Most tour books identify the North Shore as anything north of Kapa`a on Kauai's Coconut Coast.
Between Kapa`a and the town of Anahola, there are several beaches worth seeing plus several pullouts along Highway 56 where you can look north and south along the coast. The town of Anahola offers one of the best views of Kalalea Mountain and what is referred to by some as "King Kong's Profile." Quite frankly, I could not make out the great beast in the mountain.
The drive from Anahola to Kilauea is somewhat lacking in things to see, but that is quickly corrected as you enter Kilauea and proceed to the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge. Here you are standing at the northernmost point in the main Hawaiian Islands.
The lighthouse itself is worth the visit but there is so much more to see. Numerous seabirds make use of the refuge for nesting, including the Laysan Albatross (the gooney bird). Many of the birds can be seen on Moku`ae`ae Island just a bit offshore. You can easily spend several hours here. If you go, be sure to bring your binoculars and the telephoto lens for your camera.
After Kilauea your next stop is likely to be either in Princeville, the resort area a few miles to the west or at the famous Hanalei Lookout with one of the most famous views of Hawaii featured on postcards, books and magazines.
After the lookout the highway number changes from 56 to 560 and narrows somewhat as it curves down into the Hanalei Valley. The road hugs the river until it enters the town of Hanalei. Hanalei is a town that definitely deserves some time to explore. There are also a large number of restaurants that are considered some of the best on Kauai. We decided to have lunch at Zelo's Beach House, where the food is excellent and the portions huge.
The highway past Hanalei passes some of the most beautiful beaches in Hawaii. One of these is Lumaha`i Beach where much of the motion picture "South Pacific" was filmed. The path down to the beach is not easy to find and the walk down can be a bit slippery, but the views of the beach and waves crashing against the nearby rocks are exceptional.
The road ends at Ke`e Beach where, if you are daring and in good shape, you can hike along the northern part of the Kalalau Trail along the Na Pali Coast. The initial hike up the trail is steep and quite rocky. We walked about a quarter of a mile and decided that we were neither in good enough shape nor did we have the proper shoes and gear to hike further.
The drive back from Ke`e to Lihue takes between 45 minutes and an hour depending on traffic. If you return in late afternoon on a weekday you're likely to encounter some traffic and you pass through Anahola and Kapa`a.
When we last visited Kauai it was on a daytrip with Polynesian Adventure Tours. Our tour guide Alicia made all of promise to return to Kauai for a longer visit. We waited much too long to get back to Kauai. Despite the weather, we gained a much better appreciation for the island and we're determined to get back again soon.
Tomorrow we're back on Maui. We have no set plans for the day other than to attend Warren and Annabelle's Magic in Lahaina in the evening. I first saw this show on my visit last January and I decided then that when I returned this year with Eileen, I would take her to this wonderful show.
View additional photos of Kauai in one of our Kauai Photo Galleries.
