soon after.
A race passes
The native Hawaiian people lost much of their importance in the changing, Westernized economy early in the nineteenth century. The burgeoning sugar and pineapple plantations needed laborers, and the Hawaiians were diligent, capable hired hands when they wanted to be. But they did not comprehend the idea of hiring themselves out as day laborers for wages. Planters began to import laborers from other parts of the world: China, Japan, the Philippines, Portugal. Many imported laborers stayed, married, raised families, and went on to establish their own successful businesses. The Hawaiians were soon a minority in their own land.
The numbers of full-blooded Hawaiians declined precipitously throughout the nineteenth century. Beginning with the tragic introduction of venereal disease by Cook’s men, venereal diseases swept through the native population who, particularly at Makahiki, exchanged partners freely. Venereal disease often leaves its victims sterile, and many who had survived Western diseases, wars, and the sandalwood trade were unable to reproduce. Others married foreigners, so their children only were part Hawaiian. Today most authorities believe that there are no full-blooded Hawaiians left, not even on Niihau, the only island where Hawaiian is still the language of everyday life.
Hawaii becomes American
In the late nineteenth century, the Hawaiian monarchy seemed to some powerful businessmen and civic leaders of American descent to get in the way of the smooth conduct of business. They thought Hawaii would be better off as an American territory. Queen Liliuokalani did not agree. She wanted to assert Hawaii’s independence and the authority of its monarchs.
The business community plotted a coup, deposed Liliuokalani in 1893, formed a new government, and petitioned the United States for territorial status. The United States formally annexed Hawaii in 1898.
Military projects and mass travel brought mainland Americans flooding into Hawaii. Many stayed, and so the majority of people in Hawaii came to see themselves as Americans, though a minority disagreed (some still do). After many years as a territory, Hawaii became the fiftieth state in 1959.
On November 23, 1993, the United States belatedly apologized to the Native Hawaiian people (Public Law 103-150). Today, several groups seek to restore some measure of self-rule to Hawaii. Models advocated range from that enjoyed by the recognized Native American tribes versus the rest of the United States’ citizens and lands, to that of Liechtenstein and Switzerland. To learn more, visit the Hawaiian Sovereignty Elections Council web site at
http://planet-hawaii.com/hsec/index.html.
Things to come
The huge tourist industry is both a blessing and a curse. Massive development pushes the Hawaii-born off the land to make way for hotels. Displaced Hawaiians, whatever their ethnic background, find themselves having to survive as waiters, chambermaids, clerks—in essence, as the servants of those who have displaced them. Many also fear that tourism will result in the Hawaiian paradise being paved over and lost forever; others feel that it already has been. The story of Hawaii’s evolution is far from over.
Kauai Museum
Don’t miss the Kauai Museum, 4428 Rice St., Lihue, Kauai, HI 96766, telephone (808) 245-6931. Its fine exhibits on Hawaii’s natural and human history more than justify its modest admission fee.
Getting Around on Kauai
Public transportation
Kauai now has bus service; the regular fare as of March 2002 is $1.50/regular fare, $0.75 for seniors, students, and disabled people (drivers have the authority to ask for identification). Call the County of Kauai Transportation Agency at (808) 241-6410 from 7 A.M. to 5 P.M. Monday through Saturday to get more information, including a copy of the bus schedule. The bus will get you to the island’s major communities but, alas, not to most of the trailheads in this book. Consider using the bus to explore the island’s settled areas and renting a car only on those days you want to hike from trailheads that are too far from your lodgings or any bus stop. Some rules for the bus are: carry-ons limited to 9” x 14” x 22”; no oversized backpacks and baggage; no boogie boards; no food or drink, no smoking, and no profanity on buses; no drop-offs at undesignated bus stops.
Driving
If your plans include hikes that public transportation can’t get you to, you should arrange for a rental car well in advance of your visit. Ask for a modest vehicle in a drab color so it’s inconspicuous when parked at trailheads. Get a road map of Kauai in advance, perhaps from one of the national automobile clubs if you belong to one. It’s good to be able to study the map in advance and have some notion of the island’s roads before you tackle them. Some of the maps provided by tourist bureaus are so cute they’re useless.
An excellent map covering the entire island and especially good for driving is James A. Bier’s Map of Kauai from University of Hawaii Press. This is one in a series of similar, outstanding, color maps for all the major islands. They’re inexpensive and updated frequently. They include street maps of major towns and indexes to streets and points of interest. If you can’t find them on the mainland, you’ll find them in abundance in Hawaii, at nearly every grocery store, drugstore, and souvenir stand.
Driving on Kauai is generally slower than on the mainland, thank goodness. The major highways are two-lane roads except for a few stretches near Lihue, the county seat. The speed limit is as high as 50 miles an hour on some stretches, but they are exceptions. Count on an average speed of 30 miles an hour around the island. Look out for morning and evening traffic jams around Lihue. Driving time can make serious inroads in your hiking time.
Hiking
Road maps are useless for hiking trails. For trail maps, I recommend the maps in this book and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) 7½’ series of topographic (“topo”) maps for Kauai. Topos show elevation details as well as roads and trails. However, topos are not updated as often as you’d like. That’s why you should use them in conjunction with the maps in this book and maps from the agencies in charge of the island’s hiking areas, the Division of State Parks, Kauai District, and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Kauai District. If you do not write for the latter in advance, you will need to go into Lihue to get them. See their addresses in “Permits” in this book.
Kauai is covered by 11 topos, as shown in the illustration left. It’s also nice to have the USGS Kauai County topo map. If your mainland back-packing store does not carry the Kauai topos, you may get them in person or by mail from:
Western Distribution Branch
U.S. Geological Survey
Box 25286, Federal Center
Denver, CO 80225
or
Western Mapping Center (NCIC-W)
U.S. Geological Survey
345 Middlefield Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Write first for catalogs and prices. When you order the maps, enclose your check for the required amount, made out to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Or there may be a store near you that specializes in maps. Look in your telephone directory under “Maps.”
