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How much do you know about Kauai - the "Garden Isle"?
Okay- let's work out the apostrophe thing straight off. Kauai is REALLY Kaua'i in the standard Hawai'ian dialect... ...but since we mainlanders use Kauai (and because the internet makes the use of apostrophes difficult!), that's what we'll use from here on out. See? I'm neither well-versed enough in the Hawaiian language, nor smart enough to use them properly, so I'm just going to use 'em where I see fit....make sense?
Because we've been here so often, we know a little about a lot of things on Kauai. This page is a mixed bag of facts, figures and fun things to know about the island...
I guess we can start off with a little history of the island. The beginnings of the "Garden Isle" go back 5,000,000 years or so, so rather than writing a freaking book, here's my version of Kauai's history . I know, I know, I may have skipped a few things in there, but you get the idea, and hopefully you understand how different it is from some of the other islands. This is an island that has progressed at a different pace, and with a different level of care, and that's what makes it so wonderful!
Next, let's talk a little about the climate and weather on the "Garden Isle."
There is something really special about a place where you can drive 30 minutes and feel like you're in a completely different world.
You can go from sea level at the beach to 5,243 feet ABOVE sea level at Mt. Kawaikini... ...you can go from the sunny and dry western shore, to one of the wettest places on earth, Mount Waiʻaleʻale with over 450 inches of annual rainfall per year...
...and you can go from the Kukuiula Market to Costco! Like I said, different worlds!! Here are some interesting facts and figures about Kauai: It is the OLDEST of the major Hawaiian islands... ...it is the 4th largest Hawaiian island with a land mass of about 552 square miles...but it's shoreline has the most beaches! Kauai County also includes the private "Forbidden Island" of Ni'ihau, as well as the tiny uninhabited islands of Lehua and Ka‘ula...
...here is the state flag of Hawaii...the 8 stripes represent the 8 major islands, and the "Union Jack" represents the long ties Hawaii has with Britain as a protectorate...
...although the Hawaiian state flower is the "Pink Hibiscus", Kauai has its own "flower", the Mokihana berry. As you can see, it's not really a "FLOWER"... ...and the island also has an official color, which is PURPLE... ...and in 2007, when figures show that Asians were 55% of the population, I found it interesting that the Census Bureau worded that particular 55% figure as "...Asians were the largest minority group in Hawaii..." Umm...isn't 55% a MAJORITY?? But I digress... ...the Capital city , and the main hub of government and business is Lihue... ...the largest city (most populated)is Kapa'a with around 10,000 people...
...this beautiful island was relatively unknown until Elvis shot "Blue Hawaii" here...since then, many Hollywood movies have been shot here including "South Pacific", "Jurrasic Park", "Raiders of the lost Ark", and most recently "Tropic Thunder", just to name a few... ...and now, over 1,000,000 visitors come to the Garden Isle each year! No wonder so many residents feel like their island is being taken over by rich outsiders! The four most important agricultural products are sugarcane, fruit/vegetables, taro and beef...
...the West Kauai Technology and Visitor Center which houses high technology companies is probably the best "least known" tourist attraction on the island... ...and the "tourism" industry provides around % of the available jobs on Kauai.
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