The hauntingly beautiful sounds of the Hawaiian guitar, the sweet
fragrance of flowers everywhere, the
warmth of the people, the blissful air, and the never-ending ocean creates
a euphoria like no place
on earth. Glimmering white beaches, sun, sand, sea, and surf.....what
else can you ask for?
The Hawaiian Islands are one of the most beautiful places on earth.
The weather in Hawaii is heavenly
where the temperature ranges from 70-80 degrees all year long.
"Waikiki beckons with gorgeous white sand, dependable Hawaiian
sunshine, first class dinning,
international shopping, and exciting nightlife. Over a century ago,
Robert Luis Stevenson wrote:'If
anyone desires such old fashioned things as beautiful scenery, quiet,
pure air, clear water, heavenly
Hawaii awaits."
It is still magic today. The beautiful San Souci beach under the cliffs
of Diamond Head. Waikiki Beach
itself is not one of continuous crescent of sand, but a series of beaches,
some natural and others
manmade, each with it own ambience and habitués.
Lahaina is still the center of action of Maui, but the narrow dusty
streets Herman Melville walked are
now brightly lined with art galleries, shops, restaurants and night
spots. This is also one of the best
places to watch Hawaii's biggest visitors, the humpback whales, as they
sing and cavort in the
Molokai Channel--although the best way to see the whales is to take
a boat ride out to join them
at sea.
Today, the once ribald capital of the Sandwich Islands has been turned
into a living museum, and
you can spend hours hiking through a century and a half of Hawaiian
history.
When visitors first see Kaanapali Beach, with its beautiful views of
the Pacific and Neighbor Islands
of Molokai and Lanai, they can understand why these were dubbed the
Islands of Paradise, and
why the name stuck for so long. The views make the Pacific seem more
like a large lake than the
largest body of water in the world. The sunsets make wonderful transitions
from sun-filled days to
fun-filled nights as the sun sinks over Lanai.
Kauai, the Garden Isle, is a lush emerald paradise in the middle of
the Pacific. Many claim it the
most beautiful of all the Hawaiian Islands.
Some of the most awesome spots look out on the Waimea Canyon, which
Mark Twain, with his
sense of modest description, called the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."
Part of the Kokee State Park,
it is a mile wide, over ten miles long, and almost 4000 feet deep. One
of the most popular pastimes
at the lookouts is watching the shadows of clouds as they cross the
chasm's walls. It is also one of
the best places for hiking and offers more than 10 hiking individual
hiking trails.
There is an overwhelming feeling of peaceful beauty of Hanalei Bay.
The bay itself is a long crescent
of sandy beach etched into the half-moon base of the intricately carved
mountains. It stretches from
Kolokolo Point and its Lumahai Beach, where Mitzi Gaynor vowed to "Wash
That Man Right Out
of My Hair' to Puu Poa Point, where Rossano Brazzi sang" Some Enchanting
Evening." Most visitors
recognize it as the setting for the movie "South Pacific".
The "state" of Hawaii is comprised of eight major islands,
which are called the High Islands. With
an array of sea, land and sporting activities from which to choose,
visitors will enjoy hiking through
rainforests, biking along mountain ranges and swimming in the azure
blue waters of the Pacific.Kilauea,
Hawaii's most spectacular attraction is known for its fiery eruptions,
mountains of red hot
glowing lava and violent outbursts. Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park
is a fascinating place to go
hiking. Two of the world's rare live volcanoes, Kilauea and Mauna Loa,
lie within its 350 square miles
The first people to set foot on Hawaii were probably Polynesian fishermen,
or perhaps defeated
warriors whose canoes were drawn hopelessly northward into unfamiliar
waters. They arrived by a
combination of extraordinary good luck and an uncanny ability to sail
and navigate without
instruments, using the sun by day and the moon and rising stars by night.
Original settlers of Polynesia migrated through South-East Asia and
Indonesia across Melanesia,
before settling the Polynesian islands from 1000 BC to 500 AD. Hawaii
was one of the last island
groups to be settled. Archaeological evidence indicates the first Polynesians
arrived in Hawaii from
the Marquesas between 500 and 700 AD.
The first wave of Tahitians arrived in Hawaii in about 1000 AD conquering
and subjugating the
Marquesans, forcing them to build temples, irrigation ditches and fishponds.
The menehunelegends
of a tribe of little people may well refer to the Marquesans for the
word menehune is very similar
to the Tahitian word for outcast.
The earliest Hawaiians had simple beliefs which were the result of
being in tune with the spirits of
nature. Offerings to their gods consisted mainly of praying and a sharing
of their harvest. The
Hawaiians had gods for all natural phenomena, consisting of the four
main gods: Ku, Lono, Kane,
and Kanaloa. Ku was the ancestor god and took charge of the male gods
and Hina took charge
of the females. They were responsible for heaven and earth, fishing,
forests, and farming. Lono
was the god of the rain, the harvest, fertility, and peace. Kane created
the first man and was the
god from which all Hawaiians descended. Kanaloa was the god of the underworld
and ruler of
the dead. Under these main four were many lesser gods.
Temples erected in ancient Hawaii, called heiaus, were built in two
basic styles using lava rock.
One was a rectangular enclosure built directly on the ground, the other
consisted of raised terraced
platforms with rocks piled high. Many of these heiaus can still be found
throughout the islands today
and are considered sacred places.
The Makahiki
According to legend, the god Lono, after a spiff with a chief who was
lusting after Kaikilani, his wife,
killed her and set sail on a canoe with a tall mast hung with sails
and promised to return one day on a
floating island. The Hawaiians remembered Lono each year
with a harvest festival, called the
makahiki, which lasted from October to February. Even during wartime,
fighting would be
suspended for the festivities dedicated to Lono
The culture of Hawai'i people, along with that of the rest of the Polynesians
is unique primarily due to
isolation of the islands.
A scholar once wrote that the Hawaiian culture disappeared before it
could be properly recorded.
The only written glimpse of these islands was given to us by Captain
Cook and his officers.
More recently the Bishop Museum in Honolulu have pieced together the
data of the Polynesian
people to give us a fairly clear vision of the early Hawaiians.
Life centered around the kapu, a complex set of rules. For instance
women were not allowed to eat
certain foods like pork and bananas. But they were not savages either
as they developed a rich
cultural heritage.
They also practiced a conservation that is in some respects should
be envied by the West. Food was
plentiful as the Hawaiians practiced closed fishing seasons and managed
their natural resources.
They lived simply and generally in harmony with nature.
The population of Hawaii is 1,200,000 with most people residing on
Oahu. The 1990 US census
put Oahus population at 836,231. Honolulu accounts for 377,059
people. The population is 24% Japanese, 24% Caucasian, 18% part-Hawaiian
(less than 1% pure Hawaiian), 11% Filipino, 6%
Chinese and 2% Black, with numerous other Pacific and Asian minorities.
Approximately 14% of Oahus residents are members of the armed
forces or their dependents.
The population of the Big Island was 120,317 in 1990. Hilo has about
a third of the islands
population, but the Big Islands demographics are changing rapidly.
The Big Islands ethnic breakdown is 26% part-Hawaiian, 25% Caucasian,
22% Japanese,
12% mixed non-Hawaiian and 10% Filipino. Full-blooded Hawaiians make
up just 1% of the
population.
According to the 1990 US census, the population of Kauai is 50,947.
People of part-Hawaiian
ethnicity make up 24% of Kauais population, followed by Filipino
(22%), Japanese (21%) and
Caucasian (18%).
Lanais population is 2,500 and has seen some dramatic rises and
falls in its population. Most
residents of Lanai live in Lanai City. The largest ethnic group is Filipino
(51%), followed by
Japanese (18%), Caucasian (11%) and part-Hawaiian (9.2%).
Maui has a population of 88,100. Ethnically. 26% of the population
is Caucasian. 18°% Japanese,
14% Filipino and 2% Hawaiian. About one-third of Mauis residents
consider themselves to be of
mixed blood, with two-thirds of these having some Hawaiian
ancestry.
Molokais population is 7000 and Molokai is the most Hawaiian
of the islands outside of Ni'ihau.
Almost 50% of its people are Hawaiian or part-Hawaiian. Filipino is
the next largest ethnic group,
followed by the usual mixture
Oahu is
the best known island, and is often called the "Gathering Place",
it is the third-largest island
with nearly 80% of the entire population of the Hawaiian islands. In
Honolulu, you will find the center
of commerce and industry and the celebrated Waikiki beach. Waikiki beach
is the center of Hawaiian
tourist activity offering beautiful scenic beachs, and the majestic
Diamond Head rising majestically in
the background. Waikiki offers a wide variety of hotels, restaurants,
and fine shopping, all within an
easy walking distance. MORE
Maui is the second-largest in
the chain, and is known as the "Valley Isle". Maui is the
site of
Haleakala National Park, an enormous dormant volcano. The port of Lahaina
is a charming artistic community
and boasts a Wyland gallery. On the opposite side of the island is the
small town of Hana with
beautiful jungles and lush vegetation.
Maui was transformed by two volcanoes and consists of grasslands, tropical
rainforest, streams,
waterfalls, and white sandy beaches. Haleakala, the highest point of
the island, affords views of
Molokai, Lana'i, Kaho'lawe, and the Big Island. Rustic Hawaiian lifestyles
can be found at I'ao
Valley on the west side of Maui and Kahakuloa.
Whale watching is a favorite pastime in Maui. Humpback whales come
to give birth and nurture their
calves from November to April. Ma'alaea Bay is a popular spot for whale
watching in the winter.
Beachcombers will love Maui's crystal clear waters where you can enjoy
snorkeling, sailing, and windsurfing. MORE
Kauai (ka-Wa-ee) is the fourth-largest
and the oldest geographically. Kauai has one of the wettest
spots on Earth, and is referred to as the "Garden Isle". It
is hard to find a day on Kauai with no
clouds in the sky. All of that rain makes for one of the most beautiful
islands in the Hawaiian chain.
Because of its untouched appearance, many say it is the most beautiful
one. Kauai has more rivers,
streams, and waterfalls than any of the other islands. Kauai is the
only island in Hawaii that does not
allow a building to be built higher than a coconut tree (four stories.)
MORE
Molokai is known as the "Friendly
Isle". Imagine, no traffic lights, traffic, buses, shopping centers,
fast-food chains, highrises, and virtually no crime. It is rural and
rugged on this island and the most
like the Old Hawaii. One of the most famous regions of Molokai is the
Kalaupapa Peninsula.
In the early modern history of Hawaii, Kalaupapa was designated as
a leper colony. Back then there
was very little there, except isolation, which was the main reason that
location was chosen. Kalaupapa
is still isolated, there's still no road to the area, just a mule trail.
It is also one of the most beautiful
locations in Hawaii. The peninsula juts out into the ocean for a distance
of several miles, with the back
of the peninsula being blocked from the rest of the island by some of
the tallest sea cliffs in the world.
Hawaii or
"The Big Island" as it is known by the locals, is the largest
of the Hawaiian islands is.
It is home to Volcano National Park the only active volcano in the U.S.,
that is building new land every
year.
It is the youngest island in the archipelago, twice as large as any
of the other islands. Most of the
Island's western side is dry and expansive, scattered with ancient fishponds
and archaeological
treasures. The famous Kona Coffee is grown on the west coast, and the
Iron Man Triathalon is
held on the Big Island every year. MORE