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How were the Hawaiian Islands formed? How many volcanoes are in Hawaii? How many islands
are in Hawaii? The Hawaiian islands are very different land forms from the Mainland USA. Hawaii was
formed when a molten 'hot spot' weakened the Earth’s crust until it broke open and molten lava started pumping out. That one 'hot spot' stays in the same place as the
Pacific Tectonic Plate moves slowly northeast towards Japan and has created all of the Hawaiian Islands. There are actually 132 islands (8 major islands and 124 smaller islands, reefs, atolls
and shoals) in the Hawaiian Island Chain that have been created by that one hot spot over hundreds of millions of years. The chain runs 1,600 miles (2,560 kilometers) from the
oldest formation, the Kure Atoll in the northwest, to the Big Island of Hawaii in the southeast. Only 7 main islands are considered part of the State of Hawaii: Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Maui,
Koho'olawe, Oahu, and the Big Island of Hawaii. Kauai, the oldest of the seven main islands began forming almost 6 million years ago, and stopped erupting only 4.2 million years ago!
How high are the volcanoes? All of the Hawaiian Islands are made from several volcanoes ranging from a few feet above sea level to the tallest volcano in the
islands, Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii which stands 13,796 ft above sea level (plus another 18,000 feet below sea level!). Another tall volcano located on the Big Island is Mauna
Loa which stands 13,680 ft. Because of erosion (after a million years of rain, wind and waves) some volcano craters are only a hundred feet above sea level. Hanauma Bay had 1/3 of
its' volcanic crater fall into the ocean during an earthquake and filled with sea water. Now it is a popular snorkeling spot on Oahu, a marine preserve teaming with sea life..
 Do volcanoes usually erupt in Hawaii? How often do volcanoes erupt? There is currently one island that is
volcanically active, Hawaii also known as the Big Island. Mauna Loa is an active volcano on the Big Island. Kilauea has been
erupting nonstop since 1989, but it isn’t shooting magma up in the air all that time as you might imagine. Currently the most
visible molten rock flows from Kilauea Caldera where most of the magma flows through lava tubes and abruptly meets the ocean
creating new land. Within the last decade another vent spewing molten lava was discovered 20 miles South of the Big Island. Its called Loihi Sea Mount and is still under water.
Unfortunately none of us will live the 10,000 years to see it become an island.
How hot is the lava in Hawaii?
Magma is molten rock below the Earth's surface, and lava is molten rock that flows freely on the surface. Since lava is actually melted rock the temperatures
are extremely hot and vary depending on the geological composition of magma. To give you a general idea, lava that's hot enough to flow is about 2000-5000 degrees Fahrenheit!
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How far is Hawaii from the USA?
What is the time difference in Hawaii? Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States of America in 1959. It is located about 2,160 miles from
California, which would be the closest state on the Mainland USA to Hawaii. Hawaii is about 6
,000 miles from Washington, DC. Hawaii is in it's own time zone Called Hawaii Standard Time
(HST). HST is 3 hours BEHIND Pacific Standard Time and 6 hours BEHIND Eastern Standard Time
in the Spring & Summer. Deduct an hour for Daylight Savings during the Fall and Winter. Just
to give you an example: A direct flight will run you 10 hr. from New York, or two-three leg flight 14-16 hr.
Is it really hot in Hawaii?
What is the average temperature? It does get hot sometimes but there usually is a nice breeze blowing from the Northeast, Called 'the trade winds,' which keeps
everyone cool when the sun is hot. Hawaii is located close to the equator so the sun is very
strong. When the trade winds don't blow it can get very hot and humid. This doesn’t happen
very often though. It averages in the high 80s during the day and high 70s during the night in the summer. It averages in the high 70s during the day and low 70s during the night in the
winter. It is a very comfortable year round range of 66-88 degrees F (78 degree avg.) We are able to wear shorts all year long, but in the winter we may have to put on pants or a light
jacket in the evening.
What is the highest & lowest temperatures recorded in Hawaii?
Highest recorded temperature: 100 degrees in Pahala Hawaii in April 1931 Lowest recorded temperature: 12 degrees on the summit of the volcano Mauna Kea in May 1979.
Is the ocean really as blue as it appears in the photos on your web site?
YES! The ocean water is blue because of microscopic red algae (plants). The red algae absorb the red/orange
color in sunlight, so we see mostly blue. Depending on how deep the ocean is it can appear in
many beautiful shades of blue. In the shallow waters yellow-ish sand reflects light to make the ocean appear turquoise green! (Blue + Yellow = Green).
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How big are waves in Hawaii?
How big was the BIGGEST wave in Hawaii? Hawaiian waves are measured from the back, so a 6ft wave in California is equivalent to a 3ft wave in Hawaii. The
largest waves are in the winter time on the North sides of the islands. During the winter months
the waves on the North Shores range 4 to 40 feet. During the summer months the North shores
range 1 to 3 feet. On the South shores the waves range 3 to 15 feet in the summer and 1-3 feet in the winter. The size of the waves is determined by the way the islands were formed and
by storms that occur in the Pacific Ocean. Earthquakes in Japan and Alaska can cause huge Tsunamis (some call them tidal waves) in Hawaii. The energy of the earthquake travels through
the ocean and can create waves taller than a 16 story building! (That's 160 feet!)
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What kinds of animals live in Hawaii?
Hawaii has 8,800 native species found only in Hawaii. Sadly, most of the animals that are only found in Hawaii are endangered. Being isolated on
these islands has allowed any animals that made it here to evolve in unique ways. Hawaiian
Monk Seals and Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles are endangered species. The Hawaii state bird is the
Nene Goose and they are also endangered species. Hawaii once had lots of different non-flying
birds only found in the Hawaiian Islands. Many of the first native birds that evolved in the
islands were ground dwellers and they had no predators to need to fly from on their isolated
island home. Once the rats made it to the island on the canoes of first Hawaiian settlers then
they began to eat the birds eggs, then the birds. The early native Hawaiians also hunted the
flightless birds as a food source. To help save the birds people introduced mongoose to eat the
rats. Unfortunately the mongoose are diurnal, which means they hunt during the day, and the
rats are nocturnal, which means they hunt at night, so now Hawaii has both wild mongoose and
rats. Other animals that were introduced to Hawaii by early merchant ships visiting Hawaii are
deer, goats, and wild pigs with big tusks. These animals were brought so the sailors on merchant ships could have fresh meat when they came the islands. Many citrus fruit trees were
also brought to Hawaii by merchant ships so the sailors could have fresh fruits that would
combat scurvy while they were in the Hawaiian Islands. There aren't any squirrels, chipmunks,
or snakes in Hawaii. If snakes ever made it to Hawaii they would slither up trees to birds nests
and would kill off the remaining native birds in the islands. Brown Tree Snakes are responsible for this in Guam where there are no longer birds on the island.
What kinds of fruits can I see growing by the roadside in Hawaii?
You will find a variety of island fruits growing on roadside farms, along rainforest trails, and in residential yards. Fruits
like papaya, pineapple, coconut, macadamia nut, coffee, mountain apple, guava, avocado,
mango, oranges, lemon, lime, lychee, grapefruit, star fruit, pomello, bananas, passion fruit,
pomegranate, taro, breadfruit, strawberry guava, and more! You may be tempted to stop and
pick some growing on the side of the road. Please do not trespass onto someone’s farm or
private property to try to sample fresh growing island treats. Hefty fines can be imposed if you
are caught doing so, especially from commercial farms and pineapple fields. If you go hiking and
know what you are looking for you can find refreshing treats growing along mountain trails. If
you collect or purchase fresh fruits please note they can only be taken outside of the Hawaiian
Islands if they are agriculturally inspected. If you would like to take fresh island pineapple or
papaya home with you there are vendors at the island airports that sell pre-inspected fresh fruits in handy carry cases ideal for taking a back a bit of paradise with you.
What kinds of activities are available around Oahu?
 There are many different magazines and coupon offers around town once
you arrive in Waikiki. Things to do Hawaii, This Week, 101 Things to Do, etc. Here are some of the many different activites around town:
Local Attractions
Honolulu Advertiser
Waikiki Web Cam
Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau
Universal Currency Converter
Honolulu International Airport
Hawaii Search
Roberts of Hawaii Shuttle Bus from Airport (808) 831-1555. $ 9 or $15 r/t no reservations
required. Look for bright yellow shirts.
Driving Directions to the Seashore Condos:
1:Start out going NORTH on RODGERS BLVD toward N NIMITZ HWY.
2:Turn RIGHT onto HI-92 E. 3:Turn SLIGHT LEFT onto ALA MOANA BLVD / HI-92 E 4:Turn
SLIGHT RIGHT onto KALAKAUA AVE. 5:Turn LEFT onto KAIULANI AVE. 6:Turn RIGHT onto KOA AVE. 7:End at 2450 Koa Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815-3256, US
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