Driving on Kauai North Shore
My favorite drive on Kauai has no real destination. It’s called Highway 560 and it is full of gorgeous scenery, amazing beaches, caves to spelunk, waterfalls, funky towns, quaint old churches and one lane bridges. It is 10 miles long and terminates at a dead end. In the true tradition on the “Sunday Drive”, it is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon driving on the north shore on the garden isle of Kauai.
Highway 56 is the main route north on Kauai. It starts out by the airport in the town of Lihue, runs through Kapa’a and on up to the resort community of Princeville. As you pass by Princeville, Highway 56 turns into Highway 560 and the mile markers start over at 0. For you trivia buffs, Highway 560 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. This makes it one of 100 roads nationwide which have made this list.
This drive starts out when Highway 56 turns into Highway 560 at the Hanalei Valley Lookout. There is a gas station across the street from the lookout which is the last place to get gas until you come back. This lookout demands a camera with alternating light green and dark green patches of taro fields, dramatic waterfalls and a view of the old Hanalei Bridge. You will see this view plastered on postcards in every general store on Kauai. This valley is where the majority of Taro is grown in Hawaii. The root portion of taro (taro corm) is ground down and used as the main ingredient in poi – a staple found at every lu’au.
As you wind down the hill into the valley, you will come to the old-style, one lane Hanalei Bridge. These one lane bridges require a little co-operation to cross. One lane bridge etiquette in Kauai demands that ALL vehicles on one side proceed before the other side goes. Therefore, if the car in front of you goes, you go as well. The surface of this bridge is wooden and does get slippery in the wet. As you drop down into the valley, time seems to slow down and stress seems to disappear as you enter rural Hawaii.
After you pass through the valley, you come into the funky old town of Hanalei. Hanalei is comprised of an eclectic mix of locals, celebrities and dedicated surfers. If hungry, I like the seafood found at the Dolphin. Good Mexican food can be found at the Tropical Taco (located in the Halele’a Building on the ocean side of the road) and amazing baked goods can be purchased at the Polynesia Café. Shave Ice (not a snow cone) is a wonderful Hawaiian treat and can be found here at Paradise Shave Ice if you have a sweet tooth.
I think it is mandatory to stop and take a picture of the wonderful old green Waioli Hulia Church found about mid-town on your left. The church was built by missionaries in 1841 and with the Na Molokama mountains in the background, makes for a really nice shot. If you are of the mind, you might want to check on service times at waioli@aloha.net. Listening to hymns sung in Hawaiian is a wonderful experience.
As you leave Hanalei, the road will begin to rise a bit and you will come to a turn out on the right or “makai” (toward the ocean) side of the road which overlooks Lumaha’i Beach. This beach was made famous when the movie “South Pacific” was filmed here in 1957. It is an absolutely spectacular crescent shaped, white sand beach. The eastern portion of the beach is the most user friendly but does require a short hike to reach. Easier access to the beach can be found just before the Lumaha’i Stream just down the road. While beautiful, swimming should be cautioned as there can be pretty strong rip tides found here.
After you are beyond Lumaha’i Beach, the drive enters rain forest land with an amazing variety of trees and tropical vegetation. At the mile 6 marker, you will come upon Wainiha Beach which is a wonderful spot to beachcomb but again, the swimming is not safe here.
As you pass the mile 8 marker, you will come upon Tunnels Beach which is well known for excellent snorkeling and scuba adventure. The excellent snorkeling and scuba is due to a reef running in front of the beach that is so large it can be seen from space. While the beach is good for snorkeling, scuba, windsurfing and surfing, it will not be overly crowded as parking is very limited. Access to the beach can be found via a dirt road located 4/10 of a mile past the mile 8 marker. There is also another dirt access road found 6/10 of a mile past the mile 8 marker. If all else fails, you can try taking Alealea Street found just before the mile 8 marker, park near the sand and walk to your left until you reach the beach.
Continuing on down the road, just before you reach the mile 9 marker, you will come upon the Manoa Stream. During inclement weather, the stream rises up over the road and tends to create a lot of potholes here so be careful as some of them become quite large.
Just past Manoa Stream at the mile 9 marker, you reach Ha’ena Beach. The beach here is pretty but again, the swimming is risky. The parking lot tends to be busy with a few local vendors selling fresh coconuts out of the back of their pick-ups etc. Across the road from the beach, you will see the Manini-holo dry caves. You can walk into these open caves and they make for great photo opportunities as you can reach up and touch the ceiling. Makes you look like Atlas holding up the world. In Hawaiian lore, Manini-holo was the chief fisherman of the Menehune. He dug the caves out looking for “akua” which were supernatural beasts which he thought were stealing his fish.
The road ends at mile marker 10. From here on there is nothing but wilderness and hiking trails along the Na Pali coastline. At the end of the line, you will find Ke’e Beach (also know as Ha’ena State Park) which is usually included in any “top 5 beaches on Kauai” list. Although you seem to be in the middle of nowhere, the main parking lot can get quite full here. One little tip is to take the dirt road found on the right side. Great parking can usually be found about 40 yards back here and even a few picnic tables. Ke’e Beach features a lagoon which makes for excellent swimming and snorkeling when the weather allows for calm water. One of the wonderful features of snorkeling at Ke’e Beach is the huge number of sea turtles found here. They can be seen by snorkeling out of the reef opening located on the left side of the lagoon and heading to your right at a leisurely pace. Please remember that this should only be done if the seas are calm. Large waves create strong currents at the reef opening as the water seeks to equalize pressure.
If you do choose to swim at Ke’e Beach, you might want to remember that just before you reach mile marker 9 on the return trip, you will find Limahuli Steam. This fresh water stream is often used to wash off the salt water after a nice time spent in the Pacific Ocean. After you are refreshed, you might be interested in exploring the Limahuli Gardens located just above the stream. These gardens are part of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens they have tours both guided and on your own for a small fee ($15 & $10). Of course the gardens feature native tropical Hawaiian plants but the real gem here is the ancient terrace system which was created by the earliest Hawaiians. The terrace system is estimated to be 700 to 1,000 years old and is designed to grow taro.
The experiences and scenery can change every time you take this drive depending upon weather and which stops you choose to take. Despite a busy schedule, I always find the time to take this drive when I visit Kauai. I also wear my Hanalei Dolphin shirt frequently to remind me of this little slice of paradise.
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