The Hawaii Islands

The Islands

The Hawaii Islands

Oahu

Oahu is nicknamed ‘The Gathering Place’. Its flower is the delicate yellow-orange Lima and it’s official color as well.

Oahu is best known for Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach, but despite all the glitter it has many other things to offer. Oahu has many excellent secluded beaches, Hawaii’s top surfing action, and windward Kailua is one of Hawaii’s most popular windsurfing beaches. Its scenic beauty rivals all other islands.

Perhaps the sunniest and driest weather in all of Hawaii is found in Honolulu. No wonder so many people live and visit there. It is a modern city with a unique blend of Eastern and Western cultures offering fine beaches, parks, restaurants, accommodations, and transportation. The bad rap that Hawaii gets as being expensive is discredited in Oahu as it has some of Hawaii’s least expensive accommodations perhaps less than you might pay at home.

Molokai

Molokai’s official flower is the white kukui blossom, its official color is green and its nickname is ‘The Friendly Island’.

Molokai is Hawaii’s fifth largest island. It is 38 miles long, 10 miles wide and roughly rectangular in shape, with a land area of 264 sq. miles.

The western half of Molokai is dry and arid, with rolling hills and the gradually sloping range of Maunaloa (1381 feet). The island’s highest point, Kamakou (4970 feet), is in the middle of the rugged eastern half.

Maui

Maui has much to offer the visitor, including beautiful landscapes, white-sand beaches, world-class water sports, and prime whale watching country.

Other highlights on Maui include the tourist destinations of Lahaina, the Kaanapali and Kihei strip, while the small towns of Haiku, Kula, Makawao and Hana offer a totally different experience. Other treasures are the Haleakala volcano site and the famous Hana Highway.

Lanai

Castle & Cooke, which owns 95% of Lanai through its Dole subsidiary, is in the process of phasing out its pineapple operations and is attempting to turn rural Lanai into an excluse tourist destination.

Lanai City, the only town, is a small plantation town. Highlights include some good archaeological sites and petroglyphs, as well as the last native dryland forest in Hawaii. Outside Lanai City, there are only three paved roads and a 4-wheel drive is desirable for the many dirt roads.

Kauai

Kauai is named ‘The Garden Island’ for its lush scenery.

Being the oldest island, its mountains are smoother and less rugged and most of its interior is a mountainous forest reserve. Kauai is dry and sunny on its southern and western sides, and has long stretches of white-sand beaches. The North Shore is lush and tropical, with waterfalls, beautiful beaches, and incredibly green valleys.

Highlights include the Na Pali sea cliffs, Waimea Canyon, and some of the best beaches in Hawaii.

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