Hawaii

Wikipedia: Hawaii

The Island of Hawaiʻi (called the Big Island or Hawaiʻi proper) is one of eight main islands that make up the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi. It is said to have been named after Hawaiʻiloa, a legendary Polynesian navigator who first discovered the Hawaiian Islands. However, other accounts attribute the name to the legendary land or realm of Hawaiki, or Havaiki, a place from which the Polynesians originated (see also Manua), the place where they go in the afterlife, the realm of the gods. The Island of Hawaiʻi is larger than all the other Hawaiian Islands combined.

The Island of Hawaiʻi is administered under the County of Hawaiʻi. The county seat is Hilo. It is estimated that as of the year 2003, the island had a resident population of 158,400 persons.

(from hawaiiweb.com) Hawaii, the Big Island, place where gods, myths, and legends reside - an island still being created before your very eyes as volcanoes bubble and spew forth red-hot lava into the sea. Here, eleven of the thirteen climates of the world can be found. Scenery changes here every few miles from lush rain forests, to barren black lava fields, to snow capped peaks.

Wikipedia: Maui

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727 square miles (1883 km²). Maui is part of the State of Hawaiʻi and is the largest island in Maui County. Three other islands, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, and Molokaʻi belong to Maui County. As of 2005, Maui has a resident population of ~141,000 [2], which is ranked third within the state behind the islands of Oahu and Hawaii.

(from hawaiiweb.com) Maui, named after the demigod that drew the Hawaiian Islands up from the ocean, is the Valley Isle. Legend says that Maui captured the Sun and secured the promise of long days for the enjoyment of the people and visitors of these islands. Today it is said the Sun resides in the beautiful mountains of Haleakala known as the "House of the Sun". Maui is the second largest island in the Hawaiian chain providing miles and miles of diverse cultures, climates, and landscapes.

Wikipedia: Kahoolawe

Kahoʻolawe is the smallest of the 8 main volcanic islands in the Hawaiian Islands. It is located 7 miles (11.2 km) southwest of Maui and southeast of Lānaʻi and is 18 km (11 miles) long by 10 km (6 miles) across. Total area is 115.595 km² (44.63 mile²). The highest point is the crater of Lua Makika at the summit of Puʻu Moaulanui, which is 450 m (1,477 ft) above sea level. The island is relatively dry because the low elevation fails to generate much orographic precipitation from the northeastern trade winds and it is located in the rain shadow of Maui's 3055 m (10,023 ft) high East Maui Volcano (Haleakalā). More than one quarter of the island has been eroded down to saprolitic hardpan.

Wikipedia: Lanai

Lanaʻi (IPA: [lɑːnɑʔi]) is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The only town is Lānaʻi City, a small settlement. The island is somewhat comma-shaped, with a width of 18 miles in the longest direction. The land area is 140.53 square miles (363.97 km²). It is separated from the island of Molokaʻi by the Kalohi Channel to the north, and from Maui by the ʻAuʻau Channel to the east. The United States Census Bureau defines Lānaʻi as Census Tract 316 of Maui County. Its total population was 3,193 as of the 2000 census.

(from hawaiiweb.com) Lanaʻi, Hawaii's Most Secluded Island. This island paradise is only 18 miles wide and 13 miles long and yet encompasses every imaginable service in order to serve its guests in incomparable style. For comfort, seclusion, style, and grace.......the pristine island of Lanai is the place to visit.

Wikipedia: Molokai

Molokaʻi (also Molokai) is the fifth largest island of the Hawaiian archipelago. The island is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km), with a land area of 260.02 sq mi (673.44 km²). It lies east of Oʻahu across the 25-mile (40 km) wide Kaiwi Channel and north of Lānaʻi, separated from it by the Kalohi Channel. The lights of Honolulu are visible at night from the west end of Molokaʻi, while nearby Lānaʻi and Maui are clearly visible from anywhere along the south shore of the Island.

(from hawaiiweb.com) Molokai, the Most Hawaiian Island, where the legends of Hawaii live on. There are no nightclubs or supermarkets, no high-rise buildings or bustling cities, no traffic or traffic lights - this island moves in harmony with the wind and the palm trees, the waves and the sky.

• Molokai Times

Wikipedia: Oahu

Oʻahu (usually Oahu outside Hawaiian and Hawaiian English), the "Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous island in the State of Hawaiʻi. Including small close-in offshore islands such as Ford Island and the islands in Kaneohe Bay and off the eastern coast, it has a total land area of 1,545.34 km² (596.66 mile²). In greatest dimension, this volcanic island is 71 km (44 mi) long and 48 km (30 mi) across. The length of the shoreline is 366 km (227 mi). The island is the result of two separate shield volcanoes: Waiʻanae and Koʻolau, with a broad "valley" or saddle (the central Oʻahu Plain) between them. The highest point is Mt. Kaʻala in the Waiʻanae Range, rising to 1,225 m (4,019 ft) above sea level (Macdonald, Abbott, & Peterson, 1983).

(from hawaiiweb.com) O'ahu is the third largest island in the Hawaiian chain. It is home to about three-fourths of the state's population. Honolulu is the state capitol and the 11th largest U.S. metropolitan city. Waikiki, the most world-renowned site in O'ahu, is the top visitor destination of the state. This manmade beach attraction encompasses 450 acres of top vacation fun, surf, hotels, shopping, dining, and entertainment.

Wikipedia: Kauai

Kauaʻi (Hawaiian IPA pron.: [kauˈa.ʔi]; Kauaʻi-Niʻihau dialect: [tauˈa.ʔi]; usually spelled Kauai outside the Hawaiian Islands and pronounced [kəˈwɑ.i]) is the oldest and fourth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands, having an area of 1,430.43 km² (552.29 sq mi). Known also as the "Garden Isle", Kauaʻi lies 105 miles (170 kilometers) across the Kauaʻi Channel, northwest of Oʻahu. Of volcanic origin, the highest peak on this mountainous island is Kawaikini at 1,598 m (5,243 ft). The second highest peak is Mount Waiʻaleʻale near the center of the island, 1,570 m (5,148 ft) above sea level. One of the wettest spots on Earth, with an annual average rainfall of 460 inches (11,700 millimeters), is located on the east side of Mount Waiʻaleʻale. The high annual rainfall has eroded deep valleys in the central mountain, carving out canyons with many scenic waterfalls.

There is no known meaning behind the name of Kauaʻi. Native Hawaiian tradition indicates the name's origin in the legend of Hawaiʻiloa — the Polynesian navigator attributed with discovery of the Hawaiian Islands. The story relates how he named the island of Kauaʻi after a favorite son; therefore a possible translation of Kauaʻi is "place around the neck", meaning how a father would carry a favorite child. In South Africa, a health food and drink franchise is named after the island.

(from hawaiiweb.com) Kaua'i, The Garden Isle, where the legends of the Menehune abound. Kaua'i is the oldest island in the Hawaiian chain and often called the Garden Isle because of its endless beauty. It is a place as close to the Garden of Eden as one can find.