Kaua'i Island

"The Garden Isle"

Kauaʻi is the second oldest of the Hawaiian Islands (Niihau is the oldest, inhabited Hawaiian island). There is no known meaning behind the name of Kauaʻi. Native Hawaiian tradition indicates the name's origin in the legend of Hawaiʻiloa — the Polynesian navigator attributed with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands.

British explorer Captain James Cook landed in Kauai’s Waimea Bay for the first time in 1778. Cook’s discovery of what he called the “Sandwich Isles,” named after the Earl of Sandwich, introduced Hawaii to the world.

During this era King Kamehameha I was attempting to unify all the Hawaiian Islands under his rule. Kauai and the small, neighboring island of Niihau were the only islands to deter his efforts. Eventually, Kauai’s reigning king decided to peacefully unite with Kamehameha.

The fertile soil and bountiful rainfall provid excellent conditions to cultivate taro. The plant’s edible starchy tubers are pounded into poi which is part of the staple diet of the native population. Taro plantations are still scattered across Kauai today, contributing to the island’s beautiful green fields of heart-shaped taro leaves.