There’s more to Hawaii than just sun and fun on the beach as a visit to Waimea will prove. This little 9000 population place whose postal service name is Kamuela, has mountains, rolling fields, and working ranches.
Kahua Ranch has been a working cattle and sheep ranch since 1928. The ranch hands are Hawaiian cowboys( paniolas). Visitors experience the ranch and its operation while riding in a horse-drawn wagon whose driver is eager to talk about ranch life in Hawaii. Those who enjoy horseback riding are invited to mount and trot or canter through the fields.
Another rancher who established one of the largest 150,000 acre operations in Hawaii, also followed another dream founding the Kahilu Theater in 1979. This theater is a mecca for stage performers from around the world such as a Chinese Percussion Team and Philadelphia Dance Company as well as native performers.
Definitely not to be missed is Waimea Canyon State Park. The canyon is approximately 10 miles long, 1 mile wide and 3600 feet deep. Waimea Canyon boasting reddish soil and water lives up to its name Waimea which means red waters. This canyon was said by Mark Twain to be The Little Grand Canyon.