Hawaii – General details

Hawaii is located approximately in the middle of the North Pacific, 19° – 28° northeast latitude and 154° – 178° west longitude. There are 8 larger islands and over 100 small islands. The land area is 16,700 sq km. Flag Hawaii

The islands have about 1.2 million inhabitants. Of these, about 20% are Hawaiians. The population density is 70 inhabitants per square kilometre. American and Hawaiian are spoken. About 400,000 people live in the capital Honolulu. The islands of Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Hawaii (Big Island) are developed for tourism.

The islands are geologically still very young and were formed by volcanic eruptions. These eruptions continue to this day. On the southernmost and largest island of Hawaii, you can convince yourself of the activity of the volcanoes.

The islands are characterized by the volcanoes. There are heavily folded and green-covered mountains and waterfalls inland, as well as steep cliffs on the coasts.

Economy
The Hawaiians live mainly from tourism, the military and agriculture.

Politics
Hawaii is a state in the United States with a governor as head of state and two legislative chambers (House of Representatives and Senate).

Currency
Payment is made with the US dollar.

Hawaii has a tropical mild climate. Temperatures are balanced and range between 23°C and 28°C throughout the year.

The weather is mainly influenced by the trade winds, which come mainly from the northeast. As a result, the north and east coasts have abundant precipitation with extensive rainfall.

The areas of the island, which lie to the south and west, are characterized by a dry and sunny climate. The largest amounts of precipitation fall on the island of Kauai (Mount Waialeale) with 1200 cm per year.

On the high mountain slopes of the islands, the clouds are caught and rain down there. There are no distinct seasons in the archipelago. Summer can be recognized by the fact that the sun is higher in the sky and it is a little warmer.

The trade winds blow a little more consistently in summer. The winters are a few degrees cooler and you notice that the sun is a little lower.

Travel time
The “best time to visit” to the Hawaiian archipelago is all year round. There is plenty of sun throughout the year. For wave surfers, the best time to travel is winter, because that’s when the waves are at their highest.

For windsurfers, the best time to travel is summer, because that’s when the trade winds are most reliable. In this way, everyone gets their right.

What should be paid attention to, however, are the high season periods between Christmas and New Year until mid-January, as many hotels are quite fully booked then.

Native land animals are bats and birds, with the birds occurring in a rich biodiversity. However, as everywhere on our planet, the number of endangered species is increasing at an ever-increasing rate. The lava rocks are home to the Hawaiian goose (Nene). Of course, there are also insects and other small animals. However, Hawaii is malaria-free. In addition, the imported animals such as horses, dogs, goats and cows are present.

However, the Pacific offers a disproportionately greater biodiversity of marine animals. In contrast to our European waters, the ecosystem around the Hawaiian Islands is still well preserved. In the coral reefs off the islands, a large number of reef inhabitants can be found. There are colorful reef fish such as the butterfly fish and the parrot fish. We found the name of a variegated reef fish called “Humuhumunukunukuapuaa” funny. A true tongue twister. On the beaches you can find various species of crabs that dig their holes here.

In addition, sea anemones, starfish and sea cucumbers can be found in the reefs. Mussels can be found in a wide variety of genera and species. In the deeper waters, many different species of dolphins and whales can be seen.

In the winter months, thousands of humpback whales cavort off the coasts of Hawaii. Between the islands of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, they are most commonly encountered. For the tourists, whale watching trips are offered from the boat. The humpback whales grow up to 15 meters long. The whales are in these waters during the winter months to mate and then migrate north again at the end of winter. The following year, they return here to give birth to their young.

Other marine creatures are swordfish, marlin, groupers, sharks, barracuda, bonito, tuna, and mackerel, although the list does not have to be exhaustive. By the way, the sharks can also be found near the coast because of the lack of outer reefs. Swimming far out into the open sea is therefore not without danger for humans.

Endangered habitats – is paradise dying?
The ecosystems in Hawaii can be found in a very small area. Bare steppes lie next to tropical rainforests and lava deserts border sandy beaches with coral reefs. Due to these different zones, an incomparable flora and fauna has developed on the Hawaiian Islands.

However, this paradise is also severely threatened. Due to the ever-increasing spread of mass tourism and the associated urban sprawl and development of the islands, many plant and animal species no longer find sufficient habitat.

A negative example of this can be found on the island of Oahu. In Honolulu, industrial air and water pollution has already displaced many plant and animal species. Deforestation, the exploitation of natural water reserves and the aggressive development of land with monocultures as well as the development of hotel complexes, resort complexes and golf courses contribute significantly to the death of biodiversity. You can clearly see the effects if you look at your environment with your eyes open.

When do we humans start to rethink?

Due to the isolated location of the Hawaiian Islands, a large number of endemic plant species have developed. They only occur here on the Hawaiian Islands.

The Hawaiian Islands are therefore also a treasure trove for botanists. About 2,400 taller plant species grow here. However, the vast majority of them can be found in the inaccessible high valleys and cliff regions.

Probably the most common plant is the hibiscus, which occurs in around 5000 species. The yellow hibiscus is also the official flower of the state of Hawaii.

In the calderas, the crater basins of volcanoes, grows one of the rarest plants on our planet, the Silversword.

The Kukui Tree, or candle nut tree, is the state tree of Hawaii.

Many other plants were originally introduced by the Polynesian settlers. These include the coconut palm, sugar cane, yams, taro and breadfruit.

The White Settlers brought the pineapple, sugar cane, melons, zitons, coffee and macadamia nuts to grow.

Endangered habitats – is paradise dying?
The ecosystems in Hawaii can be found in a very small area. Bare steppes lie next to tropical rainforests and lava deserts border sandy beaches with coral reefs. Due to these different zones, an incomparable flora and fauna has developed on the Hawaiian Islands.

However, this paradise is also severely threatened. Due to the ever-increasing spread of mass tourism and the associated urban sprawl and development of the islands, many plant and animal species no longer find sufficient habitat.

A negative example of this can be found on the island of Oahu. In Honolulu, industrial air and water pollution has already displaced many plant and animal species.

Deforestation, the exploitation of natural water reserves and the aggressive development of land with monocultures as well as the development of hotel complexes, resort complexes and golf courses contribute significantly to the death of biodiversity. You can clearly see the effects if you look at your environment with your eyes open.

Hawaii belongs to the Polynesian culture and forms the Polynesian Triangle with New Zealand and Easter Island. The word Polynesia is derived from the Greek language and means “many islands”. The language and culture of the Polynesian islands have their origins on the islands of Tonga and Samoa. The rest of the islands of Polynesia were also settled from here. It was not until about 300 AD that the Hawaiian Islands were populated by the Marquesas. A second wave of settlement reached the islands around 1,000 AD from Tahiti and the Society Islands. The ancient Hawaiian culture dates back to this time.

Hawaii – HistoryThis settlement was an amazing achievement considering that there is a distance of 5000 km between Tahiti and the Hawaiian Islands. This stretch over the open sea was mastered with prmitive canoes. The seaworthy sailing canoes made of hollowed-out tree trunks consisted of a double hull or a hull with an outrigger. A platform was built above it, on which small shelters and fireplaces were built.

During the months-long crossing, they fed on coconuts and fish. The canoes could carry up to one hundred people. A replica of these boats can be viewed in Honolulu Harbor. With this replica, they undertook a journey from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1977 and sailed back to Hawaii via New Zealand. This was to prove that in earlier times it was quite possible to complete distances of 17000 km. By the way, this company was successful and the test was passed.

The social system was based on feudal systems with chieftain aristocracies. The so-called “Alii” formed the noble classes that ruled over the rest of the people. The chiefs were both the supreme leaders in armed conflicts and the judges in peaceful times. The chieftains had the position of kings and ruled the respective islands. The Hawaiians originally lived in large families.

According to Polynesian mythology, the world and humans were created by several gods. These begot demigods, who in turn begot humans. Sacrifices were made to the gods, consisting of food, animals and sometimes people. The sacrificial sites, the “Heiaus”, were built of lava stones and remains of some of these sites can still be seen on the islands today.

Hawaiian craftsmanship had a high status. Unfortunately, it has not been maintained and what you can buy on the islands today is usually tourist kitsch. The original songs and dances were the center of Polynesian culture. Unfortunately, not much has been handed down about this either. The tourist representations of the hula today are more of a reference to Disneyland.

Hawaii was discovered by James Cook on January 18, 1778, more than 1000 years after the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers.

When James Cook returns to Hawaii a year later, he docks on Hawaii’s Big Island. By chance, Cook had chosen one of the most sacred places for his landing. Hawaii – James CookAt that time, the Hawaiians were celebrating a festival in honor of the god Lono. The Hawaiians consider James Cook to be this god. In a two-week festival, they pay homage to him. Cook then leaves the Big Island and gets into a hurricane with his ships. Severe damage to the ships forced him to return to Hawaii. Surprised that such a misfortune can happen to a deity, the mood among the Hwaiians changes. During Cook’s stay, thefts occur and a dinghy is also stolen. On February 13, 1779, James Cook went ashore with armed men to capture the chief. Cook and four of his men are cruelly slaughtered in a skirmish.

For the natives, the discovery by the whites had fatal consequences. Due to imported diseases, the population was decimated from 600,000 to 40,000 within a period of 100 years.

The warchief of the Big Island, Kamehameha I, unites all the islands into one kingdom after long bloody battles. He proves to be a benevolent ruler who strives for the traditions of the people. After his death, his widow abolishes all taboos and opens the island kingdom to Western influences. A year later, the first white missionaries go ashore on the Big Island. Soon the islands were Christianized, and the missionaries and their descendants took over important political and economic positions in the kingdom.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Hawaiian Islands became the port of call for entire whaling fleets that hunted whales in the North Pacific to extract whale oil for use as lamp fuel. Around 1870, the era was replaced by the use of petroleum as fuel. In the middle of the 19th century, the islands were discovered for the sugar cane industry. This industry developed into the largest economic sector in Hawaii by the end of the 19th century, as a result of which around 400,000 immigrants, mainly from China, Japan and the Philippines, came to the islands as workers.

The first Protestant missionaries came to Hawaii from the American East Coast in 1820. They were later followed by Catholics, Mormons and other missionaries with different missions. This put an end to the sometimes barbaric Hawaiian customs and rites. With missionary work, however, large parts of Hawaiian culture were also eradicated by stamping original dances and songs as immoral and banning them. A resurrection of these ancient cultures has only developed in the beginnings through the development of tourism.

By 1920, the Japanese made up a quarter of Hawaii’s voting population. Due to Japan’s growing influence in economic terms, conflicts between Japan and America increasingly occurred. During the Second World War, Japan had already brought large parts of the Western Pacific under its rule. This prompted the U.S. to impose embargo measures on Japan, cutting it off from supplies of important raw materials such as oil, ore, and steel.

Cornered in this way, Japanese bombers attack the American base of Pearl Harbour on the island of Oahu in the early morning hours of December 7, 1941, unexpectedly and without any warning. With the exception of the aircraft carriers, almost the entire Pacific Fleet of the United States is located here. Hawaii – HistoryWith six aircraft carriers, the Japanese have approached Hawaii and first take out the air defenses and then attack the ships lying in the harbor of Pearl Harbor with bombs and torpedoes. The battleship Arizona is hit so hard that it sinks immediately with over 1000 men on board. The wreck is not lifted later and the bodies are not recovered. Above the wreck is still the Arizona Memorial today. During the Japanese attack, the battleships Oklahoma, California, West Virginia, Nevada and Utah sink and 4 other battleships are badly damaged. Within 2 hours, almost the entire American fleet was destroyed. This attack marks the beginning of World War II for Hawaii and America. President Roosevelt declared this day the “Day of Infamy”. An unparalleled arms race followed, and the Americans pushed the Japanese back to their home islands in the years that followed. The war ended in 1945 when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan.

After a referendum in 1959, Hawaii is declared the 50th state of the United States of America. In the same year, the first jet aircraft landed – the age of mass tourism began.

In 1983, the population of the islands exceeded the 1 million mark.

Hurricane Iniki devastates the island of Kauai on September 12/13, 1992 with wind speeds of up to 280 km/h. The reconstruction will take several years.

After a decline in visitor numbers during the economic crisis in the early 1990s, the number of tourists to Hawaii has now grown again to about 7 million – many of them from Japan and other Asian countries – in 1999.

the range of different restaurants is as diverse as the mix of the population. There is something for every taste. The restaurants offer Chinese, Italian, Greek, French and typical American cuisine. We searched for Hawaiian cuisine for a long time, but didn’t find it. In the large hotels, a mixture of Hawaiian and American cuisine is offered on request.

On the other hand, all American fast food establishments can be found. Here, the quick feeding takes place in the American way. In addition to steaks, fish and lobster as well as salads from the buffet, spaghetti and Mexican dishes are served in the Staekhäuser.

Following the American model, it is essential to observe some rules of conduct that are not necessarily self-evident for Europeans: when entering the restaurant, you wait until a seat is assigned. Don’t sit down at the table with strangers. Smokers are assigned separate smoking areas. Smoking is not permitted outside these zones. A tip of 15% is expected, which is usually not included in the bill.

In the normal restaurants, loose clothes and shorts are worn, while in the upscale restaurants, long pants and shirt are expected. When reserving a table, which is common in good restaurants, you should ask for the dress code.

Cocktails are often ordered by Americans and are even drunk with food. The Mai-Tai, a typical Hawaiian cocktail, is available everywhere and should be tried at least once.

Below we have put together a small selection of recommended restaurants, which we have also tested ourselves:

There are a variety of restaurants on Maui, but most of them are very overpriced. The many luxury hotels and the high number of tourists on the island have contributed to this development. However, early bird dinners (until 7:00 p.m.) are often offered at lower prices.

The Lahaina Treehaus is built around a tree and is located at Market Place, 126 Lahainaluna Rd. in Lahaina – Tel: 667 9224. Here you can get seafood in all imaginable variations. The quality is fresh and the prices are moderate.

Gerard’s in Lahaina (picture in the picture bar above and in the photo gallery) offers excellent French cuisine. Meals are served in small separate rooms in the house or on the veranda, where you sit in comfortable wicker chairs. Only Hawaiian products are used, mainly fish from local waters.

The restaurant is an absolute must, if only because of the unusual and cozy ambience. We have visited it several times and the quality and service have always been consistently good. The prices are in the upper category. By the way, a breakfast buffet is also offered. You should definitely make a reservation for dinner in advance, as the restaurant is often fully booked. Address:174 Lahainaluna Street in Lahaina – Tel: 661 8939

Daniel Paul’s Lahaina Grill at the historic Lahaina Hotel in Lahaina also serves fine dining.

On Front Street in Lahaina you will find Longhi’s, where you go to see and be seen. This is where the scene as well as locals and tourists meet. The audience is a colorful mix. and there is something from every age group. There is live music on the weekends. The price level is in the middle category.