Hawaii Vacations Blog - Hawaii Travel by a Hawaii Expert!

OAHU

1. Oahu is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands, with a coastline of 112 miles.
2. The average temperature range is 71-80 degrees F, with variable rainfall on different sections and elevations of the island.
3. The highest point on Oahu is Mt. Kaala, which rises 4,020 feet above sea level
4. Honolulu, Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and Waikiki are all located on Oahu.
5. The island of Oahu is formed from the remnants of two large shield volcanoes, the older Waianae Volcano on Oahu’s west side, and the younger Koolau Volcano on Oahu’s east side.
6. On the North Shore, beaches are often dangerous in winter with waves higher than 25 feet. In summer there is often no surf and swimming and snorkeling are excellent.
7. Iolani Palace in Honolulu is the only royal palace in the United States.
8. Oahu is the most-visited Hawaiian Island.
9. The open-air Ala Moana Shopping Center, across the street from Ala Moana Beach Park, comprises 50 acres with 200 shops that attract tens of millions of customers a year.
10. Diamond Head is a volcanic crater that was given its name by British sailors in the 1800’s. When they first saw the crater at a great distance, the calcite crystals in the lava rock appeared to glimmer in the sunlight and the sailors mistakenly thought there must be diamonds in the soil.
11. Queen Liliuokalani was the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian islands. In 1898, Hawaii was annexed to the United States and Queen Liliuokalani gave up her throne.
12. Surfing has been popular in Hawaii since 300 A.D., when Polynesians arrived and played in the surf on "belly boards."
13. Hawaii Standard Time is in effect year-round. There is no daylight savings time. Hawaii is 2 hours behind Pacific Standard Time and 5 hours behind Eastern Standard Time. When daylight savings time is in effect on the mainland, Hawaii is 3 hours behind the West Coast and 6 hours behind the East Coast.

MAUI

1. Maui is known as the "Valley Isle," and is the second largest of the major Hawaiian Islands (a distant second in size to the Big Island).
2. Maui is approximately 48 miles (76.8km) long and 26 miles (41.6km) wide, totaling 728 square miles.
3. The famous Banyon Tree in Lahaina is 130 years old and shades almost two thirds of an acre.The largest of Maui’s two volcanoes, Mt. Haleakala (House of the Sun), is 10,000 feet high and may have last erupted in the late 1700’s (anecdotal evidence) or the late 1400’s (scientific carbon dating).
4. The average winter temperature on Maui is 71 degrees; in summer, 78 degrees.
5. The average ocean temperature is 78 degrees (all Farenheit).
6. Mt. Haleakala at 10,000 feet had a record low temperature of 11 degrees Farenheit in 1961.
7. Maui County includes the islands of Lanai, Molokai, and Kahoolawe.
8. Maui has a population of about 140,000 people.
9. Maui has 30 miles of white, red, and black sand beaches, and has more miles of accessible beach than any of the other Hawaiian Islands.
10. The rare, endemic Haleakala silversword is a distinctive, globe-shaped rosette plant with rigid (swordlike), succulent leaves densely covered by silver hairs. It flowers once (between June and September) and then dies.
11. Maui is about a half an hour by air from Honolulu.
12. The breathtakingly beautiful "Road to Hana" drive is 45 miles long, has 54 one-lane bridges and 600 hairpin turns.

 KAUAI

1. Kauai, known as the "Garden Isle," is the northernmost and fourth largest of the major Hawaiian Islands.
2. The island has a circular shape and an area of 550 square miles.
3. There are 113 miles of shoreline and 50 of those miles are sand beaches.
4. Ninety-seven percent of the land is used for agriculture and conservation.
5. Seventy percent of the island is inaccessible by foot.
6. Kauai’s weather is near perfect year-round with daytime temperatures ranging from the mid 70’s to the mid 80’s, slightly warmer in the summer.
7. Rain showers usually fall in the evening and early morning hours, predominantely over the mountain ranges. Contrary to popular belief, it DOES NOT rain on Kauai all the time — except on Mt. Waialeale (in the very center and top of the island).
8. Mt. Waialeale (3,000 feet high) is the wettest spot on earth, with over 430 inches of rain per year pouring on its peak and creating wonderful waterfalls on the island below.
9. The temperature of the ocean ranges from 68 to 80 degrees fahrenheit.
10. Kauai is about a half an hour by air from Honolulu.
11. Kauai was "discovered" by Captain James Cook in 1778. Polynesians settled on the island in the fourth or fifth century A.D.

 BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII

1. The Big Island of Hawaii is the the youngest of the Hawaiian Islands, at just over one million years old. In fact, the daily lava flow keeps the island growing every day.
2. Hawaii is the name of the island as well as the state. To reduce confusion, the island Hawaii is referred to as the "Big Island."
3. The world’s most active volcano, Kilauea, is on the Big Island.
4. Mauna Loa, which last erupted in 1984, is the most massive mountain on earth and consists of 10,000 cubic miles of rock, and is 13,677 feet high.
5. The Big Island is 4,038 square miles (and still growing). All the other Hawaiian Islands could fit inside the Big Island with room left over.
6. From the southern tip to the northern tip the distance is 95 miles. From east to west it is 80 miles.
7. In the 1850s, John Palmer Parker and his Hawaiian princess wife amassed land to form Parker Ranch, which today sprawls 225,000 acres and is two-thirds the size of the island of Oahu.
8. In 1946, a 56-foot tsunami hit the east side of the island.
9. In 1981, the Ironman Triathlon moved from Oahu to Kona.
10. The Big Island has the most diverse weather of any Hawaiian Island, including tropical, monsoonal, desert, and permafrost.
11. Just below the summit of Mauna Kea, inside a cinder cone, is Lake Waiau, the only glacial lake in the mid-Pacific. At 13,020 feet above sea level, it is also one of the highest lakes in the world.