Lihue is an unincorporated community, seat of Kauai County, southeastern Kauai Island, Hawaii. Lihue, near the island's main airport and its chief port on Nawiliwili Harbor, is a commercial, distribution, and tourist center. The Lihue Plantation, a sugarcane plantation established by Germans in 1849, is nearby. The Kauai Museum and a community college are here.