The view from Ninini Point Lighthouse is beautiful. It’s a wonderful place to sit and watch a sunset or the planes coming in or a terrific site come whale-watching season. And even better, there are usually only a few people
The view from Ninini Point Lighthouse is beautiful. It’s a wonderful place to sit and watch a sunset or the planes coming in or a terrific site come whale-watching season. And even better, there are usually only a few people there. Since drivers must wind their way through the maze of roads around Kauai Lagoons golf course, this isn’t a popular tourist attraction. This is a nice, secluded location. Hard place to find, really. As well, the red dirt road to Ninini Point Lighthouse is a bit rugged, especially the final 50 yards or so over rocks and ruts, so most often, it’s residents of Kauai hanging out there.
Which is why it’s sad that it’s also a popular place for folks to leave trash behind. On any given day, you can find bags of garbage tossed out, a pile of empty beer bottles or just junk that someone didn’t want anymore so they left it behind for others to clean up.
We have a similar situation just a few miles north, not far off Ahukini Road about a half mile before it ends at the harbor. There’s a turnoff on a gravel road and if you drive about a quarter-mile in, there are some locations to sit in a car and admire the ocean. And again, since it’s not a place known to tourists, there’s not many people around. It’s one of those places it’s nice to get away from the crowds. Beautiful, peaceful and relaxing.
But sadly, it’s also become a dumping grounds for old appliances. There are several discarded freezers in one area of green grass, random piles of trash along the road, and more broken down appliances pushed into the brush at another point. A helluva fine mess that everyone ignores.
Since it’s doubtful tourists are packing in old appliances to throw away on this island, the offender is us, the people who live, work and place on Kauai. We’re the ones making a mess and expecting someone else to clean it up. We’re the ones that have to do something about it.
Now, standing on the “let’s not litter” soapbox isn’t anything new. But it’s still a message that bears repeating. Just a reminder not to dump our trash where it doesn’t belong. It results in an ugly blemish. We know better. Kauai deserves better. It is without doubt one of the most beautiful places in the world. Let’s do our best to keep it that way.
