Kauai Legends, Waterfalls and Spouting Horn Small-Group Tour from Kapaa, Koloa Lunch

A small-group day built on stories, run by a mother-and-daughter team with 17 years of guiding on Kauai. It leaves from Kapaa, so the driver does the work. Cruise ship passengers have to take a cab or Uber from the harbor, about a 20-minute drive away, and can be dropped back at the harbor afterward. The first stop is Wailua, the main religious and political center of the island in ancient times, where the Ali'i lived and most heiaus were built. Here the group visits Poliahu Heiau, Opaekaa Falls and two lookouts over the Wailua, the largest navigable river in the state. A stroll at Lydgate Beach Park follows, with the Morgan Ponds and the ancient temple where Hawaiians greeted the sunrise. Wailua Falls, from the TV show Fantasy Island, comes next in the Lihue area, then a drive through the Tree Tunnel to the Spouting Horn, an old lava tube turned blowhole by wave erosion, with its Hawaiian legend told. Lunch is in historic Koloa, where the group spends about 1.5 hours among restaurants, food trucks and souvenir shops. The last viewpoint looks over the Menehune Fishpond in Lihue, one of Kauai's oldest archaeological sites, with the story of its restoration and the Menehune legend. Purchases on the tour support locally owned businesses.