Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [396]
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GETTING AROUND
To/From the Airport
For car rentals, check in at the appropriate booth outside the baggage-claim area. Vans transport you to nearby car lots. If there’s a queue, go directly to the lot, where check-ins are quicker.
Bicycle
Cyclists will encounter the gamut of terrain and weather. Winter months are particularly wet, but showers are common year-round. Worse problems are the lack of bicycle lanes and the narrow, winding and busy roads.
An 18-mile coastal bicycle path is slated to run from Lihu′e all the way to Anahola by the late 2000s, and the path is partly completed. Selective bike transportation is feasible but the path currently seems geared toward recreation, rather than commuting.
Bicycle-rental shops are found in Waipouli (Click here), Kapa′a (see boxed text, Click here) and Hanalei (Click here). In general, bicycles are required to follow the same state laws and rules of the road as cars.
Bus
The county’s Kaua′i Bus (241-6410; www.kauai.gov; 3220 Ho′olako St; per trip adult/senior & youth 7-18 $1.50/75¢; 5:15am-7:15pm Mon-Fri, reduced schedule Sat, no service Sun) is fine for traveling along major highway towns and stops, but its routes and runs are limited. Schedules are available online. All buses stop in Lihu′e. The number of trips per route varies; for example, for intra-Lihu′e travel, there is an average of eight departures on weekdays, but for longer routes, such as Lihu′e to Po′ipu, you are stuck with one daily departure from each end.
A few caveats: drivers accept only the exact fare; a monthly pass costs $15; you can transport a bodyboard (but not a surfboard), folding baby stroller or bicycle; stops are marked but might be hard to spot, and the schedule does not include a map.
Buses are air-conditioned and equipped with bicycle racks and wheelchair ramps.
Car & Motorcycle
Kaua′i has one belt road running three-quarters of the way around the island, from Ke′e Beach in the north to Polihale in the west. The Ready Mapbook of Kaua′i ($11) is an invaluable road atlas, sold online at www.hawaiimapsource.com and at island bookstores.
Congestion is rampant, especially between Lihu′e and Kapa′a, where rush-hour traffic is a given. To combat traffic, a ‘contraflow’ lane is created weekdays from 5am to 10:30am on Kuhio Hwy (Hwy 56) in the Wailua area; this turns a northbound lane into a southbound lane by reversing the flow of traffic, so that commuters to Lihu′e have an extra lane open.
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HIGHWAY NICKNAMES
Locals call highways by nickname rather than by number. Here’s a cheat sheet:
Hwy 50 Kaumuali′i Hwy
Hwy 51 Kapule Hwy
Hwy 56 Kuhio Hwy
Hwy 58 Nawiliwili Rd
Hwy 520 Maluhia Rd (Tree Tunnel) and Po′ipu Rd
Hwy 530 Koloa Rd
Hwy 540 Halewili Rd
Hwy 550 Waimea Canyon Dr
Hwy 552 Koke′e Rd
Hwy 560 Kuhio Hwy (continuation of Hwy 56)
Hwy 570 Ahukini Rd
Hwy 580 Kuamo′o Rd
Hwy 581 Kamalu Rd and Olohena Rd
Hwy 583 Ma′alo Rd
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DRIVING DISTANCES & TIMES
Average driving distances and times from Lihu′e are listed below. Allow more time during morning and afternoon rush hours and on weekends.
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Gas prices are steeper on Kaua′i than on O′ahu. Prices vary across the island, so check www.kauaiworld.com/gasprices for the current highs and lows.
Car-rental companies are located at Lihu′e Airport. The familiar major agencies are generally reliable:
Alamo (800-327-9633, Lihu′e 246-0645; www.alamo.com)
Avis (800-331-1212, Lihu′e 245-7995; www.avis.com)
Budget (800-527-0700, Lihu′e 245-9031; www.budget.com)
Dollar (800-800-4000, Lihu′e 246-0622; www.dollar.com)
Hertz (800-654-3011, Lihu′e 245-3356; www.hertz.com)
National (888-868-6207, Lihu′e 245-5636; www.nationalcar.com)
Thrifty (800-847-4389, Lihu′e