Hanapēpē Heights

After giving up on the Waimea Canyon we went back to Hanapepe. It was raining but we got to check out a bunch of cute little places.

These were some of my favorites:

Banana Patch Studio. They sell beautiful hand painted ceramics and other cute things. You can see them working on the pieces through the windows of the workshop.
http://www.bananapatchstudio.com

Jacqueline On Kaua’i. The owner sells custom made Hawaiian shirts in a quirky looking store. They are obviously more expensive than the cheaply made-in-China generic ones, but they look amazing.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/jacqueline-on-kauai-ha…

Talk Story Bookstore. I love bookstores and visiting them when I travel. It’s not that I would put this one among my favorites, but it sells a bunch of Hawaiian books and rarities.
https://www.talkstorybookstore.com

Storybook Theater. I have to admit I had no idea what this was when we walked in. It’s a media and art center for children, but the reason I’m putting it here is the cute quirky hidden garden on the back of the building. It features a life-sized sculpture of former Senator and local Sparky Matsunaga, little pathways, a decorative bridge, a gazebo, a stage that can be booked for events, a plant collection, and other cute details.
http://www.storybook.org

Aloha Spice Company. It sells not only spices but also some souvenirs and decoration. It’s not affordable but it’s charming.
http://www.alohaspice.com

Japanese Grandma’s Cafe. This is actually a good Japanese restaurant where we had dinner, but it also features a small store with beautiful decoration, jewelry, and clothing. The food was excellent and I loved the tacos.
http://www.japanesegrandma.com

Also, an interesting fact is that Lilo's hometown in the movie Lilo & Stitch is based on Hanapepe, in Kauai. That hasn't turned it into a cheesy Disneytown, but you can find a couple of references here and there.

Googling around I found this: "In the small town of Hanapepe, I found all the usual homey details, ranging from rusted-out bridges to homemade mailboxes,” wrote Paul Felix, the film’s production designer, in the official Disney “making of” book on the movie.

Hanapepe was very lively in the evening when we were there, probably because it was Friday and they have a weekly Art Night on Fridays, but they don’t seem to have bars. We ended up buying some beers and drinking them on the street before going to bed.

And when I say “bed”, I mean the seats of the car. We were worried it would rain again and Regina’s mat was still wet, so we decided to sleep in the car. It really wasn’t as bad as one would have thought.Read more