Random Pictures from the Hawaiian Island of Kauai

Narrative

Here is a collection of pictures I took from my various trips to the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai that I did not include with any of the other articles I have posted.  This first picture shows the rapidly disappearing sugarcane fields on the island’s West Coast backdropped by the beautiful mountain interior of Kauai:

Since the sugar mill closed on this side of the island the sugarcane fields are slowly being replaced by other crops that are more profitable.  The Kauai Coffee Company is a perfect example of this as they have replaced sugarcane fields with coffee plants, which in turn has made Kauai into a coffee exporter.  You can read more about the Kauai Coffee Company at the below link:

• On Walkabout At: The Kauai Coffee Company Plantation

This picture shows the sugarcane fields covering what appears to have once been a river that emptied into the ocean on Kauai’s West Coast:

This next picture shows the US Post Office for Makaweli which is a village located somewhere within the farm fields of Western Kauai:

This next picture is of the Saint Theresa Catholic Church, which is located in Kekaha which is the last town on the western end of the Kaumualii Highway.  Kekaha also has the honor of being the Western most city in the United States.  The St. Theresa Catholic Church, which is constructed in a Polynesian style is quite impressive to see as it looks out over the nearby ocean:

This next picture is of the beautiful volcanic cliffs that rise up over the coastal farming plain on Northwestern Kauai:

Here is a closer look at these steep cliffs:

This picture of Barking Sands Beach located at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) in extreme Northwestern Kauai:

The beach is quite beautiful, but there are plenty of signs warning about swimming in the water due to dangerous currents and high surf that can hit this beach:

The dangerous currents and high surf is supposedly caused by the beach’s close proximity to the “Forbidden Island” of Niihau that causes the water to funnel between the two land masses.  The high surf caused by this funnel effect is what gave the beach its name because the surf was believed to sound like barking dogs:

This next picture is of a Japanese temple that can be seen while driving down the Kaumualii Highway through Hanapepe:

Here is an early morning view of the Hanapepe Valley:

You can read more about Hanapepe at the below link:

• On Walkabout At: Hanapepe, Kauai

This next picture is a view of the Haupu Range on the south side of Kauai:

The biggest peak of the Haupu Range is called the “Sleeping Giant” because the range looks like a giant on his back sleeping:

Here is a closer look at the Haupu Range that I found to be quite steep the closer I got to it:

This entire mountain range is unfortunately located on private property making it inaccessible to the public.  The land is owned by the Kipu Ranch which operates a 3,000 acre cattle farm on the land.  This huge ranch is another example of the legacy of the early missionaries who came to Hawaii and bought huge chunks of land from the Hawaiian King.  This land was bought all the way back in 1872 by William Hyde Rice who’s ancestors continue to run the ranch to this day.  Fortunately the Kipu Ranch does offer a number of ATV tours through their property for those looking to get a closer look at the mountains.  I will eventually take one of these tours on a future visit to Kauai.

Here is a view of the western side of the Haupu Range from just outside of Old Koloa: :

Here is a closer look at the “Sleeping Giant”:

As I was finding spots to take pictures of the Haupu Range I happened to see this huge house that has to have one of the best views on Kauai’s South Shore:

This next picture shows the old Koloa sugar mill out in the distance on Kauai’s South Shore that is now abandoned:

This next picture shows the historic building in Lihue that is now home to the Kauai Museum:

I actually spent some time checking out the museum and it was quite interesting.  Unfortunately I was not allowed to take pictures inside the building so showing the outside of the museum will have to do.  Across from the Kauai Museum I could see the County Building:

In the park across from the museum there was a statue to a Filipino named Dr. Jose P. Rizal Mercado:

From what I could find out about him online he was a Filipino revolutionary who was executed in 1896 by the Spanish Army.  I could find nothing about him that tied him to Kauai which leads me to believe that the Kauai Filipino Community Council that built the statue just put the statue here for nationalistic reasons.

Conclusion

That wraps up the few random pictures from Kauai that I decided to put together as one posting.  I have so many other pictures of Kauai that I would like to share, but it would just take me too long to upload and write about them.  Hopefully what I have posted though has inspired others to take the trip to Kauai.  It really is a great island that I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time exploring over the years.  Get out and explore it yourself as well.