KAUAI RAINFOREST ANIMALS YOU MAY SEE WHILE ZIPLINING

Kauai is the least populated island of the main Hawaii islands providing thriving nature and wildlife for visitors to see and experience.

When you go ziplining with either Kauai Sky Bikes or Koloa Zipline, you’ll be in the small town of Koloa on private property. You’ll feel like it’s just you, your group, and Kauai’s wildlife on the island!

If you’re ziplining on Kauai (the best Hawaiian island for ziplining) you’ll be zipping right over the Waita reservoir which is abundant with Wildlife.

The Waita Reservoir is fed from the Waiohai-Kauai Aqueduct system and is home to wildlife such as Koloa Maoli ducks (Koloa), Hawaiian Coots (Alae ke’oke’o), Hawaiian Gallinule (‘Alae ‘Ula), Stilts (Ae’o), Pheasant (Kalij), Hawaiian boar (Pua’a), chickens (Moa).

The reservoir also hosts largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, Peacock bass, Tilapia, and Koi. The koi found in the Waita reservoir is what remains from the Japanese camp gardens that existed in that region during the plantation years.

The reservoir now sits on private Grove Farm property and can be viewed only by reserving a space with Kauai Skybike tours or Koloa Zipline!

Kauai Birds

If you’re a bird Lover Koloa Zip Lining and Kauai Sky bikes are for you! You will see wild chickens (Moa) everywhere! They’re super adaptive and have made every part of Kauai their stomping grounds.

Everyone has the same question. Where did they come from?

They are also referred to as Junglefowl because that’s what Polynesians called them. Polynesians brought them to Kauai when they first settled here somewhere between 300 and 800 AD.

On top of their migration to Kauai, there is also another theory that the hurricanes of 1982 (Iwa) and 1992 (Iniki) destroyed chicken coops and chickens ran back to the jungles where they mated with Red Junglefowl which resulted in the little guys you’ll see running wild while you’re ziplining.

They have no natural predators so their population skyrockets every year.

Then there’s the Koloa Maoli (Koloa). Koloa maoli are very secretive and difficult to observe except in protected areas such as Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge on Kauai.

Hawaiian Coots (Alae ke’oke’o) are such unique birds. They’re black with a white bill and a white stripe going up their forehead.

They are endangered because of new predators and habitat loss. The Waita Reservoir is their safety and home. Be sure to look for them while you’re suspended 30 feet above Kauai!

Wild Kauaian Boars

Hawaiian Boar (Pua’a)

Hawaiian Boar (Pua’a) was also believed to be brought to Hawaii by Polynesians. Found on all main islands except Lana’i. They are omnivores but they mostly forage for vegetation and worms by digging their long snouts into the ground. It is legal to hunt Boar in Kauai.

Where You’ll See Kauai Wildlife

The reservoir is nuzzled right by Kauai’s Tree Tunnel and Old Koloa Sugar Mill. The reservoir is an inland body of freshwater, one of the biggest in Hawaii. It appears as a huge Oasis with the background of the Black Mountain Range and Mt. Haupu in Koloa as seen in Jurassic Park. 

The Waita Reservoir was built in the 1900s in an area that was then the Koloa Swamp. It’s purpose was to supply water to the sugar cane fields that were in full swing at the beginning of the 20th century.

It was Expanded in 1931 to include 525 acres and it holds 23 billion gallons of water. The reservoir is still irrigating water to farms all over the island, today. Agriculture is very much still alive on Kauai, with the help from the Waita Reservoir.

The Koloa Sugar Mill stands as a testimony to Hawaii’s booming sugar industry. From 1912-1996 The Koloa Mill was the highest producing sugar mill in the state of Hawaii.

Alongside the old Koloa Sugar Mill, you will see classic Hollywood movie locations like Jurassic Park and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.

After the closure in 1996, the mill became a popular tourist attraction popping up in countless vacation photos and home movies. Closed to the general public, it is still a favored site for Hollywood movies and Kauai’s natural wildlife.

Come See The Animals Of Kauai From A Zipline

Come on a ziplining tour with Koloa Zipline and see the vast species of Kauai!