Kauai Island Guide
Kauai, "The Garden Isle" is the northern most, and fourth largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Kauai is also the oldest of the major islands, and has the highest annual rainfall. The age of the island, and the effects of the rain water rushing down the mountains to the sea, have carved many valleys and canyons. The geography, weather, and landscape of Kauai come together to produce many visually stunning features. One of the most impressive of these landscape features is Kauai's many waterfalls. The natural beauty and exotic settings have made Kauai the location for the shooting of several Hollywood films like South Pacific, Jurassic Park, Blue Hawaii, and the first in the Indiana Jones series Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Kauai was the first point of contact between the native Hawaiian peoples, and European explorers, when Captain James Cook landed his ships here in 1778. In spite of Kauai being the oldest of the main islands, and the first island discovered by outsiders, it was one of the last islands to become incorporated into the Kingdom of Hawaii and also one of the last islands to see modern development.
