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HAWAII
The islands of Hawaii poke from the Pacific
more than two thousand miles off the west coast
of America. In total, there are well over a hundred
of them, the weather-beaten summits of a chain
of submarine volcanoes that stretches almost to
Japan. Most, however, are no more than tiny atolls.
Only the seven largest, lying south of the Tropic
of Cancer at the southeast end of the archipelago,
are inhabited, and only six welcome visitors.
Those are Oahu (the site of the state capital
Honolulu and its resort annex of Waikiki), Hawaii
itself (more commonly known as the Big Island
in a vain attempt to avoid confusion), Maui, Lanai,
Molokai and Kauai. All the islands share a similar
topography, having been formed in the same way
and exposed to the same winds and rains. Each
is much wetter on its north and east – windward
– coasts, which are characterized by stupendous
sea cliffs, verdant stream-cut valleys and dense
tropical vegetation.
The south and west – leeward or "Kona" – coasts
are much drier, often virtually barren, and make
ideal locations for big resorts. With its majestic
volcanoes and palm-fringed beaches, Hawaii holds
some of the most superb scenery on earth. Firmly
established among the world's greatest vacation
playgrounds, it combines top-quality hotels and
restaurants with almost unlimited opportunities
not only for sheer self-indulgence, but also for
activities such as surfing, diving, golf and hiking.
Visiting Hawaii does not, however, have to be
expensive; budget facilities on all the islands
are listed throughout this guide, together with
advice on making the most of your money. Despite
the crowds, the islands have not been ruined by
tourism. Resort development is concentrated into
surprisingly small regions – Waikiki is the classic
example, holding half the state's hotel rooms
in just two square miles – and it's always possible
to venture off into pristine wilderness, or to
camp on the seashore or mountainside.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK may well be the
most dynamic, unpredictable place you'll ever
visit, and it's one where normal rules just don't
seem to apply. What you see, and how long it takes
to see it, is beyond all human control. The raw
power of an active volcano is not something that
can be tamed and labeled to suit those who like
their scenery to stay still and their sightseeing
to run to schedule. Kilauea, at the heart of the
park, is often called the "drive-in volcano";
it's said to be the only volcano in the world
where news of a fresh eruption brings people flocking
towards the lava flows.
Only very rarely does the lava claim lives, but
much of the excitement of coming here stems from
the ever-present whiff of danger. The park entrance
is roughly a hundred miles southeast of Kona,
thirty miles southwest of Hilo, and ten miles
(as the crow flies) from the ocean. Driving from
the west of the island takes at least two hours,
with the last thirty miles or so spent ascending
through barren lava landscape similar to that
in the Kona airport region. The road from Hilo,
on the other hand, climbs more steeply through
thick, wet rainforest. You arrive at the park
headquarters, beside the caldera (summit crater)
of Kilauea, with no real sense of being on top
of a mountain. That's because Kilauea, at only
four thousand feet high, is a mere pimple on the
flanks of Mauna Loa, which, despite its deceptively
gentle incline, stands almost ten thousand feet
taller. Furthermore, for all its trails and overlooks,
the crater area is a long way from the park's
most compelling attraction.
Somewhere down the side of the mountain, molten
lava is bursting out of the ground and cascading
down to the sea – assuming that the eruption that
has been going nonstop ever since 1983 has not
died down by the time you visit. In total, the
irregular boundaries of the National Park take
in 377 square miles. At the start of this century,
it only occupied the Kilauea Caldera area. Now
it incorporates the summit craters and most of
the eruption-prone rift zones of both volcanoes,
an area that is largely desert but includes scattered
pockets of rainforest and even one or two beaches.
Although the most recent flows have been beyond
the official boundaries of the park, its rangers
still control public access to the danger spots.
From being a solely geological park, its brief
has expanded to cover responsibility for preserving
the vestiges of pre-contact occupation in the
region and protecting indigenous wildlife such
as the Hawaiian goose, the nene. Ever since the
early missionaries, with their images of the fires
of hell, Western visitors have tended to see the
volcanoes as purely destructive.
The ancient Hawaiians, whose islands would never
have existed without the volcanoes, were much
more aware of their generative role, embodied
in the goddess Pele. It may take longer to create
than it does to destroy, but fresh lava is rich
in nutrients, and life soon regenerates on the
new land. On a single visit to the park, it's
impossible to appreciate the sheer rapidity of
change. What is a crackling, flaming, unstoppable
river of molten lava one day may be a busy hiking
trail the next. Come back twenty years later,
and you could find a rich, living forest.
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