Guide to Hawaii
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The Hawaii archipelago is the most isolated island chain in the world.
The islands are located in the mid-North Pacific about 3800 kms from
California; 7800 kms from China; 6100 kms from Japan; and 8500 kms from
the Philippines. It is also the only US state not located on the North
American continent; it is not actually part of any of the 7 traditional
continents.
The only practical way of getting to Hawaii is to fly in. Most flights
to Hawaii are to Honolulu International Airport (HNL) which is where
Hawaiian Airlines is based. Hawaiian Airlines has a broad list of
destinations from Hawaii including mainland USA, Australia, Samoa,
Tahiti and the Philippines.
The Hawaii archipelago has a lot to offer adventurous holidaymakers.
On the Big Island (as the island of Hawaii is called to differentiate
from the state of the same name), you can see Mount Loa and Mount Kea
which are the world's biggest volcano and world's biggest mountain
respectively. As a volcanic island there are many black sand beaches on
the island which can make an interesting change.
On Oahu, which is where you will probably land since this is where the
city of Honolulu is located, you will have a nice range of attractions
to visit including Pearl Harbour and a whole host of fine beaches
(Including Kailua Beach, which won the best beach in the USA in 1998).
On Maui you can explore the verdant rainforests which cover much of the
island. It is also a very popular place to go for drives though the
beautiful scenery or go mountain-biking into the scenery. On Kauai, at
Hanalei Bay, you will find one of the most highly rated beaches in the
USA. The landscapes over the rest of the island are also definitely
worth exploring.
The main islands you will want to explore all have extensive road
networks. You will definitely need a car to get around each individual
island as the public transport networks are not very well developed. To
get between the islands you can either leave your car behind and get an
internal flight between the islands, though you'd probably need to hire
another car when you get there; or, if you are travelling between Oahu
and Maui & Oahu and Hawaii, you can just get the ferry.
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