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Hawaii is located approximately 2,500 miles from the
west coast of the US mainland and 3,800 miles from Tokyo. It can be reached directly from the U.S. mainland, as
well as from several international cities, on any of more than a dozen different domestic and international airlines.
Hawaii's principal airport, the Honolulu International Airport, is located in Honolulu, near the southwestern end
of the city.
At this time, the following domestic airlines service Honolulu: American Airlines, America West Airlines, Continental
Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and United Airlines.
The following foreign airlines offer scheduled flights to Honolulu: Air New Zealand, Canadian Airlines, China Airlines,
Japan Air Lines, Korea Air, Philippine Airlines, Qantas Airways, and Singapore Airlines,
Intra-island Flights are Aloha Airlines, Island Air, and Hawaiian Airlines.
Airports
Hilo International Airport - The Big Island
Honolulu International Airport - Oahu
Kahului Airport - Maui
Kona International Airport - Big Island
Lanai Airport - Lanai
Lihue Airport Information - Kauai
Molokai Airport - Molokai
Local Transportation
Rental cars are available from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, Sunshine of Hawaii, Thrifty, Tropical,
Waikiki Rent-A-Car, as well as a few smaller local rental companies.
All Islands have taxi service.
Bus service is available on some of the islands and the service on Oahu is one of the world's best.
Weather
The weather depends more on where you are on any given island than on what season it is. The average daytime temperature
is 78° in the winter and 85° in the summer. Temperatures drop less than 10° at night. Temperatures
generally drop about three degrees for every 1,000 feet of altitude. The lowest temperatures ever recorded in Hawaii
were atop Haleakala in January 1961 when the mercury dropped well below freezing to a mere 14°.
The trade winds are so prevailing that the Northeast sides of the islands are always referred to as windward. Kona
means “leeward” in Hawaiian, and when the trades stop blowing these southerly kona winds often take over. To anyone
living in Hawaii, “kona wind” is euphemistic for bad weather, bringing in hot sticky air. They are most common
from October to April.
The windward (east) side of the islands are hot and humid and the leeward (west) sides are hot, dry, and sunny.
The mountains' location play the biggest role in rainfall. The best example is Manoa Valley which has rainfall
close to 135 inches a year while Waikiki, only moments away, has only 25 inches a year. No wonder Waikiki is the
most visited place in Hawaii for it enjoys perhaps the best "tourist weather" in the entire world. It
is common to see gray rain clouds raining over Manoa Valley, while the sun is shining brightly on Waikiki sun bathers
just two to three miles away.
Activities
On the Water. Kayak among sheltered coves and grottoes. Learn to surf or windsurf in one lesson, and from the best
in the world. Sail away on sleek catamarans and magnificent yachts, or zip over the waves on super-fast ocean rafts.
Get your kicks jet skiing, para-sailing, and water skiing. (Sometimes in winter, you can even snow ski down a volcano!)
Go scuba-diving, whale-watching, snorkeling, and outrigger canoeing. Take in one of our state-of-the-art marine
parks and aquariums, or ride a real submarine for an up-close look at the wonders of the reefs. And if you've ever
craved the challenge of deep-sea, big-game fishing, there's no better place for it than Hawaii.
On the Wind. Countless visitors to Hawaii name their helicopter sightseeing tour as the highlight of their vacation,
because it's the only way to see some of our most astonishing hidden secrets - like real lava flows, and valleys
where no human has ever set foot, and the awesome heart of the rainforest. For the sheer thrill of it, try hang-gliding
- with or without a motor - or a barnstorming flight in a vintage biplane.
On the Road. And the trail, of course. Mountain bikers love Hawaii, because the challenging terrain never stops
changing - go from kiawe-thorn badlands one minute to black volcanic headlands the next. If you want the fun without
the sweat, venture off-road in a four-wheel-drive Jeep; or if you have a motorcycle license, why not rent a Harley
and tour Hawaii in style? Horseback riding here is truly spectacular: gallop from eucalyptus forests to white sand
beaches, or learn how real "paniolos" - Hawaiian cowboys - do it, and even join in for some cattle sorting
and herding.
Of course, there's every kind of traditional sport imaginable - from tennis, to ice-skating, to bowling, to roller-blading,
to world-class archery and clay-pigeon shooting. In fact, when it comes to fun, if you can imagine it, you can
do it in Hawaii. |
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