7 things I learnt about Kaua’i

1) Captain Cook made his first landing in the Hawaiian Islands at Waimea beach on Kauai. Kauai is also the northernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago. On a related note, Hawaii is the most isolated inhabited land mass in the world. Oh, and Kauai is over six million years old.

2) Kaua’i is full of microclimates so renting a car might have been the smartest thing we did. You can experience cold weather and rain, drive through hot-hot-hot summer and refreshing spring. I love it.

3) By law, no building on Kauai is allowed to be built taller than a palm tree. Which is so nice. And cute. Kauai in general is very in eco-friendly and all about keeping the island self-sustainable and tourist-free. In 2007 there were actually angry protesters trying to keep a super-ferry from letting ashore 150 tourist because the ferry would create overcrowding and problems with increased traffic, as well as endanger animals like whales and seals. And they succeeded in shutting the ferry down.

4) Kauai is the legendary home of the Menehune, a mythical race of very small people who performed legendary feats of construction and engineering. Like Hawaiian leprechauns.

5) Kaua’i has a more churches than people (probably note true, but it does seem like it when you’re driving around) and some very religious people. Even a couple of doom’s day people.

6) The official nickname of the island is: “The Garden Island”. I can’t for the life of me imagine why. <— irony! This valley can be seen in Jurassic Park and Pirates.

7) Kauai Coffee is the largest coffee plantation in the United States. I happen to love coffee. It’s a match made in Heaven. Coffee Heaven. Luckily we have Kauai Coffee in Oahu as well.