On Visiting the Hawaiian Islands

One of the most popular articles from last month’s issue of The Periodic Perspective was on the Kahili Mountain Resort on the island of Kaua’i. Since there seems to be a relatively keen interest among my readers in learning about Hawaii. I’ll turn the focus of this article to what is probably the most frequently asked question I hear about the islands.

As you may recall, Hawaii has at times—for a period in excess of a decade--been our second home. I am licensed to practice law there, and have. I’ve also spent much time flying from island to island on everything from business to pleasure to golf, which must be a category of its own. So when people say, “I'm planning to go to Hawaii. Which island you think I should visit?” I have some ready answers.

For the most part, it depends on what you're looking for, as each island has its own distinctive personality and profile. So, I'll go through them one by one and give you a thumbnail sketch regarding what to expect. Later, in subsequent articles, if the interest is there, we can get into more detail and explore each island in greater depth.

Maui: I always tell people that being in Maui is like being in Southern California with a tropical climate. Most times I've been there, it's been anywhere from very crowded to extremely crowded. At one time there was a road one could take that went all the way around the island. Now there are certain portions that are considered taboo in view of rental car contracts, because if you had a breakdown in one of those isolated spots, the rental car companies don’t want to be responsible for rescuing you.

At the time when people frequently drove all the way around the island in the form of a loop, especially around Christmas time, it got so crowded with cars bumper-to-bumper that I figured it was like a toy railroad train running around the Christmas tree. Only, there was no space between the front of the engine and the end of the caboose. It was just one continuous loop, and it was so densely packed that unless there was a stoplight, your chances of merging into that loop in anything less than 10 minutes were minimal.

So if you don't mind being a crowd Maui can be an excellent place to be and it is in the tropics.

Maui probably does have the best beaches—consistent with its reputation, particularly if we’re talking about swimmable beaches. At most of the beaches in Maui you can actually go into the water, which is not true on all sides of all the islands. But it seems to me to be crowded, commercial, and I find the atmosphere to be very similar to what I’ve experienced in LA or New Jersey for that matter. These beaches have great functionality and “pleasing” aesthetics, but lack charm in my opinion.

I am told the nightlife is very good for young people. I wouldn't know. I'm no longer a “young person.” But there are lots of young people on the island, most times, and I would infer from that that they're all having a good time, because the principal ingredient from what I've noticed about young people and recall from when I was one is that the best times are had when you’re together with lots of contemporaries.

There are many high-rises and densely packed condo complexes to stay in. They're tastefully done, albeit packed pretty tightly. If you're looking for more of an agrarian, relaxing, get-away-from- civilization type vacation, Maui is probably not the best location, unless you go to Hana. And, if you ask me to develop this point, I believe there are lots of better options for getaways. For one thing it rains a lot there.

There is a least one notable exception to this general rule concerning Maui and that is Haleakala. What an incredibly inspiring and intriguing destination that is! It's one of the largest extinct volcanoes in the world. It has a huge crater—miles across, where they allow one to hike or camp within the caldron. In the evenings, especially when there's a full moon or high winds it can become an awfully intriguing place. This has inspired some of my best poetry. There is a poem that I’ve worked on—on and off--for years that I was inspired to write after a visit there and a climb down into the crater. It is called Haleakala: http://www.danoconnor.com/writing/poetry/haleakala.php .

Haleakala is also my physical location (i.e., top of Haleakala) on my biography page at http://www.danoconnor.com/biography/biography_home.htm .

That's Maui!

Kaua’i: Kaua’i is probably the most agrarian and verdant islands in the chain. By the way there are more than a hundred Hawaiian Islands, if you count the atolls. In this article, we're only talking about the ones that are popular tourist attractions that also have regular residents. Ni'ihau is an island which is only inhabited by native Hawaiians that you may visit by helicopter for what has historically been a very high price. It is just off the coast of Kaua’i.

Kaua’i is called the Garden Island for a very good reason, as it is the wettest spot on earth (Mount Wai’ale’ale), averaging more than 460 inches of rain, per year. And, since it is in the tropics, there is much vegetation and in certain areas, many mosquitoes. If you're not a person who requires a great deal of scheduled activity, but someone who is content with hiking, swimming, snorkeling, or playing golf it is truly paradise.

The Waimea Canyon is one of its best features, as are Hanalei and the Na Pali coast. These are all remote, hikable areas with plenty of lush vegetation, tropical fruit, birds, frogs, feral pigs, a few deer, and, yes, any number of mosquitoes.

The beaches on Kaua’i in general are not as friendly or swimmable as those on Maui, but they are gorgeous, and there are some excellent, swimmable beaches, such as Kiahuna and the adjacent city park beach across from Brennecke’s Grill.

Hopefully by now you get the drift -- quaint, verdant, gorgeous, rainy, far less inhabited than Maui. Again, it just depends on what you're looking for.

Oahu: if Maui was Southern California in the tropics Oahu is New York City. At least 80% of the population of the islands lives on Oahu. It is an historic place with the USS Arizona, Pearl Harbor Iolani Palace, and Waikiki Beach.

One of the things I've always marveled about regarding Honolulu is the fact that there are every bit as many people on the street at 11 p.m. at night as there are at 4 p.m. in the afternoon. The place genuinely lights up at night. Ladies of the evening frequent the streets and there are numerous topless bars and even bottomless ones for both sailors and tourists. But those are easy enough to ignore if you’re not so inclined.

There are lots of fast food places, expensive dress shops, shoe stores, gift shops, and specialty stores of all types and varieties. It does have its own charm, such as the International Marketplace, which abounds with shops, selling mostly what I would call trinkets, clothing and artwork. And, it definitely is in the tropics. Because the prices are much lower in Oahu, as compared with the outer islands, it's not a bad destination, if what you want to spend some time on the beach, be well fed, entertained and not end up with too big of a dent in your pocket book.

Much more detail will be provided regarding Oahu, if, you, my readers happen to choose it as a preferred destination.

Molokai: Molokai includes the home of the famous patron saint of leprosy, Father Damien. There is still a Leper’s colony there (Kalaupapa), which I have never visited—even though the disease (AKA Hansen’s disease) is now curable with Sulfa drugs, partly because of the expense, but mostly because I didn't want to view myself as an intruder. Expensive, escorted trips into the village are now permitted.

If you want to take a side trip to an island near Maui and have a picnic, Molokai is a good spot. There are no major cities. There are lots of good views, but it only takes about two and one-quarter hours to drive from one end of the island to the other. That’s vertically. And the island is so small that there are few horizontal access roads crossing the island to enable a person to easily visit the beaches. They’re a little too far to make the walk appealing, so most visitors end up on dry land most of the time.

The only 18-hole golf course (Kaluakoa) is presently closed. When open, if you're an avid golfer, there is no such thing as a lousy golf course, assuming you only have one complete set of links to choose from. I would place the Molokai golf course in a category with the lower end municipal golf courses and certainly wouldn't make a trip to the island to play it. It does have wildlife, such as turkeys, that frequent it and on that basis there is a certain amount of aesthetic appeal.

So, if you're spending your days on Maui and you want some variety in an uncongested environment with pretty, but not spectacular, views--say to share a picnic with a friend--it can make an excellent side trip. There is lodging, but I think I would feel trapped on such a small island for more than a day trip.

Molokini: If you like dumping money ($80 per adult; $50 per child) on the overhyped and oversold, take a snorkeling trip to Molokini, or just light a match to dollar bills equal to the cost. Either way, you’ll have a comparable experience. The snorkeling is much better at most beaches, such as Poipu in Kaua’i, if you just take some fish food, such as frozen peas from the supermarket and the peas cost a whole lot less than an excursion to Molokini Crater.

Hawaii: When you land on the Big Island, you'll think you're landing on the moon. Hawaii is the newest inhabitable island in the chain and, as such, is not fully developed geologically. It is composed primarily of lava rock, which is generally unfriendly to vast expanses of rich vegetation. That could also be because a good share of the island is a desert. There is less than 10 inches of annual rainfall in many spots, such as the Kona Coast. But, there are frequent, heavy winds, so you end up trading one for the other. At 40 knots with your hat sailing off into the distance, your golf game won’t be quite as much fun.

I like the Big Island for exploring. There is Volcanoes National park with an excellent visitor’s center. The southernmost point in the United States is on the way to the park from Kona. There are active volcano flows, Hilo, which is very verdant, Hawi, where much of my novel, Spice: an Island Intrigue is set, and Kona, which is very dry.

Hawi is one of my favorite spots on earth. The reason is because it has more of a temperate or Midwestern climate at about 600 feet above sea level, which is very pleasant and quite unexpected in Hawaii. It is also horse country with many trails valleys, much splendor, rainbows and inspiration.

You can even ski on the Big Island, as Mauna Kea is 13,796 feet above sea level and it snows there. You have to take a helicopter up, though, or hike, as there are no ski lifts.

I'd choose Hawaii, better known as the Big Island, if your inclination is toward a rugged and rustic sense of adventure. The people who don't like it there, and there are many, feel ill at ease with the black, razor-sharp, lava crusted surface. But to me that just adds to the intrigue, especially with orange, purple or red bougainvillea sprouting from the stones.

If you'll let me know which island you're most interested in, I'd be happy to provide more detail and specifics about the pros, cons, ins, outs and intricacies of each.

Aloha!

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