Hawaii Superferry Coming to Kauai, Hawaii, on August 19

The Hawaii Superferry is finally coming to Kauai. The controversial, new transportation service between the major islands of Hawaii has met a lot of roadblocks but looks like it is finally opening for certain.

I received an invitation to the Hawaii Superferry's open house on Kauai. The invitation, sent to everyone who had previously joined the Hawaii Superferry's mailing list, said that they would like to offer "a special opportunity to come aboard [their] first ship, the Alakai, for a preview of the vessel."

According to the Hawaii Superferry's invitation, the open house is taking place on the 19th of August, which is a Sunday. The Superferry will be arriving at Nawiliwili Ferry Terminal at Pier 1, the harbor in Lihue where the cruise ships dock.

Reservations must be made to attend the open house, and can only be made online (not through the Superferry's phone line). To reserve a space, you must visit the following address:

http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=140124

For security reasons, you must have reservations prior to showing up at the Superferry. When you arrive, you must also bring a government-issued, current photo ID such as a Hawaii State ID or a Hawaii State Driver's License.

You must park at the Kauai Veteran's Center, which is located just off of Rice Street in Lihue, HI. A shuttle will pick you up from the parking lot and drive you down the hill to the harbor.

Available times are 11:00am through 3:30pm, with open house tours occurring every half an hour. When you register, you can also register all of the guests that are coming with you.

At the time of this writing, Friday morning on the 10th of August, the 11:00am and 11:30am time slots had already been sold out. When similar events were held on the island of Oahu, they sold out rapidly and the Superferry was forced to have a second open house.

I asked several people what they thought of the Superferry coming to Kauai. Josie (last name withheld), an old time resident of Kauai, isn't bothered by the arrival of the ship and thinks that change is inevitable. In contrast, Carol (last name withheld), is angry and thinks the government should have studied the effects of the Superferry before authorizing it. For example, she says she's worried that plants and pests will be more easily transported among the Hawaiian Islands, and that traffic will get much worse when residents from the other islands visit Kauai.