Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [482]
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TOURIST INFORMATION
In addition to the tourist bureaus listed here, you can get a good deal of useful tourist information from the two free publications 101 Things to Do (www.101thingstodo.com) and This Week (www.thisweek.com).
Big Island Visitors Bureau Hilo (Map; 961-5797, 800-648-2441; www.bigisland.org; 250 Keawe St, Hilo 96720); Waimea (Map; 885-1655; 65-1158 Mamalahoa Hwy, Suite 27B, Waimea Center)
Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau (Map; 800-464-2924; www.gohawaii.com; Suite 801, 2270 Kalakaua Ave, Waikiki) Will mail a free Visitor Guide.
Kauai Visitors Bureau (Map; 245-3971, 800-262-1400; www.kauaidiscovery.com; Suite 101, 4334 Rice St, Lihu′e)
Lana′i Visitors Bureau (Map; 565-7600, 800-947-4774; www.visitlanai.net; 431 7th St)
Maui Visitors Bureau (Map; 872-3893, 800-525-6284; www.visitmaui.com; Kahului airport) Also represents Lana′i and Moloka′i.
Moloka′i Visitors Association (Map; 553-3876, 800-800-6367; www.molokai-hawaii.com; Suite 200, 2 Kamoi St, Kaunakakai 96748)
O′ahu Visitors Bureau (Map; 524-0722, 877-525-6248; www.visit-oahu.com; Suite 1520, 733 Bishop St, Honolulu)
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TRAVELERS WITH DISABILITIES
Major resort hotels have elevators, TDD-capable phones and wheelchair-accessible rooms (reserve in advance). Beyond that, few generalizations can be made islandwide. For specifics, visit the Disability & Communication Access Board (DCAB; 586-8121; www.hawaii.gov/health/dcab; Room 101, 919 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96814) website, which provides information on airlines, transportation, medical and other support services on each island.
Seeing-eye and guide dogs are not subject to the same quarantine as other pets, provided they meet the Department of Agriculture’s (808-973-9560; http://hawaii.gov/hdoa) minimum requirements.
Wheelchair Getaways (800-638-1912; www.wheelchairgetaways.com) is a company that rents vans that are wheelchair-accessible on Maui, Kaua′i and the Big Island.
For a list of services available to passengers with disabilities by airline, go to the Allgohere Airline Directory (www.allgohere.com).
On mainland USA, the Society for the Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped (SATH; 212-447-7284; www.sath.org; Suite 605, 347 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10016) publishes a quarterly magazine and has information on travel for people with disabilities.
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VOLUNTEERING
Volunteer opportunities abound in Hawaii, and they provide a memorable experience of Hawaii’s people and land you’ll never get by just passing through. Some require time commitments, typically a week or so, but lots ask for only an afternoon or a day. Longer programs may provide meals and lodging (and charge a fee to offset costs), but none provide transportation to Hawaii.
The best central place to find out about volunteer opportunities is Malama Hawaii (www.malamahawaii.org), a partnership network of community and nonprofit organizations. It posts a wide-ranging calendar that also includes fund-raising concerts, educational events and cultural workshops. Volunteer by pulling invasive weeds, doing trail maintenance, restoring taro patches, cleaning streams, and much more.
Hawaii State Parks (www.hawaiistateparks.org/partners) can link you with partner volunteer organizations who help preserve and maintain Hawaii’s state parks.
The National Park Service (www.nps.gov/volunteer) coordinates volunteers at Hawai′i Volcanoes National Park (Click here) on the Big Island and Haleakalā National Park (Click here) on Maui.
Here is a list of more organizations gratefully accepting volunteers, some specific to one island:
Give the Reef a Break (www.iyor-hawaii.org)
Hawaii Audubon Society (www.hawaiiaudubon.com)
Hawaii Nature Center (www.hawaiinaturecenter.org) Coordinates voluntourism on O′ahu.
Hawai′i Wildlife Fund (http://wildhawaii.org)
Hawaiian