Interline Adventures...

KAUAI AND MAUI:

HAWAII AT ITS MOST COLORFUL

If I were limited to my two favorite Hawaiian islands, they would have to be Kauai and Maui. To me, these two offer the best of Hawaii’s culture, beaches, activities, food, and accommodations, as well as a very colorful floral front to explore. Many of my favorite and most colorful hikes in the world have happened on these two islands.

When I say color, I mean every color of the rainbow (and garden). From your hotel balcony to a hike through one of many colorful public botanical gardens or rainforests, the two islands of Kauai and Maui offer Hawaii at its most colorful. Nowhere in the world will the colors seem as vibrant as the oranges of a Bird of Paradise, the bright reds of a vriesea, the varied shades of orchids and hibiscus (the state flower), fragrant and colorful ginger plants, the elemental geometry of heliconias, newly harvested red anthuriums, and the grandeur of blossoms of fuschia or other brightly colored protea.

Obviously, the varied colors, shapes, and smells of Hawaii’s flowers and plants are almost endless, as are your opportunities to enjoy them in a natural setting. Dozen of leis hanging around my house evoke colorful memories of special visits to both islands.

With their spectacular natural environment and easy accessibility, Kauai and Maui are the perfect destinations for adventure travelers like me. From the mountains to the beaches, every day is colorful. Each day can include everything from leisurely times on the beach to scuba diving, boating, hiking, biking, and exploring the incredible diversity anywhere outside. Kauai and Maui are ideal for the outdoors set. Whether you visit both in one trip (which is easy with their airline service) or decide to explore just one at a time, I can guarantee a colorful experience.

Though both islands welcome thousands of tourists annually, you’ll rarely feel like you’re surrounded by visitors. Tourism is concentrated in several specific commercial areas and, once away from them, you’ll find yourself amidst the quiet color, history, and culture of an earlier Hawaii. Whether you choose to stay in a traditional tourist area or in a more remote region, you’ll find the atmosphere and people laid-back and casual.

Kauai has only 50,000 residents and Maui has around 100,000, so it’s easy to find your own space. However, when you do meet the locals from either island, you’ll find friendly folks interested in helping you enjoy their homeland.

For me, anytime is the right time to visit Hawaii. But, generally speaking, summertime and mid-winter are the busiest periods for flights. There are direct flights to both islands from the mainland, as well as more frequent flights from Oahu (through which many people connect from the mainland). I’ll go anytime, but the planes do seem to be less booked in the spring and fall.

KAUAI

Hawaii’s “Island of Discovery,” Kauai was one of the first Hawaiian islands to be populated. Whoever these early inhabitants were around 500 A.D., their skills in exceptional stonework are unique to the island and are still evident today.

The intrepid explorer Captain James Cook and his crew first landed in Hawaii at Waimea on Kauai’s west coast in 1778. These first ‘tourists’ shocked the native Hawaiians with their large ships, remarkable attire, and strange language. They spent five days on Kauai, learning some of the culture, language, and trading, as well as enjoying the legendary Hawaiian hospitality. Many more happy visitors would follow. Of course, Captain Cook wouldn’t believe the stunning resorts now lining Waimea and elsewhere.

Kauai is one of eight main islands that comprise the Hawaiian chain. The oldest of the main islands, Kauai is 25 miles wide and 33 miles long. It is remarkable for its spectacular and widely varied landscape, ranging from Waimea Canyon (the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”) to the Na Pali Coast, with cliffs rising 2,700 feet, as well as more than 40 stunning white sand beaches. Within Kauai’s 552 square miles, there are many distinct micro-climates, including coastal sand dunes, desert-like plateaus, verdant river valleys, foothills, and mist-shrouded mountain tops.

Kauai has virtually no manufacturing--tourism is its major industry and the island has greatly benefited from visitors without compromising the beauty of the island. Kauai residents have become very active in developing ways to diversify the economy, including aquaculture and extensive tropical flower cultivation.

Kauai’s widely varied landscape is equaled only by the diversity of its resort retreats. Starting with the aforementioned west side of the island, visitors find a fine example of the old-fashioned plantation-style towns that used to dominate the island. It’s home to the large resorts, quaint cottage-style getaways, and the charming town of Hanapepe.

Poipu Beach is on the sunny dry south coast of the island. Along with great weather, it is blessed with wide white beaches. Poipu Beach has become the fastest-growing destination on Kauai, with a diverse range of accommodations, including bed-and-breakfasts, cottages, villas, vacation homes, condominiums, and hotels. It’s also famous for watersports, including scuba diving, snorkeling, boogie boarding, and excellent swimming conditions.

Kalapaki Beach on the southeast coast reflects a perfect blending of the Hawaii of yesterday and today. Kalapaki Bay is a favorite surfing, swimming, and fishing spot. Near Lihue Airport and Nawiliwili Harbor, this convenient area features hotels, motels, and condominiums.

The Royal Coconut Coast, on the east side of the island, is named for its acres of ancient coconut groves. This is where the ancient chiefs once lived and there are still many reminders of their lives. The Royal Coconut Coast is home to numerous budget and moderately-priced accommodations, as well as many shopping and dining options.

Finally, the tropical North Shore of Kauai is famous for its spectacular setting, including the Na Pali Coast and ‘Bali Hai,’ the famous view in the film, South Pacific. Visitor accommodations are also varied, including upscale resorts and moderately-priced condominiums and bed-and-breakfasts.

The beaches of Kauai are located in the resort areas and elsewhere. Some of the best include: Hanalei Bay Beach; Kalapaki Beach; Lumahai Beach; Lydgate Beach Park; Poipu Beach; Polihale Beach; and many others.

Kauai’s attractions are as varied as its resort areas and beaches. Waimea Canyon State Park should definitely be at the top of the list. The view of the 3,000-foot canyon is staggering. Hues of orange and red are splashed against the tropical green of 1,866 acres of park land. The hiking opportunities are endless.

Kokee State Park is contiguous with Waimea Canyon and is another mecca for hikers, campers, and outdoor enthusiasts. This sprawling park is heavily wooded and offers numerous hiking trails for a unique perspective of the island (including Kalalau Lookout, which peeks over cliffs to the ocean 4,120 feet below).

Na Pali Coast State Park is another can’t-miss Kauai attraction. Kalalau, the best known valley, can be reached by an 11-mile trail that snakes its way up and down steep cliffs. Other than this trail, this rugged uninhabited coastline, breathtaking in beauty, can be viewed by boat or helicopter.

On the floral front, the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG, 808/332-7324) is the nation’s only botanical garden chartered by the U.S. Congress. They offer fascinating tours at three garden sites on the island: Lawai, Allerton, and Limahuli. In addition, the NTGB has Kahanu Garden on Maui (see below), The Kampong in southeast Florida, and additional preserves on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Lawai Garden, the site of NTBG’s headquarters, encompasses 186 acres in Kauai’s lush Lawai Valley. The garden is made up of rare and unusual varieties of native Hawaiian plants, as well as extensive collections of tropical plants from around the world.

The adjacent Allerton Garden, formerly a private estate, is managed by NTBG under an agreement with the Allerton Estate Trust. This historic 100-acre garden is made up of tropical flowers and trees set amidst pathways, fountains, sculptures, and other outstanding examples of landscape architecture and design. Reservations (808/742-2623) are required for tours.

The 17-acre Limahuli Garden, on Kauai’s magnificent north shore, is surrounded by towering mountains, breathtaking beauty, and a 900-acre natural preserve. The garden consists of rare and endangered native Hawaiian and other tropical plants, including, many with significance to Hawaiian culture. The area also features ancient sites of great historical and archaeological importance, including stone-faced terraces believed to be more than 700 years old. Limahuli Garden offers both guided and self-guided tours, but reservations (808/826-1053) are required for both.

Other botanical bounty abounds on Kauai. In Kilauea, Guava Kai Plantation (808/828-6121) features anthuriums, fruit trees, tropical flowers, and much more. At the visitor center, which is open daily, you can sample guava juice, jellies, syrup, and other guava based condiments.

Smith’s Tropical Paradise (808/821-6892), next to the Wailua River, features acres of tropical plants, trees, lily ponds, and strutting peacocks. It’s typical of the flowering paradise of Kauai.

Of course, there are many other options to explore the colorful outdoors of Kauai. If you simply start walking, it’s often just a short stroll from your hotel room. Colorful Kauai is typically just outside your door.

MAUI

Second largest of the Hawaiian Islands, Maui doesn’t play second fiddle when it comes to tourism (like Kauai, tourism is Maui’s top industry). At 48 miles in length and 26 miles at its widest point, Maui also packs lots of color and variety onto one island.

If there is one reason for Maui’s enduring popularity, it’s the island’s diversity. The options include sand beaches, tropical rainforests, rolling green pasture lands, dryland forests, and spectacular rocky cliffs.

A Maui day may mean snorkeling off of the incredible beaches Kapalua Bay, Kaanapali, Kihei, Wailea, Makena, or Hamoa Beach, windsurfing or sailing in perfect conditions, world-famous whale watching, playing a round of golf on one of Maui’s many championship courses, hiking in a forest or in a volcano crater, downhill biking off Haleakala’s summit, driving along one of America’s great roads--Hana Highway, or riding sure-footed mules on the nearby island of Molokai. As for weather--although Maui’s average temperature is between 75 and 85 degrees, any given day can include sunrises at 40 degrees at the top of Haleakala Crater, tradewinds at noon on the beaches of Kihei, and sunsets in the west on crisp evenings.

These settings and temperatures also mean ideal conditions for colorful flora. Throughout the island, gardens grow some of the world’s prettiest plants and flowers. Several commercial operations make it easy to explore Maui’s magnificent floral front.

Maui is a tropical flower lover’s fantasy island. Trade winds blow across the vast Pacific Ocean, bringing pure and cool rains to nurture the island’s lovely rainforests and Upcountry areas on the slopes of Mt. Haleakala. The mineral-rich volcanic soil and gentle warm breezes provide one of the world’s finest growing environments for tropicals and exotics.

Hawaii leads the world in tropical flower quality and production, with Maui being the state’s premier producer of the many varieties grown. Generations of farmers have worked hard to develop new and long lasting varieties of tropical blooms. The cool Upcountry area produces stunning species of proteas, while the rainforests of east Maui and Hana are home to the bold and multi-colored tropicals and exotics.

Maui Tropical Plantation (808/244-7643) in Waikapu, where they’ve turned farming into a tourist attraction, is one of the best places to start. A tram ride tours the 60-acre plantation, while guides describe how sugar, pineapple, and other Maui crops and tropical plants are grown. Of course, the gift shop is one of the most popular parts of any visit.

The Upcountry area features ideal conditions and many growers. The possibilities include Maui Carnation Farm (808/878-2800), the Enchanting Floral Gardens (808/878-2531), Kula Botanical Gardens (808/878-1715), and many other flower farms.

Located in Kula, the Enchanting Floral Gardens is a perfect rest point on the road to or from Haleakala Crater. Here, eight acres at an elevation of 2,500 feet feature more than 1500 species of tropical and semi-tropical plants and flowers from around the world. A path leads to banks of glorious specimens covering every square inch of land, including exotic proteas, orchids, hibiscus, jade vines, and a variety of fruit trees.

Also conveniently located, Kula Botanical Gardens features a walk through the garden on paths surrounded by tropical and native Hawaiian plants of all varieties. There’s also a reception center, a gift shop, a picnic area, and amazing views of Maui and the Pacific Ocean.

With the famed Hana Highway, the all-American romance with the road takes another dimension when the road has 600 curves and 54 one-lane bridges in 56 miles. No visit to Maui would be complete without driving out to Hana, passing several colorfully tropical stops along the way.

Located about midway along the Hana Highway, the Garden of Eden Arboretum & Botanical Garden is a great stop. This special place is the vision and creation of Alan Bradbury, the islands first certified arborist and landscape designer. His eden features more than 500 exotic plants and trees from the South Pacific region and tropical rainforests around the world. A wonderful walking trail leads past a waterfall, an orchid garden, an orchard, a forest, a mango tree, a banana patch, and much more.

Also about halfway, Keanae Arboretum (808/984-8100) has six acres of trees and ornamental and food plants displayed along a marked nature trail. Highlights include heliconia, guava, breadfruit, ginger, and many more. This valley area averages more than 150 inches of rain a year.

The National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG, see above) also has a garden on Maui’s Hana Coast. Kahanu Garden (808/248-8912, reservations required) grows amid black lava flows in splendid isolation. Its 124 acres encompass the distant past, with an Hawaiian temple that was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Kahanu is an ideal place to preserve and study plants important to the people of Hawaii. An expanded collection of palms, coconuts, pandanus, and other important ethno-botanical plants is being added to the world-class collection of breadfruit.

You can literally stop at roadside shops and stands to see (and purchase) a wide variety of Maui’s bounty. But for a lasting memory of Hawaii, contact the Maui Flower Growers Association (800/805-2758, www.mauiflower.com) while you’re visiting or back on the mainland.

They offer a variety of gift boxes, with growers and shippers selecting the finest blooms for mainland shipping and typically arriving by express shipping in two or three days. Their assorted tropicals, proteas, and other exotics have a natural vase life of up to three weeks.

This non-profit organization is dedicated to the production and worldwide distribution of tropical flowers, foliage, and protea. Their ‘ohana’ (family) is made of growers and shippers concentrated in the rainforests of East Maui and Hana, as well a the Upcountry area of Kula. Of course, along with mail order, you can visit many of the Association members. It’s a colorful souvenir of two of Hawaii’s most colorful islands.