“Hawaii.” Even as the word rolls off your tongue, vivid images already form in your mind: Lying on a secluded beach, your cares drifting away with the gentle ocean waves. Exploring lush tropical rain forests, immersing yourself in a thousand different shades of green. SCUBA diving and snorkeling in crystal-clear waters, coming face to face with schools of rainbow-colored fish. Sipping a Mai Tai and catching a brilliant Hawaiian sunset.

Geologists believe that the Hawaiian islands were formed millions of years ago, born of earth, wind and fire. More than a thousand years ago, Polynesian voyagers arrived on Hawaiian shores, populating these islands and bringing to life the spirit of aloha (showing love, kindness and compassion). Since then, many chapters have been turned in Hawaii’s history—from Western contact and the Hawaiian monarchy to the plantation era and Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor—but the aloha spirit has endured. It remains a living personification of the very best of Hawaii and its people.

Nicknamed “The Aloha State,” Hawaii is a string of 137 islands encompassing a land area of 6,422 square miles in the north central Pacific Ocean (2,400 miles from the west coast of the continental United States. There are eight main islands: Oahu, the Big Island of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, Lanai, Molokai, Niihau and Kahoolawe.

Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state on August 21, 1959. Its capital city, Honolulu, is located on the island of Oahu. The latest census figures show Hawaii with more than 1.2 million residents. Renowned as a cultural “melting pot,” Hawaii celebrates its diversity—no ethnicity makes up more than 25 percent of the total population—with a full menu of cultural festivals each year, including the much-anticipated Aloha Festivals.

The Aloha State offers many natural attractions, including Kilauea, the world’s most active volcano; the Napali sea cliffs and Waimea Canyon (dubbed the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” by Mark Twain) on Kauai; breathtaking Haleakala Crater on Maui; and world-famous Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head Crater on Oahu.

 

Hiking through Hawaii’s lush rainforests... Lounging on a secluded beach... Cruising down a volcano on a mountain bike at top speed... These are just a few of the myriad of activities you can do while in Hawaii - The Islands of Aloha. From catching a sunset sail on a balmy, tropical evening to hitting the ski slopes at Mauna Kea crater, Hawaii offers activities to please each individual. You can snorkel, hike, explore and catch an afternoon luau (feast) all in one day. The choice is yours. All you have to do is figure out what you want to do while on vacation in Hawaii. Then again, you may want to do nothing at all.

 

Kauai Kahoolawe

Hawaii Honolulu