Kauai North Shore - Hanalei & Princeville

Island of Kauai

What To See - Introduction

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When Kauai locals talk about their favorite area of the island, the North Shore almost always comes up, and for good reason. To call this area quaint and idyllic doesn’t do it justice. Watching the sunrise or sunset is majestic. The locals are friendly and more than willing to tell you where the good places to go are.

Kauai

As you drive up the east coast or windward side of the island, it can be very easy to pass through the town of Kilauea and not even know you passed anything special. There are few shops along the highway that would indicate you’re in a major town. You won’t find any strip malls or a lot of traffic.

At the Shell gas station near mile marker 23, make a right turn and you’ll find Kilauea Town.

Kilauea was once home to Kilauea Sugar Plantation. Today, it maintains its rural charm, a sleepy town and the gateway to the North Shore.

There are a couple of things that you can do here. You can stop by the Kong Lung Center for shopping and good eats. Down the road from there is the Kilauea Lighthouse and National Wildlife Refuge. There are also a number of farms and nurseries that sell fresh flowers and produce along the roadside.

Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (Virtual Tour)

Kilauea Point Wildlife Refuge, a 200-acre nesting refuge for thousands of birds including, albatross, frigate birds, red and white tropical birds and red-footed boobies. Perched on a cliff, the 200-acre site has a lighthouse and a wind-swept islet just off shore. The Kilauea Lighthouse has the world's largest clamshell lens. Built in 1913, the lighthouse was in use until 1976 sending a beacon 90 miles out to sea.

After your stop in Kilauea, get back on Kuhio Highway and continue north. After about 10 minutes, you’ll come across Princeville. Princeville was once home to Hawaiian heiaus and was revered by ancient Hawaiians as a place of great spirit, or mana.

Captain Cook’s arrival opened the door for other Westerners and they came in droves. In 1815, Georg Scheffer forged an alliance with King Kaumuali`i in order to regain lost cargo for the Russian-American Company. Scheffer promised manpower and weapons to help Kaumuali`i take control of the Hawaiian Islands. In return, Scheffer would get the right to construct factories throughout all of the Hawaiian Islands and half of O`ahu.

Scheffer then went to work. In 1816, he began to build the foundation of Fort Elizabeth in Waimea as well as Fort Alexander in Princeville and Fort Barclay near the Hanalei River. Scheffer was forced to abandon his efforts a year later, when King Kamehameha learned of this plan. Very little remains of Fort Alexander, which can be seen in front of the Princeville Hotel.

In 1853, Robert Wyllie, Hawai`i’s former foreign minister, bought land near Hanalei and started a sugar plantation. He named the area Princeville seven years later. It was named in honor of a visit by King Kamehameha IV, Queen Emma and their two-year old son, Prince Albert. Sadly, the prince died in 1862 at the age of four. AlbertWilcox bought the land in 1895 and converted the plantation into a ranch. Princeville Ranch still exists as a working cattle ranch.The Princeville of today can be described as a master-planned luxury resort. Princeville does at times feel over-planned, almost like a Disney resort. It doesn’t have the charm or character of Hanalei, but it still has incredible beauty and opulence within its well-manicured area. Princeville’s draws are the incredibly elegant Princeville Hotel, which sits hundreds of feet above the cliffs and the resort’s two world-class golf courses.

Keep driving along Kuhio Highway past Princeville Shopping Center and you’ll see taro fields on either side of you. Once you cross the one-lane bridge into Hanalei, you might feel as if you’ve been transported to a timeless wonderland where old hippies, surfers, tourists and even the occasional celebrity mix and mingle. The town is charming and maintains a laidback feel. You can sit at a coffee shop and people-watch, have a drink at any of the establishments and find its easy to strike up a conversation with just about anyone.

You can walk around town and around the two shopping centers, Hanalei Center and Ching Young Village. Hanalei Center was once an old schoolhouse and now houses several shops and restaurants. Hanalei is also where you’ll find some of the glorious beaches around Hanalei Bay.

Past Hanalei are several one-lane bridges that will take you to stunning beaches and the island’s best snorkeling. After a few miles, you’ll come to the end of the road in Ha`ena. Ha`ena is where you’ll find dry and wet caves and it’s also the start of the magnificent Na Pali Cliffs, which tower over the beach. The area is also the beginning of the 11-mile Kalalau Trail, which runs through Na Pali State Park.

If you’re a history buff, there’s plenty to keep you busy on Kaua`i. Here’s a sample of historic sights you can check out while you’re on the North Shore.

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Stories of Hawaii provided courtesy of the Hawaiian Tourism Authority.