Kauai, Hawaii City Guide
For over 20 years, Pamela Lanier's Kauai, Hawaii Travel Guide has been your connection to Kauai's tourism community with invaluable details on local attractions, restaurants, shopping, museums, history, outdoor recreation and more.
Kauai History
Kauai, specifically Waimea, was the first place in Hawaii that Captain James Cook landed in, in the year 1778. King Kamehameha wanted to unite all the islands in the Hawaiian Island chain under his rule. Twice, he attempted to take Kauai by force and failed both times. One instance was the result of a storm, and the other was due to an epidemic. Not wanting to risk bloodshed, Kauai's ruler, Kaumuali, became Kamehameha's vassal in 1810 and upon his death the island became part of the Kingdom of Hawaii. As American businessmen and missionaries overtook the Hawaiian Islands, the native people of Kauai lost their language and their lives, as diseases brought by the new inhabitants ravaged the island populous. Although sugar plantations were Kauai's main source of income, tourism today is the largest industry, and the land that once grew sugar cane is now used for ranching. Kauai's fabulous landscapes have been featured in more than seventy Hollywood movies and television shows, including such favorites as; Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, the remake of King Kong, and Donovan's Reef. Perhaps your bed and breakfast hosts can share the exact locations featured, and you can visit them on an island tour.
