Kauai Trip Photos

[Owen Lucas]

Following up to my thread https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/kauai-hi-activity-recommendations.393211/

• Population: 73,298 (2020 census) Wikipedia - making it much less populated than Oahu
• Size: 562.3 square miles, the fourth largest Hawaiian island
• Rural Living:
  • Waimea and West Side areas offer authentic rural Hawaiian experience
  • Small farming communities still practice traditional taro cultivation
  • Local fruit stands operated by residents throughout country roads
• Tourist Stats:
  • Receives about 1.42 million visitors annually (2023) Road Genius, much less than Oahu's 4+ million
  • Kauai is "a much quieter island (arrival wise)" with less distinct tourist seasons Hawaii-guide
• Local Culture:
  • Had its own distinct Hawaiian dialect historically
  • Strong agricultural heritage with working ranches
  • On average, "one in three people on Kauai is a visitor" The Garden Island - better ratio than other islands

Beaches are awesome, moderately crowded in March but you can still find a spot. I would not want to go any other time. We hung out at Poipu beach primarily. One must watch out for the monk seals and Hawaiian green sea turtles, they swim up onto the beach, possibly right next to you and then relax in the sun.

We saw a Luau at the Grand Hyatt, the host / singer was pretty funny. Buffet style feast and great company. The Smith Family Luau is supposed to be the best luau on the island supposedly, they were booked solid.

 

[Owen Lucas]

The scenery is amazing if course, I pulled over to take photos of the valley on my way to a hike Waimea Canyon. Some of the overlooks can be dangerous and many of them do not have any railings, so you're on the edge of a massive cliff.

I believe these are from the Northside of the island:

 

[wavinwayne]

Beautiful all around. Thanks for posting these amazing pics!

 

[Owen Lucas]

Besides being a beach bum, we took a boat tour, saw a whale and some dolphins.

For the move Acapulco Gold (1976) a stunt pilot flew a helicopter through the Honopu Arch (above).

Same location as the boat photo, but captured from the canyon's edge.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Love Kauai. Our company had its world wide sales conference there numerous years in January. Our CEO had his "compound" there; simply beautiful.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Trip to walmart ended up in a detour to the automotive aisle:

And to see how expensive food is on the island, not too overpriced I'd say.

EXTREMELY FRESH chicken at Walmart. The island has an issue with a feral chicken population. Apparently a hurricane in 92 blew open some chicken coups and the island was thus populated with chickens everywhere. You'll hear roosters next to the hotels and everywhere, even in the mountains when hiking! They'll come up to you expecting food in some cases lol.

 

[Dave Hess]

I love nature’s beauty.

 

[factorytuned2012]

looks like a great place. prices are high everywhere these days.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Deleted.

 

[Hohn]

Ah, brings back fond memories of hiking the canyon and then puking in rough seas as we rounded the corner to see the NaPali Coast.

Not to mention the roosters. Every. Single. Morning.