Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [158]
If you are a film buff, you can get more movie trivia about Kauai and the movies in Chris Cook’s book, The Kauai Movie Book, published by Mutual Publishing, Honolulu. Or log onto www.filmkauai.com, the Kauai Film Commission’s website, which has lots of facts about films on the Garden Isle. You can also visit these and other Kauai locations that made it to the silver screen, plus locations from such TV classics as Fantasy Island and Gilligan’s Island, with Hawaii Movie Tours ( 80 0/628-8432 or 80 8/822-1192; www.hawaiimovietour.com). Tickets are $89 for adults for the daily 6-hour tour and $79 for children 11 and under. The 6-hour off-road tour Monday to Friday is $95 for adults and $85 for children ages 9-11 only. Lunch is included on both tours.
ATTRACTIONS ALONG THE WAY
Ka Ulu O Laka Heiau On a knoll above the boulders of Kee Beach stands a sacred altar of rocks, often draped with flower leis and ti-leaf offerings. The altar is dedicated to Laka, the goddess of hula. It may seem like a primal relic from the days of idols, but it’s very much in use today. Often, dancers (men and women) of Hawaii’s hula halau (schools) climb the cliff, bearing small gifts of flowers. In Hawaiian myths, Lohiau, a handsome chief, danced here before the fire goddess Pele; their passion became Haena, which means “the heat.” Sometimes, in a revival of the old Hawaiian ways (once banned by missionaries), a mother of a newborn will deposit the umbilical cord of her infant at this sacred shrine. The site is filled with what Hawaiians call mana, or power.
From the west side of Kee Beach, take the footpath across the big rocks almost to the point; then climb the steep grassy hill.
Limahuli Garden of the National Tropical Botanical Garden Out on Kauai’s far North Shore, beyond Hanalei and the last wooden bridge, there’s a mighty cleft in the coastal range where ancestral Hawaiians lived in what can only be called paradise. Carved by a waterfall stream known as Limahuli, the lush valley sits at the foot of steepled cliffs that Hollywood portrayed as Bali Hai in the film classic South Pacific. This small, almost secret garden is ecotourism at its best. It appeals not just to green thumbs but to all who love Hawaii’s great outdoors. Here botanists hope to save Kauai’s endangered native plants. You can take the self-tour to view the plants, which are identified in Hawaiian and English. From taro to sugar cane, the mostly Polynesian imports tell the story of the people who cultivated the plants for food, medicine, clothing, shelter, and decoration. In addition, Limahuli’s stream is sanctuary to the last five species of Hawaiian freshwater fish.
Visitor Center, 1⁄2 mile past mile marker 9 on Kuhio Hwy. (Hwy. 560), Haena. 80 8/826-1053. Fax 80 8/826-1053. www.ntbg.org. Admission $15 adults, children under 12 free for self-guided; $30 guided tour, $15 for children (ages 10–12 years only). Open Tues–Sat 9:30am–4pm. Advance reservations required for the 10am 21⁄2-hr. guided tours. During peak seasons of July–Sept, book at least a week ahead.
Na Aina Kai Botanical Gardens Do not miss this incredible, magical garden on some 240 acres sprinkled with about 70 life-size (some larger than life-size) whimsical bronze statues. Hidden off the beaten path of the North Shore, and only recently opened, this is the place for both avid gardeners as well as people who think they don’t like botanical gardens. These gardens have everything: waterfalls, pools, arbors, topiaries, colonnades, gazebos, a maze you will never forget, a lagoon with spouting fountains, a Japanese teahouse, and an enchanting path along a bubbling stream to the ocean. The imaginary, fairy-tale creativity that has gone into these grounds will be one of your fondest memories of Kauai. A host of different tours is available, from 11⁄2 ($30) to 5 ($75) hours long, ranging from casual, guided strolls, to a ride in the covered CarTram, to treks from one end of the gardens to the ocean. A tropical children’s garden is the latest edition: It features a gecko hedge maze, a tropical jungle