Kauai
Kaua‘i (usually called
Kauai outside the Hawaiian Islands, pronounced
kawa-ee) is the oldest and fourth largest of the main
Hawaiian Islands, having an area of 1,430.43 km² (552.29 sq mi). Known also as the "Garden Isle", Kaua‘i lies 105 miles (170 kilometers) across the
Kaua‘i Channel, northwest of
O‘ahu. Of
volcanic origin, the highest peak on this mountainous island is Kawaikini at 1,598 m (5,243 ft). The second highest peak is
Mount Wai‘ale‘ale near the center of the island, 1,570 m (5,148 ft) above sea level. One of the wettest spots on Earth, with an annual average rainfall of 460 inches (11,700 millimeters), is located on the east side of Mount Wai‘ale‘ale. The high annual rainfall has eroded deep valleys in the central mountain, carving out canyons with many scenic waterfalls.
There is no known meaning behind the name of Kaua‘i. Native Hawaiian tradition indicates the name's origin in the legend of
Hawai‘iloa — the
Polynesian navigator attributed with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates how he named the island of Kaua‘i after a favorite son; therefore a possible translation of Kaua‘i is "place around the neck", meaning how a father would carry a favorite child.
The
United States Census Bureau defines Kauai as
Census Tracts 401 through 409 of
Kauai County, Hawaii, which is all of the county except for the islands of
Kaula,
Lehua, and
Niihau. The
2000 census population of Kauai (the island) was 58,303.
[Census Tracts 401 through 409, Kauai County United States Census Bureau]During the reign of
King Kamehameha, the islands of Kaua‘i and
Ni‘ihau were the last Hawaiian Islands to join his
Kingdom of Hawai‘i. Their ruler,
Kaumuali‘i, resisted Kamehameha for years. King Kamehameha twice prepared a huge armada of ships and canoes to take the islands by force and twice failed, once due to a storm, once due to an epidemic. In the face of the threat of a further invasion; however, Kaumuali‘i decided to join the kingdom without bloodshed, and became Kamehameha's vassal in
1810, ceding the island to the kingdom of Hawai‘i upon his death.
The city of
Līhu‘e, on the island's southeast coast, is the seat of
Kaua‘i County and the largest city on the island.
Waimea, on the island's southwest side and once the capital of Kaua‘i, was the first place in Hawai‘i visited by explorer Captain
James Cook in
1778. Waimea town is located at the mouth of the
Waimea River, whose flow formed one of the most scenic canyons in the world: 3000 ft (900 m) deep
Waimea Canyon.
1992's
Hurricane Iniki caused an indirect change in Kauai's ecosystem. A chicken farm was destroyed, causing all of the chickens to roam free. Kauai is now home to thousands of wild roosters and hens, roaming the island without many natural predators.
The island of Kaua‘i was featured in Disney's
2002 animated feature film Lilo & Stitch. Waimea Canyon was used in the filming of the
1993 film Jurassic Park.
Kaua‘i is home to the U.S. Navy's
Pacific Missile Range Facility.
Kaua‘i was known for its distinct dialect of the
Hawaiian language before it went extinct there. Whereas the standard language today is based on the dialect of
Hawai‘i island (also extinct), the Kaua‘i dialect was known for pronouncing /k/ as /t/. Therefore, the native name for Kaua‘i was
Taua‘i, and the major settlement of
Kapa‘a would have been called Tapa‘a.
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The Hanalei River on the north side of Kauai. |
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Līhu‘e*
Hanalei*
Po‘ipū*
Princeville*
Waimea*
Wailua*
Kapa‘a*
Allerton Garden*
Hanalei Bay*
Limahuli Garden and Preserve*
McBryde Garden*
Moir Gardens*
Na 'Aina Kai Botanical Gardens*
Nā Pali Coast*
Waimea Canyon*
Tourism on Kaua‘i*
Hurricane Iniki (
1992)
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Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce - Essential business information
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Hawaii State Vacation Planner*
Waterfalls on Kaua‘i*
Kaua‘i Beaches*
Google Map* Edward Joestring.
Kaua‘i, the Separate Kingdom. University of Hawai‘i Press and Kaua‘i Museum Association. Honolulu. 1984. ISBN 0824811623
