First, a little history about the Kipu Ranch:
William Hyde Rice was born and raised in the Hawaiian Islands in the mid1800s … He was a student of Hawaiian lore and spoke the language. He began buying and leasing land on Kauai in the 1870s, and bought a 3000 acre parcel from Princess Ke’elikolani in 1879 to form the Kipu Ranch. This made him one of the ten largest land owners in Kauai. The land was used to grow sugarcane, and raise cattle and fine horses. Which leads me to a digression about Kauai real estate … Much, near I say most, of the island is owned by the government or owners with large land tracts. Kipu, for example, was sold by the Rice family to another wealthy landowner. This owner has actually ceded the land back to the State … the transfer will occur at the deaths of the current owner’s family. The relative scarcity of land, and its beauty, has created sky-high prices and demand from people who can afford it. The homes and condos of Princeville, for example, are now utilized primarily as rental properties rather than residences. This has led to many locals being priced out of the market.
So let’s look at this beautiful land tract called the Kipu Ranch:
Much of it is a flat plain on a bluff above the ocean. The early part of our ATV ride traversed this plain, past grazing cows. There is no more sugarcane or pineapple grown here. Instead, ATV rides, guided hikes, and zip lines weave their way past the cows.
The land goes all the way to the summit of the mountains in the photo above. And as the tour continued, the ATV paths became much more technical and fun to drive. The trails took us towards the top of the mountains and to overlooks above the property’s beaches.
I really like doing these off-road ATV tours. The driving is fun and very different than anything else I’ve ever done. Maybe the closest comparison is snowmobiling… And just like snowmobiling, you have to stay alert and precise with your lines on the trails. If your eyes wander, you could end up sliding off a curve !!!
No, this was not one of our vehicles … It was actually driven there by our guide to scare the shit out of us !?!
Our last trail took us up to the point where we could see the beach below (go back a few pictures). We were surprised to see a shrine at the high point of the road. We were told this was for a local cowboy who disappeared one night and was never found. The suspicion is that he fell off a cliff, but who knows ?!?
We paid our respects, and rode our ATVs back to our starting center with all vehicles and people surviving.
The Adventures of Barry Brink 