As you visit the Big Island of Hawaii, sooner or later as you make your way around this beautiful and expansive island, you will probably visit the unique little town of Waimea (known as Kamuela to the post office to distinguish it from the two other towns with this same name in the islands.) in the northern part of the island along Highway 19.
While you may think you are somewhere in the cool, rolling hills of northern California instead of in Hawaii, the town of Waimea sits at an altitude of 2600 feet giving it a much cooler climate with frequent winds, rain and seafog from time to time. The town is dominated by Parker Ranch which is still in operation today. In fact, stop off in the Parker Ranch company store learn more about the Hawaiian Paniolo or Hawaiian Cowboys dating back to the early 1800′s. In the store, you can munch on local beef jerky, pick up souvenirs to take back home or buy authentic Parker Ranch western wear.
The saga of the Hawaiian cowboy began when John Palmer Parker married King Kamehameha’s granddaughter Kipikane and was given two acres of land for $10. He began capturing cows that roamed the area and built a bustling cattle business. He soon brought in Mexican cowboys to teach their Hawaiian counterparts how to be real, cattle-roping, cowboys in Hawaii. The paniolo tradition continues today and no where on the island can it be seen more clearly than in bustling little Waimea.
Although horses are less commonly used than ATV’s today, the spirit of the paniolo lives on in this quaint Big Island town. It is definitely worth spending a few hours exploring visiting the Parker Ranch area and company store and having lunch in the many excellent restaurants in the area.
Once you have finished driving through the beautiful Waimea Canyon area, head back towards the ocean to explore Kauai’s western shore. From Highway 550, turn right onto Highway 50 if you want to take a drive through the town of Waimea where Captain Cook first set foot in Hawaii in 1778. The town has erected a statue to the great explorer here in Hofgaard Park and a small marker in Lucy Wright Park marks the location where Cook first came ashore in this area. Waimea was Kauai’s first major port city. It was from Waimea bay that King Kamehameha II abducted Kauai’s King Kkaumualii and took him to Oahu in 1821. Ka’ahumanu, the queen regent, then forced both Kaumualii and his oldest son to marry her, thus ensuring Kauai’s allegiance to a unified Hawaii under King Kamehameha’s rule. In Waimea, you can visit a real mill camp on the Plantation Walking Tour every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Tours visit the Waimea Plantation cottages and the Waimea Sugar Company “camp” houses from the turn of the century. Tours take approximately 90 minutes and are limited to 12 people. Tour guides provide story telling experiences along the way to help give a feel of what life on a sugar plantation was like. The Kauai Children’s Discovery Museum provides information about plants, animals and the natural history of Kauai. Cost for the museum is $5 for adults and $ for children 17 and under. Further up the road lies the Pacific Missile Range Facility and lots of beach and sand.
If you turn left on Highway 550, you will arrive at the town of Hanapepe. Founded by Chinese rice farmers in the 1800’s, Hanapepe was once considered a “wild town” and was one of the only towns that was a non-plantation town. Today, it is a quiet little town with local shops, a few artist galleries and displays. Friday nights, visit the Hanapepe Art Night beginning at 6 P.M. Behind the Ele’ele Shopping Center, you can find a Swinging Footbridge across the Hanapepe River. You can visit the Salt Pond Beach Park to see Hawaiian craftsmen creating sea salt in the pools here in the old fashioned way. The beach has a divided area with a fairly safe area for children to swim on most days. You can also head down to the piers where many of the cruises heading to the Na Pali coast can be found. Taking a cruise along the Na Pali coast is one not-to-be-missed experience while on the western coast of Kauai. Stop and visit the Hanapepe Valley Lookout located at mile marker 14 on Highway 50 for gorgeous, valley views.
