Evening star., 1939-03-24
HowoIs Grand Canyon
Woimeo, Immense and CoIorfuI,
Is Home of Rainbow Princess

No attempt has been made to har-
ness the Waimea water power. As
just noted, have no data at hand
respecting the potentiahty Of the
force that might conceivably be de.
veloped there. Were Kauai an in
dustrlal. center, with q market for
its products practically close at
hand, it might be that some enter.
prise such as the T. v. A. could prof.
itably be launched, perhaps under
Federal or at least insular authority.
Look Like Threads.
But nobody thinks of wasted
power as the spectators watch the
threads Of falling water across the
vast gap in the earth that Is Waimea
Canyon. So far away are they that
they seem mere dribbles. Yet an oc-
casional question brings q surprising
statement Of fact about the width Of
these streams, which look like white
threads hanging against the face Of
the cliff, and the quantity Of water
that is flowing over the precipices.
In consequence of this very nearly
constant spraying from the water
falls the verdure in the canyon Is
very heavy. Trees grow on every
ledge and on the sides of most Of the
slopes. From the upper rim they
appear to be Of small size, but the
guides give assurance that they are
OF unusual heights and that some
OF them are of gigantic stature. 1t
must be remembered that there Is
no dry" season in Hawaii, that the
rainfall in the islands is very nearly
constant the year around.
The spray from these cataracts
and the misty rains that fall fire.
quently afford an ever-present pris-
matte background whenever the
suns rays enter the canyon. AS the
course of the great rift is very
nearly straight north and south it
gets a maximum Of sunshine. It is
not surprising, therefore, that Wal
mea was known to the early Ha-
waiians as the home Of the legend
ary Rainbow Princess. Present-day
visitors will admire the lovely pris-
matte effects Of sunlight on the
haze produced by water falling from
great heights upon the rocks of the
canyon. To the Hawaiians who
have not altogether lost the faith of
their forefathers-and some believe
that very few of them have lost it,
though they may not reveal their
real beliefs-these lovely prismatic
displays are tokens that the Rain
bow Princess is still at home.
Unlike the Colorado canyon, there
is no Bright Angel Trail" down
which venturesome tourists may 20,
afoot or on donkey back, to view
the spectacle from below. Indeed,
I doubt If there is practicable trail
to the bottom from the point of
usual viewing, which could be used
with security by visitors unfamiliar
with the conditions. And appar-
emily there is little question that the
canyon cannot be traversed, afoot or
on horseback, along the course of
the stream at the bottom save bv
those who are thoroughly familiar
with the course and then only in ex-
ceptionally favorable conditions.
Missed by Many Tourists.
Ihere seem to have been but few
fatalities at Waimea, caused by too
venturesome exploration by visitors.
lhls Is perhaps due to the fact that
the tourist tide on Kauai, despite
the numerous attractions Of the is
land and the excellent travel serv-
ice that is maintained, has not vet
reached large proportions. Probably
not quarter of the people who de-
bark for visit at Honolulu 20 to
Kauai. despite its entitlement as the
Garden Isle and its possession of
such scenic features as Waimea, the
Barking Sands" the "Spouting
Horn'-Oahu has its own BLOW
Hole'-and almost literally count
less scenes of unsurpassed and un-
equalled beauty.
Assuredly. If unfortunately, the
somewhat static splendor of Waimea
is not a real rival to the dramatic
II problematical possibilities of
kllauea, down on the Island of Ha-
wan. A canyon, however deep and
Wloe, however highly colored and
1antastically worn by wind and rain
is no match for the terrific power
OF Pele as tourist drawing card
But Pele asleep Is not especially
oeautlful. There are glorious colors
IN Waimea that are not matched In
any degree at Mauna Loa. There are
fantastic shapes in the canyon that
are even more remarkable than the
freaks OF the now frozen lava in
Halemaumau. For actual beauty
the canyon has it all over" the now
geld vents on the big island" 35O
miles to the southeast.
Yet visit to the islands cannot
be regarded as complete unless the
caller crosses over from Honolulu
10 Llhue-I really prefer to repeat
that delightfully."- fantastic name of
the port, Nawiliwili-hops a motor
car IN lieu Of the utterly absent rail-
road accommodation and the equally
negligible cross-island bus service.
and goes out to see Waimea.
1t will be hard for the caller at
that wonderfully beautiful scene to
describe it to his family and friends
When he returns home-even as I
am having hard time satisfactorily
to paint the scene with words
harder than to tell the story Of the
volcanoes, even when they are in
active, as at present.
But the picture Of that splendor
OF natures landscape painting and
sculpture will never fade from the
memory. And it will prove to be
one OF the most cherished souvenirs
OF visit to these Pacific islands
that are now part Of Uncle Sans
estate.
The shortest way home may be
across the middle of the block. Are