The heart of KAPA‘A is a collection of restaurants, retail stores and galleries clustered along the main drag, just past the strip malls and supermarkets of a more-contemporary era. Here, Kapa‘a’s history can be glimpsed in the aging structures that have survived change and time.
Painted in playful pastel tints, the architecture and ambiance of this little shorefront community can be learned on a 90-MINUTE WALKING TOUR led by an interpretive guide.
The tour, sponsored by the KAUA‘I HISTORICAL SOCIETY, goes back 125 years to when a Hawaiian king started a sugar empire on the lands of Kapa‘a Town. Eventually, pineapple came into play, and the walk takes you to the site of an old cannery.
You’ll see churches built by ethnic groups that came to work the sugar fields, shops and buildings originally constructed by plantation workers and a restored Japanese monument erected in 1915.
Tours are conducted Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 10 a.m. The walk begins and ends at the PONO KAI RESORT, oceanside of the “Welcome to Kapa‘a” sign. Reservations are required; call the Kaua‘i Historical Society at (808) 245-3373.
