Page 161 - Hawaii: Diving, Surfing, Pearl Harbor, Volcanoes and More

ALAKAI SWAMP TRAIL Experience Hawaii’s rare birds and plants NIIHAU VISIT See “The Forbidden Island” with the Robinson family
along a boardwalk trail above the swampy muck. This 7-mile round aboard their seven-passenger helicopter. You’ll see isolated beaches
trip hike has stupendous views, but the clouds usually roll in with rain where you can snorkel, beach comb, and search for rare Niihau shells.
every afternoon. The trail head is off Mohihi Road near the Alakai Private hunting tours for wild boar and hybrid sheep are available.
Picnic Area. Call (808) 335-3500. Hawaiian languange and culture are practiced
here and thus contact with residents is avoided.
KAUAI INSERT
KAUAI FACTS: NIIHAU FACTS:

Area: 533 sq. miles (1390 sq. km) Area: 73 Square Miles (190 sq. km)
Coastline: 90 miles (145 km) Coastline: 40 miles (65 km)
E to W Length: 33 miles (53 km) E to W Length: 17 miles (27 km)
N to S Width: 25 miles (40 km) N to S Width: 5 miles (8 km)
Population: 55,000 Population: 220
High Spot: Kawaikini, 5243 ft (1598 m) High Spot: Paniau 1281 ft. (390 m)
Rainfall:
Mt. Waialeale - 451 in (1145 cm)/yr* SOUTH SHORE DETAIL INSERT
Princeville - 85 in (216 cm)/yr
Kapaa - 48 in (122 cm)/yr ALLERTON GARDEN & McBRYDE GARDEN of the THE NA-
Poipu - 36 in (92 cm)/y TIONAL TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN This is a fantastic
Waimea - 19 in (48 cm)/yr collection of rare and endangered plants, plus extraordinary tropi-
* Rainiest Spot on Earth cal fruit trees, and hundreds of varieties of flowers on the 186-acre
Lawai Gardens. Next door is the 1860s royal home of Queen Emma,
NI’IHAU “The Forbidden Island” is a privately owned island, with with formal gardens, fountains, streams, waterfalls, and European
a working cattle and sheep ranch where few visitors are allowed. In statuary. The Visitor Center is across the street from Spouting Horn,
1864, after an unusually wet winter, the landscape was verdant green (808) 742-2623.
when Eliza Sinclair, a Scottish widow, bought the island from King
Kamehameha IV for $10,000. The next year, normal weather returned OLD KOLOA TOWN Visit the Koloa History Center located in the

and the green pastures withered into sparse semi-desert vegetation. Koloa Town Mall to see artifacts from the early plantation days of
Today, Sinclair’s great-great-grandson runs the ranch and protects the Kauai’s first successful sugar plantation, built here in 1835. Pick up a
privacy of 200 native Hawaiian residents who live without modern 14 site Koloa Heritage Trail Map for highlights of the culture and his-
conveniences. tory of the Koloa District.