The hint is in the nickname – the “Garden Island” beckons you to venture outdoors. Nomad Shaun Busuttil is more than happy to answer the call of Kauai.

It’s just after dawn, and I’m paddling up the Wailuā River en route to a “secret” waterfall. The water is a shimmering, orange-tinged mirror to the sky – so still, and so peaceful. It’s just me out here, for the moment anyway, amongst the birds and the trees and the silence.

My map says I’ll need to bank my kayak at a small island roughly 2.25mi (3.6km) upstream, passing an old Hawaiian village on the way, before commencing a 20-minute jungle trek to reach the 98ft (30m) Uluwehi Falls, which, to be honest, isn’t so much of a secret anymore – it's way too beautiful to be kept under wraps.