Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [146]
• Never leave valuables in your car, unattended at the beach
• Do not drive into waterfalls or pools of water
• Always wear your seatbelt (the fine for non-compliance is very stiff)
• On a one-way bridge, courtesy calls for only six cars to cross, then yield to opposing traffic
For the free brochure contact the Kauai Visitors Bureau, 80 8/245-3971.
GUIDED BIKE TOURS Outfitters Kauai ( 80 8/742-9667;www.outfitterskauai.com) offers a fabulous downhill bike ride from Waimea Canyon to the ocean. The 12-mile trip (mostly coasting) begins at 6am, when the van leaves the shop in Poipu and heads up to the canyon. By the time you’ve eaten the fresh-baked muffins and enjoyed the coffee, you’re at the top of the canyon, just as the sun is rising over the rim—it’s a remarkable moment. The tour makes a couple of stops on the way down for short, scenic nature hikes. You’ll be back at the shop around 10am. The sunset trip follows the same route. Both tours cost $98 per adult, $78 per child 12 to 14.
BIRDING
Kauai provides some of Hawaii’s last sanctuaries for endangered native birds and oceanic birds, such as the albatross.
At Kokee State Park, a 4,345-acre wilderness forest at the end of Highway 550 in southwest Kauai, you have an excellent chance of seeing some of Hawaii’s endangered native birds. You might spot the apapane, a red bird with black wings and a curved black bill; or the iwi, a red bird with black wings, orange legs, and a salmon-colored bill. Other frequently seen native birds are the honeycreeper, which sings like a canary; the amakihi, a plain, olive-green bird with a long, straight bill; and the anianiau, a tiny yellow bird with a thin, slightly curved bill. The most common native bird at Kokee is the moa, or red jungle fowl, brought as domestic stock by ancient Polynesians. Ordinarily shy, they’re quite tame in this environment. David Kuhn leads custom hikes, pointing out Hawaii’s rarest birds on his Terran Tours ( 80 8/335-0398), which range from a half day to 3 days and feature endemic and endangered species.
Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, a mile north of Kilauea on the North Shore ( 80 8/828-0168), is a 200-acre headland habitat that juts above the surf and includes cliffs, two rocky wave-lashed bays, and a tiny islet that serves as a jumping-off spot for seabirds. You can easily spot red-footed boobies, which nest in trees, and wedge-tailed shearwaters, which burrow in nests along the cliffs. You may also see the great frigate bird, the Laysan albatross, the red-tailed tropic bird, and the endangered nene. Native plants and the Kilauea Point Lighthouse are highlights as well. The refuge is open from 10am to 4pm daily (closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day); admission is $5. To get here, turn right off Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 56) at Kilauea, just after mile marker 23; follow Kilauea Road to the refuge entrance.
Peaceful Hanalei Valley is home to Hawaii’s endangered Koloa duck, gallinule, coot, and stilt. The Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge ( 80 8/828-1413; www.fws.gov/hanalei) also provides a safe habitat for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. It’s not open to the public, but an interpretive overlook along the highway serves as an impressive vantage point. Along Ohiki Road, which begins at the west end of the Hanalei River Bridge, you’ll often see white cattle egrets hunting crayfish in streams.
HORSEBACK RIDING
Only in Kauai can you ride a horse across the wide-open pastures of a working ranch under volcanic peaks and rein up near a waterfall pool. No wonder Kauai’s paniolo (cowboys) smile and sing so much. Near the Poipu area, CJM Country Stables, 1731 Kelaukia St. (2 miles beyond the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa), Koloa ( 80 8/742-6096;www.cjmstables.com), offers both 2- and 3-hour escorted Hidden Valley beach rides. You’ll trot over Hidden Valley ranch land, past secluded beaches and bays, along the Haupu Ridge, across sugar-cane fields,