Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [4]
To play a more active role in sustaining Hawaii, there are a wealth of volunteer opportunities that can fit inside a standard vacation. Click here for a list of recommendations and contacts.
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TRAVEL LITERATURE
In 1866 Mark Twain traveled to the ‘Sandwich Isles’ and sent back rollicking dispatches from paradise, now collected as Letters from Hawaii. Twain’s wit and wisdom remain as dry as ever – whether he’s turning up his nose at raw fish, visiting ‘Pele’s furnaces’ or witnessing the ‘lascivious hula-hula.’ There’s even a primer on whaling slang.
In Blue Latitudes (2002), Tony Horwitz sails in Captain Cook’s wake over 200 years later. As he hops around the Pacific Ocean, ending in Hawaii, Horwitz evaluates Cook’s impact and legacy while contrasting Cook’s then with his own jet-assisted travels through Polynesia’s now.
David Gilmore did what most only fantasize about: moved to Puna on the Big Island to build his dream home in Hawaii. However, too cynical for paradise, Gilmore’s dream became a nightmare of contractors, coqui frogs and local Punatics, a hilarious tale he relates with good gay humor in HomoSteading at the 19th Parallel (2007); see also www.nineteenthparallel.com.
In the compelling, poetic memoir West of Then (2004), Tara Bray Smith searches for her homeless, drug-addicted mother in the public parks of Honolulu. To unravel and understand how mother and daughter came to this, she carefully places her family’s sugar-plantation heritage within 20th-century island history. This is unlike any other depiction of Hawaii you’ll read.
For a glimpse of Native Hawaiian culture today, pick up Voices of Wisdom: Hawaiian Elders Speak by MJ Harden. In it 24 kupuna (elders – including well-known folk like Herb Kawainui Kane) discuss nature, activism, hula, spirituality, music and more.
Exploring Lost Hawaii (2008) by Ellie Crowe ties ancient Hawaiian history to the preserved cultural sites you can visit today, mixing in interviews with locals and modern travel tales. It’s a nice, personable companion.
It sounds incongruous, but Hawaii’s Best Spooky Tales, a long-running series edited and collected by Rick Carroll, is ideal beach reading. These goofy, short, modern-day ‘chicken-skin’ stories are told by locals, and every one is real! Okay, well, maybe some are a little exaggerated.
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INTERNET RESOURCES
Alternative Hawaii (www.alternative-hawaii.com A one-stop site for ecotourism, with hotels, restaurants, info and more.
Hawaii Ecotourism Association (www.hawaiiecotourism.org) This nonprofit organisation certifies and lists outfitters, tours and hotels committed to ecotourism.
Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau (www.gohawaii.com) The state’s official tourism site.
Honolulu Advertiser (www.honoluluadvertiser.com) The state’s main daily newspaper.
Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) Hawaii travel news and links to other useful web resources.
Resource 4 Hawaii (www.resource4hawaii.com) Check out the gorgeous 360-degree-view photos of Hawaii beaches and sights.
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Top PICKS
Beaches
Let’s make this simple. Go here. These are the top beaches by island. Of course, many, many more beaches deserve your attention, but you can’t miss at these sandy beauties.
O’ahu, Kailua Bay (Click here)
O’ahu, Waimea Bay (Click here)
O’ahu, Makaha Beach (Click here)
The Big Island, Hapuna Beach (Click here)
The Big Island, Makalawena Beach (Click here)
The Big Island, Waipi’o Valley (Click here)
Maui, Big Beach (Click here)
Maui, Ho’okipa Beach (Click here)
Maui, Malu’aka Beach (Click here)
Kaua’i, Hanalei Bay (Click here)
Kaua’i, Po’ipu Beach (Click here)
Kaua’i, Ke’e Beach (Click here)
Moloka’i, Halawa Beach (Click here)
Lana’i, Hulopo’e Beach (Click here)
Ways to Go Green
It’s easy to go green in Hawaii – and getting easier all the time. Here are some specific suggestions that show just how simple it is. For more on sustainable travel, Click here.
Sleep off