As a child, I learned from my grandma and my parents how to work the salt beds (flats) of which my Uncle and his family continue to preserve today. It is located in the western side of Kauai in an area called Salt Pond Beach Park, named for the traditional Hawaiian sea salt produced in salt flats near the beach.
Rights to process the salt are handed down each generation and sometimes families can be seen working their salt beds, preserving this great piece of Hawaiian culture. The salt patch is made out of 17 different families. Each family has their own section within the patch. You must stay within the area assigned to you as this area was passed down from generation to generation. You are not allowed to farm salt in someone else’s area without permission from the Hui nor can you start your own section without permission.
Season begins when summer starts and ends when the rains come. During a good season you can start around May and finish in September. The amount of salt you can harvest from one season really depends on everything nature provides sun, clay, ocean salt, brine shrimp, and ocean tides.
Hawaiian Salt or Paa Kai is used for seasoning, preserving food and often used as a gift from one family or friend to another.
While vacationing on Kauai, it is a must to see the Salt beds (flats) in Hanapepe, located on the West Side. Want to stay on the West Side, please visit our luxury rentals and enjoy this quiet, rural beach community at its best.
18 Responses
Aloha! We (4 group of families) are going to visit Kauai this july & we would like to visit this place, Salt pond. Do we need to reserve to be able to see the place? Please advice. Thank you.
Aloha Maria, Thanks for your post. Good question. It is still free and pretty much the same at Salt Pond as far as the beach is concerned. You need to know someone to walk close to the salt beds, but you can still enjoy them from a respectful distance. I know during Koloa Plantation Days in July (not sure if it’s planned this year?) they have a tour of the salt beds. That is the only time that I know of.
No. You just drive up to the site. There is ample free parking.
Whenever I read about Salt Pond Beach Park and the nearby salt flats, I think of Uncle Louis Almadova…we miss him so much! We first met him in the 1990s when we camped at Salt Pond and visited him whenever we returned to beautiful Kaua’i to visit. We were blessed to be able to attend his 95th birthday party held in Hanapepe. What an honor to know this wonderful man — Uncle Louis embodied the spirit of aloha.
Lucky you Karen. Thanks for posting.
He was a family friend of ours. They called him the Mayor of Hanalei. He was an awesome person… so full of love for everyone!! He was a great ballroom dancer too!!
thanks
I wondered if there is a traditional Hawaiian name for this beach/area? “Salt ponds” does not do it justice. I love the beauty there. Holly.
That’s a good question, Holly. We did some additional research and have an answer for you. Salt Ponds was known as Waimaka O Hi‘iaka, essentially meaning tears from Hi‘iaka, the sister to Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes in Hawaiian mythology. Aloha from Parrish Kauai
A friend and I just spent three days on Kaua’i to celebrate our birthdays. We decided to visit a lot of historical places as well as other “tourist” spots. The last time I was on Kaua’i was in 2012. One of our stops was at the Hanapepe Salt Ponds. After arriving, a gentleman drove up in his truck, put on his boots and headed out to his area. We watched him for quite a while. When he came back in, we asked him a ton of questions about the process from beginning to end. He was so wonderful sharing the information with us. It’s so amazing all the work that goes into it. When we were ready to leave, he stopped us and gave us each a bag of pa’akai. How blessed we were!! We asked if we could take a picture with him. While writing notes in the car about what he had just shared with us, his friend arrived with a big bag of avocados. He came over and shared that with us also!! God Bless you Wilson Nitta!!
I am a recent local mix Portuguese guy , raised on Oahu and became a chef by learning from great aunties of all races from Big Island.
I would really love to buy about 5 pounds of Kauai Hawaiian Sea Salt. Please send me a price list. Hawaiian Sea Salts are the Best. Especially to help rejuvenate the body’s immune system. I now cook for my mom now living in Texas who is a Big Island local girl. I am her legal guardian now so, I regularly cook her meals using Hawaiian Sea Salts.
Mahalo,
N.M.
Aloha Nathan, The salt from Salt Pond is not sold in stores or available for purchase. You may want to try Aloha Spice from Banana Patch Studio or Salty Wahine. Both are located in Hanapepe and can ship to you. Best Wishes from the Parrish Kauai team!
Kauai is the most beautiful place I have ever been. On one of my visits to Kauai we visited the Salt Flats. It was amazing place & so interesting. There were a couple of people working their areas. One was more than friendly explaining the salt flats and its history. The other lady was quite rude, matter of fact she was the only rude person I met on the island all the times I have been there. Another amazing thing on the island were all the chickens running wild on the island. They were displaced by a hurricane many years ago. It was so comical to go to Walmart and see chickens roosting in the grocery carts. LOVE… LOVE… LOVE this island.
We stopped by the Salt Ponds last June (we live in Portland) on one of our visits to Kauai. A gentleman working his salt bed was kind enough to tell us a little about them and he even offered us some salt. He loaded my hat with some salt (the only container I had handy). He said they are not permitted to sell the salt commercially. It is strictly for the families and whomever they wish to give salt to. We use the salt to rub on steaks — makes them taste really good! We sent the gentleman some personalized labels with his name and “Kauai Salt Ponds” printed on them, so he can bottle some and give them as gifts.
ALOHA,
WE LIVE IN THE BIG ISLAND AND WILL VISIT WITH FAMILIES IN TWO WEEKS AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHERE WE CAN BUY THE SEA SALT AND HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST. CAN YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
THANK YOU,
JOAN SOUZA
Aloha Joan,
I checked with some of the local families that I know and no one knows of a family or hui that operates a salt bed and also sells the salt. One suggestion was to contact Frank at No Ka Oi Landscaping in Hanapepe. He is very active in preserving this family tradition and may have a suggestion. Their web site is http://www.nkolandscaping.com. We hope you and your family enjoy your trip to Kauai.
Thanks for recommending us, Cynthia!
Thanks for the excellent history of the salt ponds. We usually make one or two trips to the west side whenever we come to Kauai and always include the salt ponds. As a result, we have always wondered about them so the insight is especially interesting. Mahalo