Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge

Lonely Planet review

Birders will enjoy the scenic 2-mile drive through the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge, which passes taro fields, banana trees, bamboo thickets, hau (hibiscus) trees and wild ginger across 917 acres of the valley.

Prior to Western contact, the valley was planted with taro. Then in the mid-1800s rice paddies were planted to feed the Chinese sugar-plantation laborers. After peaking as a major crop in the 1880s, rice eventually waned and today taro again predominates - though at only 5% of its original acreage. Hanalei's wetland taro farms produce two-thirds of Hawaii's commercially grown poi taro and also create a habitat for endangered Hawaiian waterbirds.

The refuge, established in 1972, is closed to the public. But from the roadside birders can spot some of the 49 types of bird using the habitat, including the valley's endangered native species.

To get here, turn left onto Ohiki Rd immediately after the Hanalei Bridge. You can enter the refuge on the Ho'opulapula Haraguchi Rice Mill Tour .