Travel Destination: Hawaii’s Garden Isle – Kauai

It’s like Gilligan’s Fantasy Jurassic Island all rolled up into one. In fact, this small island has been host to several other film crews for productions such as South Pacific, Blue Hawaii and more recently Tropical Thunder.

Kauai is much more than a film set however. The island has a very laid back vibe, the shops and business display the influence of eastern philosophy and the people are exceptionally friendly. Development has been kept to a minimum and local voting reflects the wishes of residents who would rather maintain the character of their island than have conveniences such as two-lane bridges.

Clear, sunny days here are more rare than they may be on any of Hawaii’s other islands, and Kauai does have one of the rainiest spots on earth averaging 460 inches of rainfall per year for the last 32 years. If you are lucky enough to be on Kauai on a clear day a tour of the Waimea Canyon is a must-do. The ten-mile long, 3,000 foot deep canyon was formed by both erosion and the catastrophic collapse of the volcano that created the island of Kauai.

Other sites and activities include boating tours of the Na Pali (sea cliff) coast, kayak trips down Hawaii’s only navigable river, helicpoter viewing of the sea cliffs and quintessential Hawaiin surf breaks and beaches.