Hawaii...you gotta be here

I have a friend who says Hawaii is overrated. Is it possible for someone to rate something they have never experienced? I’m not so sure, but I think I get his point. Because Hawaii is a little over five hours flying time from the west coast of the U.S. and Canada, it’s accessible. And given the curious love affair that the Japanese have for Hawaii, the place can feel a little, well overrun by holiday makers. Well actually it’s only Honolulu that is a zoo, with its traffic and jungle of high rise hotels, and shops, and packs of tourist touts wanting to sell tours, jeep rentals, and the opportunity to shoot a real gun indoors. Why anyone would come to Hawaii and want to shoot a gun is beyond me, but presumably there is a market.

But this is what amazes me about Honolulu. Out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (okay, not exactly the middle, but you get the drift) is this vibrant, dynamic city of close to a million people that pulses with energy. The closest city of any note is San Francisco, and it’s 2,400 miles away.

Like my wayward friend, I didn’t have much interest in visiting Hawaii, and even after my first visit 12 years ago, I wasn’t totally sold. Then I was introduced to Maui, the quieter side of Hawaii. And I love it. I blame my wife. She’s knows Hawaii like Don Ho knows ukuleles She was one of those spoiled (I mean that in the kindest, most envious way, of course) kids that always went to Hawaii. Yes, yes, I know that my five year old son has been to Maui twice. Please remind me to be less indulgent.

Crossing the vast ocean, you begin to wonder if it’s all a rouse. While the sea has turned a delightful blue colour, there is nothing but, well, water. Though the wisps of cloud below look like sweet pieces of cotton candy pulled from its paper stick. Then the islands—Maui, and Hawaii, and Molokai, and Oahu sneak up on you, and as you land in Honolulu you pass the famed Waikiki beach, with Diamond Head, a 760 foot volcanic crater rising majestically at the end of the beach. And when you step off the airplane, there is something seductive about breathing this lovely tropical air, and watching people flock to the beach in the evening to watch the sun melt into the sea, or see the surfers trying to catch one last wave before dark.

You gotta be here...my friend doesn’t know what he’s missing.