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ALOHA & MAHALO! The spirit of
aloha is a way of life & well-being embraced by Native
Hawaiians since the beginning of time. Alo= in the presence
of, ha= breath of life.To live with aloha is the secret to
well-being for the people of Hawai'i. It is an inner
knowledge, by birth to be loving & genuine in all
interactions with people & nature, for all of life is
connected. It is how you say hello, it is sharing food,
caring for strangers, a nod of the head, understanding one
another, a smile, kindness, honesty, touch, empathy in times
of grief & a free willingness to love, as naturally as
children love...as naturally as mother nature loves the
earth. The Hawaiian Islands
Each of the major islands has a personality all its own. Oahu is as different from Molokai and Maui as Kauai is from Lanai and the Big Island. With their collective mass of 4.1 million acres or 6,450 square miles, these islands form the fourth smallest state in the United States. The land mass of the Big Island is great enough for all of the other islands to reside within its boundaries. Hawaii's story is that of creation - islands born from the Pacific depths some 40 million years ago. Hawaii continues to be shaped by the capricious forces of fire, magma, rains, and winds. About 30 miles southwest of the active volcano Kilauea on the Big Island of Hawaii, the newest island in the chain, Loihi, is forming - the newest land on earth. Top Environment The Hawaiian Islands have a wide variety of plant, marine and animal life. Vegetation zones include: coastal, dryland forest, mixed open forest, rain forest, subalpine and alpine. More than 90 percent of the native plants and animals living in Hawaii are found nowhere else in the world, and a greater variety of fish exist in Hawaiian waters than elsewhere. Hawaii is sometimes called the Endangered Species Capital of the World. At least one third of all the endangered species in the United States are found in Hawaii including the Nene Goose (official state bird), the Humpback Whale (official state marine mammal), the Pacific Green Sea Turtle (Honu) and the Hawaiian owl (Pueo).
Hawaii Island - "The Big Island"
Most people make the logical mistake that Honolulu, Waikiki, Pearl Harbor and all the rest of what the island of O'ahu is famous for would be on the Big Island of Hawaii. They are not. Adding to the confusion are the many names we have for our island. Some call it the "Orchid Isle", due to the 100,000 plus species of orchids grown here. Sometimes we are referred to as the "Volcano Island", which is also pretty reasonable since we are sitting on top of the 13,792 ft. Mauna Kea - an active and often very spectacular volcano. The "Big Island", however, is the name most people who live in the state call this magical place where beaches ring the island as land and water merge in a primal state of harmony. The Big Island is a land of myths and legends that are never really far from our minds, since we are always conscious of the mountains, the jungle, the sea and especially the volcano -- the natural elements that gave rise to the legends and myths themselves. According to Hawaiian legends, Hawaii's Big Island is the home of Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire. For many years Pele shaped and formed her new abode, using red-hot lava to create her unique fortress. Early Hawaiians respected and honored Pele, and made offerings to please her or placate her wrath. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was created to preserve the region's unique volcanic features, its early human history and the plant and animal life that is part of this special bioregion. |
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Located more than
2,000 miles away from the nearest landfall, Hawaii is the
most remote island chain in the world. Hawaii consists of
eight major islands plus 124 minor islands, reefs and
shoals, strung across the Pacific for over 1,500 miles. The
eight major islands are Oahu, Maui, Hawaii (known as "the
Big Island"), Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe (uninhabited)
and Niihau (privately owned).
