| Kauai
is Hawaii's oldest land mass. Five million years ago volcanoes formed
the island leaving it's highest peak, Mt. Waialeale, as the source
for the five main rivers dividing the island into districts and providing
nearly 400 inches of rain per year. |
 |
| Hanalei is one of the largest rivers in the state of Hawaii and has nurtured agricultural crops since the first kanaka maoli cultivated taro in ancient times. |  |
| Various
other crops have flourished in this verdant valley over the years
including rice and briefly oranges. Most residents of Hanalei today
over the age of fifty can clearly recall their childhood days of pulling
strings with cans attached to frighten birds from the rice paddies.
By the 1930's there were four rice mills in the Hanalei area. The
Haraguchi Mill remains today as a popular site for visitors and school
tours. |
 |
| The gradual resurgence of taro as a commercial crop occurred as the economic viability of rice diminished. Taro farming made use of the rice irrigation system which in turn had been built using the ancient taro system. The marshy lowlands of the Hanalei Valley provides the perfect environment for crops grown in wetland cultivation. |  |
| Today, Hanalei provides more taro than any other area in Hawaii and a poi mill has recently been built in Hanalei Town. The largest taro acreage in the district is within the boundary of the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge and consists of aproximately 125 acres. |  |
| The twenty or so taro farmers in Hanalei are of Japanese, Chinese,Filipino, Hawaiian and Caucasian ancestry. These farmers are continuing a tradition that connects the Hanalei landscape to its history and is one of the most significant feature of Hanalei's identity as a place of cultural, historical and scenic significance. |  |
| Check out the Kauai Historical Society for more of our island's history. |
Ahupua'a~ A traditional Hawaiian approach to sustainable watershed management,
also called "Ridges to Reefs", "White Water to Blue Water", " Summit to Sea".