What Is The Garden Island Website?

Updated

The Garden Island (thegardenisland.com) is the website of Kauai's local newspaper, which has served the island since 1901. It publishes local Kauai news alongside Hawaii statewide coverage, sports, and editor-curated stories. If you want Kauai-focused reporting from a long-established local outlet, this is the site to check; if you need real-time breaking coverage or non-Hawaii national news, you'll likely pair it with other sources.

What the site covers

The homepage is organized around a few clear content areas:

  • Editors' Picks — a curated selection of stories the newsroom wants to highlight.
  • Local — Kauai-specific reporting.
  • Most Popular — the stories drawing the most reader attention at a given moment.
  • Hawaii News — statewide coverage, often drawn from partner outlets.
  • Sports — local and Hawaii athletics.

A representative example from the Hawaii News section: a report on a Supreme Court climate change case that could set precedent for Hawaii challenges, noting the state has three similar cases against oil companies alleging deceptive conduct in selling their products. The byline credits Chloe Jones of the Star-Advertiser, which shows the site carries reporting from other Hawaii publications, not just its own staff.

Who it's for

The Garden Island suits readers who want:

  • Kauai community news and local perspective.
  • Hawaii regional coverage in one place.
  • A publication with a long track record — it has been publishing since 1901.

It is less suited to readers seeking national or international breaking news as a primary source, since its focus is Kauai and Hawaii.

Access and subscription

The site includes "Subscribe" links, and its account pages are hosted on the Oahu Publications platform (account.oahupublications.com), which also handles subscriptions for other Hawaii papers such as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. That indicates a paid subscription option exists. The available information does not specify pricing, how many free articles are allowed, or which content sits behind a paywall, so check the subscribe page directly for current terms before committing.

Practical notes

  • Byline awareness: Because some Hawaii News items come from partner papers, check the byline to see whether a story is original Garden Island reporting or syndicated.
  • Reading time: Articles display an estimated read time (for example, "7 MIN READ"), useful for scanning.
  • Best use: Treat it as a Kauai and Hawaii news source, and cross-reference with other outlets for stories with statewide or national implications.