Second in number are the ubiquitous Chinese. Here I will remain silent and will only say that it would be better if they were Japanese...
By the way, there are not so many Americans! For them, Hawaii is a very expensive resort, and they dream of a vacation on these islands just like the rest of the world.
The rest of the nations are represented in more or less equal proportions, and it must be said that our people do not lag behind everyone else.
Holidays in Hawaii are not cheap, alas! In addition to the well-known American tips, the payment system of which does not fit into my own idea of a voluntary reward for conscientious work, there are also some nuances called state taxes. In general, prices for everything are the only unpleasant aspect of a Hawaiian vacation.
Hotels in Honolulu usually do not include breakfast. But hotel restaurants offer this service. You pay an entrance fee and walk around the table, taking advantage of all the variety on offer at the hotel's buffet. There is a second option. You can go to the restaurant you like for breakfast, choosing the most pleasant price and table variety option for you. And the third option. Buy something for breakfast from the options offered in the ABC chain stores. The stores of this chain have a lot of different sandwiches, sliced fruits, packages of salads, baked goods, yogurts, juices, cheese and cold cuts. There are many options and everyone will find a breakfast to their liking. We tried all the options. Hotels have coffee machines and refrigerators, so you can have breakfast in your room. There is only one point. The time of breakfast - lunch - dinner is sacred. And there are long queues in front of eating establishments. If you have the strength and desire to stand in line, which moves quickly enough, then this option is very good.
There are a lot of restaurants in the city. The best ones always have queues of people waiting. The lack of a queue should alert you. The portions will be huge, which partly justifies the price. The service is fast and almost always with a smile. Bread, butter, ice water - free and as much as you want. The degree of meat roasting is regulated only by your desire. The food is high quality, freshly prepared, beautifully served. Personally, I could fit either a salad or a main course into it. Well, if sweets were expected, then everything else was excluded - the portions of sweets were simply catastrophically huge!
As for restaurants, I can recommend Duke. Not very expensive and tasty. You order the main menu from the waiter, and you get salads, appetizers, and bread for yourself at the buffet, the number of times you can go to it is not limited. Tables must be booked in advance, queues are inevitable. There are always a lot of people, especially on weekends. The restaurant is named after the famous and most famous surfer in Hawaii, Duke. The restaurant contains a collection of his photos, awards, his surf is stored, and there is a sculpture of him.
Natural beauty and warm hospitality are an integral part of these places that are worth considering when thinking about a Hawaiian vacation. What makes Hawaii a wonderful destination is that it brings together eight main islands with multicultural communities that welcome all visitors with great joy and the spirit of Aloha.
Situated in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian Islands have something for everyone, with sandy beaches and breathtaking forests. These are just some of the attractions Hawaii has to offer, along with lush wildlife and pristine natural resources. The developed tourist infrastructure includes hotels, condominiums and private houses, shopping centers and shops for all tastes, well-groomed beaches, what more could a tourist ask for? 
The island of Hawaii, which is also called the Big Island, covers the largest area with extensive tropical vegetation. Home to countless natural wonders, from rainforests to volcanic deserts, golden beaches and soaring mountains, the towering peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and Volcanoes National Park. 
The Hawaiian island of Maui, which is called the Valley Island, is known for its beautiful beaches, art and culture. The main attractions of Maui are the Haa Coast, Iao Valley, Makena and Mount Haleakala. 
The island of Lanai, which is called Pineapple Island, is famous for its cuisine and golf courses. It is also considered ideal for honeymoons and couples. 
The island of Molokai, which is called the Friendly Island, represents the traditional Hawaiian way of life. With buildings no taller than a tree, Molokai keeps its natural landscape intact and remains completely natural, unspoiled and tranquil. 
The island of Oahu, which is called the Gathering Place, is the most popular of the islands with the famous city of Honolulu, Waikiki Beach and Pearl Harbor. 
Natural beauty and unrivaled hospitality make Hawaii a great destination for any travelers who have never been to the newest of the 50 American states.
It is always pleasant to go through the best moments of the past in your memory, although every year the memories become covered with the dust of days, so to speak, but this does not make them any less real and beautiful. 🙂 If you ever get as incredibly lucky as I once did, and fate takes you to the Hawaiian Islands, then you will undoubtedly wonder: what to see in Hawaii. These magical, colorful, bright pieces of land are securely hidden by nature itself from prying eyes. And yet, sooner or later, civilization reaches even the most unimaginable wilds. Today, Hawaii is no longer such an utter wilderness as it seemed in 1778, when the British James Cook first set foot on these lands as a white man. Thanks to Mr. Cook and the inventors of airplanes - today you can get, for example, from Kyiv to Honolulu in just over a day. Which is what I did myself in August 2003. 🙂
But that’s not about that now! So, what to see in Hawaii - tips from my own experience, plus the opinions of my friends, residents of the island of Oahu. Let's start with the hardware. Everyone has probably heard about Hawaii: some from jokes about the new Russians, and some from a movie about surfers, but it is unlikely that these sources claim to be the source of the ultimate truth. 🙂 The ridge of the Hawaiian archipelago consists of hundreds of fabulously beautiful islands. Most of them are extremely small, and the US government is doing everything possible to protect these wilderness abodes from the hands of civilization. For this reason, most of the islands are not inhabited, much less officially closed to tourists. Go check, of course - I’m almost sure that for a lot of money you can get to any of them, but since these islands are considered closed, we’ll talk about the main eight islands, which are much easier to get to for an ordinary person like us. (Although in reality you can only get to six of them, but more on that later).
Map of Hawaii - 8 main islands of the archipelago (on the map from left to right): Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, Big Island (aka “Hawaii Island”)
Information about the main chain of the Hawaiian Islands
1. Niihau- the smallest of the Hawaiian islands inhabited by humans - its area is 180 km 2. Famous for having the only lake in Hawaii, which is a refuge for the rarest animals such as the Hawaiian duck, stilt and Hawaiian coot. Many plants growing on the island of Niihau are endemic and not found anywhere else in the world, for example, Brighamia remarkable (the so-called “Hawaiian palm”). As of 2009, only 130 people lived on the island. Niihau Island has been privately owned by the Robinson family since 1864, thanks to the efforts of a resourceful woman, Elizabeth Sinclair. Therefore, Niihau can only be visited by special invitation. Basically, only relatives of residents or owners are invited to it, as well as some government officials and military personnel. Not surprisingly, this land is also known as the “forbidden island.” I guarantee that you and I have little chance of ever getting to Niihau, because hardly any of the one hundred and thirty natives are my or your relatives!
Niihau is the most inaccessible Hawaiian island 2. Kauai is the fourth largest in the entire archipelago, but this is not its main feature. Mount Vaialeale is located approximately in the center of the island. The eastern slope of this mountain is one of the wettest places on the planet, and it once rained here non-stop for 247 days! Thanks to such generous watering, Kauai abounds in vegetation, and it is not for nothing that it was dubbed the “island of gardens.” Unlike neighboring Niihau, Kauai is home to a much larger number of people - 67,091 as of 2010, and getting there is quite possible. According to many people, including my Hawaiian friends, the island of Kauai is the most picturesque, colorful and interesting place that is undoubtedly worth visiting. Unfortunately, your humble servant has not yet been to the island of Kauai, but as soon as I visit, I will immediately write about my impressions! 😉
3. Oahu- the island where I lived for ten months from August 2003 to June 2004. Oahu will forever remain in my heart as the most vivid memory of my childhood and youth. I've read several unflattering travel reports about Oahu, in which travelers are advised not to stay on the island, saying that it is a huge metropolis, rolled up in asphalt, and all the beauty of Hawaiian nature is lost behind the gloss of expensive skyscrapers. Yes, I will agree that Oahu has almost 1 million people, which is about three times the population of all the other Hawaiian Islands combined. In addition, Oahu is the most popular island of the archipelago among tourists - about 5 million people visit it annually - of course, this is a lot. But if you look from the other side: 2.5 million tourists fly to Maui, 1.7 million to the Big Island, 1.4 million to Kauai... This is also a lot! The fact that Oahu is the central island has its advantages. First, gas, groceries and other goods are cheaper on Oahu than on other islands, and it is more suitable for living and long stays. Secondly, Oahu has more hotels, museums, shopping malls, entertainment centers, a huge sports arena - Aloha Stadium, more opportunities for treatment, cultural recreation and meeting people. And if you want to hide away from human gaze, then you don’t have to crowd the beaches of Honolulu. About 75% of the population is concentrated in the capital, so you shouldn't judge Oahu by first impressions. Besides the world-famous Waikiki Beach, nearby Diamond Head Mountain and the Pearl Harbor Museum, there are also much less traveled paths. The North Shore coast, the sparsely populated beaches of the eastern and southwestern parts of the island, waterfalls, pineapple and pumpkin plantations, a Japanese pagoda, mountain streams and impenetrable thickets in the center of the island - all this is separated from the noise of the metropolis, but together with it creates the unique charm of the island of Oahu. It is not surprising that Hollywood filmmakers loved him so much. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”, “50 First Dates”, the TV series “Lost”, the film “Battleship” with Rihanna and many other famous films were filmed on Oahu!
4. Molokai visited by less than 90 thousand tourists annually. This is somehow not enough considering that it is located only forty kilometers from Oahu. I thought obviously something must be wrong with this island! But no, everything on Molokai is completely chocolate! Untouched nature, deserted beaches and a main city in which there is not a single traffic light and not a single building taller than a coconut tree. There are also few hotels on the island, which explains the small number of tourists. Life on the island moves very slowly, and guests of this wonderful place have everything at their disposal to feel like they are on the edge of the planet in a real paradise. If I get the chance, I will definitely plunge into the nirvana of Molokai - they say it's worth it!
The beautiful island of Molokai 5. Lanai- the smallest of the Hawaiian islands, which can be visited by anyone. With only 3,102 full-time residents, Lanai is also known as the "pineapple island" as it was previously known for having the world's largest pineapple plantation. Today on the island of Lanai, just like on Molokai, there are no traffic lights, no traffic jams, no skyscrapers. However, his story is unique in its own way. Surely you've seen the Dole icon on boxes of pineapples and bananas in our stores? The founder of this fruit corporation was named James Dole, and in 1922 he acquired the island of Lanai, establishing the already mentioned world-famous plantation on it. In 1985, the island came under the ownership of billionaire David Mourdock, as he acquired the corporation that then included Dole. And just recently, in June 2012, another billionaire, Larry Ellison, bought 98% of the island from Murdoch. No one knows how much money Ellison gave Murdoch, but according to the local newspaper Maui News, it is between $500 and $600 million. Not sour...
By the way, Bill Gates himself had a wedding on the island of Lanai back in 1995! You can't stop living beautifully! 🙂
6. Kaho'olawe- the smallest and saddest, literally and figuratively, of the main eight volcanic islands of the archipelago. Its length is 18 km and its width is only 9.7 km. Why do I think Kahoolawe Island is sad? Judge for yourself: there is very little precipitation on the island, all the moisture settles on the high mountains of neighboring Maui, so the island of Kahoolawe is actually either a desert or a savannah. Today it is closed to almost everyone, only local Hawaiians have the right to visit it for their religious and other needs, but there is no point in being sad that we will not be able to visit it. Once upon a time there were small fishing settlements on the island, but deforestation and poor climatic conditions, as well as wars with neighboring tribes, took their toll, and the island became deserted. From 1830 to 1853, a colony for exiles was located on Kahoolawe. The lack of food and water slowly killed the offenders, although some managed to swim to neighboring Maui, but not many, judging by the eleven-kilometer distance between them.
7. Maui- the second largest and most visited island, and the third most populous. 144,444 is not only a beautiful figure, but also the number of permanent population on the island (according to 2010 data). The nature on Maui is stunning and unique - there are very high mountains, vast plains, beaches with turquoise water and clean sand, expensive hotels, cheap campsites, and much, much more. You should definitely visit Maui to see everything with your own eyes - this is a real paradise for surfers and scuba divers! It is noteworthy that Maui is not only a famous tourist mecca, but also a reputable agro-industrial unit. On the map of Hawaii, at least, accurately. Sugar, elite coffee, delicious macadamia nuts, papaya, pineapples and other valuable and very unique products and goods are grown here.
Maui Island - Waianapanapa State Park 8. Island Hawaii(Big Island, Hawaii ? i) - this is one of two islands that I have managed to visit so far, so I can judge it more or less objectively! The island of Hawaii is the largest island on the map of the United States of America. In everyday life it is called the “Big Island” to avoid confusion, because the state is called exactly the same as the island officially. It is difficult to blame the Hawaiians for this confusion, because the Hawaiian language has only 12 letters: 5 vowels and 7 consonants. I’m actually surprised how, with so many letters, it was possible to come up with an entire language! 🙂 It was on the Big Island that the aborigines killed and didn't eat Captain Cook. Surprisingly, before visiting the Big Island, I was sure that, firstly, Cook was killed by the Papuans, and secondly, they didn’t just kill him - they ate him. It turned out that this is absolutely untrue, at least that’s what Hawaiian historians say. 🙂 What I personally remember about the Big Island is the abundance of greenery, beautiful parks, extensive golf courses, a jungle with a suspension bridge, narrow paths, a gorgeous waterfall and very good weather! However, the weather in the tropics is almost always good, including on Oahu - for me it was just perfect! +30 almost all year round, little rain, sea water around +24 - the best experience! It’s a shame that I was on the Big Island for only a couple of days, and we didn’t get to see much—objectively, such a huge piece of land requires more time to appreciate all the delights of the local flavor.
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Niihau... Forbidden Hawaiian Island... Or silent... second name... 
The smallest inhabited island of the Hawaiian archipelago. 
Niihau is one of the main eight Hawaiian islands, classified as the southeastern islands. 
This wonderful island is accessible to visitors only to native Hawaiians (relatives of those living on this island) or personal guests of the Robinson family. 
You can only get around on this island by bicycle or on foot. Its area is almost 180 km2. 
This forbidden island is home to the only lake in the Hawaiian Islands, Halulu. 
There are only 250 indigenous people who speak exclusively Hawaiian among themselves (and their way of life has not changed significantly over the last century) 
The island has no shops, no restaurants, no paved roads, no electricity, no medical services, the only thing there is a harbor, a small school and bamboo huts. 
Niihau is the driest island in the Hawaiian Islands. This is the only island where the Lei flower does not grow (remember, in the movies, beautiful Hawaiian women always greet tourists wearing necklaces made of these flowers?) 
And, if a guest arrives on the island (strictly at the invitation of the island residents or members of the Robinson family), then he is greeted with a shell Ley (made from special shells that can only be found on the beaches of this island), and since these are very rare shells, collectors willing to pay thousands of dollars for these shell flowers. 
The only available work on the island is on the Robinson family's ranch (raising cattle). 
The residents themselves are actively engaged in agriculture, fishing and hunting (they only use nets, spears, knives and ropes) 
By the way, in principle, you can get to the island by boat from the neighboring island of Kauai, but you won’t be able to moor, much less go ashore. 
You can only admire the mesmerizing views, you can also swim with a mask, but going ashore is strictly prohibited ((( 
Do you know how much this wonderful island was bought for by a woman named Elizabeth Sinclair, who lived on the neighboring island of Kauai in 1863? For 10,000 dollars!!! It was for this amount that King Kamehameha IV sold it 
Now, her heirs, the Robinson family, own this tiny island of paradise and are trying to preserve the primitive Hawaiian culture on it. 
And, as I read in one of the magazines, a practically slave-owning system flourishes there: 
Mr. Robinson was a peculiar person. He bought up all the land on the island to leave this tropical paradise for himself and his family. He was not interested in anything other than animal husbandry. He did not allow the telephone to be installed on Niihau, and did not want to hear about the radio. In addition, he did not allow weapons to be brought to Niihau. As a result, he remained there as the sole owner of a hunting rifle and two pistols. 
There were never any strangers on Niihau. Tourists were not allowed on the island. Only once a week a boat arrived there from Kauai, the nearest large island of the Hawaiian archipelago. She delivered groceries and left mail and newspapers. 
Today, three representatives of the Robinson family live on the island: the ruler and owner of all things, Helen, and her two sons, Bruce and Kate, obedient executors of their mother’s will. In addition to them, 250 Hawaiians live here. 
Of these, only two people enjoy relative freedom and independence. These are teachers from a tiny local school who teach children to read, write and count. 
They cannot give much knowledge - they do not have the appropriate qualifications. All the other residents are in the Robinson's position... no, not Friday's friendly assistants, but powerless servants - maybe even slaves. Someone takes care of livestock; others take care of fuel for the Robinsons' house; still others provide the family of rulers with fresh honey from wild bees all year round; still others collect the largest and most beautiful shells on the coast; fifths make necklaces from them, which the owner’s sons Bruce and Kate personally sell to tourists at the market in the capital of Hawaii, Honolulu; sixth, seventh... 
In a word, Lady Robinson “took care” of all her subjects and found something useful for everyone - for her own family - to do. 
Perhaps the islanders are allowed to leave Niihau? No. It's "illegal." For any more or less important business, either the mistress herself or her children travel to the neighboring islands. It only happens - but extremely rarely - that one of the subjects is sent to Honolulu on an errand. In this case, he is obliged to return and report on execution. And God forbid, if in the capital he talks about the living conditions and order prevailing on Niihau: severe punishment will await the violator of the ban. Therefore, in Hawaii, Niihau is also known by another name: “Island of the Silent Ones.” 
By the way, when the governor of the Hawaiian Islands decided to visit the island, the Robinsons refused him a visa and he could not do it!!! 
Journalists also repeatedly tried to enter the island. And the most they could do was stay there for one day, and then they were always discovered and sent to Kauai... 
Yes! In addition to the Hawaiians, two Japanese lived on the island. One of them looked after the Robinson family's apiary. 
The Robinsons took care of the adoption of Christianity on the island 
One day, a malfunctioning Japanese military plane landed on the island. And the inhabitants of the island took the pilot prisoner. (this was during the attack on Pearl Harbor) The pilot informed the inhabitants of the island that their land now belongs to the Japanese (((Of course, he was bluffing! 
By the way, every evening we met the sunset, saying goodbye to the sun. Moreover, one could always see people turning their faces to the ocean and carefully watching the luminary entering the water. Usually, I got tired of this activity in the second week, and I tried to return to normal activities, to which they started shushing me and telling me that I should definitely try to see a green flush. 
I still couldn’t understand what it was that all the residents were waiting in fascination every evening. Only once did I manage to witness this miracle. It lasted only a moment. As I later found out on the Internet, this phenomenon is called a “green ray”. At some point, when the sun goes completely into the ocean, you can see a ray of green light, as if emerging from the waves. I will not go into details of the origin of this miracle, I will only say that this phenomenon occurs for the same reasons as a rainbow, due to the dispersion of light. At such moments there should be no clouds in the sky. The flash itself occurs at lightning speed and can only be seen if you watch the sun very carefully. 
I was never able to photograph this miracle of nature, no matter how hard I tried ((( 
Well, how do you like it, dear Gossip Girls?! Socialism, slavery or something else reigns on this paradise island?! Robins...Robinson...Robinsons are all about the same people. Various sources. All photos are not mine. My husband and I decided to definitely go to Hawaii in the summer and try to photograph this island, at least from the outside. So, it is very possible that the end to this topic has not been set... Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Good luck to you all!!!
Natural beauty and warm hospitality are an integral part of these places that are worth considering when thinking about a Hawaiian vacation. What makes Hawaii a wonderful destination is that it brings together eight main islands with multicultural communities that welcome all visitors with great joy and the spirit of Aloha.
Situated in the heart of the Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian Islands have something for everyone, with sandy beaches and breathtaking forests. These are just some of the attractions Hawaii has to offer, along with lush wildlife and pristine natural resources. The developed tourist infrastructure includes hotels, condominiums and private houses, shopping centers and shops for all tastes, well-groomed beaches, what more could a tourist ask for?
The island of Hawaii, which is also called the Big Island, covers the largest area with extensive tropical vegetation. Home to countless natural wonders, from rainforests to volcanic deserts, golden beaches and soaring mountains, the towering peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa and Volcanoes National Park. 
The Hawaiian island of Maui, which is called the Valley Island, is known for its beautiful beaches, art and culture. The main attractions of Maui are the Haa Coast, Iao Valley, Makena and Mount Haleakala. 
The island of Lanai, which is called Pineapple Island, is famous for its cuisine and golf courses. It is also considered ideal for honeymoons and couples. 
The island of Molokai, which is called the Friendly Island, represents the traditional Hawaiian way of life. With buildings no taller than a tree, Molokai keeps its natural landscape intact and remains completely natural, unspoiled and tranquil.
The island of Oahu, which is called the Gathering Place, is the most popular of the islands with the famous city of Honolulu, Waikiki Beach and Pearl Harbor. 
Natural beauty and unrivaled hospitality make Hawaii a great destination for any travelers who have never been to the newest of the 50 American states.