An Introduction To Hawaii

Let's start with the basics.  Hawaii is part of the United States of America.   The state of Hawaii consists of a group of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  The main islands, in order of size, are:

Hawaii (also known as the Big Island)
Maui
Kauai
Oahu
Molokai
Lanai

Is Hawaii a state or an island?
Both.  Hawaii is a state.  It is also the name of one of the islands.  Local people usually refer to the island of Hawaii as The Big Island.

Where is Honolulu?
Honolulu is the capital of the state of Hawaii.  It is located on the island of Oahu.

What exactly is Waikiki?
Waikiki is a stretch of beach, approximately 1 mile long, in the city of Honolulu.  This is where the majority of hotels, restaurants and nightlife is found.  The beach runs from Kapahulu Avenue down to the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel.  Yes, it is very touristy but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  I think Waikiki gets an unfair shake.

Is it difficult to visit another island?
Not at all.  It's almost like taking a bus.  Flights are fairly frequent between the main islands  of Oahu, Maui, Big Island and Kauai.  Round trip airfare can vary greatly but expect to pay somewhere between $90-$200.  Sometimes the inter-island airlines get into a fare war, so it's worth monitoring the prices.  The main interisland airlines are Hawaiian Airlines, Go! Airlines and Mokulele Airlines.  Smaller carriers are Island Air, Pacific Wings.

What is the best way to get to Hawaii?
The main gateways to Honolulu are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Tokyo.  Some other cities to consider are Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas, Houston, Atlanta, Vancouver.

What is the weather like?
Warm.  There's only two seasons - winter and summer.  Winter months are November through April.  Average winter daytime temperature is 78F (25.6C) and lows are 68F (20C).  In the summer, average daytime high is 85F (29.4C) and lows are 75F (23.9 C).  Winter months can bring rain but it moves out rather quickly.

Are there volcanos on every island?
The only active volcano is on the Big Island


If you have questions or suggestions for this journal entry, please let me know.