Things to Do in Hawaii

Snorkel Hanauma Bay at dawn

Slip into the crater at sunrise. Parrotfish in neon turquoise and yellow circle you. Their coral crunch rumbles through your snorkel. The bay's curved arms build a natural aquarium. Green sea turtles drift like silent submarines. Morning light turns the scene hyperreal. The sand between your toes seems to glow.

Drive the Road to Hana

The 620 curves between Kahului and Hana tease every sense. Guava jam waits at roadside stands. Banana bread cools in tin shacks, metallic and sweet. Temperature drops when bamboo forests close in. Trunks creak overhead. Waterfalls leap around hairpins. Their mist carries the scent of volcanic rock. Black sand beaches crunch like coarse coffee grounds underfoot.

Watch lava meet ocean on Big Island

From Kalapana you watch creation. Molten rock sizzles into the steaming Pacific. Heat slaps your face from hundreds of feet away. After sunset the lava glows orange. Ocean tastes of sulfur and salt. Waves hiss like kettles against 2000-degree stone. Wind shifts. Earth's metallic core mingles with plumeria from nearby leis.

Sunset paddle at Waikiki

Outrigger canoes knife through water that shifts from turquoise to molten gold. Diamond Head cuts a sharp silhouette against an orange sky. Paddle drips echo against fiberglass. Ukulele melodies drift from beach bars. Coconut oil and teriyaki scent the breeze. The ocean tastes saltier here. Locals blame the reef's sheltering arms.

Stargaze from Mauna Kea

At 13,800 feet the air thins. Metal coats your tongue. Darkness swallows you. The Milky Way throws shadows. Red dirt crunches like freeze-dried cookies under boots. Cold stings despite tropical latitude. Breath clouds the air. Astronomers work inside glowing observatory domes that stud the lunarscape.

Waikiki's high-rise corridor plants you steps from the beach. Crowds swarm. Prices top most US cities.

Lahaina's historic waterfront on Maui packs boutique hotels inside 19th-century buildings. Art galleries and the banyan tree park sit minutes away on foot.

Kona's coffee country offers plantation stays. Morning air smells of roasting beans. Nights turn surprisingly cool.

Princeville on Kauai's north shore delivers cliff-top views. Most restaurants require a drive.

Hilo's rain-soaked downtown lists the cheapest beds on Big Island. Beaches lie a drive away.

Kihei's condo strip on Maui hands you kitchenettes. Cook and blunt Hawaii's restaurant prices.