This is because Mt. Wai’ale’ale, its tallest peak and at its center, receives 400 inches of rainfall each year and is the source of many rivers that flow through Kauai's rich, fertile valleys to its coast. The rivers provide irrigation for crops grown all over the island and especially the taro patches in Hanalei Valley.

Hanalei

Hanalei is an important farm area and now one of the largest export areas of taro. Because of its long agricultural history of growing rice and taro it has a number of historic sites still nestled within the pastoral setting of the taro fields. Among many sites built in the early nineteenth century plantation style, the picturesque Wai'oli Hui'ia Church, built in 1912, sits dramatically at the foot of the cliffs and waterfalls of of Mt. Mamalahoa (almost 4000 feet). Black Pot Beach, named after the large iron pot used to cook fish for Hukilau (Hawaiian fishing cooperative work and gatherings) is a popular place for picnicking and water sports. The Hanalei Pier at Black Pot Beach was built in 1892 to help ship out crops and now serves as a place to stroll, fish, swim, and enjoy the sunset.

Beginning with the Hanalei Bridge, built in 1912 and on the National Register of Historic Places, there are seven one way bridges that lead from the entrance of Hanalei to the end of the road where the 11-mile Na Pali Coast Trail begins at Ke'e Beach. These bridges are too small for commercial tour buses and trucks to pass, essentially keeping the feeling of Old Hawaii alive.

Haena

Just past Hanalei on the way to the end of the road is a the beautiful, rural area of Ha’ena with a large mountain range on one side and spectacular beaches, like Tunnels and Ke’e on the other. The crystal blue waters backed by emerald cliffs thousands of feet high embody the tropical paradise of Ha’ena. This area is so sacred and beautiful that people have settled here as early as 200 AD.

The American Horticultural Society chose Limahuli Garden and Preserve as the best natural botanical garden in the United States.  Limahuli Gardens demonstrates how the ancient Hawaiians used special irrigation and terracing for their agriculture. The gardens sit below a mountain peak named Makana (gift) and just around the corner from wet, ancient sea caves and the spectacular Na Pali coast Trail.

Artists, hippies (like the those from the Taylor Camp), and nature lovers from all over the world have been and continue to be drawn by Haena’s dramatic landscapes.