• SOUTH SHORE SIGHTSEEING

Every month is a great month to enjoy the sunny skies for which the South Shore area is famous. It‘s the perfect weather for tennis, golf, surfing, and snorkeling. So, whether you want to catch up on your sunbathing, bounce around in the waves on a boogie board, picnic in a park, take a sunset stroll on Po‘ipu Beach, browse through little shops for a special gift or souvenir, sample island delicacies or ponder the one-of-a-kind scenery–the sunny South Shore of Kaua‘i offers a little something for everyone.

Driving south on Kaumualii Highway (50) from Lihu‘e, you’ll see the Hoary Head Mountain range, which looks as though it is draped in a white fluffy scarf of clouds. The silhouette of the top of the mountain is called Queen Victoria’s Profile. A Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau marker indicates the spot with the best view. Turn left onto Route 520 and travel through the Tunnel of Trees, planted by a pioneering Koloa rancher. It takes you to the remains of an old Sugar Mill and a sculpture depicting all the ethnic groups that contributed to the success of Hawai‘i’s sugar industry.

The center of the hamlet is called Old Koloa Town; the town grew up around Hawai‘i’s first sugar plantation–the word Koloa means long cane–and it’s the last of its breed on Kaua‘i. A genuine plantation town, lovingly and authentically restored. The red, green and white paint, the corrugated tin roofs, the paneled windows and the decorative woodwork are just as they were in Koloa’s heyday.

Take a right from the Tunnel of Trees road and then left onto Po‘ipu Road and you’ll pass the Kiahuna Golf Course, where stone walls built by Hawaiians and early plantation immigrants give the course the feeling of a historic park. Bear to the right onto Lawa‘i Road to head toward Po‘ipu. A sign that says “Welcome to Po‘ipu Beach” indicates the junction of Lawa‘i and Po‘ipu roads.

Lawa‘i Road takes you to the Spouting Horn, a “geyser” that shoots ocean water out of an ancient lava tube, and the entrance to the National Tropical Botanical Gardens/(808) 332-7361 and its collection of native Hawaiian plants.

Travel back on Lawa‘i Road and take a right on Po‘ipu Road to the Ho‘owili Road, which takes you to Po‘ipu Park and Brennecke’s Beach. Near the end of Po‘ipu Road is the Hyatt Regency Kaua‘i and Shipwreck’s Beach (photo above).

Continuing on Koloa Road (Hwy. 530), you’ll come to the intersection of Highway 50 at Lawa‘i. Further west on Highway 50 is Kalaheo, the first large town between Lihu‘e and Hanapepe and home of the Camp House Grill. Turn left on Papalina Road and you'll reach Kukui O Lono Park and Golf Course.