Aloha friends, if you’re planning a trip here soon, I wanted to share a quick update on island conditions post-Hurricane Lowell.

Current Island Status

We welcome you! The island is recovering quickly. Things are a bit quieter than usual, so you will have shorter wait times at your favorite restaurants and grocery stores. You’ll see some ongoing repairs, roadwork, sand in new places, sideways trees in certain spots, missing vegetation on trees in other spots, and temporary closures—so flexibility and aloha are appreciated.

• North Shore: Access past Hanalei to Wainiha and Hāʻena (including Hāʻena State Park) is currently restricted to resident-only traffic for road/bridge repairs. Go Hawaii
• West Side: Waimea Canyon is partially open.
• General Vibe: Local businesses are fully open and eager to welcome you, so your support means a lot right now!

Getting Around

If this is your first time, Kauaʻi is a small island, but even before Hurricane Lowell, driving takes longer than you think. There is one main road, the speed limit is very slow, and it does not loop all the way around. Driving from Poʻipū up to Hanalei often takes 90+ minutes each way, and it is still this way.

Top Recommended Activities

If you want to fill a few spots on your itinerary, consider picking one major thing per day and leaving the rest open for downtime:

Nāpali Coast Boat Tour: Rafts get you up close; catamarans offer a more refined ride. This is an excellent way to see the Nāpali Coast, as it's currently not able to be seen by hiking or driving to the Kalalau Lookout.

Helicopter Tour: Essential for seeing interior waterfalls, the Nāpali Coast (inaccessible by car or foot right now), and Waimea Canyon (which is only partially open at this time). Jack Harter and Aliʻi Air do full 60-min doors off experiences; Safari and Island Helicopters offer canyon/waterfall landings.

Bike Ke Ala Hele Makālae: Rent a bicycle in Kapaa and ride the 8-mile paved coastal path. Explore the shops and restaurants of Kapaa town.

Chocolate Tour at Lydgate Farms: Excellent guided walk through a local cacao farm with fruit and chocolate tastings in a tropical mountain setting.

Kīpū Ranch ATV Tours: Guided off-road adrenaline and movie-location views.

Hanalei Bay: The bay, pier, and beach offers incredible views. It is especially magnificient at sunset. Be sure to explore the town of Hanalei.

Farmers Markets: They are in abundance all around the island.

Quick Local Food Picks

Līhuʻe: Rainbeau Jo’s (coffee/breakfast), Kauaʻi Bakery (malasadas), Ocean House (upscale dinner).

Kapaʻa / East Side: Pono Market (poke & Hawaiian plate lunch), Fish Bar Deli, Waiʻula Bake Shop, Nāmaka Restaurant and Bar.

South Shore: Porky’s (Kōloa - Hawaiian pulled pork hot dogs), La Spezia (Italian/wine bar).

North Shore: Big Nick’s in Hanalei (classic plate lunch and burgers).

Enjoy your time, slow down, and enjoy the island pace. Safe travels! 

I recently purchased a 2016 JK with about 75,000 miles on it.

We have been troubleshooting the check engine light as it keeps coming back on. It is code p219a which is bank 1 air-fuel ratio imbalance.

Things done:
- oil change
- replaced the gas cap
- replaced the bank 1 front 02 sensor
- replaced the bank 1 rear 02 sensor
- added a can of Sea Form to a full fuel tank (a total of 3 times)
- checked to make sure the EVAP purge valve is opening and closing
- new coolant thermostat
- replaced all spark plugs
- flipped coil packs from bank 1 to bank 2

The check engine light still comes on after driving 20-30 miles each time. Any tips or ideas where to check next would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

I recently purchased a 2016 JK with about 75,000 miles on it. It had a Christmas tree of lights on the dash which we have been chipping away at.

Lights included ABS, traction control, brake, and check engine. Like many Jeep owners, I had a bad ABS module and was really frustrated with the ABS module situation for Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge. After a few months of research and disappointment I shipped the module to Wrangler Fix in Florida. Wrangler Fix replaced the parts in the ABS module and now it works. It was expensive but one less problem.

Another issue was a bad wheel sensor. This was replaced.

Clock spring was replaced but that didn’t immediately fix the problem of the light, horn and buttons on the steering wheel not working. In the end it was the m4 fuse that was missing, not sure if the clock spring was ever bad but now have a new clock spring.

With these replacements the brake, ABS, and traction control lights have gone out. I’ll make another post about the check engine light as I need some assistance in troubleshooting.

Good luck.