All About Hawaii
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.
Visitors in search of the ancient Hawaii will find that few vestiges remain. What is presented as ''historic'' usually postdates the missionary impact. Although the ruins of temples ( heiaus ) to the old gods still stand in some places - notably on the Big Island - and committed campaigners work to revive traditional philosophies, the ''old towns'' are pure nineteenth-century Americana, with false-front stores and raised wooden boardwalks. The two biggest festivals are the Big Island's week-long Merrie Monarch Festival, honoring King David Kalakaua (mid-April), and the statewide King Kamehameha events (around June 11). Authentic hula dancing is a powerful art form, but you're far more likely to encounter it bastardized in a luau . Primarily tourist money-spinners, these ''traditional feasts'' provide an opportunity to sample Hawaiian foods such as kalua pig, baked underground, and local fish such as ono, ahi, mahi mahi and lomi-lomi (raw salmon). Poi - a paste made from mashed taro root - remains a staple of the diet, much as it was when one of Captain Cook's men described it as ''a disagreeable mess.''
Honolulu, just under six hours by plane from the US west coast, is one of the world's busiest centers for air traffic; return fares from LA, San Francisco and Seattle start at around $350. There are also direct flights from the mainland to Maui, the Big Island and Kauai. Many flights to the US from Australia - such as those on Continental - include free stopovers in Hawaii. European travelers should buy all-inclusive tickets from Europe. The principal inter-island carriers are Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Air, together with its subsidiary Island Air. They connect all the major islands several times per day, with standard one-way fares of around $85. Discount travel agents, and virtually all resorts, hotels, B&B agencies and even hostels in Hawaii can arrange discounts on inter-island flights. All the airports have car rental outlets; with the exception of Oahu, bus services on the islands barely exist.
