Hawai'i -
Your Pacific Paradise
Overview | Kauai | Oahu |
Molokai | Lanai |
Maui | Big Island | Staff Favorites
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Whether you come to Hawai'i to explore the land or just to discover yourself, you will surely join the many who have found shelter and renewal in the Aloha State's fair shores, lush mountains and fertile valleys.
The first "visitors" to the Islands of Hawai'i came not knowing what to expect - or even that the Islands existed. It is generally believed Hawai'i's first permanent inhabitants sailed in voyaging canoes from the southern hemisphere islands of the Marquesas, between 300 and 800 A.D. Later waves of settlers arrived by the 12th century, this time from Tahiti.
The 137 islands, islets and shoals that make up the Hawaiian Island chain sit at the northern tip of the Polynesian Triangle, an expanse of ocean roughly the size of Europe and North America combined. As one of the most geographically isolated, continuously populated spots on Earth, Hawai'i is a land of many contrasts. Urban Honolulu, the state capital, is a cosmopolitan metropolis with a population of more than 370,000; the entire island of Moloka'i, a scant 50 miles away, has 7,400 residents.
Climate
All Hawaiian Islands have a "dry side" and a "wet side." The windward (east) side of each island attracts more annual rainfall. The leeward (west) side is always the drier area of the island.
Hawaii's tropical latitude gives it little difference in year-round day length and the amount of sun, even in the winter. But because the Islands' terrain varies in altitude in certain spots (primarily on Maui and the Big Island with these Islands' large volcanoes), temperatures can vary. The average annual temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (23.9 degrees Celsius) fluctuates only a few degrees from summer (May through October) to winter (November through April), and - surprisingly to many newcomers - the summits of the Big Island of Hawai'i's Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are often blanketed with snow. (NOTE: There are no formal ski areas on these mountains, but locals do snowboard and ski on their own power.)
Terrain
Together, the eight main Hawaiian Islands - Hawai'i, Maui, Moloka'i, O'ahu, Kaua'i, Kaho'olawe, Lana'i and Ni'ihau - are home to virtually every geographic formation, terrain and climate to be found on earth, and the possibilities for outdoor enthusiasts are boundless: There are lava deserts on the Big Island and highland rainforests on Kauai; on Molokai you'll find the world's tallest sea cliffs and miles of pristine beaches.
Culture
What's more, modern Hawai'i's culture is every bit as diverse as its geography, with virtually every nation and ethnicity represented in its food, festivals, music and art. From hula and hip hop to the Honolulu Symphony and community theater, the possibilities for today's visitors to participate in Hawaii's rich culture are limited only by the imagination.
Overview | Kauai | Oahu |
Molokai | Lanai |
Maui | Big Island | Staff Favorites
All photos are courtesy of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.
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