Kauai West Shore - Waimea

Island of Kauai

What to See - Waimea

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The Faye Museum is named in honor of Hans Peter Faye, a Norwegian immigrant who started a small plantation in Mana and went on to help found Kekaha Sugar and was its first general manager. The museum can be found a Waimea Plantation Cottages. The single-room museum contains exhibits and photographs tracking the journey of Faye and the sugar industry in West Kaua`i. Free admission.

Waimea Sugar Museum, 808-335-2824. Tours start in the lobby of Waimea Plantation Cottages. $10 admissions fee. Reservations are required. You can also take the Plantation Lifestyles Tour through the ruins of the Waimea Sugar Mill and camp, which dates back to around 1900. You’ll learn how the immigrants came to Hawai`i and the conditions in which they lived while working for the plantations. The tour is offered several times a week. Call Gay & Robinson Tours to make your reservations. Tours start in the lobby of Waimea Plantation Cottages.

Russian Fort Elizabeth State Historical Park. Who would have thought that the Russians would try to occupy Kaua`i well before the words “cold war” even entered our vernacular? In 1815, a ship that belonged to the Russian-American Company ran aground offWaimea. King Kaumuali`i took control of the ship and its cargo. The Russian American Company sent Georg Scheffer to regain the company’s possessions. At that time in Kaua`i’s history, King Kamehameha was in the process of uniting all of the Hawaiian Islands. King Kaumuali`i was against this, though he eventually relented and ceded control of Kaua`i to Kamehameha. Scheffer and Kaumuali`i eventually formed an alliance, with Scheffer promising 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 (named after Czarina Elizabeth), as well as Fort Alexander and Fort Barclay near the Hanalei River. This went on for about a year, when King Kamehameha learned of the alliance and abruptly forced all Russians from Hawai`i. Scheffer left Hawai`i, leaving the unfinished fort behind. Hawaiian soldiers took over the fort and remained there until 1864, when the Hawaiian government ordered it to be dismantled. It has been in that condition ever since. In 1966, the remains were declared a National Historic Landmark. It is the only remaining Russian fort in Hawai`i.

The 17-acre site itself is somewhat disappointing because it has not been well maintained. There are a lot of weeds, some remnants of the original structure, and a few signs detailing the history of the fort. A sign indicates the foot path going around the walls of the fort. Currently, theWest Kaua`i Technology and Visitor Center is leading efforts to improve and clean up the area. It’s a very interesting piece of Hawaiian history to explore nonetheless.

Waimea State Recreation Pier is situated on the beach fronting the town of Waimea. It’s at the end of Moana Road, a short residential street that intersects Kaumuali`i Hwy. The pier, an abandoned boat landing, attracts many local fishing enthusiasts. DLNR regulates that you can’t use a spear or net within 50 yards of the pier. The water is usually dirty from soil carried into the ocean by theWaimea River, so it isn’t used for swimming.

Captain Cook’s Monument. Right in the middle of Waimea Town, you’ll find the statue that honors Captain James Cook. This is the man that is credited with changing the course of Hawaiian history by sailing the Resolution and Discovery into Waimea. The statue that stands in the middle ofWaimea is actually a replica of one in Cook’s hometown of Whitby, England.

Captain Cook’s Landing. At the point marking the landing site in Waimea, there is a marker that was placed in 1928 by the Kaua`i Historical Society to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the landing. The marker is a nationally registered site in LucyWright County Park. The landing fronts the Waimea Pier State Park. You can get there from Highway 50, turning right on Pokole Road. Waimea became an important port with Cook’s visit in 1778. The original wharf was built in 1865 to compete with Koloa landing as a port of call for whaling ships. Products exported from west Kaua‘i at the time were raw sugar, cattle, goats, oranges, taro, sweet potatoes, yams and rice. Small businesses catering to the port trade were built along the shore. There are parking and restroom facilities available

The Menehune Ditch was built to provide water to the lower Waimea Valley. This was done at the request of Chief Ola. Like the Menehune Fishpond, this was also built in one night. The Menehune were paid in shrimp for their efforts. Originally about 24 feet high, you can still see about two feet of the original stone wall near the swinging bridge on Menehune Road. The road covers most of the original wall. You can get to this nationally registered landmark by taking Menehune Road between the Fire State and Big Save Market. The road goes uphill and does get narrow. so drive with caution. You’ll see the footbridge crossing the Waimea River. If there are heavy rains, stay out of the valley because of potential flash floods.

West Kaua`i Technology & Visitors Center (9565 Kaumuali`i Highway Waimea, 808-338-1332, www.kedb.com/visitorcenter/index.html; open Monday-Friday 9 am-4 pm, Saturdays from 9 am-1 pm. Free admission). This museum pays homage to, well, you guessed it – technology. Starting with the ancient Hawaiians’ use of stone to create poi pounders, the exhibits follow the Hawaiians’ navigational techniques. The technology tour continues with the advent of the sugar mills and takes you all the way through the Pathfinder missions at the Pacific Missile Range Facility. There are also plenty of ancient artifacts on display. You can also participate in demonstrations such as lei making, salt making and poi pounding. The Visitors Center also sponsors a guided walking tour of Historic Waimea on Mondays at 9:30 am. The walking tour is free of charge, but you do need to call for reservations. There is also Internet access available at the center, free of charge.

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