HAWAII BEYOND HULA & ALOHA
Hawaii was always one of those few places that we never thought we would actually reach due to its huge distance from the rest of the world. We were surprised when realised that it is "only" about a 9-10 hours' flight away from Sydney - so it's one of the closer destinations -, and so it is quite popular with Australian travellers! We managed to grab a good flight deal and made it our Christmas present to each other to spend an extended Easter break on the islands of Aloha, and to realise yet another dream!
Why Hawaii?
When you think of Hawaii what comes to mind? For us it meant floral garlands, hula dancers and surfing, alongside with the events of Pearl Harbour and the numerous Hollywood movies that were shot on the islands. Some also know that Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Admittedly these are already enough reasons for a visit, but learning a bit more about many other aspects of this land makes it even more exciting. Little did we know about its fascinating formation over millions of years as a result of its still very active volcanic activity, its natural variety that ranges from snow-capped mountains to rain forests and deserts (on the same island), or the economic and social challenges to revive its cultural heritage and become more self-sustained in the middle of the Pacific ocean - just to mention a few.
Hawaiian dancers with frangipan leis
Fascinating geography
The Hawaiian islands were formed by the volcanic activity under the Pacific Ocean from a magma source called the Hawaii hotspot. Interestingly, as over the millions of years the tectonic plates move northwest while the hotspot stays at the same place, the magma is slowly building new volcanoes that become islands over time. Today the hotspot is located southeast of the islands, so the ones closest to it are the youngest (the Big Island) and their age grows with the distance from the source (Kauai being the oldest). Being close to the source, the Big Island and Maui still have active volcanoes on them, while the rest on other islands are extinct. Currently a new volcano, Lōʻihi is being born south of the coast of the Big Island which is still under the ocean.
The archipelago is built up of 8 main islands and hundreds of smaller ones spread over 2,400 km. Today Hawaii is the 50th, and the most recent American state (it was admitted in 1959), with the population of about 1.5 million in total. It's the most isolated population centre of the world with 4,000km to California, 6,500km to Japan and 7,500 to Northern Australia, Flights from Australia only go to Honolulu where you need to change to Hawaiian Airlines connections towards other islands, while from the US and Japan other islands are also accessible directly.
Hawaiian culture and challenges
Being so remote, Hawaii is in fact quite different from the mainland USA, and especially on the islands other than O'ahu (where the capital, Honolulu, is located) a lot more of the indigenous culture has been preserved. In what aspects is it different from the US?
Cultural roots - Native Hawaiians are the descendants of the Polynesian settlers who voyaged from island to island across the Pacific (as told in the Walt Disney animation, Moana), reaching and settling Hawaii in the 12th century. Their number fell dramatically as a result of the contact with Europeans and Americans who brought foreign diseases that the indigenous communities weren't protected against. The native Hawaiian language was also banned from the end of the 19th century for almost a century, making it hard to preserve their native roots. It's been taught again at schools since 1978 when the US government committed to introduce programs to preserve the local culture. Today the islands have a strong Asian influence due to the migrants (mainly Japanese) who arrived at the end of the 19th century and who make ~40% of the population, while natives represent only ~10%, with ~30% white and ~20% of mixed origin.
Prices and values - Hawaiians (not just indigenous but long-term residents) are very proud of their land. There is a growing movement to preserve its natural beauties, to promote its local products and businesses, and to increase its economic independence from the mainland by cultivating their own food and creating their own resources. A good example of this are the local farmers markets that take place on an allocated day of the week in most villages and towns, and where you can buy directly from the farmers, often at much better prices and in higher quality than from grocery stores. These markets are also gathering spots for locals while they stock up on fruits and veggies, bread, pastries, dairy and even cosmetics and local artifacts.
Local produce on the Farmers Market - veggies and macadamia nut beauties
Unlike farmers markets, grocery stores mostly stock imported products from the mainland and from abroad, and therefore are charged at gold price (e.g. USD 5 for a cucumber that came all the way from Mexico). The argument is that since Hawaii is so remote, transportation of all goods increases prices. It feels like some of the products that are produced locally also use this as an excuse for their high prices, since locals and visitors are used to a tourist surcharge on the islands overall. We have to admit though, that they don't work with economies of scale.
Island lifestyle - Locals seem to live the island way of life with lots of beach time, chill and outdoor activities, which isn't how we picture the fast-paced US life. They use the word 'Aloha' a lot, which is not just a greeting, but it means a bunch of positive emotions, like love, hope, gratitude, and they say that a house, for instance, should be filled with aloha. Locals also seem to live a life that's filled with aloha, which makes the place unique. Most visitors come from the mainland and many of them come back regularly for their holidays with their families- as Hawaii is a safe island destination for Americans who don't want to travel far or outside the country. We frequently bumped into retired people as well, who come to Hawaii for a few months each year to relax and to avoid the winter months in their permanent home.
While different from the US in many aspects, we found some similarities as well:
Public transport is almost non-existing on the islands, so driving everywhere is the norm, mostly in huge cars that would be hardly necessary for the distances or terrain.
Food-wise you have to plan in advance where you eat because the most widely spread option is fast food, and in most smaller stores the majority of the available products are snacks and fizzy drinks only. The food portions are quite scary - we quickly learnt to order just one portion and share between the two of us - and we know we have big appetites!
Another aspect we found frustrating was how we were expected to tip everywhere we paid money - even when we didn't really get any service, like when buying lunch from a food truck - and the options were typically 15%, 20% or 25%. In theory the tip mentality is meant to improve service since waiters work harder for the tip, but in practice it just pushes the labour costs of the waiter on to the customer - you're paying for the meal, and in addition, you also tip the waiter to pay for his/her work. In the US, if you work in a position where you receive tips, the minimum wage is $2.13 / hour (as opposed to $7.25 for a "normal" job, so they are basically working for free and expecting customers to pay them. Coming from a different cultural background we found such a reliance on tipping to be unfair and demeaning for workers and not transparent for customers (the price you see on the menu is never the price you pay). Not to mention the fact that study after study has proven that the tip received depends much more on skin colour, age and attractiveness of the employee rather than actual quality of service as is therefore a mechanism for reproducing stereotypes and inequality in society.
The smallest available car at the rental; XL meals enough for 2X2
OAHU We had limited time on O'ahu as we couldn't wait to get to the other two islands that we picked for our holiday: the Big Island (also called the Island of Hawaii) and Kauai. It's hard to choose where to go as each island has its own beauties, so we picked based on the specific experiences that each of these are known for: the Big Island for its active volcano and manta rays, and Kauai for the breathtaking scenery of the Napali coast and the Waimea Canyon.
Honolulu
Honolulu means 'sheltered harbour' in Hawaiian. It is the state capital, an international business and military centre, and the most remote city of its size: ~400k inhabitants with another ~600k living in the area. This means that 2/3 of the total population of the Hawaiian archipelago lives in and around the capital, leaving the other islands quite sparsely populated.
The view of Honolulu from Diamond Head
As expected, we didn't find this the place of authentic Hawaiian experience. Many visitors come here for the outlet shopping malls on the island, however, there are still a few spots that are worth a visit. Within our short time the 4 main highlights for us were:
Honolulu the Shopping Heaven
1. Pearl Harbour
The historic Japanese surprise attack of Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941 which pushed the US to join WWII. made this harbour well-known to the world, The area just west of Honolulu has been a US naval hub since the 19th century and is still the headquarter for the US Pacific Fleet with strong military presence.
Today a Visitor Centre offers free exhibitions of the events leading to the attack and details of the technical innovations that the Japanese army deployed in the attack itself. A tour also takes visitors to the remains of the USS Arizona, the biggest ship that sank at the attack which took the most lives and where many of the survivors' remains rest since then too. In the shallow water the ship is still visible, especially in low tide, which brings the events so close to visitors. The experience is worth the trip and is a great way to refresh history lessons from high school.
Pearl Harbour - USS Arizona memorial with parts above sea level; Naval museum and submarine
2. Waikiki beach
The Waikiki district is the combination of a developed commercial and tourist hub with high rise buildings, hotels, shopping malls, restaurants and some nice green spots with the famous Waikiki beach front. The Diamond Head extinct volcano in the background of the beach view has become well-known from movies.
Waikiki beach is a popular surfing spot with smaller waves that are ideal for beginners. The promenade even has some statues for the memory of local surfer legends who contributed to the global success of the sport. Waikiki is, however, more a beach than a surfer hub, as advanced surfers prefer the northern part of the island to catch huge waves.
Duke Kahanamoku, Olympic gold-medalist swimmer and the father of modern surfing on Waikiki beach
The statue of The Surfer Boy and the Seal is a popular portrayal of man in harmony with the environment
Surfing, by the way, is a Polynesian invention, who were the first settlers of Hawaii. The first records of indigenous people riding waves are from the first voyage of Captain Cook to Tahiti, where warriors trained themselves with surfing on boards made out of wood. For ancient Hawaiians it was an art to slide the waves. Surfboards were carved in religious ceremonies from well-selected wood types, and priests prayed to the gods for good surfs. The concept of the sport as a recreational activity was taken to the US and Australia from Hawaii in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Surfing has been identified with Hawaii for centuries
(Images from: www.surfingforlife.com; www.backpackerhawaii.com)
3. Diamond Head lookout
Diamond Head is a ~200m dormant volcanic cone above Waikiki. A 1.5-2 hs return walk leads up to the rim of the crater to a lookout with fantastic views over the crater itself and the city, It's proven to be a little difficult hike for us after jet lag but the view was worth the effort even with the cloudy sky.
Views from Diamond Head lookout over the volcano crater
4. Leonard's Bakery
Founded by a Portuguese family in 1952, Leonard's Bakery has been selling original malasadas (Portuguese doughnuts) and other cakes and pastries for decades in Honolulu. The brand has become famous in the US, so today the original shop is a mecca for visitors. There are filled malasada puff variations and the originals with flavoured sugar coat. We tried one with each filling and coating too - custard, macadamia, coconut, lilicoi (passionfruit), and we agreed that the one with custard is our favourite. Beware of the sugar rush though, those puffs are hard to stop eating once you start!
Next stop: the Big Island!