Kauai - Hawaii with Kids - page 346

beach, the biggest indentation on
Kauai's coast, is ideal for kids in
summer, when the wild surf turns
placid. On either side of two-lane
Kuhio Highway, you'll find just
enough shops and restaurants to
sustain you for a week's visit—
unless you're a hiker, surfer, or sailor,
or you have some other preoccupa-
tion that just might keep you here
the rest of your life.
HAENA Emerald-green Haena
isn't a town or a beach but an
ancient Hawaiian district, a place of
exceptional natural beauty and the
gateway to the Na Pali Coast. This
idyllic, 4-mile coast has lagoons,
bays, great beaches, spectacular
snorkeling, a botanical garden, and
more for your family to explore.

The Na Pali Coast
The road comes to an end, and now
it begins: the Hawaii you've been
dreaming about. Kauai's Na Pali
Coast ( na pali means “the cliffs”) is
a place of extreme beauty and
Hawaii's last true wilderness. Its
majestic splendor will forever
remain unspoiled because no road
will ever traverse it. You can enter
this state park only on foot or by
sea. Those of us who aren't up to
the arduous trek on razor-thin cliff
trails can explore the wild coast in
an inflatable rubber Zodiac, a bil-
lowing sailboat, a high-powered
catamaran, or a hovering helicopter,
which takes your kids for the ride of
their lives.

2 Getting Around
BY CAR
You need a car to see and do everything on Kauai. Luckily, driving here is easy.
There are only two major highways, each beginning in Lihue. From Lihue Air-
port, turn right, and you'll be on Kapule Highway (Hwy. 51), which eventually
merges into Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 56) a mile down. This road will take you to
the Coconut Coast and through the North Shore before reaching a dead end at
Kee Beach, where the Na Pali Coast begins.
If you turn left from Lihue Airport and follow Kapule Highway (Hwy. 51),
you'll pass through Lihue and Nawiliwili. Turning on Nawiliwili Road (Hwy.
58) will bring you to its intersection with Kaumualii Highway (Hwy. 50), which
will take you to the south and southwest sections of the island.
CAR RENTALS All of the major car rental agencies are represented on Kauai;
for a complete list, as well as tips on insurance and driving rules, see “Getting
Around” in chapter 2. The rental desks are just across the street from Lihue Air-
port, but you must go by van to collect your car. For deep discounts on weekly
car rental rates, call Hookipa Haven Vacation Services ( & 800/398-6284;
www.hookipa.com). Rates in low season (Jan, Apr 16-June, and Aug 21-Dec
18) are $148 a week; they jump to $160 in high season.
OTHER TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS
Kauai Taxi Company ( & 808/246-9554 ) offers taxi, limousine, and airport
shuttle service. Kauai Bus ( & 808/241-6410; www.kauaigov.org/OCA/
transportation) operates a fleet of 15 buses that serve the entire island. Taking
the bus may be practical for day trips if you know your way around the island,
but you can't take anything larger than a shopping bag aboard, and the buses
don't stop at any of the resort areas. However, they do serve more than a dozen
coastal towns between Kekaha, on the southwest shore, all the way to Hanalei.