On the last day of September, guests were filling the Alii pool and jacuzzi at Lawai Beach Resort on an ordinary afternoon. Across the property, two other pools stayed closed. Just down Lawai Road, The Beach House was boarded up and closed until further notice. The road itself was torn up from Prince Kuhio Park until past the resort, as Beat of Hawaii found when its writers, who live and work on the South Shore, drove it slowly over two days.
That is the South Shore about seven weeks after Hurricane Lowell came ashore on Labor Day weekend. The storm's worst damage here follows a single line of coastline. On either side of that line, everyday life in Poipu and Koloa has regrouped a few minutes inland.
The damage follows Lawai Road
The worst of the surge hit a narrow band. Hoona Road took the most severe damage on Sept. 7. Just past Prince Kuhio Park on Lawai Road, dozens of oceanfront condos were destroyed, and storm surge peeled the asphalt off the road. In front of Lawai Beach Resort, the surge lifted Riptides Shave Ice & Snacks, a fixture there for about 25 years, and threw it into the resort's lagoon.
The Beach House has a long history with this stretch of shore. Chef Marshall Blanchard told the Star-Advertiser, in a story The Garden Island republished, that Hurricane Iwa demolished the restaurant in 1982 and Hurricane Iniki flattened it again in 1992. Each time it was rebuilt farther from the water. Lowell is the first hurricane the building survived. Its third structure, built with hardened materials, lost every window. A stray coral head landed outside, and inside the surge left flipped tables, ocean rocks and branches.
Farther along, the shoreline itself looks different. According to the Beat of Hawaii drive, Kuhio Shores still had boarded ground-floor openings. Keiki Cove is now partly lined with large concrete barriers, and at the other end of Poipu, Brennecke Beach has been replaced by rocks. At Kiahuna Plantation, managers reported 17 damaged units, 10 of them oceanfront, to Hawaii News Now. They reopened the backside bungalows away from the water in early October.
A short distance away, the picture is different. Poipu Kapili, Koloa Landing Resort behind it and Nihi Kai Villas all looked normal from the road, and the grounds of the Grand Hyatt looked essentially undamaged. The drive toward Mahaulepu looked more normal too, and crowds had returned to Poipu Beach.
Where things stand along the water
Here is where the familiar coastal stops stood as of the most recent notices and reports:
- Poipu Beach Park. In its Oct. 20 notice, the County of Kauaʻi Department of Parks & Recreation lists the west-end comfort station as closed until further notice and names no other closure at the park.
- Kukuiula Small Boat Harbor. The state's DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation lists the harbor as closed until further notice due to heavy-surf damage. The County also lists the comfort station at Kukuiula Harbor Park as closed.
- Brennecke's Beach Broiler. Open as of early October.
- The Beach House. Closed until further notice. In September, the chef said a reopening by Christmas was possible, depending on supply-chain timing for windows and fixtures.
- Sheraton Kauaʻi Resort. Beat of Hawaii reported a targeted reopening of Nov. 1. Earlier, Hawaii News Now found the resort's booking portal showing no availability until early December.
- Lawai Road toward Spouting Horn. Damaged from Prince Kuhio Park past Lawai Beach Resort, with heavy repair work still under way on oceanfront homes along the stretch.
The regular week now runs through Kukui'ula and Old Koloa
With the coast road under repair, the routines that held up were the ones based uphill. The Shops at Kukui'ula says the center and its restaurants are open, some on modified hours. Its directory still lists Table at Poipu, Living Foods, Kauai Diner Koloa and Bubba Burgers. The Kauai Culinary Market has resumed its Wednesday slot there, 3:30 to 6 p.m., one of the farmers markets that have reopened across the island. The center advertises more than 25 local vendors at the market.
The rest of the Kukui'ula week falls into a regular pattern. The center's November calendar lists Hula at The Shops on Mondays, Sunday Yoga, the Wednesday market and Kanikapila live music by local bands on Fridays. For Kanikapila, the recurring calendar gives 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., while the listing for Nov. 20 gives 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., so check the posted time before heading over.
Down the hill in Old Koloa Town, merchants reopened once power returned and found the street empty. "There was nobody, nobody on the streets, nobody walking down the boardwalk, nothing, no cars," Valerie Smith of Pineapples Boutique told Hawaii News Now at the end of September. She also said "a little bit each day" of returning traffic counted as progress. Pineapples Boutique and Brianne & Co. were both open by then.
"It got everybody away and the island time to breathe."
Joshua Smazik of ʻŌmaʻo told Hawaii News Now this about the quiet that settled over the South Shore as visitor numbers fell. Both views fit the same map. The shops and markets uphill are open and waiting for more foot traffic, while the beaches below are quieter than any recent fall.
The coast is being rebuilt by hand
Below the line of damage, much of the recovery work is being done by neighbors. Prince Kūhiō Park at Hoʻai Bay, the birthplace of Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, lost rock walls that date to the 15th century. A rock shrine was toppled, and the one-ton boulder carrying the park's commemorative plaque was knocked over. The park is owned and maintained by the Royal Order of Kamehameha, Chapter 3, Kaumualiʻi. Volunteer crews have cleared most of the debris. Green waste, trees and boards still need to come out of the park's large pond.
Caretaker Chad Schimmelfennig told Hawaii News Now that the rebuild will go slowly on purpose. "We are going to take things slow and create more community work days to actually educate and have the community be a part of the restoration so that it's the community that is going to rebuild this place," he said. Rebuilding the walls depends on the nonprofit Na Kahu and a GoFundMe, along with community help at future events.
Riptides is raising money the same way. Owner Mindy Hibbitt held two dog-friendly "Fun-Raisers" at the Kauai Humane Society in October to help rebuild the shack and support the shelter's field trip program, and a GoFundMe is collecting money to replace the structure and its equipment. Islandwide, The Garden Island reported that community groups had distributed more than $364,000 in relief by Oct. 21. Through Mālama Kauaʻi's program, that money reached 161 households, farms, ranches, cultural sites and fishing businesses, and the groups are now turning to long-term recovery.
Dates on the South Shore calendar
Kōloa Neighborhood Center was scheduled to reopen Monday, Oct. 26. Islandwide, the County reports all services restored except the DMV. From here, the calendar runs:
- Thursday, Oct. 29, 9 a.m. A free County workshop at the Kauaʻi War Memorial Exhibition Center covers Lowell business-recovery grants of $5,000 or $10,000 for eligible small businesses and nonprofits. Funds are first-come, first-served.
- Friday, Oct. 30, 5 to 8 p.m. Trunk or Treat at The Shops at Kukui'ula, 2829 Ala Kalanikaumaka St., with the Kauai Classic Cars Club and Earthworks Pacific.
- Sunday, Nov. 1. The Sheraton's reported target reopening date. Booking availability earlier pointed to early December.
- Friday, Nov. 6. The next Kauaʻi VOAD recovery coordination meeting.
- Friday, Nov. 20, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Kanikapila at The Shops at Kukui'ula, per the date-specific listing.
- Sunday, Nov. 29, 9 to 10 a.m. Free lululemon Sunday Yoga at Palm Court.
For homeowners, the County says filing for storm-damaged-property tax relief stays open through June 30, 2027. After the resource centers closed, residents who still need recovery help are directed to 211 or KauaiRecovers.org. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm your own eligibility with the County or a qualified professional.
If you own on the South Shore from afar and want a clear picture of your street, your building or the vendors working near it, Rice – Perdue can connect you with people on the ground in Poipu and Koloa. Request a confidential consultation.
