When I first catch sight of Armin Engert outside his hangar in Hana, he’s wheeling a Radio Flyer wagon—and it’s filled with three jugs of gasoline. It’s a practical means of transporting fuel out here at the Hana Airport, where bananas and papayas grow right by the runway and pigs rustle in the bush. Compared […]
Hawaiʻi’s full of awe-inspiring hikes, but not many will give you such a bird’s-eye view of Oʻahu’s North Shore like the ʻEhukai Pillbox Hike. Located next to Sunset Beach Elementary, this hike has been a regular activity for local residents for years, and its stellar views of the Seven Mile Miracle have recently begun sprouting
We wanted to reach Haena before the noon tide swamped the beach, hiding its photogenic black and white sand, the only sandy stretch for miles on a coast known for its imposing cliffs and currents. My friend Andrew and I were alone at the beginning of the Old Puna Trail, where the tidy grid of
No one is allowed to visit Hawaii’s Forbidden Isle—the 70-square-mile island, which on a clear day can be spied from Kauai’s west coast—unless they are invited by Niihau owners the Robinson family, or by one of its 70 full-time Native Hawaiian residents. The one exception is reserved for those who book a tour through the
Where Molokai lacks in the number of permitted camping options, it more than makes up in the quality of camping it offers. The landscapes are incredible and, as with many Molokai places, it often feels like you’re the only one there—that’s a good thing. One Alii Beach Park One Alii Beach Park, Molokai Photo: Forest
A treehouse in a native rain forest. A relaxing commune of yurts. A bungalow on the beach. A mobile camper that allows you to retreat from mountain to sea at your leisure. When getting away to an oceanside resort on your favorite Hawaiian Island just isn’t enough, find shelter in these off-the-beaten-path quarters that are
In our May/June issue of HAWAII Magazine, we asked members of our social media audience what their dream trip to Hawaii would be, and then helped plan it out. “I want to take my teenage daughter and myself to Oahu and stay at a resort, hike to a waterfall and have a spa day. Her
On Maui’s Road to Hana, there’s a phenomenon that is just as memorable as the hundreds of switchbacks and one-lane bridges. We’re talking about banana bread. On Maui, banana bread is serious business. It’s usually made with the local apple bananas that grow abundantly in Maui’s tropical weather and generous rainfall, but you’ll also find
Standing at the edge of the red bowl of Kauai’s Waimea Canyon, it’s hard to imagine a more spectacular sight. At 3,600 feet, the main lookout presents panoramic views of “The Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” a deep, colorful gorge accented by waterfalls, a snaking riverbed, frequent rainbows and goats teetering on rugged cliffsides as
Moku Nui and Moku Iki. Off in the distance, they sharply rise in a serene sea of aquamarine. Collectively known as Nā Mokulua (“two islands”), they’re Oʻahu’s most popular offshore islets and protected seabird sanctuaries and it’s the bird’s-eye view of them that entices most people to hike the Kaʻiwa Ridge Trail—a roughly 1-mile hike
All right. First off, stop chuckling at the seeming absurdity of a great road trip in Hawaiʻi. We’ve heard every reason our incomparably scenic island byways never make it onto any great American road-trip lists. Yes, we live on a collection of eight mostly smallish islands, each separated by miles of deep blue Pacific Ocean.
Maui is an island of extremes. It’s one of the few places in the U.S. you can camp inside a volcano or on a black-sand beach. The weather outside can be cold and wet, or hot and dry, often in the same day, within a few miles of each other. Make sure you know where
