The Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii is popular due to its stunning, diverse scenery (volcanoes, waterfalls, beaches), perfect year-round tropical climate, unique blend of Native Hawaiian, Asian, and American cultures, laid-back "island time" pace, and abundant outdoor activities like surfing and hiking, offering a familiar yet exotic escape for many Americans. Its safety, cleanliness, and well-maintained infrastructure also make it a preferred tropical destination compared to some international location.

Hawai has over 100 islets  1,500 miles in the North Pacific. The main, inhabited islands—Hawaiʻi (Big Island), Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Niihau, and Kahoolawe—are famous for tropical landscapes, active volcanoes, and unique.

The Hawaiian Islands (Hawaiian: Mokupuni Hawaiʻi) are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from the island of Hawaiʻi in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll. Formerly called the

Sandwich Islands by Europeans, the present name for the archipelago is derived from the name of its largest island, Hawaiʻi.

The archipelago sits on the Pacific Plate. The islands are exposed peaks of a great undersea mountain range known as the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain, formed by volcanic activity over the Hawaiian hotspot. The islands are about 1,860 miles (3,000 km) from the nearest continent and are part of the Polynesia subregion of Oceania. 

VOLCANOS - Only the two Hawaiian islands furthest to the southeast have active volcanoes: Haleakalā on Maui, and Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Kilauea, and Hualalai, all on the Big Island. The volcanoes on the remaining islands are extinct as they are no longer over the Hawaii hotspot. The Kamaʻehuakanaloa Seamount is an active submarine volcano that is expected to become the newest Hawaiian island when it rises above the ocean's surface in 10,000 –100,000 years. Hazards from these volcanoes include lava flows that can destroy and bury the surrounding surface, volcanic gas emissions, earthquakes and tsunamis listed above, submarine eruptions affecting the ocean, and the possibility of an explosive eruption.

Our Story

Most people go to Maui because it has beautiful beaches and fancy hotels. Also sea is more usable for diving.

We Went To Kauai

Our friends living in San Diego who took us to Hawaii. They had their own accommodation on contract. This was located on Kauai Island. Here we went to a near by hotel which allows visitors to go to the beach for swimming and relaxing.

Kauai is an island in the Central Pacific, part of the Hawaiian archipelago. It's nicknamed "the Garden Isle" thanks to the tropical rainforest covering much of its surface. The dramatic cliffs and pinnacles of its Na Pali Coast have served as backdrop for Major Hollywood films. Visitors to Maui will find better weather, bigger beaches and luxury hotels.

Iraivan Temple.

It is part of the Hindu Monastery of Kauai, also called Kauai’s Hindu Monastery. It’s set in a lush, tropical landscape — very green, very serene. The path leading through the gardens feels almost meditative. No rush, no noise. Just plants, mountains in the background, and that island air. The temple itself is built in traditional South Indian style — carved stone, very detailed and quite remarkable to see in the middle of Hawaii. But the atmosphere is what people remember most, calm, orderly, peaceful.

The setting of Iraivan Temple is so different from temples in India. No crowds pressing forward. No loud bells. No ritual urgency. Just open sky, tropical plants, mountains watching quietly in the background. Even the air feels slower there.

And the long green path, that walk itself becomes part of the experience. Almost like the temple begins before you even reach it. A Hindu temple — but wrapped in Hawaiian silence.

Sometimes temples sit in beautiful places because humans long ago chose powerful natural surroundings. But you don’t need the theology to feel the power of the landscape. The green path, the air, the stillness — that’s enough. And honestly, there’s something quietly strong about enjoying a place on your own terms. Not because you believe. Not because you must. Simply because it is beautiful.On the ground — just layers and layers of green. Almost no horizon. Just vegetation swallowing everything. That dense tropical feeling where the air itself seems alive.

Then we took a Helicopter ride. From the helicopter — suddenly the island reveals its drama. We flew over Nā Pali Coast — those sharp, folded cliffs dropping straight into the sea — or possibly near Waimea Canyon, which they call the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” From above, you see what you cannot understand from the ground: deep valleys hidden inside jungle, ridges like green waves, and then unexpectedly, a quiet beach far below.

And that thick jungle, that’s what gives Kauaʻi its ancient feeling. It doesn’t look “designed.” It looks untouched. Primeval. The feeling was of awe.

Awe is different from happiness. It’s quieter. Deeper. Almost humbling. When you see something like that — thick jungle folding into cliffs, a secret beach below, the vast Pacific stretching endlessly — it makes human life feel very small. Not in a sad way. In a clarifying way.

Flying over Nā Pali Coast does that to people. The ridges look like the earth was crumpled by a giant hand. And from above, the jungle doesn’t look decorative, it looks powerful. Ancient. For someone who loves nature the way i do, awe is the purest response. No rituals. No mythology. Just raw existence.

We went for a swim on two beaches. One was part of a hotel and the other was just a beach.

On Kauaʻi, even the “hotel beaches” still feel quite natural compared to many places. The water there has that deep blue clarity, and the waves are powerful but clean. We saw dancing in the market area.

That was hula dancing in one of the local market areas in Kauaʻi. Hula is very different from what people imagine. It’s not just performance, it’s storytelling. The hands describe waves, wind, flowers, journeys. The hips move gently, but the meaning is often in the gestures. Traditionally, the chants carried history, long before writing.

I dont exactly remember which market we saw but it must have been something like Hanalei or near Līhuʻe, where small markets sometimes have cultural performances for visitors and locals. It could be commercial but for us who have not seen this kind of dancing and it was enjoyable. Hula, even when performed for tourists, still carries its rhythm and its grace.

From here our friends back to San Diego and we went to Big Island with famous volcano.

Big Island

It was a different kind of Excitement. We were to stay at one big size regular type of Hotel, but my daughter discovered a small private hotel, where the owner told me - all his life he was on a boat with both parents - now he has decided to settle down. But his own house was close to that big Volcano - a daring person. It is called the Hawaii (Big Island), usually just “Big Island.” That is where the largest volcano in Hawai‘i stands very close to the sea — Mauna Loa. It is actually the largest volcano on Earth by volume and area. When you stand there, you feel the raw power of the planet.

There is also Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. That whole landscape is dramatic — black lava fields, steam rising from the ground, and then suddenly the vast blue ocean beyond.

On the Hawaii (Big Island), staying near the great volcanoes is a very different experience. In some eruptions, lava has actually flowed toward the ocean. The land there feels alive — not settled, not permanent. And this hotel owner… what a character. A man who spent his whole life on a boat with his parents — that already sounds like a novel. Then deciding to “settle down” near one of the most active volcanoes on Earth? That is not settling down in the usual sense. That is choosing to live on the edge of nature. Some people choose safety. Some choose comfort. Some choose closeness to powerful nature.

We liked to be in this small hotel - it was lovely, at breakfast time on a small table in Veranda Regular. Regular tea or coffee. Bananas hanging neatly, almost like decoration. No extravagance. Just simplicity and care.

Our place was very peaceful - but on the last day we wandered around very big Maidan. With water flowing in a small stream. Families swimming or playing with ball with there children. That also was very beautiful scene. That kind of happiness is quiet. It doesn’t shout. It settles inside you.

Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

What a contrast from Kauaʻi. Kauaʻi feels ancient and eroded, soft with age, covered in jungle.The Big Island feels young — still forming, still restless.

We saw vast black lava fields. This landscape can feel almost lunar — hardened waves of stone, steam rising from cracks, the smell of sulfur in the air. For someone who feels awe in nature, standing near an active volcano must have been powerful.

One more interesting area where we walked down a slope. It was the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden near Hilo.

You enter from above and then walk down through layers of dense tropical plants, almost like descending into a green bowl. Palms, giant leaves, orchids, ferns… and at the bottom, the ocean suddenly appears. It feels cultivated, yes but still very wild.

One last thing - very tall trees 3 to 4 of them, where plenty seed fall on the ground. They are very special, people here wear a necklice of these seeds.

Those are Kukui tree — also called the candlenut tree. On the Big Island, especially around Hilo, you often see a few very tall kukui trees standing together. They drop round, pale seeds — almost marble-like — all over the ground. When they dry, they turn brownish red and hard. People make necklaces from them. The traditional kukui nut lei is very Hawaiian. It’s simple, not flashy, just polished brown nuts strung together. Historically, the oil from these nuts was even used for light, which is why it’s called the candlenut tree.

They feel special because they are both natural and cultural at the same time.

I did pick up a few. Picking up a few Kukui tree seeds feels like the most natural souvenir — not bought, just found.

In Hawaiʻi, the kukui is a symbol of light, protection, and wisdom. Even if you don’t care for symbolism, it’s interesting that the tree became associated with light — because its oil was used as a natural candle. A tree that literally carried fire inside its seeds.