Aloha travellers!

Whether Hawaii conjures up Elvis Presley movies or ‘Book ‘em Danno’ from the 1970’s TV series Hawai 5-0, this holiday destination is big in the Bucket List Top 20.

Located in the Pacific Ocean, some 3,200km off the western coast of California, Hawaii is the 50th State of the United States of America and is the only U.S. state located outside North America, and the only one composed entirely of islands. But did you know that the islands were discovered by Captain Cook and also the location of his rather tragic death?

There are 8 main Hawaiian islands however only 4 islands attract the tourists.

Hawaii, the state, is named after the largest island, Hawai’i, which is also fondly known as the Big Island. It holds the claim as the most southerly part of USA. It is also the most volcanic of the islands, home to 5, 3 of which are still active. Kīlauea Volcano the most notable, has been erupting continuously since 1983. It is the lava flow from this volcano that one can see entering the sea in one of the most jaw-dropping natural sights when you choose to cruise Hawaii. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is located on the island and the park encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. For visitors, the park offers dramatic volcanic landscapes, as well as glimpses of rare flora and fauna and a must see shore excursion from your chosen cruise.

Maui, my personal favourite island, and nicknamed the Valley Isle is for me the ‘sporty’ island. It has been voted “Best Island in the World” because of the nice weather environment and due to the fact that Maui has many swimmable beaches. Snorkeling is one of the most popular activities on Maui. Maui’s trade winds tend to come in from the northeast and with the many mountains, these winds are unable to reach the beaches located on the south and west of the island, making the ocean water very clear and peaceful. Ho’okipa Beach Park is one of Maui’s most famous surfing and windsurfing spots. One of the newest sports on Maui is Kiteboarding/Surfing. Kanaha Beach Park, also known as Kite Beach is where beginner, intermediate and advanced Kiters gather. Kiters share the water with Windsurfers who have dominated the area since the early 1980s. The main port of call for cruise ships is Kahului but small ships may also go into Lahaina, a major attractions on the island with an entire street of shops and restaurants which leads to a wharf where many set out for a sunset cruise or whale watching journey.

My least favourite island, O‘ahu, known as “The Gathering Place”, is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to about two-thirds of the state population and the state capital, Honolulu. Well-known features found on O‘ahu include: Waikīkī, once a retreat for Hawaiian royalty in the 1800s; Pearl Harbour; Diamond Head, a volcanic tuff cone; Hanauma Bay, a very picturesque tourist attraction; and North Shore, an area best known for its massive waves, attracting surfers from all around the globe. O‘ahu is also known for having the longest rain shower in history. Kāne‘ohe Ranch, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i reported 247 straight days with rain from August 27, 1993 to April 30, 1994. The island has many nicknames one of them being “rainbow state.” This is because rainbows are a common sight due to the frequent rain showers.

Kaua’i Island is the prettiest island, known also as the “Garden Isle”. Elvis fans amongst you should recognise this island as Blue Hawaii and Paradise, Hawaiian Style, were filmed at various locations on Kauaʻi. It has been featured in more than seventy Hollywood movies and television shows, including the musical South Pacific, Jurassic Park and Jurassic World and the opening scenes of Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark. For those of you past the half century mark, a scene in the opening credits of popular TV show M*A*S*H was filmed in Kauaʻi (helicopter flying over mountain top). Waimea Bay is where Captain James Cook, the first European known to have reached the Hawaiʻian islands, landed in 1778. The island is home to thousands of wild chickens as they have few natural predators. Take a trip to the Heritage Center of Hawaiʻian Culture and the Arts, their mission to nurture a greater sense of appreciation and respect for the Hawaiʻian culture. They offer classes in Hawaiʻian language, hula, lei and cordage making, and many of the major cruise lines offer this as part of a shore excursion.

The lesser known islands are Moloka’I and Lana’i. In 1866 on the north coast of Moloka’i settlements were established for quarantined treatment of persons with leprosy but this was only up to 1969. Leprosy was introduced by traders, sailors and workers. Because of the islanders’ lack of immunity to new diseases, they suffered high rates of infection and death from smallpox, cholera and whooping cough, as well as leprosy. Sugar planters were worried about the effects on their labour force and pressured the government to take action. In total over the decades, more than 8500 men, women and children living throughout the islands diagnosed with leprosy were exiled to the colony by the Hawaiian government and legally declared dead.

In 1921, Charles Gay planted the first pineapple on Lānaʻi. James Dole, the president of Hawaiian Pineapple Company (later renamed Dole Food Company), bought the island and developed a large portion of it into the world’s largest pineapple plantation, but in 1992 the final harvest of pineapple took place. In June 2012, Larry Ellison, then CEO of Oracle Corporation, purchased Dole’s 98 percent share of the island for $300 million. A wonder if the ‘man from Del Monte’ knows this!

Cruising is an ideal way to see Hawaii as you get to visit most of the islands if not all. NCL offer 7 night cruises in and out of Honolulu which Century Travel can package together for you with a few nights in Honolulu prior to the cruise. Contact one of our team to get this ticked off your Bucket List.