We’re featuring “All Things Hawaiian”! Also check out our post on what “The Aloha Spirit” really means, a reflection on our travels in O’ahu, why Kona coffee is the most valued coffee in the world, what makes the Plumeria flower so special, a glimpse into Mark Twain’s “Letters From Hawaii” and the history behind legendary Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.

Our travels in Hawai’i brought us to…

• the popular destination of Waikiki Beach (picture 1 below)
• the volcanic crater of Diamond Head (2)
• the historic landmark of Pearl Harbor (3)
• the Polynesian Cultural Center (4); and
• the beautiful waters of Kaaawa (5)

We witnessed at least 20 Japanese weddings, experienced an Easter church service with beautiful Hawaiian music (6), dined at the two oldest hotels in Waikiki (the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Surfrider) (7), ate Malasadas (Portugese doughnuts) at Hawai’i’s original malasada bakery (8), sailed on a catamaran with Captain Riki and his son Kapono (which means “the righteous way”) (9) and saw some of the funniest, yet deeply powerful t-shirt sayings throughout our stay (10).

Below is a glimpse into the things we learned about Hawai’i, accompanied by some of our favorite pictures. Stay tuned for further details and more pictures in upcoming posts!

Fun facts about Hawai’i:

• The state of Hawai’i consists of eight main islands: The Big Island, Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Niihau, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe

• Hawai’i is the only state in the U.S. that grows coffee, cacao and vanilla beans, and is the only state with tropical rain forests

• More than one-third of the world’s commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawai’i

• The Hawaiian alphabet contains only 12 letters (A, E, I, O, U, H, K, L, M, P, W) (and nearly every street begins with K!)

• Hawai’i is the widest state in the U.S. (from east to west), measuring 1,500 miles from the island of Ni’iheau to the Big Island; yet, it would take approximately 40 Hawai’i’s to match the total size of Texas

• Hawai’i has its own time zone and does not observe Daylight Savings Time

• The State of Hawai’i is the most isolated population center on the face of the earth

• 1.5 million populate the state of Hawai’i; 100,000 live in Oahu; Honolulu is the nation’s 11^th largest metropolitan area

• The Hawaiian Islands are the projecting tops of the biggest mountain ranges in the world

• Hawai’i has the highest life expectancy in the U.S. (81.3 years old)

• Hawai’i is one of the four U.S. states that has outlawed billboards (the others are Alaska, Maine and Vermont)

Photos of the above mentioned places: