Kauai’s most ancient settlement, sunny Waimea’s history encompasses Captain James Cook’s first landing in 1778, a decades-long standoff of King Kamehameha’s superior forces by Kauai’s King Kaumaualii, Russian empire builders, fur and sandalwood traders, whalers, missionaries, and agricultural pursuits in rice, cattle, and sugarcane which brought people from many nations through this western port of call.