Kaua'i on the Mellow Side

Kaua'i's best-known activities and attractions are high-profile: a boat trip along the high cliffs of the Na'pali Coast or perhaps to the nearby private island of Ni'ihau, river and/or sea kayaking, a snorkel tour, driving along or flying over Waimea Canyon, beach-going, playing golf and other popular pleasures. My husband is recovering from an emergency appendectomy, so mellow rather than hard-core physical activities were in the cards for us. On Kaua'i this week, we...

• Took a train ride - Historic Kilohana Plantation, just a few miles from Lihu'e, is worth a visit even if you don't ride the tourist train that began operating in February. The narrow-gauge train features gleaming passenger cars pulled by vintage locomotives that gently sway on three miles of track. It passes fields planted with all sorts of tropical fruits that are marked, botanical garden-style. Even if you already know how pineapple grows, cashew nuts will surprise you. As the train approaches an enclosure, goats and pigs make their way to the fence-line where they know the train will stop. Passengers disembark to feed the animals, which is a whole lot of fun. We are all cautioned not to feed wildlife, but feeding domesticated animals is A-OK. The two noteworthy things about this attraction is that it is reasonably priced ($18 for adults) and available to all, from very small children to mobility-impaired visitors (there's a modern wheelchair lift to board people on this old-style train). 3-2087 Kaumualii Hwy., Lihu'e; 808-245-5608.
• Bird-watched at the Kilauea Point Lighthouse - This decommissioned lighthouse (built in 1913) on Kau'i's northeast shore is the centerpiece of the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. You can drive to an overlook and gaze down at the lighthouse or pay $3 per person to walk to it. the cove just to the south of the point is prime seabird habitat. We saw wedge-tailed shearwaters, red-footed boobies and great frigatebirds. Two rare Hawaiian monk seals basked on the tide-rinsed rocks at the head of the cove. A pair of Laysan Albatross had nested among the trees just north of the point. Most of the land is off-limits to visitors, because it is, after all, a refuge for wildlife. At some times of year, humpback whales and dolphins can be seen off-shore. The US Fish & Wildlife Service has free binoculars for visitors to borrow. The refuge is just a few miles off Kukio Hwy, near mile marker 23, north of Lihu'e. Turn at the gas station and follow the signs. P.O. Box 1128, Kilauea, HI 96754; 808-828-1413.
• Walked on the beach - Anahola Beach is a mile-long drive-up beach, largely favored by locals. Actually, it was favored by fewer than a dozen people when we were there -- quite a contrast to the crowded slivers of sand at Poipu on the south shore. We saw just four or five surfers, one fisherman and a couple of people just sitting and gazing at the sea. Camping is permitted, but no one was doing so when we took a lovely walk there,listening to the ocean and watching waves wash up on the sand.
• Visited a botanical garden - There are two US National Botanical Gardens on Kaua'i ( one each on the north and south shores), but we visited Na ‘Āina Kai Botanical Gardens instead. This privately established, not-for-profit venue combines formal gardens and an effort to create a viable crop of harvestable and sustainable tropical trees to sustain it. Several tours are offered. We took a really enlightening 2 1/2-hour tour led by botanist Marty Fernandez downhill through the hardwood forest to the beach, and following a ride back up on the bus, a walk through the formal gardens. The property is peppered with 90 bronze sculptures, so it's botany + agriculture + art. Tour reservations are required. Our tour costs $35 per adult. Access to the gardens is between mile markers 21 and 22 of Kukio Hwy. P.O. Box 1134, 4101 Wailapa Rd,, Kilauea; 808-828-0525.
• Learned about local history - I love local museums, and the Kaua'i Museum in the center of Lihu'e is no exception. It houses a wonderful and informative permant collection of historical and cultural artifacts, plus displays of geologic and natural history. The current special exhibition, "Dark Clouds Over Paradise," documenting the experience of internees of Japanese heritage during World War II. Admission is $7 per person, but look for two-for-one coupons in some of the visitor publications. 4428 Rice Street, Lihu'e; 808-245-6931.
• Took a hike - Toward the end of the week, my husband felt up to a short hike. We drove through Wimea Canyon, stopping for a short, dry and badly signed nature trail, and continued up the road to Koke'e State Park. We drove to a sizable parking area with a short handicap-accessible trail to a viewing area overlooking the dramatic cliffs and coves of the west coast. The trail follows the ridge crest with mountains in the mist to the east and the clear blue Pacific to the west. The views are stunning, but the trail conditions were really awful -- and it wasn't even raining. It is one of the most eroded trails I've ever seen. Deep trenches in the middle of the trail and mud hardened into uneven steps here and there bespoke a spectacular lack of maintenance. I know it rains a lot, but still.... We hiked out from the parking area for about 1 1/4 miles on the Kukui Trail, enjoying the views but watching our steps all the way.
• Drank champagne at sunset - We bought a bottle of Veuve Cliquot and took it to a west-facing lawn at Princeville and toasted our good fortune at viewing a beautiful sunset from there.