> > by Joanna Hall
Its lush vegetation, volcanic cliffs, waterfalls, barren desert and gleaming beaches has earned Kaua’i the reputation as the most beautiful and natural of all the Hawaiian islands.
The northernmost Hawaiian island, Kaua`i is believed to be the first which Captain James Cook stumbled upon while sailing from Tahiti to North America in 1778. This is a place with some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world and top of the list is perhaps the gaping gulch of Waimea Canyon. Dubbed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, it’s just over a kilometre-and-a-half wide and 19 kilometres long, and its seemingly never-ending cliffs, gorges and valleys change colour every few minutes. Although smaller than the Grand Canyon, it’s arguably more beautiful and the scenic lookouts along the way make it difficult to travel the 60 kilometre Waimea Canyon Road in less than half a day. Then there’s the towering ramparts that signal the start of one of the world’s most stunning coastlines, Na Pali. With its fluted sea cliffs, Na Pali stretches 35 kilometres along Kaua’i’s north-west shore and imposes itself over the island with volcanic cliff faces that rise one kilometre up from the lush, green valleys and white sand beaches below. Despite the grandeur of its physical presence Kaua’i is a laid back place which is more than happy to let Oahu and Maui grab most of the attention.
NEED TO KNOW
DO visit Waimea Canyon.
DON’T leave without doing a Na Pali coastline sunset dinner cruise.
COUPLES WILL LOVE a lomi lomi his-and-hers massage on a beach.