Hawai'i

The Aloha Spirit

You will hear "Aloha" many times on the island of Hawai'i. You may know that the term "Aloha" is used as a traditional greeting for both "hello", and "goodbye." "Aloha", however, is more than mere courtesy. 

According to Hawaiian Spirit Law, “Aloha Spirit” is the coordination of mind and heart within each person. Aloha Spirit brings each person to the self and each person must think and emote good feelings to others. 

Aloha Spirit means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return.

While visiting Hawai'i, embrace the spirit and value of Aloha towards all residents and common travelers. Sharing the Aloha Spirit benefits the common good and always makes for a joyful visit! 

About Hawai'i

The correct spelling of of the Hawaiian islands, and of the Big Island, in the Hawaiian language, is "Hawai'i" (pronounced "ha-vay-ee"). The name of the State of Hawaii (pronounced ("ha-wai-ee") is not written with an 'okina between the two i's because the establishing Statehood Act in 1959 used the spelling "Hawaii." An Act of Congress is required to "correct" the name of the state from "Hawaii" to "Hawai'i". This is why the name of the state is "Hawaii", while the name of the island is "Hawai'i". 

Hawai'i is the youngest island in the archipelago and is believed to be the first island that Polynesian voyagers from the Marquesas Islands set foot on 1,500 years ago at Ka Lae (South Point). It is built from five separate shield volcanoes that erupted somewhat sequentially, one overlapping the other. These volcanoes are, from oldest to youngest (an also generally located from north to south on the island):

Kohala (extinct)

Mauna Kea (dormant)

Hualālai (dormant)

Mauna Loa (active, partly within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park)

Kīlauea  (active, part of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park)

Captain James Cook arrived on Kauai in 1778, and within the year was killed on the island of Hawai'i by island warriors. With Cook's arrival, the arrival of westerners to the archipelago was ignited.

At the time of Cook's landing on Hawai'i, the island was divided into separate chiefdoms and ruled by separate chiefs. One such chief was Kamehameha. War between chiefdoms was common. Fulfilling what many believed was his destiny, Kohala-born Kamehameha conquered the entirety of the island of Hawai'i and went on to unify the Hawaiian Kingdom and ruled as King with Queen Kamāmalu.

Today, Hawai'i is home to about 200,000 residents (only 13% of Hawaii's population) but hosts approximately 1.75 million visitors each year.

Hawai'i: island of diverse landscape, sea life and culture

The island of Hawai'i is one of the most ecologically diverse environments in the world. You can find 4 out of the 5 major climate zones, and 10 out of 14 of the climate sub-zones on the island of Hawai'i. This is why the landscape is constantly changing as you travel the island. It's pretty amazing for such a relatively "small" land mass (4,028 square surface miles).