Hawaii - Spectacular

The islands of HAWAII , with their volcanoes , palm-fringed beaches , verdant valleys , glorious rainbows and awesome cliffs , hold some of the most spectacularly beautiful scenery on earth. However, despite their isolation, two thousand miles out in the Pacific, they belong very definitely to the United States. If you expect your South Seas idyll to be completely unspoiled, forget it; the fantasy of a dream holiday in Paradise remains firmly rooted in the creature comforts of home. With seven million tourists per year, including honeymooners from all over the world, frequent fliers cashing in their mileage, and almost two million Japanese, the islands can seem like a gigantic theme park.

Honolulu , by far the largest city of the fiftieth state, and with its resort annex of Waikiki also the main tourist center, is on Oahu . The biggest island, Hawaii itself, is known as the Big Island in a vain attempt to avoid confusion. Maui and Kauai also attract mass tourism, while smaller Molokai remains far quieter. All the islands share a similar topography and climate . Ocean winds from the northeast shed their rain on the windward coast, keeping it wet and green; the southwest, leeward (or "Kona") coasts can be almost barren, and so make ideal locations for big resorts. While temperatures remain consistent throughout the year at between 70°F and 85°F, rainfall is heaviest from December to March. That is nonetheless the most popular time to visit, enabling mid- to upper-range hotels to add a premium of at least $30 per night to their standard room rates. A visit to Hawaii doesn't have to cost a fortune, however; there are plenty of budget facilities if you know where to look. The one major expense you really can't avoid, except possibly on Oahu, is car rental - rates are very reasonable, but gas is pricey.

Honolulu, just under six hours by plane from the US west coast, is one of the world's busiest centers for air traffic; return fares from LA, San Francisco and Seattle start at around $350. There are also direct flights from the mainland to Maui, the Big Island and Kauai. Many flights to the US from Australia - such as those on Continental - include free stopovers in Hawaii. European travelers should buy all-inclusive tickets from Europe.

Ohau
Three-quarters of Hawaii's population live on OAHU , which has monopolized the islands' trade and tourism since the first European sailors realized that Honolulu offered the safest in-shore anchorage in thousands of miles of ocean. Over eighty percent of visitors to Hawaii still arrive in Honolulu - albeit by air now, rather than by sea - and most remain for their entire vacation. Oahu effectively confines tourists to the tower-block enclave of Waikiki , just east of downtown Honolulu; there are few rooms anywhere else. In much the same way, the military are closeted away in relatively inconspicuous camps. On any one day, the numbers of military personnel and tourists on Oahu are roughly the same.

Maui
The island of MAUI , the second largest in the Hawaiian chain, is Oahu's fastest-growing rival, attracting roughly a third of all visitors to the state. Some would say that things have gone too far. What were once remote, unspoiled beaches, around Kaanapali and Kihei for example, have been swamped by sprawling resorts, and Lahaina , once "whaling capital of the world," is now little more than just another tourist trap.

On the other hand, the crowds come to Maui for the good reason that it's still beautiful. This is probably the best equipped of all the islands for activity holidays - whale-watching, windsurfing, diving, sailing, snorkeling and cycling. Temperatures along the coast can be searing, especially at Lahaina, but it's always possible to escape to somewhere cooler. Upcountry Maui , on the slopes of the mighty Haleakala volcano, is a delight, well away from the bustle; Makawao and Paia here make good alternative hangouts, although they're short on accommodation. Finally, the waterfalls and ravines along the tortuous road out west to Hana outclass anything on Oahu.

Kauai
Although no point on the tiny island of KAUAI is as much as a dozen miles from the sea, the variety of its landscapes is quite incredible. This is the oldest of the major islands, and erosion has spent that many more million years to sculpt it into fantastic shapes. The mist-shrouded extinct volcano Mount Waialeale at its heart is the world's wettest spot, draining into a high landlocked swamp, full of unique plants and animals. Nearby is the chasm of Waimea Canyon , while the north shore holds the vertiginous green cliffs of the awe-inspiring Na Pali coast, familiar to millions from films such as Jurassic Park and South Pacific but the sole preserve of adventurous hikers . Kauai is a place to be active, on sea and land; and if you only go on one helicopter flight in your life, this is where to do it, despite recent restrictions on how low they can fly.

Big Island
The Big Island of Hawaii is well named - it could hold all the other islands put together, with room to spare. The entire island has the population of a medium-sized town, with 150,000 people (half what it was in Captain Cook's day) and a low level of tourism compared to Oahu or Maui; despite its fair share of restaurants, bars and so on, this is basically a rural community. The development that will surely come may put an end to that, but for the moment there are sleepy old towns all over the island, unchanged for a century. The few resorts are in the least beautiful areas, built on the barren lava flows of the Kona coast to catch maximum sunshine.

As befits the birthplace and base of King Kamehameha , more of the ancient Hawaii survives on the Big Island than anywhere else in the islands. Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park preserves a "place of refuge" for kapu -breakers and defeated warriors, and there are further temples north along the Kohala coast, while Waipio Valley , where Kamehameha spent his youth, remains as lush and green as ever.