John's Hawaii / South Pacific Travel Blog

Of the millions of people who visit Oahu each year, a relative few ever venture to Oahu's Leeward Coast.

There are two major reasons to make it a part of your visit to Oahu. First, the Leeward Coast is one of the most beautiful areas of Hawaii.

The second major reason for driving over to the Leeward Coast is the subject of this photo essay, Wild Side Specialty Tours. By choosing Wild Side, you'll have the opportunity to get an ocean view of the majestic coastline and see many of the numerous species of marine life that make the waters between Oahu and Kauai their home.

Find out more about Wild Side Specialty Tours.

_{Pilot Whale Photo by Kara Benson - Wild Side Specialty Tours}

Join me for a driving tour of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii.

We'll drive along Crater Rim Drive to the Visitor Center, Steam Vents, Jaggar Museum, Halemaʻumaʻu Crater Overlook and then down Crater Rim Drive to view where the lava flow of Kilauea is currently flowing into the ocean.

Read more in our Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Trip Planner

_{Photo - Volcanoes National Park by John Fischer, licensed to About.com}

Haleakalā, "The House of the Sun", is a dormant volcano and the tallest peak on Maui, reaching 10,023 feet above sea level.

The crater, or more correctly called the depression, is large enough to hold the entire island of Manhattan. It is 7.5 miles long, 2.5 miles wide and 3000 feet deep. The crater includes its own mini-mountain range of nine cinder cones - the largest of which is over 1000 feet high.

Many believe that Haleakalā Crater resembles the surface of the moon or, more likely, Mars with its red hue.

Find out more about the Haleakalā National Park Summit Area

Kauaʻi is Hawaii's Garden Isle, known for it's lush foliage, beautiful flowers and long white sand beaches. Kauaʻi is the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands.

Kauai is the perfect island for a honeymoon or romantic getaway, but also a great place for a family vacation. We've chosen our top ten things to do on the island of Kauaʻi, Hawaii .

Check out our Top 10 Things to Do on Kauaʻi

_{Kalalau Valley Photo by John Fischer}

Less well known than Oahu's South and North shores, Oahu's Southeast Shore and Windward Coast features some of the island's best beaches separated by rugged rocky shores, lush green valleys and best attractions.

Whether you drive past Diamond Head and Maunalua Bay and around Koko Head Crater past Hanauma Bay, Sandy Beach, Makapuu Point and Waimanalo or begin your drive at the end of the Pali or Likelike Highway at Kane'ohe Bay, a drive along Oahu's Eastern Shore and Windward Coast makes for a perfect day trip from Waikiki.

Read our Profile of Oahu's Southeast Shore and Windward Coast.

View our gallery of 58 photos of Oahu's Southeast Shore.

Located along the Hamakua Coast on the northeast shore of the Big Island of Hawaii, the Waipiʻo Valley is the largest and most southern of the seven valleys on the windward side of the Kohala Mountains.

The Waipiʻo Valley is a mile wide at the coastline and almost six miles deep. Along the coast is a beautiful black sand beach often used by motion picture production companies. On both sides of the valley there are cliffs reaching almost 2000 feet with hundreds of cascading waterfalls, including one of Hawaii's most celebrated waterfalls - Hiʻilawe.

Find out more and view photos of the Waipiʻo Valley.

We've taken a slightly different approach to our list of the best beaches in Hawaii. We include at least one beach from each of the six major islands. Our list is also presented in alphabetical order by island. We've also intentionally included several, less well-known, beaches that we consider real gems.

Take a look a our list and photos of each beach. Then tell us where you agree or disagree in our comments section. What is your favorite beach in Hawaii.

See our picks for Top Beaches in Hawaii.

_{Photo of Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach, Kau District, Big Island by John Fischer, licensed to About.com}

Understanding place names in Hawaii is an important first step in planning your trip to the Hawaiian Islands.

It all begins with understanding the names of the islands themselves, since even this can be confusing to a first time visitor. In addition to their island names and county names, each island has one or more nicknames.

Once you get these straight, you can begin to look at which each island has to offer you for your trip.

I hope you enjoy our Profile of the State of Hawaii: Island and County Names, Nicknames and Geography.

_{Diamond Head Photo by John Fischer, licensed to About.com}

My favorite store in the new Waikiki Beach Walk is a store called Mana Hawai'i - the Spirit of Hawai'i Nei. It's unlike any other store I've ever seen in the islands and represents a unique experiment which provides small local businesses the chance to compete and present their products alongside the better known (and often expensive) shops in Waikiki.

Mana Hawai'i is home to five previously existing local businesses that share 1,600 square feet of prime Waikiki real estate as part of Outrigger's Waikiki Beach Walk project.

Find out more about this exciting new place to shop in Waikiki, Mana Hawaii - the Spirit of Hawai'i Nei at Waikiki Beach Walk.

To say that things are changing daily with airline schedules and rates to Hawaii is an understatement. They appear to be changing by the hour. Between the time I wrote part one of this feature and now, my wife's and my itinerary on United to Kona in November changed from a one stop and 15 hours of travel time to a two stops and 19 hours of travel time.

Then to complicate matters they changed our seats and we weren't seated together on any of the flights. After almost an hour with a United Airlines representative I was at least able to get us sitting together. So...as I said, check your itineraries often for changes. Just because you have a reservation, doesn't mean it won't change. You'll only learn about the changes if you check. Don't expect to hear from United.

In Part One we looked at what you can do if you have an existing reservation. We also looked at the airlines and cities where Hawaii cutbacks are most significant.

Now it's time to see what you can do to get to Hawaii without having to mortgage your home. It's still possible and, in fact, several airlines have actually added seats to Hawaii to help make up for the losses of Aloha Airlines and ATA. Read more...