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Hawaii Vacation Directory
Hawaii Vacation Directory - Hawaii Vacations & Holiday Travel
A human edited travel resource of Hawaii Vacation information including vacation rentals, condos, resorts, hotels, lodgings, accommodations, Car Rental Companies, photographers and more organized into an easy to use directory.
Big Island Information:
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawai'i Island, is a volcanic island (the eastern-most and southern-most in the Hawaiian islands chain) in the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of 4,028 square miles (10,430 km2), it is larger than all of the other Hawaiian Islands combined and is the largest island in the United States. The Island of Hawai'i is administered as the County of Hawai'i within the state of Hawaii. The county seat is Hilo. In modern times, Hawai'i is known as the "Big Island" to reduce confusion between Hawai'i Island and the state.
In addition to news and dozens of articles about the Big Island of Hawaii, this section of our directory has these main vacation categories: Big Island Accommodations, Big Island Activities, Big Island Car Rentals, Big Island Condos, Big Island County and Government, Big Island Vacation Rentals.
Sugarcane was the backbone of Hawai'i Island's economy for more than a century. In the mid-twentieth century, sugar plantations began to downsize and in 1996, the last plantation closed.
Most of the Big Island's economy is based on tourism, centered primarily in resort areas on the western coast of the island in the North Kona and South Kohala districts. More recently, the Big Island has become a focus for sustainable tourism.
Diversified agriculture is a growing sector of the economy. Major crops include Macadamia nuts, papaya, flowers, tropical and temperate vegetables, and coffee beans. Only coffee grown in the Kona District of this island may be branded Kona coffee. The island's orchid agriculture is the largest in the state, and resulted in the unofficial nickname "The Orchid Isle." The island is home to one of the United States' largest cattle ranches: Parker Ranch, on 175,000 acres (708 km2) in Waimea. The Big Island of Hawaii is also known for Astronomy, and numerous telescopes are operated on the summit of Mauna Kea, where atmospheric clarity is excellent and there is little light pollution.
Kauai Information:
Kaua'i or Kauai was known as Taua'i in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle", Kaua'i lies 105 miles (169 km) across the Kaua'i Channel, northwest of O'ahu. This island is the site of Waimea Canyon State Park.
The United States Census Bureau defines Kaua'i as Census Tracts 401 through 409 of Kaua'i County, Hawai'i, which is all of the county except for the islands of Ka'ula, Lehua, and Ni'ihau. The 2000 census population of Kaua'i (the island) was 58,303.
In addition to news and dozens of articles about Kauai, this section has these main vacation categories in our directory: Kauai Accommodations, Kauai Activities, Kauai Car Rentals, Kauai Condos, Kauai County and Government, Kauai Vacation Rentals.
Hawaii Standard Time is observed on Kauai year-round. During DST, for example, the time on Kauai is three hours behind the West Coast of the United States and six hours behind the East Coast.
The city of Lihue, on the island's southeast coast, is the seat of Kauai County and the second largest city on the island. Kapa'a, on the "Coconut Coast" (site of an old coconut plantation) about 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Lihue, has a population of nearly 10,000, or about 50% greater than Lihue. Waimea, once the capital of Kauai on the island's southwest side, was the first place in Hawaii visited by British explorer Captain James Cook in 1778.
Kauai is home to thousands of wild chickens, who have few natural predators. Kauai's chickens originated from the original Polynesian settlers, who brought them as a food source. They have since bred with European chickens that have gotten free from farms and cock-fighting breeders.
Kauai is home to the U.S. Navy's "Barking Sands" Pacific Missile Range Facility, on the sunny and dry western shore.
HF ("shortwave") radio station WWVH, sister station to WWV and WWVB in Ft. Collins, Colorado, is located on the west coast of Kauai about 5 km south of Barking Sands. WWVH, WWV and WWVB are operated by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, broadcasting standard time and frequency information to the public.
The Kauai Heritage Center of Hawaiian Culture and the Arts was founded in 1998. Their mission is to nurture a greater sense of appreciation and respect for the Hawaiian culture. They offer classes in Hawaiian language, hula, lei and cordage making, the lunar calendar and chanting. Plus trips to cultural sites.
Maui Information:
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the State of Hawai'i and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Moloka'i, Lāna'i, and unpopulated Kaho'olawe. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444, third-highest of the Hawaiian Islands, behind that of O'ahu and Hawai'i Island. Kahului is the largest census-designated place (CDP) on the island with a population of 26,337 as of 2010 and is the commercial and financial hub of the island. Wailuku is the seat of Maui County and is the third-largest CDP as of 2010. Other significant places include Kihei (including Wailea and Makena in the Kihei Town CDP, which is the second-most-populated CDP in Maui); Lahaina (including Kā'anapali and Kapalua in the Lahaina Town CDP); Makawao; Pa'ia; Kula; Ha'iku; and Hana.
In addition to news and dozens of articles about Maui, this section has these main vacation categories: Maui Accommodations, Maui Activities, Maui Car Rentals, Maui Condos, Maui County and Government, Maui Vacation Rentals.
The big tourist spots in Maui include the Hana Highway, Haleakala National Park, and Lahaina.
The Hana Highway runs along the east coast of Maui, curving around many mountains and passing by black-sand beaches and waterfalls. Haleakala National Park is home to Haleakala, a dormant volcano. Lahaina is one of the main attractions on the island with an entire street of shops and restaurants which lead to a wharf where many set out for a sunset cruise or whale watching journey. Snorkeling can be done at almost any beach along the Maui coast. Surfing and windsurfing are also popular on Maui.
The main tourist areas are West Maui (Ka'anapali, Lahaina, Napili-Honokowai, Kahana, Napili, Kapalua) and South Maui (Kihei, Wailea-Makena). The main port of call for cruise ships is located in Kahului. A smaller port can be found in Ma'alaea Harbor located between Lahaina and Kihei.
Maui County welcomed 2,207,826 tourists in 2004 rising to 2,639,929 in 2007 with total tourist expenditures north of US$3.5 billion for the Island of Maui alone. While the island of O'ahu is most popular with Japanese tourists, the Island of Maui appeals to visitors mostly from the U.S. mainland and Canada: in 2005, there were 2,003,492 domestic arrivals on the island, compared to 260,184 international arrivals.
While winning many travel industry awards as Best Island In The World in recent years concerns have been raised by locals and environmentalists about the overdevelopment of Maui. A number of activist groups, including Save Makena have gone as far as taking the government to court to protect the rights of local citizens.
Throughout 2008 Maui suffered a major loss in tourism compounded by the spring bankruptcies of Aloha Airlines and ATA Airlines. The pullout in May of the second of three Norwegian Cruise Line ships also hurt. Pacific Business News reported a $166 million loss in revenue for Maui tourism businesses.
Oahu Information:
Oahu or Oʻahu, known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. Including small close-in offshore islands such as Ford Island and the islands in Kaneohe Bay and off the eastern (windward) coast, it has a total land area of 596.7 square miles (1,545.4 km2), making it the 20th largest island in the United States. In the greatest dimension, this volcanic island is 44 miles (71 km) long and 30 miles (48 km) across. The length of the shoreline is 227 miles (365 km). The island is the result of two separate shield volcanoes: Waiʻanae and Koʻolau, with a broad "valley" or saddle (the central Oʻahu Plain) between them. The highest point is Mt. Ka'ala in the Waiʻanae Range, rising to 4,003 feet (1,220 m) above sea level.
In addition to news and dozens of articles in our directory about Oahu, we also include these main vacation categories: Oahu Accommodations, Oahu Activities, Oahu Car Rentals, Oahu Condos, Oahu County and Government, Oahu Vacation Rentals.
Molokai Information:
Moloka'i or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) in size at its extreme length and width with a usable land area of 260 square miles (673.40 km2), making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of O'ahu across the 25-mile (40 km) wide Kaiwi Channel and north of Lana'i, separated from it by the Kalohi Channel. The lights of Honolulu are visible at night from the west end of Moloka'i, while nearby Lana'i and Maui are clearly visible from anywhere along the south shore of the island. The shape of Molokai Island can be recalled is that of a shoe or a fish.
Moloka'i is distinguished in the Roman Catholic religion as the site of past religious miracles verified and confirmed by the Vatican, and the longtime residence of Father Damien de Veuster, a Belgian priest and Mother Marianne Cope of the Sisters of St. Francis, both of whom have been canonized Roman Catholic Saints for their treatment and care given during the 19th century to long term sufferers of Hansen's Disease, also known as leprosy.
A site of a Roman Catholic Saint is deemed a sacred place and is visited by practicing Catholics from around the world for giving prayers asking for healing and religious guidance. The Kalaupapa Colony is one of the two sites in the United States where a Roman Catholic Saint resided and performed past miracles; it is the only single site where two Saints (Saint Damien and Saint Marianne) both resided.
Historically, a small north shore colony on Moloka'i, Kalaupapa, was the place where sufferers of Hansen's Disease were forced into quarantine by the Hawaiian government, but there are no active cases of Hansen's Disease on Moloka'i today. Those who continue to live in the settlement are patients who chose to stay after the segregation policy was lifted in 1969.
The first European sailor to visit the island was Captain George Dixon in 1786.
In addition to news and dozens of articles in our directory about Molokai, this section has category pages for: Molokai Car Rentals, and Molokai Condos,
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