The Little Things That Make Kauaʻi Feel Like Home

Visitors often arrive on Kauaʻi expecting dramatic scenery, and the island certainly delivers. There are cliffs, waterfalls, beaches, canyons, rainbows, mountains, and views that seem almost unreal. But many of the things that make Kauaʻi feel like home are much smaller. They are the ordinary details we may overlook until someone points them out or until we have been away long enough to miss them. It is the sound of roosters before sunrise. The scent of plumeria carried on the breeze. The quick rain shower that appears while the sun is still shining. It is spotting a rainbow while driving to work or seeing the mountains turn a deeper shade of green after several days of rain.

It is the red dirt that somehow finds its way onto shoes, floors, and clothes. It is knowing the weather on one side of the island may be completely different from the weather on the other. It is leaving home in sunshine, driving through rain, and arriving somewhere with blue skies again.

August weekends are a wonderful excuse to explore and spend time together. Visit a local market, enjoy an art night, pack a picnic, or take a drive to another side of the island. You do not always need a big plan to have a memorable day.

Try becoming a visitor on your own island for an afternoon. Take a road you do not normally take. Stop at a small business you have always wondered about. Watch a sunset from a different location or choose a picnic spot you have never tried before. Sometimes a simple meal becomes part of that memory. Picking up a pot pie after work, sharing dessert with visiting family, or enjoying a slice while looking at the ocean may seem ordinary at the time. Later, those are often the moments people remember most.