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North Shore · Kauai

Hanalei, Wainiha and Haena

Hanalei is a small town on Hanalei Bay, with Wainiha and Haena farther west along Kuhio Highway toward the end of the road at Ke’e Beach.

Houses and condos1 condo complex

About Hanalei, Wainiha and Haena

Housing west of Princeville is almost all single-family, with very little condo stock. Hanalei Valley’s floor is largely taro land and wetland.

These areas are outside Kauai’s Visitor Destination Areas. A house here can rent to visitors only under a nonconforming use certificate issued for rentals operating before March 2008.

What homes sell for

Property typeSales, Jan–Sep 2026Median or range
Single-family homesAbout 45$2.0M–$3.4M
CondosAbout 40$850K–$1.6M

Title Guaranty reports the whole North Shore as the Hanalei district, so these figures include Princeville and Kilauea. Sales in Hanalei, Wainiha and Haena themselves are few.

Source: Title Guaranty monthly Kauai residential sales reports, January–September 2026 (reported by tax district: Hanalei, Kawaihau, Lihue, Koloa and Waimea).

Can you rent to visitors?

HousesVDA or pre-2008 permit onlyKauai allows visitor rentals of houses mainly inside its Visitor Destination Areas (VDAs), which include most of Princeville, the Poipu resort area and parts of the Kapaa-Wailua coast. Outside a VDA, a house can be rented to visitors only if it holds a nonconforming use certificate, which the county issued to rentals already operating before March 7, 2008. Certificates must be renewed by July 31 every year, and the county has revoked certificates for late renewals, which the Intermediate Court of Appeals upheld in 2024. If a listing advertises vacation rental income, confirm the property’s VDA status or certificate with the county Planning Department before you count on it.
CondosVaries by buildingIn our directory: 1 reported allowed. Most resort-area condos in Princeville, Poipu and on the Kapaa-Wailua coast sit inside a Visitor Destination Area, where visitor rentals are allowed. Condos outside those areas are generally long-term only. Our directory shows each building’s status. See the Kauai condo directory.

Land, title and what to check

Much of this coastline is in the Special Management Area, and many lots are in mapped flood zones, which affects what you can build, rebuild or add on.

Hazards, water and access

Record rainfall in April 2018 flooded Hanalei and cut off Wainiha and Haena. Kuhio Highway past Hanalei stayed closed for more than 14 months and reopened in June 2019.

Since reopening, visits to Haena State Park require advance reservations, with daily visitor limits, and parking is prohibited along the last two miles of the highway.

Access depends on Kuhio Highway and its one-lane bridges, starting with the Hanalei Bridge.

Check any address for its FEMA flood zone, tsunami evacuation zone, sea level rise exposure, lava zone and wildfire risk with our Hawaii flood zone lookup.

Public schools

The public high school for most addresses here is Kapaa High School. Assignments go by address, so confirm with the Hawaii State Department of Education.

Condo complexes in Hanalei, Wainiha and Haena

Units, year built and visitor rental status from our Kauai condo directory.

Hanalei Colony ResortNorth Shore · Haena53 · 1969Reported allowed

Sources: Title Guaranty Kauai residential sales reports, 2026; Kauai County Ordinance 904 (transient vacation rentals); Environment Hawaii: court upholds forfeiture of Kauai vacation rental permits; Hawaii Life: Kauai’s Visitor Destination Areas; DHHL Kauai regional update; Hawaii Public Radio: Kuhio Highway reopens (2019). Checked October 2026. This guide sticks to public facts about prices, rules, land and hazards. It doesn’t rate neighborhoods or describe who lives in them.