Hawaii... What other name conjures up such visions of beauty? What other state is so unique, with deserts and areas that may receive 500 inches of rain a year?
The Hawaiian Islands are about 2,400 miles southwest of California. Most animals native to Hawaii are those whose ancestors were able to fly across the sea. The only native mammals are the Hawaiian hoary bat, the very rare Hawaiian monk seal, and whales that swim near the islands. Hawaii’s ancient forests were home to many unique and colorful birds.
The biggest island in the Hawaiian Islands is called Hawaii. It is nicknamed the “Big Island.” Here are found Hawaii’s highest mountains, 13,796-foot Mauna Kea in the north and 13,680-foot Mauna Loa in the south. In winter Mauna Kea is sometimes covered with enough snow to attract skiers.
Northwest of the island of Hawaii is the island of Maui. Though much smaller than the Big Island, it is the second biggest island in Hawaii. Here is another great volcano—10,023-foot Haleakala, “House of the Sun.” Halaeaka’s eruptions are over. But its fantastic eroded crater sometimes seems to be on fire as it glows in the sun.
Maui lacks the deserts of the Big Island. Nicknamed the “Valley Island,” it is one of Hawaii’s most beautiful islands. Nearby are the islands of Molokai, Lanai, and Kahoolawe. Many people visit Molokai, where spectacular waterfalls crash over steep cliffs, or pali, on the north coast. Few people visit Lanai, which is largely a pineapple plantation.
Northwest of Maui and its neighbors is Oahu, Hawaii’s third largest island. Here is Honolulu, Hawaii’s largest city, and some of the world’s most famous surfing beaches. Honolulu is overlooked by a spectacular cliff called Diamond Head, a reminder that the island was much higher in the distant past.
Northwest of Oahu is Kauai, the “Garden Isle.” Kauai is famous for its rugged scenery. Waimea Canyon plunges 3,000 feet, and there are spectacular cliffs along the coast.
Beyond Kauai are numerous tiny islands, some barely sticking out of the sea. These are all that’s left of once might volcanic islands.
People Arrive
Polynesian people in double-hulled canoes arrived in the Hawaiian Islands about 1,500 years ago. They brought roots, seeds, dogs, pigs, and chickens with them. The descendants of these early Polynesian settlers call themselves Hawaiians and lent their name to the islands.
A British expedition under Captain James Cook discovered Hawaii about the time of the Revolutionary War. Other white explorers and settlers followed. They brought more plants with them—mango, papaya, avocado, pineapple, and many species of trees, including eucalyptus and evergreens from Australia, banyans from southeast Asia, the tropical monkeypod, or rain tree, from the Americas, and trees from southern Europe. They also brought more animals, including cows, goats, sheep, deer, and horses. They accidentally brought rats with them, too. When the rats became a nuisance, they introduced mongooses to control the rats.
It was a disaster for native animals in a paradise that had no native land mammals save a bat. Native plants were crowded out by foreign plants or eaten by cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and pigs. Birds and eggs were eaten by pigs, cats, dogs, rats, and even the mongooses that were supposed to control the rats. Birds were even hurt by livestock that trampled their nests or destroyed their habitat. Today, Hawaiian land snails are being wiped out by giant land snails from Africa, and Hawaiians are worried that a snake that has been spreading to islands in the Pacific will someday escape in Hawaii.
Our newest state has changed greatly since the first islands were formed more than six million years ago. It has changed greatly since it was first discovered by people. And it continues to change.
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