Long before the mooring lines are secured, Kauai shows its true colour: green. Folded ridges covered in vegetation, deep valleys and clouds clinging to the summits. The oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands has had millions of years to be sculpted by rain, and this long work can be read in every fold of the landscape. Ships dock at Nawiliwili, on the east coast, at the back of a bay guarded by a breakwater; no tender is needed, you step straight onto the pier.

Kalapaki, the beach at the foot of the ship

First surprise: a real beach is within walking distance. Rounding the bay for less than a kilometre, you reach the crescent of sand at Kalapaki, popular with families for its calm waters and with beginners for its gentle waves, ideal for a first surfing lesson. Two small shopping centres border the landing area for a coffee, an ice cream or a bit of shopping. For a port call with no set plans, the morning can slip by here, between swimming and watching the surfers.

Lihue, the modest capital

Downtown Lihue is about three kilometres from the pier, roughly ten minutes by taxi or shuttle. You discover an unpretentious town born of the sugar industry, where the Kauai Museum traces the island's history, from the first Polynesians to the plantations. A few minutes' drive away, a lookout overlooks the Alekoko Fishpond: according to legend, this pond with its carefully fitted stones was built in a single night by the Menehune, the little people of the mountains.

The Wailua River and the east coast

A little farther north, the Wailua River can be travelled by flat-bottomed boat up to the Fern Grotto, a cave draped with hanging ferns. The peaceful trip follows banks where mango trees and bamboo grow. The Wailua Valley was once the seat of the island's chiefs; several sacred sites still dot the river, including ancient places of worship built of volcanic stone that can be glimpsed from the bank.

Waimea, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific

For those willing to accept an hour's drive each way, Waimea Canyon is the port call's flagship excursion. Nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, it slashes across the west of the island over kilometres of red and green gorges streaked with waterfalls. This omnipresent green has an explanation: at the centre of the island, Mount Waialeale receives some of the heaviest rainfall on the planet, and its waters stream down into every valley on the island. The lookouts along the route offer spectacular views without requiring any strenuous walking. It is the landscape that best sums up Kauai's age: erosion has had time here to carve out what elsewhere it only scratches.

Pointers for planning the day

Before heading back on board

Many islands can be summed up in a single image. Kauai insists on several: a red canyon, a fern grotto, a quiet bay where sailboats return at dusk. Heading back up the gangway, you often cast a last glance toward the misty ridges of the interior, where no drivable road leads. In the meantime, one detail will amuse you: free-roaming roosters are everywhere, even in the parking lots; residents say hurricanes set the domestic poultry free, and the whole island has belonged to them a little ever since. This inaccessible part of the island may be what makes you want to come back the most.