The Hawaiian Islands that people commonly think of when imagining Hawai'i are Hawai'i, Maui, Lana'i, Kaho'olawe, Moloka'i, O'ahu, Kaua'i, and Ni'ihau. However, people do not realize that the Hawaiian Islands include many atolls which extend almost as far as the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The Hawaiian Islands were formed by the Pacific tectonic plate moving slowly northwest over a hot spot which causes volcanic eruptions. As the islands move more to the northwest, erosion gets the better of them, and they turn into flat atolls. Some of the atolls are natural preserves for certain endangered Hawaiian species of birds and sea creatures.
Below are brief descriptions of each of the main islands. If you are planning a visit, you can find one that interests you! However, please keep in mind that Ni'ihau, Kaho'olawe, Lana'i, and Moloka'i allow limited amounts of visitors at most.
Below are brief descriptions of each of the main islands. If you are planning a visit, you can find one that interests you! However, please keep in mind that Ni'ihau, Kaho'olawe, Lana'i, and Moloka'i allow limited amounts of visitors at most.
Hawai'i (The Big Island)
Hawai'i is the largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the only one that currently has volcanic activity. Kilauea is supposedly the home of Pele the very temperamental volcano goddess. Legend has it that unusual things happen when you try to take lava from the Big Island.
The two main cities on the Big Island are Hilo and Kona. Hilo is more of a tourist town while Kona is a more traditional country-like city.
Who said Hawai'i doesn't have snow? At the top of Mauna Loa, the tallest mountain on the island, snow can be found during the winter.
The two main cities on the Big Island are Hilo and Kona. Hilo is more of a tourist town while Kona is a more traditional country-like city.
Who said Hawai'i doesn't have snow? At the top of Mauna Loa, the tallest mountain on the island, snow can be found during the winter.
Maui (The Valley Isle)
Maui is known for its whale watching season, November through April. Humpback whales use the waters around Maui as their breeding grounds. Maui is also known for one of it's mountains called Haleakala which means "House of the Rising Sun" in Hawaiian. On the top of Haleakala there are nene geese, the state bird, as well as rare Hawaiian plants that can only be found there.
Lana'i (The Private Isle, formerly The Pineapple Isle)
Lana'i is the smallest of all the inhabited islands. It is certainly very beautiful and closer to traditional ancient Hawai'i than anything else. It is an island of contrasts. While it has extravagant hotels and resorts, there is also the traditional side of Hawai'i. Only 30 miles of road are paved, and this allows more adventurous visitors to have some fun exploring the natural beauty of Lana'i.
Kaho'olawe (The Target Isle)
Kaho'olawe got its name because the military used to use it as target practice. Because of these reckless actions, people are not allowed on the island because there are possibly live bombs still on the island. Efforts have been made recently to restore it to its previous beauty by cleaning up the leftover shrapnel.
Moloka'i (The Friendly Isle)
Moloka'i was previously a place where the government would send people with Hansen's disease or leprosy. They were sent to Kalaupapa, the peninsula on the north side of the island. Father Damian, who recently achieved sainthood, did what he could to help people on the island, even though he was healthy. He contracted the disease and died because of it.
Travel to Moloka'i today is quite limited because there is not much there, and its history is pretty gruesome and not appealing to most people.
Travel to Moloka'i today is quite limited because there is not much there, and its history is pretty gruesome and not appealing to most people.
O'ahu (The Gathering Place)
O'ahu is, by far, the most populated of all the islands, hence it's nickname of "the Gathering Place." The capital of the state, Honolulu, is located on this island. O'ahu is famous for Waikiki, the most tourist oriented place in Hawai'i, as well as Diamond Head, one of the most photographed natural landmarks in Hawai'i. However, on other parts of the island, everything is more laid-back and great for relaxation. Get out of your comfort zone and the land of planned tours, and explore the island for its beauty.
Kaua'i (The Garden Isle)
Kaua'i has the most beach area of all the Hawaiian islands and its beaches are covered in beautiful and soft white sand. Since it is so mountainous, most people live on the coastal regions. Mount Waialeale, the taller of the two mountains on the island, is the wettest spot on earth because it sees around 40 feet of rain per year.
Ni'ihau (The Forbidden Isle)
Appropriately named the Forbidden Isle, Ni'ihau is only open to certain people. It is a privately owned island, and visitation is restricted to family and friends of the owners, government officials, and those lucky enough to be invited. Those who live on Ni'ihau are Hawaiian and speak the language. They try their best to preserve Hawaiian culture by living as the ancient Hawaiians did, without electricity and other modern conveniences.