Hawaii’s Tourists Discover Natural Beauty of the Islands

Living in Hawaii for over 16 years, I am still amazed at the island’s natural beauty and how around every corner there is something new to discover. In Sunday’s Honolulu Advertiser, the paper ranked the top ten state parks most visited by tourists in 2007. Much to my surprise the number one attraction was here on the island of Oahu. It is funny as over the years when I have had  first time Hawaii guests visit; they often think they want to leave Oahu as quick as they can. They think the beauty of Hawaii lies on another island. So I was happy to see three of the top state parks were located right here on Oahu. One of the most surprising things was that the Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island did not make the list.

The survey indicated that the number of people visiting national parks here in Hawaii increased by 10% in 2007. Further supporting how important our island’s natural resources are and how we must strive to protect these magical spots.

Top 10 Hawaii State Parks 2007

1. Nu’uanu Pali State Wayside (905,300 visitors)
2. Wailua River State Park (888,100 visitors)
3. Ha’ena State Park (708,400 visitors)
4. Diamond Head State Park (643,300 visitors)
5. Makena State Park (525,400 visitors)
6. Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area (514,300 visitors)
7. Iao Valley State Monument (431,400 visitors)
8. Waimea Canyon State Park (430,000 visitors)
9. Na Pali Coast State Park (423,100 visitors)
10. Ka’ena Point State Park (340,900 visitors)