On the Road to Hanalei--The first place everyone should go on Kauai is Hanalei. The drive along Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 56, which becomes Hwy. 560 after Princeville to the end of the road) displays Kauai's grandeur at its absolute best. Just before Kilauea, the air and the sea change, the light falls in a different way, and the last signs of development are behind you. Now there are roadside fruit stands, a little stone church in Kilauea, two roadside waterfalls, and a long, stiltlike bridge over the Kalihiwai Stream and its green river valley.
If you don't know a guava from a mango, stop in Kilauea at the cool, shady Guava Kai Plantation, at the end of Kuawa Road (tel. 808/828-6121), for a refreshing, free treat. After you take a walk through the orchards and see what a guava looks like on the tree, you can sample the juice of this exotic pink tropical fruit (which also makes a great jam or jelly -- sold here, too). The plantation is open daily from 9am to 5pm.
Birders might want to stop off at Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, a mile north of Kilauea, and the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge, along Ohiki Road, at the west end of the Hanalei River Bridge. In the Hanalei Refuge, along a dirt road on a levee, you can see the Hariguchi Rice Mill, now a historic treasure.
Now the coastal highway heads due west, and the showy ridgelines of Mount Namahana create a grand amphitheater. The two-lane coastal highway rolls through pastures of grazing cattle and past a tiny airport and the luxurious Princeville Hotel.
Five miles past Kilauea, just past the Princeville Shopping Center, is Hanalei Valley Lookout. Big enough for a dozen cars, this lookout attracts crowds of people who peer over the edge into the 917-acre Hanalei River Valley. So many shades of green: Rice green, taro green, and green streams lace a patchwork of green ponds that back up to green-velvet Bali Ha'i cliffs. Pause to catch your first sight of taro growing in irrigated ponds; maybe you'll see an endangered Hawaiian black-necked stilt. Don't be put off by the crowds; this is definitely worth a look.
Farther along, a hairpin turn offers another scenic look at Hanalei town, and then you cross the Hanalei Bridge. The Pratt truss steel bridge, pre-fabbed in New York City, was erected in 1912; it's now on the National Registry of Historic Landmarks. If it ever goes out, the nature of Hanalei will change forever; currently, this rusty, one-lane bridge (which must violate all kinds of Department of Transportation safety regulations) isn't big enough for a tour bus to cross.
You'll drive slowly past the Hanalei River banks and Bill Mowry's Hanalei Buffalo Ranch, where 200 American bison roam in the tropic sun; you may even see buffalo grazing in the pastures on your right. The herd is often thinned to make buffalo patties. (You wondered why there was a Buffalo Burger on the Ono Family Restaurant menu, didn't you?)
Just past Tahiti Nui, turn right on Aku Road before Ching Young Village, then take a right on Weke Road. Hanalei Beach Park, one of Hawaii's most gorgeous, is a half block ahead on your left. Swimming is excellent here year-round, especially in summer, when Hanalei Bay becomes a big, placid lake.
If this exquisite 2-mile-long beach doesn't meet your expectations, head down the highway, where the next 7 miles of coast yield some of Kauai's other spectacular beaches, including Lumahai Beach of South Pacific movie fame, as well as Tunnels Beach, where the 1960s puka-shell necklace craze began, and Haena Beach Park, a fabulous place to kick back and enjoy the waves, particularly in summer. Once you've found your beach, stick around until sundown, then head back to one of the North Shore's restaurants for a mai tai and a fresh seafood dinner. Another perfect day in paradise.
The End of the Road--The real Hawaii begins where the road stops. This is especially true on Kauai -- for at the end of Highway 56, the spectacular Na Pali Coast begins. To explore it, you have to set out on foot, by boat, or by helicopter.
Kauai Children's Discovery Museum--The Kauai Children's Discovery Museum is located under the Whale Tower in the Kauai Village Shopping Center in Kapaa (tel. 808/823-8222; www.kcdm.org). Not only are the hands-on, interactive exhibits thrilling to kids, but the museum is also a great place for your kids to interact with local children. The 7,000-square-foot play center is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm; during school breaks it is also open Monday from 7am to 5pm. The exhibits allow kids to play with Hawaiian musical instruments, participate in virtual-reality television, and hide out in a "magic treehouse" to read books. (There's even a baby area for kids 4 and under.) At the Keiki Camps (Children's Camps), you can leave the kids all day for outings to the beach and other points of interest. Admission to the museum is $3.50 for kids and $4.50 for adults, with family memberships available.
