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Big Island
The youngest and largest of the Hawaiian Islands, the
island of Hawaii (known as Big Island to avoid confusion)
is one of the few places on earth where visitors can go
from snowboarding to snorkelling in a single day! Local
legend has it that the volcano goddess Pele and the demi-god
Kamapua'a, who could control the weather, battled for
the island and eventually decided to divide it: Pele took
the hot, dry western half and Kamapua'a ended up with
the wet, tropical east |
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Kauai
The main attractions on the Hawaiian island of Kauai is
its natural beauty and unassuming lifestyle of the people.
The wettest spot on earth is said to be Kauai's Mount
Waialeale with an average rainfall of 485 inches per year
- this has resulted in the Alakai Swamp, the highest swamp
in the world, and the Waimea River, the longest river
in the Hawaiian Islands. It also causes an abundance of
rainbows and lush vegetation that has earned it the title
of 'the Garden Island'. |
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Molokai
The tiny Hawaiian island of Molokai has been called the
'island that the world has left behind'. It is largely
untouched by tourism and development, there are no highrise
buildings, traffic lights or fast food outlets, even in
the main town of Kaunakakai. As small as it is (you can
drive from tip to tip in a couple of hours) this authentic
paradise boasts Hawaii's longest white sand beach and
other black sand stretches; the only barrier reef north
of Australia; a lowland desert, some rain forests and
ancient Hawaiian heiau (temples). The island was once
a place of refuge for those who violated the Hawaiian
kapu (taboo) system, and many visitors are drawn by the
mana (spiritual power) that still seems to infuse this
naturally beautiful spot. East of the Kalaupapa peninsula,
to the north of the island, is the world's highest seacliff,
Kahiwa Falls. The peninsula itself used to be a leper
colony in the mid-19th century, and some sufferers of
the ailment continue to live there out of choice. Molokai's
main claim to fame, however, is as the place where the
famous Hawaiian hula dance was born. Each May a hula festival
is held in Papohaku Beach Park in honour of the dance |
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