Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There's one road in and one road out. Everything in Hanalei is walkable. Parking can be
a headache and absent-minded pedestrians even more so. Live like a local and hop on a
bike.
9am-6pm)
For cruisers ($12/50 per day/week) and hybrid road bikes ($20/80).
MANO A MANO
No doubt being attacked by amano(shark) could be deadly: precautions, such as
not swimming in murky, post-rain waters, should be taken to avoid them. Statistic-
ally speaking, you're more likely to die from a bee sting (or a cow) than a shark at-
tack, and you should be more concerned about contracting leptospirosis or sta-
phylococcus in those infamous muddy river waters than becoming a midday
snack.
Rather than letting any primordial phobia of large, deep-water predators get you
down, try considering the creature from an another perspective while in Hawaii:
themanoas sacred. For many local families, themanois theirʻaumakua(guardian
spirit).ʻAumakuaare family ancestors whoseʻuhane (spirit form) lives on in the
form of an animal, watching over members of their livingʻohana.Revered for their
ocean skill,manowere also considered theʻaumakuaof navigators. Even today,
mano ʻaumakuahave been said to guide lost fishermen home, or toward areas of
plentiful fish, to make for a bountiful sojourn.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Around Hanalei
Lumahaʻi Beach
Countless Kauaʻi lifers consider this their absolute favorite beach on an island blessed
with dozens of choices. It's so damn cinematic that movie tours sometimes still claim
that Lumahaʻi Beach is where Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr kissed in
that
scene in
From Here to Eternity,
but it's not (the scene was shot at Halona Cove on Oʻahu). And
though it's tempting, while high on pure bliss nature buzz, to let your guard down, know
that Lumahaʻi enjoys an infam-ous status as one of the more dangerous swim spots, and
many have drowned here.
Instead, stay dry and take the safe-but-magical stroll (which still requires being water
savvy). There are two ways onto Lumahaʻi Beach. The first and more scenic is a three-
