Seeking Advice: Spending 1 to 4 weeks in Kauai (January-ish)

[dad2764]

Tradewinds is cool. Yes, it's a dive, but a very cool dive. One night when I was there in January, a haole got into some trouble. He was being inconsiderate and disrespectful (and was very drunk). He likely went back to Michigan with a very low opinion of Kauaians. At the same time, I (another haole) made some friends and had a great time with the very same people who made the other guy's trip miserable.

[NOTAM]

another cool hangout, or at least used to be, is Tahiti Nui, in Ching Young Village in Hanalei, North Shore.
they used to have the best luaus, not as "commercial" as the rest...i remember Auntie Louise, the owner...i think she died a few years ago.

[scorpy01]

Originally Posted by NOTAM

another cool hangout, or at least used to be, is Tahiti Nui, in Ching Young Village in Hanalei, North Shore.
they used to have the best luaus, not as "commercial" as the rest...i remember Auntie Louise, the owner...i think she died a few years ago.

There is a group of locals who hang out near the Tahiti Nui who are definitely NOT open to "outsiders." I know two mainlanders, both who were living and working on the island for over a year, who got beat up badly there. My son was attacked in the parking lot by two locals while a few others looked on but he's no pushover. He knocked out the bigger guy and the smaller one ran off, back to his buddies. If you're not able to hold your own and have no one to watch your back, I'd not go near the Tahiti Nui. It's a shame, too, because it's a nice place. Too bad the authorities won't do anything about the bullies in the nearby parking lot.

[Beaches84]

Thant's a bit alarming, scorpy!....are there instances of women being "beat up" too? I hope I have an advantage in that aspect (being a female, that is).

[scorpy01]

Never heard of it happening to a woman. My son was assisting a drunk friend from the Tahiti Nui one evening and witnessed a few of the bullies physically abusing a young guy. His female companion was there but was unharmed. My son was very distraught because he didn't want to leave his friend alone to help the other guy. It bothered him so much that he called me and talked to me about it for over two hours. He felt guilty about not stepping in but the friend he was helping was one who had been beaten up previously.

The Tahiti Nui is a really nice place. If the law enforcement would do something about the bullies in the parking lot near there, it would be great. I've been told by a few mainlanders who now live on the island that some of the bullies are related to local police and council people. That's why they do as they please.

For the record, I witnessed the aftereffects of only one of the beatings. I was visiting there when one of my son's roommates was beaten. Needless to say, he finished the job he was doing there and went back to the mainland ASAP. The guy was very quiet, even when he drank, so I can't imagine why anyone would pick on such a quiet guy. That's why I call them bullies.

[Mar0]

Tahiti Nui is too far away for me to go to, but I have heard similar things about it.

I didn't mean to imply that if you go to a bar, you'll see fights guaranteed b/c locals are all scary and violent. Not even. Maybe I was sheltered in college, but I was surprised about how many fights I see here. Usually it is beef over a girl or possibly drugs, and that can happen everywhere. I wouldn't not go somewhere because I was afraid of a fight or anything.

[busybody]

If you come to Kauai it might be nice in January. The weather forecasts are usually fairly accurate and the weather is usually better than the forecasts too.

Come humble and allow yourself the luxury of feeling comfortable with yourself and feel like you have known everyone all your life and you will be at ease, and people will chat with you and open up and give you all kinds of information...

...because, after all, if your intentions are pure, what could happen but the best!

;-)

Originally Posted by Beaches84

I may be able to get a few weeks off after this December's exams, enough time for me to really get a taste of hawaii. I have been to hawaii on several occasions (twice to oahu when i was younger, with my parents), and most recently to Kauai. I must say, I think I've "fallen" for Kauai My stay was too short for me to see much of the island, but what I did see, I really liked. My only dilema is whether to spend my entire time in Kauai (1 month) and really get to know the island and the people, or if I should just treat this as a short week-long vacation (stop by the scenic areas, get in some surfing, and head on home). I'd really like to immerse myself in the hawaiian culture, and not just experience the island from a tourist point of view. Afterall, I have been seriously considering a move to Hawaii (kauaii, in particular), after I'm done with school.

aside: This trip will be my first time traveling solo. I'm both excited and a little intimidated....it's definately a bit daring for me, but the thrill of a solo adventure kinda excites me

So, I guess my questions are:
- How open are the locals to "outsiders"? I'm fairly outgoing when I want to be, and tend to make friends easily. But I've also read quite a few tales describing antagonistic relationships b/t locals and 'mainlanders'.
- Is there really no nightlife in Kauai? What do the younger folks do? (or perhpas everyone goes to bed by 9pm?)
- What are the age-related population statics for kauai? I'm in my mid-20s...and would probably connect best with people in my age group.
- Is Jan. a horrible time to spend in Kauai as far as weather?
- Any areas I should avoid (especially when choosing housing location)
- Cheap housing ideas?....I wonder if I could just camp out on the beach and avoid housing costs altogether. Afterall, aren't all the beaches public in Kauai? (ok... kidding!)
- last, and least important...would it be weird to travel solo in Kauai? I guess I may feel a bit out of place when everyone else visiting is with family or significant others...but, this is the least of my concerns.

Wow, this post is a lot longer than I wanted it to be. I sincerely thank anyone who made it all the way through these paragraphs I welcome any suggestions, ideas, comments, opnions, experiences, words of wisdom, etc... you get the idea