by Douglas Peebles (Author), Jan Tenbruggencate (Author), Douglas Peebles (Photographer)
Kauai and its sister island of Niihau are the most isolated of the main Hawaiian islands. From the next island of Oahu, they lie across the powerful Kaieie channel, whose storms and swells are legendary. These ancient islands pierced the surface of the Pacific five million years ago. Wind and water have worn them down and, in the case of Kauai, left it a green wonderland. Waialeale, at its heart, is known as the wettest spot on the planet and, from the dense mountain forests of this upland, rivers flow out in every direction. The island has an old culture and a modern one. It has natural ecosystems unique in the world, along with noted botanic gardens. It has an evolving economy that in recent years has transformed from large plantations to a more diversified based. The core of the economy, though, is tourism. This is an island people want to see and, once they've come, many return year after year.