Island Basics
Island BasicsMore Hawaii Money-Saving Articles Here  The Hawaiian Islands (Hawaii Visitor's Bureau) are an archipelago located in the pacific ocean 2100 miles SW of San Francisco. There are eight main islands, shown above. In this book the four islands not covered are Niihau, Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe because: *** Note on pronunciation - I provide a rough guide to pronounciation of the islands, but although the pronounciation as stated here is mainstream and commonly used, it is not 100% correct according to Hawaiian Language standards. For the sake of continuity and ease for the visitor, I and many visitor guides have left out the okina ' which serves to show a glottal stop like in the pronounciation of uh-oh. For example, Lanai while commonly pronounce lah-nye is correctly pronounced lah-nah-ee, shown with the okina as Lana'i. I apologize for this misuse and hope interested parties will read more at Diacritical Marks: Okina and Kahako. Rest assured, you will not be critisized in the islands for pronouncing it lah-nye. Niihau (nee-ee-how)- Niihau is a small privately owned island that is inhabited only by the owners and those of pure or mostly-pure Hawaiian blood. Hawaiian is the main language spoken on the island. There are no hotels or visitor tours to Niihau, you may visit only by resident invitation. I have never been, and will probably never be invited. It is visible off the western shores of Kauai - the forbidden isle looming in the distance. Molokai (mo-lo-kye) - Molokai is a small quiet island with much to offer in the way of relaxation and solitude. It is inexpensive by nature, and really needs no tips to find an inexpensive spot. Maybe someday I will offer a book just on it, or include it in this one. Lanai (lah-nye) - Lanai is also a small island with much to offer in the way of relaxation and solitude, but the two main hotels are solid luxury, that most cannot afford. This is the island Bill Gates rented for his wedding ceremony. Your best bet would be a day or afternoon boat trip to Lanai via Maui. Kahoolawe (kah-ho-oh-lah-veh) - Kahoolawe is a small, uninhabited island, currently embroiled in controversy regarding the Navy's past use of it for target practice. The four islands covered are: Oahu (oh-ah-hoo) Visitor's Bureau, Map- Oahu is called The Gathering Place, for good reason. There are almost 1 million people living in Honolulu alone. This is the home of Waikiki and Pearl Harbor and also the major airport hub of the islands. Kauai (kah-why-ee) Visitor's Bureau, Map - Kauai is called The Garden Isle. This is where Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park and countless other movies were filmed. Home to the famous Na Pali coast and Waimea Canyon. Maui (mow-ee) (mow rhymes with how) Visitor's Bureau, Map - Maui is called The Valley Isle for its undescribably lush scenery. It is home to Haleakala National Park and favored home for countless migrating humpback whales during the winter months. Hawaii - The Big Island (hah-why-ee) Visitor's Bureau, Map - Get used to calling Hawaii the Big Island now, because that's all the residents call it. It is home to active Kilauea Volcano within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and featuring many spectacular black sand beaches. For good street maps of a particular area, go to Mapquest.com. Unfortunately, driving directions aren't available yet for Hawaii, but by clicking on the Maps link and putting HI in the state area, you will find an interactive map of all the islands that will let you zoom in to specific areas, and print out the results. Hawaii is a state Hawaii is the 50th state, and as such it is like visiting any other State in America. The currency is the American dollar, the medical care and drinking water is up to american standards, the emergency number is 911, and the official language is English. You'll find many of the same hotels, rent-a-car companies, and luxuries as anywhere else. The time zone is Hawaiian Standard time which is 3 hours behind Pacific time during daylight savings, and 2 hours behind the rest of the year. Many place names and street names are in Hawaiian, but don't worry - you'll catch on quickly - and if you don't, we'll forgive you. If you are having a hard time pronouncing something for an agent or taxi - just spell it. There are a few Hawaiian words and island specific words mixed in to the English language that you'll want to be aware of. For example, on an island with mountains in the middle, east/west/north/south are not practical indicators of directions. We use mauka (mow-kah) (mow rhymes with how) to mean toward the mountain and makai (mah-kye) to mean towards the sea. You can remember this by remembering the first syllable in mauka ryhmes with the first syllable in mountain. If you were at an oceanside resort in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island and asked me how to get to Holualoa, I would tell you to travel mauka on Hualalai road until it dead-ended. This would put you driving straight upwards (towards the mountain) to the dead-end. Another common indicator is windward and leeward. The windward side of the island is normally the east side, where the rains will come off the ocean bringing breezes and rain. The leeward side is normally the west side, where the mountains form a protective barrier, blocking most of the rain and some breezes. If you hear the phrase kona winds that means the winds are coming from the west instead of the traditional trade winds. Other common words you may hear are: pau (pow) - done, finished, complete lanai (lah-nye) - porch ohana (oh-hah-nah) - family aloha (ah-lo-hah) - hello, love, goodbye mahalo (mah-ha-lo) - thank you wahine (wah-hee-neh) - woman hale (ha-leh) - house ono (ohno) - delicious kau kau (kow-kow) - eat, food kane (kah-neh) - man Hawaii is unlike any other state, because of its tropical climate and volcanic origins. There is an authentic palace standing on Oahu, and a rich culture on display. Weather The climate at sea level in Hawaii is tropical, and cooled by ocean breezes called trade winds. There are two seasons: winter and summer. The only real difference is winter is a little cooler, and a little rainier (the rain can usually be avoided on the leeward and southern sides of the island). My thermometer (I am at sea level) in the shade sits at about 86 degrees F all the time. At night it will drop down to 76 degrees, and in the winter at night I might see it drop to 70 degrees (brrrrrrr). The temperatures may reach the mid 90's in the summer, and the high 80's to low 90's in the winter. Island temperatures have reached 100 degrees F only once in recorded history on the Big Island. This results in warm, sometimes hot weather, with (hopefully) ocean breezes to cool you. The biggest thing to be aware of with the weather is it gets cold at elevation. If you are planning to stay in Volcano, or at Haleakala, or anywhere above 3000 feet above sea level you will need a sweater or more. It even snows on Mauna Kea (Big Island) and Haleakala (Maui) in the winter - talk about dramatic scenery! Also, the windward (usually east-facing) sides will be rainier than the rest of the islands. This doesn't make them bad destinations (they are lushly green and exotic) but you should be aware of it. I can testify that it does rain more at night than in the day, and many showers quickly pass with rainbows as rewards. On to What to pack ... Was this article useful? 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