The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-07-31
WHAT THE UPPER N
WAIMEA REGION \
OF KAUAI OFFER!

Judge PhilipJ. Weaver Of the Court
of Land Registration has just returned
from mountaineering trip in the
region Of the headwaters of the Wal
mea River, Kauai. He is enthusiastic
over the beauty of the region, and the
opportunity it offers for delightful and
bracing outings. He is not less en-
thusiastic over the possibilities this
region offers for forest reserve and
a reclamation district that shall create
opportunity for many Americans to en-
gage in productive agriculture, such as
cane raising, with central mills for
grinding the cane. This region is all
government land that has been under
lease for many years. The leases expire
within few years, giving free scope
to opportunity to develop the Territory
on American lines. OF his trip and the
region Judge Weaver says:
"For about two weeks past have
been camping in the high lands of the
island of Kauai with Mr.. Augustus
Knndsen and company of Punahou
boys, hunting and tramping about the
mountains.
"I am quite familiar with the beau.
ties of scenery to be found on Hawaii,
Maui and Oahu, but was not prepared
to see so much grandeur and sylvan
beauty combined as Kauai offers.
cit was surprise Co find that with.
in twenty-four hours of the time of
leaving Honolulu, the party was settled
in camp high up in one of the canyons
beyond the grand Waimea gorge on
the four thousand feet level. The air
was of the braeing temperate climate,
the brawling stream rushing down the
canyon was very cold and we were
apparently in the temperate zone ex-
cept for grand treeferns and MOSES
, that could not survive a frost. The
! kettle singing at the camp fire and the
unusually pleasant notes of the noun
| tain birds, the ever present rush of
the stream, the scent of the forest
, mingling with that of the beef stew
gives change enough for any Office tir,
ed man. After the exhilarating horse.
back ride up the mountain from Ke.
kaha, and along the crest of the west
wall of the wonderful Waimea grand
canyon the rest is perfect delight
) 'The Grand Canyon about 5000 feet
deep has much of the color of the
/, , Grand Canyon of the Colorado, and
, gives the same sense of awful grand
eur to the traveller who has seen both
{ The dimensions of the world renowned
! canyon are greater but the effect here
of the red canyon backed by the DARK
. green of the Waimea mountains is
equally grand.
! "The new road built by the Knud
: sens for the purpose of making it easy
!, for travellers to go from Kekaha tt
the high mountains winds along the
edge of this gorge with many grant
e vistas. 1t is nearly complete. Wher
a finished one can drive four-horst
team up to their mountain house al
Halemano. From there, horseback trails
l enable the camper to go for miles W
! toward the summit through wild re
= gion heavily wooded with old ohia and
lehua trees. The cattle have tramplet
: the forest and destroyed the young
trees until the country is passable ant
comparatively dry.
"The woods shelter wild cattle ant
lpigs, and the bare steep red cliffs o.
:. the canyons in and about Waimea ar,
3 cropped bare of every accessible greer
Il thing by the goats that run along tn,
Q steep cliffs. These goats are the de
y scendants of those left on the islam,
I by Vancouver.
a "The point that is of general inter
It est is that this whole region can b
a preserved for all time for the use an
2 pleasure of the whole public, and no
a for lucky few, if the public realiz
s the desirability of the place as fol-
5 est preserve.
!. "The land is now leased to cattl
: men by the government. The lease
y will soon run out and the governmen
1t will be free to deal with its fores
10 land as it sees fit.
"a "The use of these uplands for cattl
N grazing is of almost no value. Poss
At bly, two hunters make poor livin
,e ,e by hunting wild cattle through the TO
~ est, and selling the meat and hides.
n "on the other hand, the direct an
1t indirect damage to the forests fro
ie cattle is incalculable.
,s eff one stands on the well know