Kauai Historical Society

Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km²), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island in the United States. Nicknamed the Garden Isle, Kauai lies 73 miles (117 km) across the Kauai Channel, northwest of Oahu. This island is the site of Waimea Canyon State Park and the Na Pali Coast State Park.

The United States Census Bureau defines Kauai as census tracts 401 through 409 of Kauai County, Hawaii, which comprises all of the county except the islands of Kaʻula, Lehua and Niihau. The 2020 United States census population of the island was 73,298. The most populous town is Kapaa.

Etymology and language

Hawaiian narrative locates the name's origin in the legend of Hawaiiloa, the Polynesian navigator credited with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates how he named the island of Kauai after a favorite son; a possible translation of Kauai is "place around the neck", describing how a father would carry a favorite child. Another possible translation is "food season".

Kauai was known for its distinct dialect of the Hawaiian language; this survives on Niihau. While the standard language today is based on the dialect of Hawaii island, which has no sound, the Kauai dialect had this sound. This happened because the Kauai dialect had retained the old Polynesian sound, which has changed in the "standard" Hawaii dialect to . This difference applies to all words with these sounds, so the native name for Kauai was pronounced "Tauai", and Kapaa was pronounced "Tapaa"''.''

History

Polynesian inhabitants settled on the island hundreds of years before the arrival of Europeans, as shown by excavations dating back to as early as 200 A.D. to 600 A.D. These first inhabitants, originally from the Marquesas Islands, lived undisturbed for around five centuries until a second wave of seafarers arrived by sea-canoe from Tahiti. Many Hawaiian traditions and belief structures are rooted in the religion and practices that arrived with these Tahitians.

In 1778, Captain James Cook arrived at Waimea Bay, the first European known to have reached the Hawaiian islands. He named the archipelago the "Sandwich Isles" after his patron, the 6th Earl of Sandwich, George Montagu.

During the reign of King Kamehameha, the islands of Kauai and Niihau were the last Hawaiian Islands to join his Kingdom of Hawaii. Their ruler, Kaumualii, resisted Kamehameha for years. King Kamehameha twice prepared a huge armada of ships and canoes to take the islands by force, and twice failed, once because of a storm, and once because of an epidemic. But in the face of the threat of a further invasion, Kaumualii decided to join the kingdom without bloodshed, and became Kamehameha's vassal in 1810. He ceded the island to the Kingdom of Hawaii upon his death in 1824.

Schäffer affair

In 1815, a ship from the Russian-American Company was wrecked on the island. In 1816, Kaumualiʻi signed an agreement to allow the Russians to build Fort Elizabeth, in an attempt to gain support from the Russians against Kamehameha I. Construction was begun in 1817, but in July of that year, under mounting resistance of Native Hawaiians and American traders, the Russians were expelled. The settlement on Kauaʻi was an instance of a Pacific outpost of the Russian Empire.

Old Sugar Mill of Koloa

In 1835, Old Koloa Town opened a sugar mill. From 1906 to 1934 the office of County Clerk was held by John Mahiʻai Kāneakua, who had been active in attempts to restore Queen Liliuokalani to the throne after the U.S. takeover of Hawaii in 1893.

Valdemar Knudsen

Valdemar Emil Knudsen was a Norwegian plantation pioneer who arrived on Kauai in 1857. Knudsen, or "Kanuka", originally arrived in Koloa, where he managed Grove Farm, but later sought a warmer land and purchased the leases to Mana and Kekaha, where he became a successful sugarcane plantation owner. He settled in Waiawa, between Mana and Kekaha, immediately across the channel from Niʻihau Island. His son, Eric Alfred Knudsen, was born in Waiawa.

Knudsen was appointed land administrator by King Kamehameha for an area covering 400 km², and was given the title '' konohiki'' as well as a position as a nobility under the king. Knudsen, who spoke fluent Hawaiian, later became an elected representative and an influential politician on the island.

Knudsen lends his name to the Knudsen Gap, a narrow pass between Hã’upu Ridge and the Kahili Ridge. Its primary function was as a sugar farm planted by the Knudsen family.

Geography

Kauai's origins are volcanic, the island having been formed by the passage of the Pacific Plate over the Hawaii hotspot. At approximately five million years old, it is the oldest of the main islands. It consists of a large eroded shield volcano with a diameter summit caldera and two flank calderas. Rejuvenation of the volcano 1.40–0.6 million years ago resulted in the eruption of lavas and cones over the eastern two-thirds of the island.

Kauai's highest peak is Kawaikini, at . The second-highest is Mount Waialeale, near the center of the island, above sea level. One of the wettest spots on earth, with an annual average rainfall of , is on the east side of Mount Waialeale. The high annual rainfall has eroded deep valleys in the central mountains, carving out canyons with many scenic waterfalls. On the west side of the island, Waimea town is at the mouth of the Waimea River, whose flow formed Waimea Canyon, one of the world's most scenic canyons, which is part of Waimea Canyon State Park. At deep, Waimea Canyon is often called "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific". Kokeo Point lies on the island's south side. The Na Pali Coast is a center for recreation in a wild setting, including kayaking past the beaches, or hiking on the trail along the coastal cliffs. The headlands Kamala Point, Kawelikoa Point, Kuahonu Point, and Molehu Point are on the southeast of the island, and Makaokahaʻi Point is at the south.

Climate

Kauai's climate is tropical, with generally humid and stable conditions year-round, although weather phenomena and infrequent storms have caused instances of extreme weather. At the lower elevations, the annual precipitation varies from an average of about on the windward (northeastern) shore to less than on the (southwestern) leeward side of the island. The average temperature in Lihu'e, the county seat, ranges from in February to in August and September. Kauai's mountainous regions offer cooler temperatures and provide a pleasant contrast to the warm coastal areas. At the Kōkeʻe state park, ASL, day temperatures vary from an average of in January to in July. In the winter, temperatures have been known to drop down to the 30s and 40s at Kōkeʻe state park, which holds an unofficial record low of recorded in February 1986 at Kanaloahuluhulu Meadow.

Precipitation in Kauai's mountainous regions averages annually. Situated about southeast of Kōkeʻe state park at an elevation of , is the Mt. Waialeale rain gauge. Mt. Waialeale is often cited in literature as being the wettest spot on earth, although this has been disputed. Based on data for the period from 1931 through 1960, the average yearly precipitation was (U.S. Environmental Science Services Administration, 1968). Between 1949 and 2004, the average yearly precipitation at Mt. Waialeale was .

Not only does Kauai hold a record in average yearly precipitation, it also holds a record in hourly precipitation. During a storm on January 24–25, 1956, a rain gauge at Kauai's former Kilauea Sugar Plantation recorded a record of precipitation in just 60 minutes. The value for one hour is an underestimate, since the rain gauge overflowed, which may have resulted in an error by as much as . An accurate measurement may have exceeded Holt, Missouri's world-record rainfall of in 42 minutes on June 22, 1947.

Time zone

Hawaii Standard Time ( UTC−10:00) is observed on Kauai year-round. When most states are on daylight saving time, for example, the time on Kauai is three hours behind the West Coast of the United States and six hours behind the East Coast.

River system

* Waimea River
*Hanalei River
*Hanapēpē River
* Wainiha River
*Wailua River
*Makaweli River
* Huleia River
*Kalihiwai River
*Anahola River
*Lumahaʻi River
*Kōʻula River
* Olokele River
* Kilauea Stream
* Waikomo Stream

Waterfalls

*Halii Falls
* Hanakapiai Falls
* Hinalele Falls
*Kalihiwai Falls
* Kilauea Falls
*Manawaiopuna Falls
* Opaekaa Falls
*Waialae Falls

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