Postcards From the West: Kauai’s Hanalei Bay

Even though it is prohibited, most of the locals know that the quickest way to get into the warm waters of Hanalei Bay is to jump from the town’s pier.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Kauai resident Abe Rivera, 15, holds a feral piglet he found while hunting for wild boar in the mountains above Hanalei Bay with his father.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

A child poses with a giant mermaid cutout statue at the Ching Young Village Shopping Center.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Shave Ice Paradise is popular year-round with their finely shaped snow cones drenched in a variety of flavored syrups.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

A paddleboarder navigates Hanalei River with his trusty friend not far from Hanalei Bay.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Kayak riders navigate the Hanalei River.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Kauai’s rugged North Shore is pounded by surf and large waves that wash across the black boulders along the shoreline.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

With a beverage in his hand, taro farmer Wilbert “Afukâ€� Tai Hook, 77, tends his beach fire nightly at Black Pot Beach. Tai Hook is keeping up a family tradition of the nightly beach fire that was started by his late father.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

A bicyclist on an early morning ride has the entire pier to himself at Hanalei Bay.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The “Mac Nutâ€� cinnamon roll is a signature favorite on the menu at the Wake Up Cafe on Kauai’s Kuhio Highway.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Hanalei Gourmet is located in an old plantation-style schoolhouse building in Hanalei Center. Most dinners are priced in the $16.95-$31.95 range.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Bubba Burgers is a local chain known for their cheese burgers, but do try the pulled pork with their own BBQ sauce and an order of onion rings.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Dating back to the early 19th century, the Waioli Huiia Church is an old American Gothic structure that still holds Sunday services for the locals and tourists. Tropical plants and a friendly greeter welcome the faithful.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Children pose for photos in yoga positions in the courtyard of the Hanalei Dolphin Restaurant and Fish Market.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The Hanalei Dolphin Restaurant and Fish Market offers elegant dining and a bar next to the Hanalei River.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

One of the offerings on the menu at the Hanalei Dophin Restaurant and Fish Market is its tempura-battered soft shell crab temaki with chili aioli, green onion and sprouts.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Palm trees add to the ambience of a beautiful scene at the Hanalei Bay Resort.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Another view of the Hanalei Bay Resort shows the lush tropical vegetation that envelops the property.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Those same lush grounds are aglow in the evening from tiki torches. The resort’s 240 condo-style units are a family oriented, reasonable alternative to the pricier St. Regis Princeville next door.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The windows at the St. Regis Princeville resort display the amazing view of the bay that the resort guests are treated to every day.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Surfboards and paddle boards for guests are stacked together at the St. Regis Princeville resort.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

An early morning yoga class is offered at the St. Regis Princeville resort.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Kayaks are lined-up and ready on the sands of Hanalei Bay at the St. Regis Princeville resort.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Paco’s Tacos is a food truck-based business in Kilauea selling Mexican food, including some very fresh chicken, beef and seafood tacos, adding to the North Shore’s food choices.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Try the “Mighty Green Saladâ€� (kale, papaya, macademia nuts) for $14 at the Common Ground Kauai’s Garden Cafe.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Located on Kilauea Point, the Kilauea Lighthouse, dedicated in 1913, is another popular tourist destination on Kauai’s North Shore.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The Coconut Experience is a fruit stand located off Kauai’s Kuhio Highway (Rte. 56) that sells locally grown fruits, coconut and other natural products from an old wooden stand.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Colorful signs point the way to a fruit stand in Hanalei off the Kuhio Highway.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Hibiscus can be found everywhere on Kauai’s North Shore, helping to make the popular tropical getaway even more colorful.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Cattle egret are all over rural Kauai, like this one perching off the Kuhio Highway on the outskirts of Hanalei.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Taro plants glisten in the predawn light.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The white-rumped Shama is a songbird found in the vegetated areas of Kauai near Hanalei Bay.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The giant red spider lily is another flower that can be found around Kauai.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

A green Anole lizard clings to a tree branch in Hanalei.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Local surfers try their luck on the smaller waves in Hanalei Bay.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

A kite surfer skims across Hanalei Bay’s choppy waters.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Isaac Olivera demonstrates the sound of a ukulele for a tourist wanting to buy an inexpensive instrument at Hanalei Strings on Kuhio Highway in Hanalei.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Water swirls around the pier at Hanalei Bay.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The sun sets behind the mountains while tourists and locals gather for a look at the evening colors and a last-minute kiss.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)