Along the North Shore of Kauai, past mile marker 9 on Highway 560, mauka (towards the mountain) is one of the fascinating gardens on the island, Limahuli Garden & Preserve. The 1,000-acre garden is now part of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens after being donated to the society in 1976. In 1995, the garden was opened to the public and as of 1997 was rated by the American Horticultural Society as the best natural botanical garden in the United States. The garden, nestled in the mountains, is unique and a real treasure to visit. One of the most amazing areas of the garden is the taro gardens and terrace system, the origins of which date back a century or more to the earliest Hawaiians. An overlook, as seen on the following page, allows you to get an amazing view of this archeological wonder.
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Today, 17 acres of the garden and rainforest provide visitors a chance to view both the natural beauty of the island and the cultural history behind it. The garden is a great place to walk the land where taro still thrives on ancient lava rock terraces, learn about native plants of the Hawaiian chain, and become educated on the best environmental practices of water, soil, and rare plant conservation in the state of Hawai'i.
Reservations are required and open 30 days in advance. Admission is $20 per person for a self-guided tour, or $60 per person (ages 13+) for a guided tour. Hours: Tuesday–Thursday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM, Friday 8:30 AM–4:00 PM, Saturday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM. Closed Sunday and Monday. If you have time on the north shore, this garden is well worth the visit. Limahuli Stream also makes its way through the garden to the ocean. You may have noticed it on your way in. Visitors at Hāʻena and Kēʻē Beach often use it to wash off sand and seawater.
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Trade winds are strong right now, with high surf hitting the south shore today. Windward areas are seeing frequent showers through the weekend.
South-facing beaches have dangerous surf today through Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will build rough water by Sunday or Monday. The bigger picture is a tropical system, Fausto, heading our way. It's weakening but should arrive near the islands by Tuesday or Wednesday as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing strong winds, rough seas, and heavy rain. The exact track is still uncertain, so check the forecast daily.
Get your beach time and water activities in today through early next week on the leeward side, where conditions stay calmer. Be ready to shift plans by midweek when conditions turn rough.
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Windy conditions across Maui right now, with trade winds gusting strong. South-facing shores have high surf today and will see another big swell Saturday and Sunday—the water's dangerous unless you're an experienced ocean swimmer.
Through the weekend, windward areas will get frequent showers while trade winds stay gusty. The bigger picture arrives midweek: Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward the islands and should reach Maui as a tropical storm or weaker system Tuesday or Wednesday. That'll bring rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Hit the leeward beaches and snorkel south Maui coasts today through early next week, but stay out of windward and south-facing waters through Sunday.
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Windy conditions dominate right now with strong trade winds pushing across the island. South-facing shores have high surf today—dangerous water if you're not an experienced swimmer.
Through the weekend, those south shores see another big swell Saturday and Sunday, and east-facing shores will build dangerous conditions by Sunday or Monday. Windward areas get frequent showers. A tropical system—the remnants of Hurricane Fausto—is weakening and headed toward the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system by Tuesday or Wednesday, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain midweek. Timing and track are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Leeward beaches on the Kona side stay your best bet today through early next week, but avoid the water on the windward and south shores through Sunday.
0:000:57
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Strong trade winds are pushing showers across windward areas through the weekend. On Kauaʻi, expect frequent showers on the windward side.
High surf is running on south-facing shores today and will build again Saturday and Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will also see dangerous swell by Sunday or Monday. Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward Hawaii. By Tuesday or Wednesday it should reach the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily through midweek.
Beach time on leeward shores works through early next week. Plan water activities for today, but be ready to shift if Fausto's track becomes clearer—conditions will deteriorate by midweek.
Created with AI from the official NWS forecast discussion · verify with NWS before heading out
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