HAWAII,USA DESTINATION

Hawaii Travel Guide
Travel destination reviews that highlight 'The Best of …' invariably refer to the Hawaiian Islands as the best place for sun, sand and natural attractions - the place to head for a fun holiday.
This is the location of some of the finest beaches in the United States, each unique in its dimensions, shapes and hues. These sandy stretches are fronted by crystal waters teeming with tropical fish darting through forests of coral. Some of the world's best surfing and watersport opportunities are offered here and for those intent on premium sightseeing it is hard to beat the thrill of watching lava flow from the world's longest erupting volcano.
Visitors who relish exploring different cultures and ancient civilisations will find the best of Polynesian relics in which to indulge their passions, as they soak up some of the 'Mana' (spiritual power) with which the islands were imbued by the legendary gods and goddesses.

Ellison S Onizuka Space Centre
Visitors passing through the Kona International Airport will not be able to miss the clearly marked space centre that is dedicated to the memory of Big Island born astronaut, Ellison Onizuka. The astronaut died in the 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle disaster, and the educational centre not only commemorates this event, but also contains displays about other manned space flight programmes, an interactive rocket propulsion exhibit, a moon rock, astronaut suit and models of spacecraft.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
In the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park surrounding the earth’s most massive volcano, Mauna Loa, visitors can actually watch lava flow into the sea from Kilauea, the still active on-site volcano. Park rangers direct visitors to the daily eruption activity on a dramatic burnt landscape, which transforms the landscape with the ongoing eruption on Hawaii’s Big Island. The park is located 30 miles southwest of Hilo on Highway 11, on the south-east coast of Big Island. Inside the park the Thomas A Jaggar Museum provides a fascinating insight into the geology of a volcano, as well as the cultural aspect of Hawaii’s legendary volcano goddess, Pele. Visitors can view seismograph readings, study earth science displays and enjoy photographs of volcanic eruptions.

Hulihe’e Palace
The stately mansion of Hulihe'e is situated on Alii Drive in Kailua Kona on the west coast of Hawaii's Big Island. It was built in 1883 and served as the holiday home of Hawaiian royalty until 1925 when it was turned into a museum; it now houses a collection of ancient Hawaiian artefacts and personal memorabilia of the Hawaiian royal family. The bust of King Kalakaua's presides over the entrance hall, while the beautiful Koa dining table carved from a single log of wood graces the Kuhio Room. Little touches like Princess Ruth's hatbox made from the trunk of a coconut tree and the cradle of Prince Albert, son of King Kamehameha IV, bring alive a sense of history in the house. The highlight of the collection is the impressive wardrobe in the Kawanakoa Room, which is made of koa wood and trimmed with the King's crest and carvings of classic Greek muses.

Kona Coffee Museum and Farm
For a taste of the coffee industry that flourished in the early 20th century on the Big Island visitors can tour the Uchida Coffee Farm, south of Kealakekua town on the Kona Coast. Tour guides in period costumes show off the original farmhouse, bathhouse, coffee mill and drying platforms. Only a few miles away is the Kona Historical Society Museum, housed in the old Greenwell family store, where photographs, ranching and coffee farming exhibits are on display. The store was built by Henry Greenwell in 1875.

Pacific Tsunami Museum
The town of Hilo on the Hamakua Coast of Big Island has been destroyed several times by tsunami (tidal waves). The first-hand oral testimony of tsunami survivors is now preserved along with some other fascinating information in the Pacific Tsunami Museum, located on Kamehameha Avenue in the town. The museum features a series of permanent exhibits that interpret the tsunami phenomena, the Pacific Tsunami Warning system, the history of tsunami in the Pacific Basin, tsunami of the future, myths and legends about tsunami and public safety measures for tsunami disasters.

Parker Ranch
Forget about the Wild West, Hawaii gave birth to the original cowboys about 40 years before they took over Texas. The history of the Hawaiian Paniolo (cowboy) culture, going back 200 years, is captured in the Parker Ranch Museum and Visitor Centre in Waimea. Here visitors can experience paniolo herding, cutting, roping, branding and cattle-sorting on a wagon-ride that also takes in some ancient Hawaiian artefacts and historic corrals in the hill country, over and above the working cowboy station. The Parker Ranch is the third largest privately owned ranch in the United States. The Museum contains antique ranching tools, historic photographs and furnishings and is complemented by two historic homes on the site, which are open to visitors. The Mana Hale saltbox house, built of koa wood by Parker Ranch founder, John Palmer Parker, dates from the mid-1800s. The large Victorian home Puuopelo houses an art gallery containing some original works by Renoir, Degas, Dufy, Corot and Pissarro. Professional and amateur rodeo competitions are held regularly at the arena.

Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park
This important Hawaiian cultural and historical site on the black-lava Kona Coast of the Big Island contains some forbidding-looking giant idols, although it was in fact built as a refuge for ancient Hawaiians who had violated kapu (social taboo) or as a sanctuary for defeated warriors. The surrounding area outside the huge enclosing wall was home to several generations of powerful chiefs. The 182-acre park also boasts other archaeological sites including some temple platforms, royal fishponds and the ruins of ancient villages. The Hale o Keawe temple, which contains the mortal remains of 23 Hawaiian chiefs, and some thatched buildings have been reconstructed.

Hawaii's nightlife is centred on traditional festivals which visitors are encouraged to experience as they don 'leis' (necklaces of flowers) and dance the famous 'hula' after sunset.
The state of Hawaii includes approximately 130 islands in the Pacific Ocean, many of which are uninhabited. The islands lie about 1,600 miles (2,600km) off the coast of mainland USA. The largest island, Hawaii, is known imaginatively as the Big Island, but the state capital, Honolulu, and most of the population is located on the smaller island of Oahu, which is also the main tourist destination. The other main islands are Maui, Molokai and Kauai. Between them the islands boast an amazingly diverse geography providing endless recreation opportunities, from snowboarding on mountain summits to hiking through rainforests. The possibilities offered by a Hawaiian holiday are limited only by the boundaries of the imagination.