Wailua Kapaa

A bridge—under which the very culturally significant Wailua River gently flows—marks the beginning of Wailua. The tiny town is comprised of a few restaurants and shops and a string of resorts along the coast. It quickly blends into the town of Kapa‘a; there's no real demarcation. The river itself produces many dramatic waterfalls, and ‘Ōpaeka‘a (pronounced oh-pie-kah-ah) is one of the best. It plunges hundreds of feet to a pool below. Some say the first Polynesians to migrate to Hawai‘i landed at Wailua Beach. True or not, the Wailua Beach and immediate area are quite historical. The greatest concentration of archaeological remains on Kaua‘i are found here. They are marked with historical signage, making a self-guided tour easy.