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 The
islands of HAWAII , with their volcanoes , palm-fringed beaches ,
verdant valleys , glorious rainbows and awesome cliffs , hold some of
the most spectacularly beautiful scenery on earth. However, despite
their isolation, two thousand miles out in the Pacific, they belong very
definitely to the United States. If you expect your South Seas idyll to
be completely unspoiled, forget it; the fantasy of a dream holiday in
Paradise remains firmly rooted in the creature comforts of home. With
seven million tourists per year, including honeymooners from all over
the world, frequent fliers cashing in their mileage, and almost two
million Japanese, the islands can seem like a gigantic theme park.
Honolulu , by far the largest city of the fiftieth state, and with its
resort annex of Waikiki also the main tourist center, is on Oahu . The
biggest island, Hawaii itself, is known as the Big Island in a vain
attempt to avoid confusion. Maui and Kauai also attract mass tourism,
while smaller Molokai remains far quieter. All the islands share a
similar topography and climate . Ocean winds from the northeast shed
their rain on the windward coast, keeping it wet and green; the
southwest, leeward (or "Kona") coasts can be almost barren, and so make
ideal locations for big resorts. While temperatures remain consistent
throughout the year at between 70°F and 85°F, rainfall is heaviest from
December to March. That is nonetheless the most popular time to visit,
enabling mid- to upper-range hotels to add a premium of at least $30 per
night to their standard room rates. A visit to Hawaii doesn't have to
cost a fortune, however; there are plenty of budget facilities if you
know where to look. The one major expense you really can't avoid, except
possibly on Oahu, is car rental - rates are very reasonable, but gas is
pricey.
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Hana |
Hanalei |
Hilo |
Honolulu |
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The former sugar town of HANA itself might seem a disappointment at
the end of the road; it's a pleasant enough little community
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For the moment, major development stops beyond Princeville, mainly
because the road then crosses seven successive one-lane bridges.
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Although it's the Big Island's capital, and largest town, just
45,000 people live in HILO , which remains endearing and unpressured.
Mass tourism
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Until the Europeans came, HONOLULU was insignificant; soon so many
foreign ships were frequenting its waters that it had become
Kamehameha's capital
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Kaanapali |
kahului and Wailuku |
Kailua |
Kihei and Wailea |
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KAANAPALI , just a few miles north of Lahaina but reliably cooler,
was never a town; fields of sugar cane here were replaced in the 1960s
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Almost half of Maui's 120,000 inhabitants - the workers who keep
this fantasy island going - live in the twin towns of KAHULUI and
WAILUKU ,
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Almost half of Maui's 120,000 inhabitants - the workers who keep
this fantasy island going - live in the twin towns of KAHULUI and
WAILUKU
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Maui's other main resort area is south of Kahului, across the
isthmus. The long strip of hotels, malls and condos begins at KIHEI ,
with the road heavily
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Lahaina |
Lihue |
Makawao and Paia |
Waimea |
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The square at the heart of modern LAHAINA is all but filled by a
magnificent banyan tree , its aerial roots pushing down into the earth
to become
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Flights to Kauai arrive at the capital, LIHUE , which stands
slightly inland of little Nawiliwili Harbor. It's roughly at the
midpoint of the round-island
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Coming down from Haleakala, Hwy-365 leads north to two laid-back
little country towns, populated mainly by old Californian hippies:
MAKAWAO
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The interior of the Big Island comes as a surprise: pastoral meadows
roll over gentle hills where once stood forests of sandalwood. This is
cattle-ranching country
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