The parking lot and road to the Hanalei Pier were completely washed out in the flood waters
A smooth overnight passage from Oahu placed us in Hanalei Bay just after sunrise. Located on the north shore of Kauai, Hanalei is located at the foot of the mountains that get the most rainfall of any location on the entire planet. This means that there are beautiful waterfalls that cascade down the sheer green mountain cliffs, and also that some of the rainfall extends all the way into the anchorage.
Weke Road was washed out leading to Black Pot Beach Park and the Hanalei boat ramp
In April this year, Kauai was hit with an epic rainstorm. The rain gauge in Hanalei registered 28″ in less than 24 hours, and that was before the gauge actually broke from too much rain! As would be expected with that much moisture, the Hanalei river overflowed its banks – the resulting flood water washed out multiple roads and destroyed many homes and businesses.
A few of the unfortunate flood damaged houses
Many of the houses near the river are built on stilts so that storm surge from hurricanes can pass under the houses. But the heavy flow from the river proved to be too much for them. The water undercut the foundation of the pilings, and the houses have of course collapsed. Real estate along the bay here is incredibly valuable; beachfront houses range from $10-$20M.
View of the Hanalei Bay anchorage from Waioli Beach Park
The flood and landslide damage in Hanalei affected many residents and visitors. We have been encouraged to see that Hanalei appears to be recovering and that visitors are still coming to enjoy this stunning bay.
