For Hollywood directors, Kauai is closest thing to paradise

By Jane Wooldridge
Knight Ridder Newspapers

KAUAI, Hawaii — If the sky-to-sea cliffs, sweet tawny beaches and jungled waterfalls look familiar, you may have been spending too much time in front of the screen.

Survived the "Outbreak" epidemic? Heart still racing from Indiana Jones' wild woodsy dash, boulder close behind, in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"? Stuck on fantasies about Tatu and the mysterious Rourke?

Those scripts may be fiction, but the landscape isn't.

Thanks to its Fantasy Island landscapes and unexpected dichotomies — arid canyons and dunes plus one of the wettest peaks on Earth — Kauai is a Hollywood photography director's cure-all. Bigger than a back lot. More natural than a computer-cloned image. Decidedly more accessible — and more secure — than the Congo, the Amazon rain forest or a dino-besieged Lost World.

In more than 70 movies, Kauai has been the ultimate stand-in, acting as the set for Africa ("Outbreak"), Australia ("The Thorn Birds"), Costa Rica ("Jurassic Park"), Vietnam ("Uncommon Valor"), Venezuela ("Dragonfly"), a deserted island ("Lord of the Flies" and the "Gilligan's Island" pilot), Bali Hai ("South Pacific") and yes, itself ("Lilo & Stitch," "Blue Hawaii.")

Big names have performed

Megastars from Harrison Ford to Charlton Heston, Boris Karloff and Esther Williams and, of course, Elvis, have used Kauai as their celluloid stage. Frank Sinatra chose it as the site for his 1951 comeback concert — at the Kauai County Fair.

"There's the beauty and the pristine look of the island, and the accessibility of almost every kind of look you want. We have mountains, valleys, 143 miles of coastline, canyons, lagoons, rivers, waterfalls and open spaces," says Angela Tillson, a location manager and film coordinator. "And there's the convenience; we're only five hours from L.A."

Another factor: It's exotic, but predictable, says Kelly Warrack, who works for Hawaii Movie Tours, which offers excursions to film sites via bus, helicopter or 4x4 ATV. "There are lots of places in the world that have the right look, but Kauai is here in America, so it's in the safe zone."

It's also one of Hawaii's most understated scenes, so laid-back that headliners such as Bette Midler can wander into the local bookstore in sweats, unharassed by locals. (No wonder Jackie Kennedy hid out here in the weeks following JFK's assassination.) Celeb homeowners have included Midler (who has sought to protect the island from overdevelopment), Lloyd Bridges, Michael Crichton, Sly Stallone (who built public polo fields here), Barbra Streisand, Val Kilmer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Pierce Brosnan. Only about 56,000 live on the 530 square miles.

Here on the so-called "garden isle," there are few high-rises — and none to come. Under current codes, no building can be constructed higher than the tallest coconut tree, which translates into a four-story limit.

A bargain of sorts

Generally, it is the most moderately priced of the Hawaiian islands, with accommodations readily available for less than $150 per night. A spot in a campsite costs just $3; the picturesque municipal golf course charges only $35 in greens fees.

For visitors and cinematographers alike, Kauai's scenery is the main event.

Fashioned 6 million years ago from volcanic eruptions, Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands — and accordingly, the one most shaped by wind, water and time.

It's a place of "so" and "that" — a land of cause and effect that seems to demand response. The crimson striations of the mile-wide Waimea Canyon are so striking that the abyss has earned the nickname, Grand Canyon of the Pacific. The 2,000-foot cliffs of the Na Pali coast are so extreme that no road traverses them.

The toothy peak called King Kong Mountain is so memorable that it became the logo for Paramount Pictures. The rugged spine of mountains overlooking Hanalei (pronounced HAN-A-LAY') Bay is so picturesque that it inspired Peter, Paul and Mary to write "Puff the Magic Dragon."

Plenty of floral color

And then there are the flowers — spills of bougainvillea, feathery hibiscus, spiking orange hau trees, pungent frangipani — abundant and hearty a decade after the destruction wrought by Hurricane Iniki.

Plus albatrosses, boobies, geese, whales, spinning dolphins, sea turtles, angelfish.

And the consumable bounty of pineapples, coffee, guava, bananas. But while the views may be the initial lure, it's Kauai's casual atmosphere that keeps many coming back.

"This to me is like Hawaii used to be years ago," said Estel Menor, who visited for decades before moving to Kauai a few years ago. "It feels like an island — not totally California-ized. For beauty, you can't beat it — the ocean, the mountains, the flowers are magnificent. It's not too crowded, and there's lots to see and do. Every side of the island is different and unique."

For those who like to do more than lie on the beach, there are lots of choices. Catamarans sail visitors to fish-rich snorkeling reefs and past the lava folds of the Ne Pali coast. Organized kayaking excursions explore inland rivers and Hanalei Bay.

Horses to helicopters

Horseback trips take visitors across vast private ranches to waterfalls unreachable by road. Hundred-year-old towns like Hanapepe, to the west, and Koloa, in the south, provide retail therapy in low-key art galleries and souvenir shops. Helicopter tours offering sweeping views of the canyon, peaks and farmlands are so popular that locals call the chopper the state bird.

Organized excursions don't come cheap. A half-day cultural kayaking trip with native Hawaiian guides can cost $90 per person; a 45-minute helicopter tour costs $150. Then again, renting a kayak on your own costs as little as $15 per day.

Day hikes along the Na Pali coast, surfing and hanging on the beaches are free.

Despite wide stretches of postcard perfection, Kauai is no more immune to the press for modern conveniences than the rest of the world. No escape from cell calls — Cingular offers service. Pizza Hut and Taco Bell continue to tempt. The best Hawaiian souvenir shopping, locals claim, is at Wal-Mart and Kmart, and at rush hour, traffic around Kauai's largest town, Kapaa, can back up for a mile.

Paradise, it seems, belongs only to the movies. But when they're filmed in Kauai, at least the backdrop is real.