Would you like to learn the history of Hawaiʻi, and get to know its culture and traditions through the convenience of a book? This one has it all: photographs, stories, and history, all told by a traveler who wanted to study that firsthand.
What she compiled is a fun way to learn about Hawaiʻi, the result of her own, self-taught course about the Islands. It includes a bibliography and a glossary of Hawaiian words and phrases at the end, complete with a pronunciation key.
As a bonus, the names, addresses, phone numbers, and websites of the places she visited are listed in the bibliographies of both San Francisco - a stop along the way to Hawaiʻi - and for Hawaiʻi itself.
Here is a brief summary of the fun described in this travelogue:
In October of 2012, the author and her parents took a trip to Hawai'i, visiting O'ahu and the Big Island.
They stayed at a beautiful resort on O'ahu called Ko Olina, which means "to be filled with happiness" in the Hawaiian language.
They toured historic sites - 'Iolani Palace in Honolulu and Hulihe'e Palace in Kailua-Kona.
They visited the dead sailors aboard the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.
They took a ride in an electric submarine in the waters off Waikiki.
They drove down Saddle Road between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island, and then down Chain of Craters Road to see where Kilauea had erupted over the pavement and into the Pacific Ocean.
They tasted delicious Kona coffee and saw how it was grown, harvested, dried, and roasted.
They attended a hokey lu'au on O'ahu and a wonderfully educational one on the Big Island.
They walked through a tropical garden on each of the Islands that they visited, looking at orchids, butterflies, palm trees, macadamia trees, and cannonball trees.
In short, the author led her parents on a fascinating tour of Hawaiian history, language, music, cuisine, culture, botany, zoology, and volcanology.