The Waimea River is a river on the island of Kauai in the U.S. state of Hawaii. At 12.1 miles (19.5 km) in length, it is one of the longest rivers in the Hawaiian Islands.
It rises in a wet plateau of the island's central highlands, in the Alaka'i Swamp, the largest high-elevation swamp in the world. It flows south, passing through the spectactular 3,000-foot-deep (910 m) Waimea Canyon, known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."
The valleys of the Waimea River and its tributary, the Makaweli River, were once heavily populated. It enters the Pacific Ocean at Waimea, near the 1778 landing place of Captain Cook on Kauai.
Famous quotes containing the word river:
“The first man to discover Chinook salmon in the Columbia, caught 264 in a day and carried them across the river by walking on the backs of other fish. His greatest feat, however, was learning the Chinook jargon in 15 minutes from listening to salmon talk.”
—State of Oregon, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)