Interesting Facts About Kauai and Hanalei

Taro Farming.

Since ancient times, Hanalei has served as an agricultural community. Hawaii's first settlers, the native Hawaiians, brought taro wrapped in ti leaves to their new homeland. They planted it as their main crop and, even today, at the back of Hanalei Valley, you can see the terraces they built to grow it. Nearly all the poi that is eaten in Hawaii is grown in the Hanalei Valley. One of the oldest cultivated foods in the world, taro is rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Still today, poi is a staple in the Hawaiian diet and fixture at every luau.

Kauai's Missionaries.

Kauai's first settlers from the "outside" world were a pair of missionaries, Reverend William Anderson and his wife, Mary Ann. In 1837, they built the Waioli Mission House which still stands today and is one of the many tourist attractions in the Hanalei area. By 1841, the congregation was sufficient to build an impressive structure, the Waioli Church, which still stands as a tribute to early Hawaiian/American architecture.

The Russian Fort.

In 1816, Alexander Baranova came to Kauai to trade pelts with the Hawaiians. Kauai's king, Kaumuali'i, was looking for a trade alliance with the Russians. But Baranova had other plans. He wanted to annex the island chain for the Russian Empire. He built two forts on Kauai, one at Waimea Bay and the other at Hanalei. The skullduggery failed and Baranova and his ships left the islands. The Hanalei fort was at Pu'u Poa overlooking the bay. A few rocky outcroppings remain to this day on a flat area just outside the Princeville Hotel's porte-cochere.

The Hanalei Pier.

For those with long memories, the Hanalei Pier was a featured player in the acclaimed film, "South Pacific," shot here in 1958. The pier was built in 1892 and used by local farmers to ship their rice until it was closed in 1933. After Hurricane Iniki, in 1992, the pier was condemned and rebuilt with concrete.

Cleopatra's Barge.

Cleopatra's Barge, built in New England in 1816, was the first ocean-going passenger ship built in the United States. In 1820, it was sold to Liholiho (King Kamehameha II) for the sandalwood trade and renamed Ha'aheo o Hawaii (the Pride of Hawaii). Four years later, the ship ran aground on a reef at Hanalei Bay and sank. Then, in 1996, Smithsonian archeologists began surveying and excavating the wreck at the mouth of the Waioli River. Further excavation continues today.

Hooray for Hollywood.

Kauai has been a favorite movie location for years. Remember Elvis in "Blue Hawaii," John Wayne in "Donovan's Reef," the great big ape in "King Kong?" All shot on Kauai. So too were "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Honeymoon in Vegas," Jurassic Park," "The Lost World (Jurassic II)," and "George of the Jungle." And, of course, much of that most venerable musical of all, "South Pacific," was filmed on or about the property where the Hanalei Bay Resort now sits.