Hawaii - Overview

Whether you come to Hawai'i to explore the land or just to discover yourself, you will surely join the many who have found shelter and renewal in the Aloha State's fair shores, lush mountains and fertile valleys.

The first "visitors" to the Islands of Hawai'i came not knowing what to expect — or even that the Islands existed. A magnificent royal blue sky mixes with a rainbow-colored tropical garden ... Pacific waves roll onto an endless white sand beach. World-class resorts pamper your every wish ... This is truly America's Paradise ... the breathtaking Hawaiian Islands. Experience the true spirit of "Aloha" in Hawaii , America's Favorite Vacation

Despite the crowds, the islands have not been ruined by tourism. Resort development is concentrated into surprisingly small regions - Waikiki is the classic example, holding half the state's hotel rooms in just two square miles - and it's always possible to venture off into pristine wilderness, or to camp on the seashore or mountainside.

The islands of Hawaii poke from the Pacific more than two thousand miles off the west coast of America. Only the seven largest, lying south of the Tropic of Cancer at the southeast end of the archipelago, are inhabited, and only six welcome visitors. Those are Oahu (the site of the state capital Honolulu and its resort annex of Waikiki), Hawaii itself (more commonly known as the Big Island in a vain attempt to avoid confusion), Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kauai.

All the islands share a similar topography, having been formed in the same way and exposed to the same winds and rains. Each is much wetter on its north and east - windward - coasts, which are characterized by stupendous sea cliffs, verdant stream-cut valleys and dense tropical vegetation. The south and west - leeward or "Kona" - coasts are much drier, often virtually barren, and make ideal locations for big resorts.