Elvis Presley’s ‘Blue Hawaii’
Elvis Presley put Kauai on the map with his 1961 movie Blue Hawaii, said Laura Bly in USA Today. More than 50 other films have also used Kauai’s “lush, staggeringly gorgeous scenery as a stand-in for paradise.” As the oldest and northernmost of the state’s four major islands, Kauai is prized for its inaccessible canyons, “razor-edged cliffs,” and balmy trade winds. A helicopter ride into the mouth of the volcanic crater Mount Waialeale reveals “a luxuriant tangle of ferns and waterfalls,” which give credence to its claim to be the “wettest place on Earth.” Only 5 percent of Kauai’s 552 square miles is designated for urban development. Yet locals are worried that tourism has brought too much change to the island, and that the rise of mega-resorts and increased ferry traffic will dampen its “laid-back, rural vibe.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Tuck in to British fusion cuisineThe Week Recommends The trend for combining classics from two food cultures can result in dishes that are doubly delicious
-
Labour and nuclear weapons: a turbulent ideological historyThe Explainer From the 1940s to Keir Starmer, the party leadership has zigzagged in and out of love with the bomb
-
'Trump trial transcends sex, money and politics'Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
