Hawaii in a Nutshell

I know it's silly, but since I grew up in Hawaii I guess I just always assumed everybody in the world knew the basics about Hawaii. I discovered that wasn't true when I began teaching 1st grade in Illinois in 1984.

Parents thought I grew up in a grass hut. They asked if we used American money. And they were surprised I spoke English so well. 😏 I remember one parent telling me their son went home and was upset because he thought he was placed in an ESL (English as a Second Language) room. Eventually, I did have some parents request to have their children put in my room, so perceptions did change.

And yes, the misinformation did go both ways. When we moved to Chicago in 1974, I didn't know Chicago was in Illinois. We'd driven cross country to get to Chicago and when we entered the city and I saw a fellow standing at the crosswalk with a violin case, my eyebrows went up. Stories of Chicago mobsters popped up in my brain.

Anyway, all this is just a preface to why I'm going to do a little geography/tourism explanation of the Hawaiian Islands where I grew up and now live in again.

There are 8 main islands from a total of 137 islands that count as part of our Hawaiian Island chain.

Hawaii was once ruled by Hawaiian kings and queens until a group of American businessmen and lawyers in January, 1893 overthrew the Kingdom of Hawaii and even had Queen Lili'uokalani under house arrest at the Iolani Palace. In 1993, the US Congress passed a joint Apology Resolution regarding the overthrow and was signed by President Bill Clinton.

I won't go further into the history but it helps to know this to understand why Hawaiian descendants are still angry about what occurred.

OK, about the Hawaiian Islands.

Niihau: It is privately owned and the people there speak Hawaiian. It is off limits to outsiders unless they are invited.

Kauai: This is the Garden Isle because it is lush, rainy and beautiful. I'm sure my cousins can attest to that. We see a LOT of tourists there when we've gone for a visit. There's a mountain there called the Sleeping Giant because the peaks of that mountain range looks like a sleeping giant. I think Kauai is supposed to be the oldest of the 8 Hawaiian Islands. 

Oahu: This is my island and Honolulu Aunty's and Cloudia of Comfort Spiral as well. The state capital of Honolulu is on Oahu as well as Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay, Polynesian Cultural Center, etc. It is VERY crowded on our island and home prices are through the roof. However, we do have more medical facilities and shopping areas than the other islands and LOTS and LOTS of traffic... LOTS of traffic. (This is a photo of the Pearl Harbor Memorial and today, of course is the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.)

Molokai: Molokai is known for where victims of Hansen's Disease (leprosy) were sent in 1866. My grandfather who was a Buddhist priest went to Kalaupapa on Molokai in 1928 to tend to Buddhist patients who were isolated there. My mother spent her early years in Kaunakakai which is the largest town on Molokai with her two younger sisters.

Lanai: As of 2012, 98% of Lanai is owned by Oracle Corporation co-founder, Larry Ellison. Good grief! I don't know a lot about Lanai except when I was a teenager, I know kids were going there to work in the pineapple fields.

Maui: Maui is the second largest island and has the dormant volcano Haleakala on it. We always like to drive up to Haleakala to see the silversword plant and the magnificent views. You can see Lanai, Kahoolawe and Molokai from Maui. 

Kahoolawe: Much to the dismay and anger of many Hawaiian people, Kahoolawe was used as a bombing range by the U.S. Armed Forces. Today, it is uninhabited and used only by Hawaiian people for cultural or spiritual purposes.

Big Island: The Hawaii news stations now refer to this biggest and youngest of the 8 islands as Hawaii Island. Us old timers always referred to it as the Big Island so that's what I call it. This is where Art grew up and it is, of course, his favorite island. This photo was taken in 2017 at the Halemaumau crater. That's me and mom.

Actually, there's a lot to see on the Big Island from the Black Sand beach to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to Kona's coffee farms, downtown Hilo, Art's small hometown of Honokaa, etc. 

Now we have Mauna Loa erupting and everyone wondering how long Madame Pele (goddess of fire and volcanoes) will continue her fiery dance.

There you have it in a nutshell. Well, maybe its a rather big nutshell for a small state. 

And yes, we are the 50th state and we do use American money. 😂