Hawaii - Jeff Campbell [5]
Rent a biofuel car on Maui: drive an eco-friendly VW Beetle from Bio-Beetle (Click here).
Learn about Native Hawaiian culture in Honolulu: visit the Bishop Museum (Click here), take a class at Native Books/Nā Mea Hawai’i (Click here) and attend Waikiki’s Kuhio Beach Torch Lighting & Hula Show (Click here).
Use foot, pedal and wind power on Kaua’i: walk the Na Pali Coast (Click here), bike the paved Ke Ala Hele Makalae trail (Click here) and sail in a Polynesian canoe (Click here).
Become a locavore: get yourself some lunch at a farmers market (for a multi-island list, Click here).
Give back: count whales or weed invasive plants…lots of organizations could use volunteers (Click here).
Wildlife Watching
By wildlife we mean the big fellas – humpback whales, dolphins – and endangered native species like the nene (native goose), Hawaii’s state bird.
Whale watching: Maui’s West Coast (Click here), the Big Island’s Kona Coast (Click here), Kaua‘i’s West Side (Click here).
Bird watching: Maui’s Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge (Click here); O’ahu’s James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge (Click here) and Goat Island (Click here); Kaua’i’s Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (Click here) and Alaka’i Swamp (Click here); the Big Island’s Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park (Click here) and Hakalua Forest National Wildlife Refuge (Click here); Moloka’i’s Kamakou Preserve (Click here).
Manta ray gawking: the Big Island’s Kona Coast (Click here), Maui’s Molokini Crater (Click here).
Sea turtle spotting: Maui’s Malu’aka Beach (Click here), the Big Island’s Punalu’u Beach (Click here) and Hilo-area beaches (Click here), Kaua’i’s Po’ipu Beach (Click here), Oahu’s Hanauma Bay (Click here), Lana’i’s Polihua Beach (Click here).
Monk seal spying: Maui’s Wai’anapanapa State Park (Click here), Kaua’i’s Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge (Click here) and Po’ipu-area beaches (Click here).
Dolphin glimpsing: Maui’s Makena Bay (Click here) and Honolua-Mokule’ia Bay (Click here), the Big Island’s Kealakekua Bay (Click here).
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Events Calendar
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JANUARY–FEBRUARY
CHINESE NEW YEAR
KA MOLOKA‘I MAKAHIKI
WAIMEA TOWN CELEBRATION
GREAT MAUI WHALE FESTIVAL
MARCH–APRIL
CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
HONOLULU FESTIVAL
MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL
EAST MAUI TARO FESTIVAL
WAIKIKI SPAM JAM
MAY–JUNE
MAY DAY LEI DAY
MOLOKA’I KA HULA PIKO
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF CANOES
PAN-PACIFIC FESTIVAL
KING KAMEHAMEHA HULA COMPETITION
JULY–AUGUST
INDEPENDENCE DAY
PINEAPPLE FESTIVAL
PRINCE LOT HULA FESTIVAL
KOLOA PLANTATION DAYS CELEBRATION
HAWAIIAN INTERNATIONAL BILLFISH TOURNAMENT
MAUI ONION FESTIVAL
SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER
ALOHA FESTIVALS
QUEEN LILI’UOKALANI CANOE RACE
KAUA’I MOKIHANA FESTIVAL
NA WAHINE O KE KAI
COCONUT FESTIVAL
EO E EMALANI I ALAKA’I
IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
MOLOKA’I HOE
HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
HALLOWEEN
NOVEMBER–DECEMBER
MOKU O KEAWE
KONA COFFEE CULTURAL FESTIVAL
’UKULELE & SLACK KEY GUITAR MASTERS CONCERT
TRIPLE CROWN OF SURFING
E HO’OULU ALOHA
HONOLULU MARATHON
CHRISTMAS SEASON
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Hawaii is an almost year-round festival, with far too many to list. Here are some of the state’s major festivals and cultural highlights. For more, see the destination chapters. Also check out the events calendars maintained by the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau (www.gohawaii.com) and Hawaii Magazine (www.hawaiimagazine.com/events). For holidays, Click here.
JANUARY–FEBRUARY
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CHINESE NEW YEAR mid-Jan–mid-Feb
In Hawaii, everyone is Chinese for the Chinese New Year! For a week or two expect parades, street fairs and firecrackers – and lots of cleaning house. Honolulu (Click here) is the biggest, but Lahaina on Maui (Click here) and Hilo on the Big Island are notable.
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KA MOLOKA‘I MAKAHIKI late Jan
The ancient makahiki festival – a time for sporting competitions