Kaua'i is the oldest and northernmost of the main Hawaiian Islands — an almost circular volcanic island of about 1,430 square kilometres, less developed and far greener than either Oʻahu or Maui. Its nickname, the "Garden Island", is more than marketing: the interior is a near-continuous sheet of jungle and waterfall-filled valleys, and Mount Waialeale at the centre is one of the wettest spots on earth, averaging some 9,500 mm of rain a year. The result is that Kaua'i is the most dramatic-looking of the Hawaiian islands. It was used as the backdrop for Jurassic Park, King Kong, and South Pacific, among many others.
The three regions of the island each have their own character. The south coast, around Poʻipū, has the most reliable sunshine, the gentlest surf, and the most family-friendly resorts — Poʻipū Beach Park is the hub of it all. The east coast, around Kapaʻa and the capital Līhuʻe, is the workaday side of the island — airport, ferry wharf, the old plantation towns. The north shore, around Hanalei and Princeville, is the postcard Kaua'i: rainy, lush, and spectacular, with the perfect crescent beach at Hanalei Bay and the taro fields of the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge. And on the far west side, beyond the road's end, lies the Nā Pali Coast — 27 kilometres of sheer green cliffs plunging straight into the Pacific, accessible only by foot on the 17-km Kalalau Trail, by kayak in summer, or by boat and helicopter tours from Port Allen.
The two other unmissable Kaua'i sights are both inland. Waimea Canyon, sometimes called the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific", is a 16 km long, 1 km deep gorge in dramatic red and green — a drive up Highway 550 leads to half a dozen lookouts. The road continues to Kōkeʻe State Park with trails and the extraordinary Kalalau Lookout over the Nā Pali coast. High in the wet interior, the Alakaʻi Wilderness Preserve harbours bird species found nowhere else on earth — the island has no mongoose, which is why its native birds have survived when they have vanished from the other islands. Kaua'i is smaller and less developed than Maui or Oʻahu — no building is taller than a coconut palm, by county law — and for that reason feels closer to what the rest of Hawaii used to be.