Princeville at Hanalei preserves the tranquility and natural beauty of ancient Hawaiʻi. Long before Captain James Cook arrived on Kauaʻi in 1778, Hawaiians cultivated the lush Hanalei Valley, creating extensive irrigated taro fields and harvesting the ocean’s bounty.

Westerners introduced cattle ranching to the area in the 1830s, experimenting with crops like silkworms and coffee with varying success. Cattle were first brought to Kauaʻi’s North Shore in 1831, making it one of Hawaiʻi’s oldest ranching regions. As the cattle population grew across the islands, King Kamehameha III brought in Spanish vaqueros to teach Hawaiians horseback riding and cattle herding. These skilled horsemen played a pivotal role in shaping Hawaiʻi’s paniolo (cowboy) culture, which remains deeply rooted in the ranching traditions of Princeville.

In 1853, Robert Crichton Wyllie, a Scottish adventurer and Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Hawaiian Kingdom, acquired land near Hanalei. In 1860, he named his sugar plantation Princeville, honoring the visit of young Prince Albert Edward Kauikeaouli Lei O Papa a Kamehameha, son of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma.

By 1895, Albert S. Wilcox, the son of missionaries, transformed Princeville back into a cattle ranch. Nearly a century later, in the 1970s, the Princeville at Hanalei was established, becoming Kauaʻi’s premier visitor destination.

Today, the pastures of Princeville at Hanalei continue to host riders, offering a glimpse into the island’s ranching legacy. Meanwhile, in the valley below, taro—once the staple of ancient Hawaiians—continues to thrive, connecting the present to the past in this historic landscape.