While trying to relax in a spa near famous Waikiki Beach in Oahu, I was joined by a pair of bubbly honeymooners. They’d just gotten lei-ed and were gushing with praise about Hawaii.

I smiled, concealing my deep disappointment at the ugly surroundings. Concrete 70s high-rises towered over me, totally obstructing the sun and sky. Rows of loud tourists dominated the congested shore. The trashy streets of Honolulu were lined with fast food diners and kitsch souvenir shops. Even the more remote beaches of Oahu were crowded and overcommercialised.

So, unless youve come to Hawaii to shop and people-watch, consider catching the next plane to another, less-developed island. Hawaii has a necklace of five main islands: Oahu, the Big Island, Molokai, Maui and Kauai. To hang loose and soak up some traditional Hawaiian culture, I choose Kauai.

My base for the first week was on the east coast of Kauai in Wailua. Kauai has recently recovered from Hurricane Iniki which hit in 1992, destroying half its buildings and causing $US1.6 billion in damages. Settling into my beachside cottage I could see the rolling waves once surfed by Hawaiian royalty, now a favourite spot for locals.

Kauai is Hawaiis oldest inhabited island, and over eight million years its volcanic soil has mothered the most interesting biodiversity of flora and fauna in the South Pacific. Within its compact perimeter (33 miles wide by 25 miles long) lie deep canyons, towering cliff faces, pounding waterfalls and shapely mountain ranges. Its diverse geography and climate command a sense of awe and reverence for the power of natural forces, the core concept of Hawaiian spirituality.

The south coast is generally drier and sunnier; miles of rolling sand dunes pervade the west, while the north coast is famous for its lush rainforests, watered by the misty rains. In the centre is the rainiest spot on earth: Mount Waialeale (meaning rippling waters).

Sacred sites

Greeting the sunrise with Kahuna John Keola Lake, a professor at the University of Hawaii, was one of the perks of being at Wailua during the New Years celebrations. At this easternmost point of Kauai, Hawaiian chiefs and priests would gather to invoke the power of the rising sun in the name of Hawaiis people.

As Hawaiians follow an essentially animistic religion, Professor Lake encouraged us to attune to the spirit of every living thing on the island. The Hawaiians worship almost everything, seeing the divinity of the volcano as goddess Pele, Kane as the god of water and wind, the god Ku present as the sun and rain and goddess Hina shining as the moon. There are over 400,000 deities, without the concept of a supreme one. A certain deity presides over every aspect of life and the gods are engaged in all human activity, enjoying surfing, kite flying and sledding down hills. Divine ancestors, called aumakua, are also revered for their protective and guiding presence.

Hawaiians make offerings and pray so the gods will provide and guide. Feeling a little misguided and ever ready for a spiritual handout, I set off for the places where rituals had taken place for centuries. As it turned out, all the ancient temples, or heiaus, were desecrated and dilapidated. Much of the credit for this goes to Deborah Kapule, wife of Kauais king Kaumualii. When she converted to Christianity in 1935 she decided to pollute the purity of these sacred temples by converting them into pigpens the ultimate offence. Other sites had rest stops and roads built over them, the largest one apparently buried under a Lihue hotel.