The island of Kauai is known as “the Garden Isle,” because of its extreme rainfall – the wettest place in the world, some say. It’s also called “the island of discovery.” It is the northernmost island in the chain, and is draped in emerald valleys, sharp mountain spires, and jagged cliffs aged by time and the elements. Centuries of growth have formed tropical rain forests, forking rivers and cascading waterfalls, and dramatic canyons like Waimea Canyon, known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific . It is very rural place – only 3% of the island has been developed – and some parts of the island are only accessible by sea or air. Could I live here? No. It’s still a wonderful place to visit, to see nature in all its glory.
Unfortunately, Kauai has been hit by hurricanes which have done much damage to the island, most notably Hurricane Iniki in 1992, with over $2.3 billion in property damage.
My sister and I had an early-morning excursion called “Director’s Cut,” which drove us around parts of the island where movies have been filmed. The small van was outfitted with a large screen, where we could watch scenes from the movie at the place we were visiting. We began in the town of Nawiliwili, where “Jurassic Park” was filmed. Auntie Alicia, our tour guide and driver, mentioned that the cast and crew of the film was on the island when the hurricane hit. They stayed in the hotel, but Steven Spielberg went out and did some filming!
I’ll mention a few highlights with movies I’ve enjoyed over the years. If you google “ movies filmed on Kauai, you’ll find a very long list.
We began our tour looking at the original vessel that Hawaiians used to navigate the island, ironically parked next to our admittedly more modern ship. Auntie Alicia told us that this was one of the locations for “Jurassic Park,” and tried scaring us with a not-so-giant dinosaur toy.
“Miss Sadie Thompson,” filmed in 1953, used the old dock at its location, as did “ Pagan Love Song,” in 1950, where “ native girls” Esther Williams and a very young Rita Moreno swam to the ship and urged ship’s passengers to throw them coins. The dock is in ruins but very photogenic when surrounded by the most well-known wildlife on the island: roosters. The roosters are vicious and have been known to seriously wound other animals, as you can see if you look at the eye of the ginger cat. So much for peaceful coexistence. Why roosters? It’s been said when Hurricane Iniki ripped across the island, releasing domestic hens as well as roosters bred for cockfighting. They’re also now a tourist attraction , and the tourists feed them. The tabby cat seems to have the wrath of the roosters unscathed – one tough pussycat! These cats and birds aren’t afraid of tourists and get their food from them, as well as from caring locals.
One of my favorite movies filmed on Kauai was “ South Pacific,” and we watched the scene where the sailors sang “ There is Nothing like a Dame,” then walked out and explored the pier. The setting is not-to-be-believed gorgeous.
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Click on the link above to watch the surfer.
Of course, who can forget Elvis and 1961’s “Blue Hawaii,” which was filmed at Cocoa Palms resort, which no longer exists, thanks to Iniki. The state park nearby with ruins of original Hawaiian huts does exist though.
We stopped for the included lunch at the small town of Hanalei, which was one of the locales for “The Descendants,” the George Clooney movie filmed in 2010.
Other lovely scenes and wildlife are included here:
The evening was spent at another of the “ free” specialty restaurants, the Italian restaurant called La Cucina, which was the best meal of the trip! We started off with a drink called a Bellini, proseco with peach juice, then I chose a perfectly cooked, melt-in-your-mouth filet mignon, topped with cheese and a bit of polenta. Craig had cioppini linguini. The wine I decided on was one of the least expensive but delicious, a wonderful Malbec from Argentina, and we finished off the meal with a fantastic tiramisu, which, we were told, was made by the chef and could only be found at this particular restaurant. YUM! Since we didn’t finish the wine, we took it with us, and drank it during the show and piano bar. Perfect!
We had one more day on Kauai. Then it’s journey’s end.