Koloa, also known as Old Koloa Town, used to be a sugar plantation town. In the sugar plantation era, many people from foreign countries such as Japan and Philippines have moved to Koloa to ear a living. King Kamehameha III leased the land to Duncan McBryde. If you travel to Koloa, you will notice that there are many plaques in the street. The plaques mark the sites of the old sugar mills. Koloa Plantation Days is celebrated annually. The booming of the sugar plantation industry caused more than 350,000 people to move to the area. Today, its main industry is no longer the sugar plantation industry. Instead, its main industry is the tourism industry.
During the festival, all kinds of activities are carried out including music, games and storytelling. The town was refurbished during the 1980s. The old buildings in the town were painted with a layer of new paint. When you are entering the town, you will see the Tree Tunnel. The Tree tunnel is a stretch of eucalyptus trees along the Maluhia Road. The eucalyptus trees were planted since a century ago. The main attraction at the town is the old buildings. Most of the shops at the Koloa Town are old fashioned. You can stop by at the Lappert Ice Cream Store to purchase ice creams. When visiting the Koloa Town, you can go to tourist attraction sites such as Heavenly Hana and Kauai Pie. You can take a tour on the Koloa Heritage Trail if you want to explore the historical sites. If you follow the Koloa Heritage Trail, you can discover 14 cultural sites. Each of the cultural sites has a different historical background. The cultural sites are located in between Old Koloa Town and Poipu. The Koloa Heritage Trail is about 10 miles long. You can hike the trail or use a bicycle to explore it. You will learn about many things such as volcanic formation, whaling, sugar plantation and etc when exploring the sites.
In Koloa town, there is a shower tree. If you travel further from the shower tree, you will find the Sugar Monument. The Sugar Monument is located on the Koloa Heritage Trail. The Sugar Monument is a sculpture with a circular shape. The sculpture shows a millstone holding a bronze sculpture. On the bronze sculpture, you will find depictions of 8 different ethnic groups that have settled into the land during the sugar plantation era.
