Kauaʻi

The island's 2020 population was 73,298. Styling itself the "Garden Isle", Kauai is the site of Waimea Canyon State Park and Nā Pali Coast State Park. It forms the bulk of Kauai County, which includes Niihau as well as the small nearby islands of Kaula and Lehua.

• Name — Kauai • Nickname — The Garden Isle • Area Sqmi — 562.3 • Highest Mount — Kawaikini • Elevation Ft — 5243 • Demonym — Kauaian • Population — 73,298 • Population As Of — 2020 • Density Sqmi — 118 • Country Largest City — Kapaa • Country — United States • Rank — 4th largest Hawaiian Island

Hawaiian narrative derives the name's origin from the legend of Hawaiiloa, the Polynesian navigator credited with discovering the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates that he named the island after a favorite son; a possible translation of Kauai is "place around the neck", describing how a father would carry his child. Another possible translation is "food season". Kauai was known for its distinct dialect of the Hawaiian language, which still survives on Niihau. While the dominant dialect is based on that of Hawaii island, which has no sound, the Kauai dialect had this sound. This happened because the Kauai dialect had retained the old Polynesian sound, replaced in the "standard" Hawaii dialect by. This difference applies to all words with these sounds, so the Kauaian name for Kauai was pronounced "Tauai", and Kapaa was pronounced "Tapaa".

It is uncertain when humans discovered the Hawaiian islands. Early archaeological studies suggested that Polynesian explorers from the Marquesas Islands or Society Islands may have arrived as early as 600AD, possibly with a second wave arriving from Tahiti around 1100AD Later analyses suggest that the first settlers arrived around 900–1200AD

• Illustration — A statue of Captain James Cook commemorating his landing at Waimea, Kauai, January 20, 1778 In January 1778, British navigator James Cook made the first recorded contact between any European and the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands when he arrived at Kauai by accident while crossing the Pacific during his third voyage of exploration. The British immediately observed similarities in language and culture between the Kauaians and the parts of Polynesia with which they were already familiar, such as Tahiti. After some Kauaians were persuaded to board his ship, Cook later wrote: I never saw [indigenous people] so astonished at entering a ship. Their eyes were continually flying from object to object, the wildness of their looks and actions fully expressed their surprise and astonishment. Later, while investigating a location for the ships to anchor, a shore party was mobbed by a crowd, a shot was fired, and one Kauaian was killed. The next day, January 20, 1778, the two ships anchored in Waimea Bay on the southwest coast, where the expedition spent days obtaining fresh water and trading for fresh food. The local people especially valued iron: even small amounts, such as a single nail, could be traded for plentiful food supplies. Within two weeks, Cook left the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands to continue his original mission.

• Illustration — Kamehameha I, portrait by James Gay Sawkins, based on Louis Choris sketch At the time of Cook's visit, the Hawaiian islands comprised several kingdoms. By 1795, the king of Hawaii Island, Kamehameha I, had established the Kingdom of Hawaii, uniting most of the islands, but Kauai remained independent. Kamehameha tried to conquer Kauai in 1796, but stormy seas caused the attack from Oahu to be canceled and he was afterward distracted by events elsewhere. By 1803, Kauai was ruled by Kaumualii, who maintained his independence from the Kingdom of Hawaii. A second invasion of Kauai from Oahu was planned but this too was canceled after an epidemic broke out among Kamehameha's forces. In 1810, a diplomatic agreement was reached whereby Kaumualii agreed to be Kamehameha's vassal, and to cede Kauai to the Kingdom of Hawaii upon his death by making Kamehameha's son his heir.

• Illustration — Artist's impression of Russian Fort Elizabeth overlooking Waimea Bay, Kauai The Schäffer affair was a diplomatic episode instigated in 1815 by Georg Anton Schäffer, a German working with the Russian-American Company. While at Kauai in 1816, Schäffer involved Kaumualii in "a treasonable design" whereby Kauai would accept the protection of the Russian Empire in exchange for exclusive trading privileges. In 1817, a fort was built at Waimea and a Russian flag raised over it. But on Kamehameha's orders, and persuaded by other foreign traders, Kaumualii abandoned his relationship with Schäffer and forced the Russians to leave Kauai.

From the 1830s till the mid-20th century, plantations of sugarcane were Kauai's most important industry. In 1835, the first sugarcane plantation was founded on Kauai, and for the next century the industry dominated Hawaii's economy. Kauai's last sugarcane plantation, the 118-year-old Gay & Robinson Plantation, stopped planting sugarcane in 2008.

In 1835, Old Koloa Town opened a sugar mill. From 1906 to 1934 the office of County Clerk was held by John Mahiai Kāneakua, who had been active in attempts to restore Queen Liliʻuokalani to the throne after the U.S. takeover of Hawaii in 1893.

Valdemar Emil Knudsen was a Norwegian who arrived on Kauai in 1857. Knudsen, or "Kanuka", originally managed Grove Farm in Koloa. He later sought a warmer land and purchased the leases to Mana and Kekaha, where he became a successful sugarcane plantation owner. He settled in Waiawa, between Mana and Kekaha, immediately across the channel from Niihau Island. His son, Eric Alfred Knudsen, was born in Waiawa. Knudsen was appointed land administrator by King Kamehameha IV for an area covering 400 km 2, and was given the title konohiki as well as a position as a noble under the king. Knudsen, who spoke fluent Hawaiian, later became an elected representative and an influential politician. Knudsen lends his name to the Knudsen Gap, a narrow pass between Hāʻupu Ridge and the Kahili Ridge. Its primary function was as a sugar farm.

Hurricane Iniki

The historic 105-acre Valley House home on Kauaʻi, where scenes from Jurassic Park and Pirates of the Caribbean were filmed, is owned by Frank VanderSloot, the wealthy creator of the health and wellness company Melaleuca. He runs the state's two biggest meat-processing facilities and is an advocate for localizing Hawaii's cattle sector. He has said, "The pineapple has vanished. There is no more sugarcane. Cattle are actually the only thing left at the moment".

Mark Zuckerberg#Hawaiian land ownership

• Illustration — Aerial view of Kauai • Illustration — Nā Pali Coast State Park • Illustration — Kalalau Beach The five-million-year-old island, the oldest of the main islands (Niihau is older), was formed volcanically as the Pacific Plate passed over the Hawaiʻi hotspot. It consists of an eroded shield volcano with a 9.3 – caldera and two flanking calderas. Rejuvenation of the volcano 0.6–1.40 million years ago left lava flows and cones over the eastern two-thirds of the island. Kauai's highest peak is Kawaikini, at. The second-highest is Mount Waialeale, near the center of the island, above sea level. One of the wettest spots on earth, with an annual average rainfall of, is on the east side of Mount Waialeale. The rain has eroded deep valleys in the central mountains, carving out canyons with many scenic waterfalls. On the west side of the island, Waimea town is at the mouth of the Waimea River, whose flow formed Waimea Canyon, one of the world's most scenic canyons, which is part of Waimea Canyon State Park. At deep, Waimea Canyon is often called "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Kokeo Point lies on the island's south side. The Nā Pali Coast is an isolated center for recreation, including kayaking along the beaches and hiking on the trail along the coastal cliffs. The headlands Kamala Point, Kawai Point, Kawelikoa Point, Kuahonu Point, Paoa Point, and Molehu Point are on the southeast of the island; Makaokahai Point and Weli Point are in the south.

Kauai Kauai's climate is tropical, with generally humid and stable conditions year-round, although infrequent storms cause severe flooding. At the lower elevations, the annual precipitation varies from an average of about on the windward (northeastern) shore to less than on the (southwestern) leeward side of the island. The average temperature in Līhuʻe, the county seat, ranges from in February to in August and September. Kauai's mountainous regions offer cooler temperatures in contrast to the warm coastal areas. At Kōkee State Park, ASL, day temperatures vary from an average of in January to in July. In the winter, temperatures have been known to drop down to the 30s and 40s at the park, which holds an unofficial record low of, recorded in February 1986 at Kanaloahuluhulu Meadow. Precipitation in Kauai's mountainous regions averages annually. About southeast of Kōkee state park, at an elevation of, is the Mt. Waialeale rain gauge. Mt. Waialeale is often cited as the wettest spot on earth, although this has been disputed. Based on data for the period from 1931 through 1960, the average yearly precipitation was (U.S. Environmental Science Services Administration, 1968). Between 1949 and 2004, the average yearly precipitation at Mt. Waialeale was. Kauai also holds a record in hourly precipitation. During a storm on January 24–25, 1956, a rain gauge at Kauai's former Kilauea Sugar Plantation recorded a record of precipitation in just 60 minutes. The value for one hour is an underestimate, since the rain gauge overflowed, which may have resulted in an error by as much as. An accurate measurement may have exceeded Holt, Missouri's world-record rainfall of in 42 minutes on June 22, 1947.

Hawaii Standard Time (UTC−10:00) is observed on Kauai year-round. When mainland states are on daylight saving time, for example, the time on Kauai is three hours behind the West Coast of the United States and six hours behind the East Coast.

• Waimea River • Hanalei River • Hanapēpē River • Wainiha River • Wailuā River • Makaweli River • Hulāia River Hulēia River • Kalihi Wai River • Anahola River • Lumahai River • Kōula River • Olokele River • Kīlauea Stream • Waikomo Stream

• Hālii Falls • Hanakāpīai Falls • Hinalele Falls • Kalihi Wai Falls • Kīlauea Falls • Mānāwaiopuna Falls • Ōpaekaa Falls • Wailua Falls • Waipoo Falls • Illustration — Waipoo Falls at Waimea Canyon State Park • Illustration — Mānāwaiopuna Falls • Illustration — Wailua Falls

Tourism is Kauai's largest industry. In 2007, 1,271,000 people visited. The two largest groups were from the continental United States (84% of all visitors) and Japan (3%). As of 2003, approximately 27,000 jobs existed on Kauai. The largest sector was accommodation/food services (26%, 6,800 jobs), followed by government (15%) and retail (14.5%), with agriculture accounting for 2.9% (780 jobs) and educational services providing 0.7% (183 jobs). The visitors' industry accounted for one third of Kauai's income. Employment is dominated by small businesses, with 87% of all non-farm businesses having fewer than 20 employees. As of 2003, Kauai's poverty rate was 10.5%, compared to the mainland at 10.7%. As of 2014, the median home price was about $400,000. • Illustration — Pacific Missile Range Facility northwest of Kekaha, Kauai Land in Kauai is very fertile; farmers raise many varieties of fruit and other crops. Guava, coffee, sugarcane, mango, banana, papaya, avocado, star fruit, kava, noni and pineapple are all cultivated on the island, but most agricultural land is used for raising cattle. Kauai is home to the U.S. Navy's "Barking Sands" Pacific Missile Range Facility, on the western shore. MF and HF ("shortwave") radio station WWVH, sister station to WWV and low frequency WWVB in Fort Collins, Colorado, is on the west coast of Kauai, about south of Barking Sands. WWVH, WWV and WWVB are operated by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, broadcasting standard time and frequency information to the public.

Kauai Island Utility Cooperative was formed in November 2002. KIUC operates as a not-for-profit organization that is owned by its members and governed by an elected board of directors. It serves 39,978 meters (electric accounts). Of those, it has 29,000 residential member-owners and 4,000 commercial member-owners. KIUC serves 550 square miles with 1,530 transmission and distribution lines. Its generating capacity is 259.2 megawatts. In 2023, KIUC reported that 57.8% of its electricity came from renewable energy sources. In 2023, the fuel mix by source was 42.1% fossil fuel, 24.7% utility solar, 13.4% customer solar, and 7.8% biomass. KIUC is headquartered in Līhue. In the 1970s, Kauai burned sugarcane waste to supply most of its electricity. By 2008, transition of energy sources and growth in generating capacity had occurred, with most of Kauai's electricity produced by imported liquid petroleum. In 2006 and 2007, the inputs cost $69.3 million and $83 million, respectively. By 2011, 92% of KIUC's power came from diesel. By 2017, KIUC's fuel mix was 56% fossil fuels, 9% hydroelectric, 12% biomass and 23% solar. KIUC integrated large-scale solar into its grid so that, during sunny daylight hours, 97% or more of its generation came from renewable sources. KIUC offers $1,000 rebates to residential customers who have solar water heating systems installed on their homes. In 2017, KIUC opened a Tesla Energy 13 MW / 52 MWh battery next to the 12 MW Kapaia solar plant for 13.9¢/kWh. In December 2018, KIUC opened an AES Distributed Energy project for 20 MW solar with 20 MW / 100 MWh batteries priced at 11.1¢/kWh.

Līhue, on the island's southeastern coast, is the seat of Kauai County and the island's second-largest town. Kapaa, on the "Coconut Coast" (site of an old coconut plantation) about north of Līhue, has a population of over 10,000, or about 50% greater than Līhue. Princeville, on the island's north side, was once the capital of Kauai. Communities on Kauai range in population from the roughly 10,000 people in Kapaa to tiny hamlets. Below are the larger or more notable of those from the northernmost end of Hawaii Route 560 to the western terminus of Hawaii Route 50: Kauai towns and villages by population • Name || population • Hāena State Park — 550 • Wainiha — 419 • Hanalei — 450 • Princeville — 2,158 • Kalihi Wai — 428 • Kīlauea — 3,014 • Anahola — 2,311 • Kapaa — 11,652 • Wailua — 2,359 • Hanamāulu — 4,994 • Līhue — 8,004 • Wailua Homesteads — 5,863 • Puhi — 3,380 • Poipū — 1,299 • Kōloa — 2,231 • Lāwai — 2,578 • Kalāheo — 4,996 • Eleele — 2,515 • Hanapēpē — 2,678 • Kaumakani — 749 • Waimea — 2,057 • Kekaha — 3,715 • Pākalā — 294 • Keālia — 103 • Illustration — Hanalei town with a view of Mt. Na Molokama, and Māmalahoa • Illustration — Northeastern coast of Kauai, near Kīlauea • Illustration — View of the Pacific Ocean, from the island's south shore • Illustration — Anahola Bay is a snorkeling and swimming beach with clear pools and a long coral reef.

• Illustration — The commercial area in Port Allen Located on the southeastern side of the island, Lihue Airport is the island's only commercial airport. It has direct routes to Honolulu, Kahului/Maui, Kona/Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, and Vancouver, Canada. General aviation airports on the island are Port Allen Airport and Princeville Airport. The Pacific Missile Range Facility has a 6,006-foot runway that is closed to general aviation traffic, but could be used for an emergency landing.

Some Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line ships stop in Nawiliwili Harbor, Līhuʻe.

Several state highways serve Kauai County: • Hawaii Route 50, also known as Kaumualii Highway, is a thirty-three mile road that stretches from Hawaii Route 56 at the junction of Rice Street in Līhue to a point approximately 1/5 mile north of the northernmost entrance of the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the far western shore. • Hawaii Route 58 stretches from Route 50 in Līhue to the junction of Wapaa Road with Hawaii 51 near Nawiliwili Harbor on Kauai. • Hawaii Route 56, also known as Kuhio Highway, runs from Hawaii Route 50 at the junction of Rice Street in Līhue to the junction of Hawaii Route 560 in Princeville. • Hawaii Route 560 passes from the junction of Route 56 in Princeville and dead ends at Kee Beach in Haena State Park. Other major highways that link other parts of the Island to the main highways of Kauai are: • Hawaii Route 55 covers from the junction of Route 50 in Kekaha to meet with Hawaii Route 550 south of Kokee State Park in the Waimea Canyon. • Hawaii Route 550 spans from Route 50 in Waimea to Kōkee State Park. • Hawaii Route 540 goes from Route 50 in Kalaheo to Route 50 in Eleele. The road is mainly an access to residential areas and Kauai Coffee. It also functions as a bypass between Kalaheo and Eleele. • Hawaii Route 530, also called Kōloa Road, stretches from Route 50 between Kalaheo and Lawai to Route 520 in Koloa. The road is mainly an alternative to Route 520 for travel from the west side to Poipū. • Hawaii Route 520 runs from the "Tunnel of Trees" at Route 50 to Poipū on the south shore. • Hawaii Route 570 covers from Route 56 in Līhue to Līhue Airport. • Hawaii Route 580 spans from Route 56 in Wailua to where the road is no longer serviced just south of the Wailua Reservoir. • Hawaii Route 581 passes from Route 580 in the Wailua Homesteads to a roundabout just west of Kapaa Town. • Hawaii Route 583, also known as Maalo Road, stretches from Route 56 just north of Līhue to dead-end at Wailua Falls Overlook in the interior.

• Holo Holo Koloa Scenic Byway, this state designated scenic byway runs over and connects many of Kauai's most historical and cultural sights such as the Maluhia Road (Tree Tunnel), Puhi (Spouting Horn), The National Tropical Botanical Gardens, and the Salt Beds.

The Kauai Bus is the public transportation service of the County of Kauai.

• Illustration — Kauai Hindu monastery • Illustration — The Spouting Horn: located on the southern coast of Kauai The Kauai Heritage Center of Hawaiian Culture and the Arts was founded in 1998. Its mission is to nurture appreciation and respect for Hawaiian culture. It offers classes in Hawaiian language, hula, lei and cordage making, the lunar calendar, chanting, and trips to cultural sites. • Alakai Wilderness Area • Allerton Garden • Camp Naue YMCA • Fern Grotto • Hāena State Park • Hanalei Bay • Hoopii Falls • Honopū Valley • Kōkee State Park • Limahuli Garden and Preserve • Makaleha Mountains • Makauwahi Cave Reserve • McBryde Garden • Moir Gardens • Moloaa Bay • Na Āina Kai Botanical Gardens • Nā Pali Coast State Park • Ōpaekaa Falls • Paoa Point • Poipū Beach Park • Polihale State Park • Queen's Bath • Sleeping Giant (Nounou Mountain) • Spouting Horn • Wailuā River • Waimea Canyon State Park

• Illustration — Manawaiopuna Falls, known as "Jurassic Falls" and featured in the 1993 Steven Spielberg film Jurassic Park Kauaʻi has been featured in more than 70 Hollywood movies and TV shows, including the musical South Pacific and Disney's 2002 animated feature film Lilo & Stitch along with its franchise's three sequel films (2003's Stitch! The Movie, 2005's Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, and 2006's Leroy & Stitch) and first television series (Lilo & Stitch: The Series). Scenes from South Pacific were filmed in the vicinity of Hanalei. Waimea Canyon was used in the filming of the 1993 film Jurassic Park and its 2015 sequel Jurassic World was shot in Kauaʻi. Scenes by a waterfall in Mighty Joe Young were shot in Kauaʻi. Parts of the island were used for the opening scenes of the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. Other movies filmed here include Six Days Seven Nights, the 1976 King Kong, and John Ford's 1963 film Donovan's Reef. Recent films include Tropic Thunder and a biopic of Bethany Hamilton, Soul Surfer. A scene in the opening credits of popular TV show M*A*S*H was filmed in Kauaʻi (helicopter flying over mountain top). Some scenes from Just Go with It, George of the Jungle, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides were also filmed in Kauaʻi. A Perfect Getaway is set in Kauai. Parts of the 2002 film Dragonfly were filmed in 2001 in Kauaʻi, but the people and the land were presented as South American. Major acts of two Elvis Presley films, 1961's Blue Hawaii and 1966's Paradise, Hawaiian Style, were filmed on Kauaʻi. Both have scenes shot at the Coco Palms resort. The Descendants, a 2011 film, has major parts shot in Kauaʻi, where the main character and his cousins own ancestral lands they are considering selling. The film is based on the 2007 novel by Hawaiian writer Kaui Hart Hemmings. The Crew Motorfest, an open world racing game, will featuring Kauaʻi in the Season 11 update, alongside the "Kauaʻi Expeditions" playlist. This update scheduled to release on October 7, 2026.