128 Fun Facts About Hawaii

What is the state bird of Hawaii?

The Nene, or Hawaiian goose, has been the official state bird of Hawaii since 1957. It is believed to have evolved from the Canada goose about 500,000 years ago.

Which Hawaiian island is nicknamed 'The Garden Isle'?

Kauai is nicknamed 'The Garden Isle' for its lush rainforests, dramatic cliffs and abundant greenery. At about five million years old it is one of the oldest of the main islands.

How many main islands make up the Hawaiian archipelago?

Beyond the eight main islands, the state includes the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and around 130 small rocks and islets, 137 volcanic islands in all.

What year did Hawaii become the 50th U.S. state?

Hawaii was admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, becoming the 50th state, seven months after Alaska became the 49th.

What is the capital city of Hawaii?

Honolulu is both the state capital and the largest city in Hawaii, and roughly two-thirds of the state's residents live on its island.

What is the only official royal residence on U.S. soil?

Iolani Palace served as the residence of the Hawaiian monarchy from 1882 to 1893 and was restored and opened to the public as a museum in 1978.

Which monarch united the Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom?

King Kamehameha I, Kamehameha the Great, was the conqueror and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii, unified in 1810 after years of campaigns.

What type of outdoor advertising is banned throughout Hawaii to preserve natural beauty?

Hawaii's ban took effect in 1927, decades before Vermont, Alaska and Maine followed, making it one of only four U.S. states without billboards.

What is the Hawaiian word that serves as both a greeting and a farewell?

Aloha is used as both hello and goodbye in Hawaiian. It also means love, affection, and compassion, and is central to Hawaiian culture. Hawaii is nicknamed 'The Aloha State.'

Which of the five volcanoes forming Hawaii Island has been its most active since the islands were settled?

Kilauea erupted nearly continuously from its eastern rift zone from January 1983 to April 2018, one of the longest eruptions ever documented.

Measured from its base on the ocean floor, which Hawaiian mountain is taller than Mount Everest?

Mauna Kea rises about 33,500 feet from its base on the ocean floor to its summit, making it taller than Mount Everest's 29,032 feet when measured from base to peak.

What is the official state fish of Hawaii?

The humuhumunukunukuapuaa (reef triggerfish) was named state fish in 1985, lapsed in 1990 when the law expired, and was permanently reinstated in 2006. Its name means 'triggerfish with a snout like a pig.'

Besides English, what other language is an official language of Hawaii?

The 1978 state constitution made Hawaiian co-official with English. The language nearly died out but has been revived through immersion schools in which every subject is taught in Hawaiian.

Which island is home to Pearl Harbor?

Pearl Harbor is located on the island of Oahu, near Honolulu. The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, led to the United States entering World War II.

What is the Hawaiian state flower?

The yellow hibiscus, Hibiscus brackenridgei or maʻo hau hele, is a native shrub of Hawaii's dry lowland forests and is threatened by habitat loss and grazing animals.

What natural disaster struck the historic town of Lahaina, Maui in August 2023?

In August 2023, devastating wildfires destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina on Maui. It was one of the deadliest wildfires in modern U.S. history, claiming over 100 lives.

Which British captain, on his third voyage, made the first documented European contact with Hawaii in January 1778?

James Cook returned the following year and was killed at Kealakekua Bay.

What name did the British explorer who reached Hawaii in 1778 give the archipelago?

The name honored John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, the explorer's sponsor and then First Lord of the Admiralty.

Which Hawaiian goddess is believed to live in the Halemaumau crater?

Pele, goddess of volcanoes and fire, is said to have fled her sister Namaka from Tahiti; her body was destroyed but her spirit lives on in the crater.

Hawaii dominated the international trade in which crop until the 1960s?

Pineapple canned in Hawaii was about 80 percent of world output in the 1960s; production then declined against cheaper Asian growers, and Del Monte left the islands in 2008.

Which Hawaiian island is known as 'The Forbidden Isle' because access is restricted?

Niihau, purchased by Elizabeth Sinclair from King Kamehameha V in 1864 for $10,000, is privately owned by the Robinson family. Access is restricted to preserve Hawaiian culture and language.

By tradition, from which island group did Hawaii's first Polynesian settlers sail?

Early studies put the Marquesan arrival around 300 CE, with a later wave from Tahiti bringing new chiefs and the kapu system, though the dating is still debated.

Approximately how far are the Hawaiian Islands from the nearest continental shore?

Hawaii lies about 2,400 miles from California, the nearest continental shore; that isolation is why so much of its plant and animal life evolved nowhere else.

Which of the Hawaiian Islands is the largest by area?

The Big Island, Hawaii Island, covers about 4,028 square miles, 63 percent of the archipelago's land but only 13 percent of its people, and lava from Kilauea keeps adding new ground.

What traditional Hawaiian garland of flowers is given as a symbol of greeting and affection?

The lei is a garland or wreath of flowers, leaves, shells, or other materials traditionally given as a symbol of greeting, love, or celebration in Hawaiian culture.

What is the meaning of the Hawaiian word 'mahalo'?

Mahalo means thank you or gratitude; the Pukui-Elbert Hawaiian dictionary also gives it the senses of admiration, praise and esteem.

Which Hawaiian island is nicknamed 'The Valley Isle'?

Maui's 'valley' is a roughly six-mile-wide isthmus joining Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains; the towns of Kahului and Wailuku sit on it.

Along with Hawaii, which state was an internationally recognised sovereign nation before joining the US?

Texas was the independent Republic of Texas from 1836 to 1845, recognised by the United States, France and Britain; the Kingdom of Hawaii was sovereign from 1810 until 1893.

What undersea volcano growing off the southeast coast of Hawaii Island may one day become a new island?

Loihi, renamed Kamaʻehuakanaloa in 2021, rises more than 10,000 feet from the seafloor but its summit is still about 3,200 feet underwater; it may surface in 10,000 to 100,000 years.

Which famous North Shore reef break is known for massive winter waves and pro surf contests?

The Banzai Pipeline (or simply Pipeline) on Oahu's North Shore is one of the most famous surfing spots in the world, known for its powerful, hollow waves that break over a shallow reef.

What percentage of Hawaiian vascular plant species are found nowhere else in the world?

Nearly 90% of Hawaii's native vascular plants are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else on Earth. This extraordinary endemism is a result of Hawaii's extreme geographic isolation.

What is Hawaii's state motto in English translation?

'Ua Mau ke Ea o ka Aina i ka Pono', 'The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness', was spoken by Kamehameha III in 1843 when sovereignty returned after the Paulet affair, and became the state motto in 1959.

Who was the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii?

Queen Liliuokalani was the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom. She was overthrown in January 1893 by a group of American and European businessmen with the support of U.S. Marines.

What unique element appears on the Hawaiian state flag that reflects its historical ties to Britain?

The Union Jack canton reflects the pro-British sentiment of the kingdom's first ruler and the Royal Navy's early ties to Hawaii, though the kingdom was never part of the British Empire.

What traditional Hawaiian feast features a whole roasted pig cooked in an underground oven?

A luau is a traditional Hawaiian feast that often features kalua pig, which is cooked in an underground oven called an imu. The pig is wrapped in banana and ti leaves and slow-roasted for hours.

Which Hawaiian staple is made by pounding cooked taro on a wooden board with a stone pestle into a paste?

Poi is sweet when fresh but sours day by day through natural fermentation, and the taro corm gives it a pale purple colour.

What is the name of the massive shield volcano that makes up more than 75% of East Maui?

Haleakala, 'House of the Sun,' is classed as active rather than dormant; radiocarbon dating suggests it last erupted between about 1480 and 1600, and its summit is a popular sunrise spot.

What is the Hawaiian word for 'family' that has become widely used in popular culture?

Ohana means 'family' in Hawaiian, encompassing not just blood relatives but also adopted or chosen family. It was popularized in mainstream culture through the Disney film Lilo & Stitch.

Which Hawaiian island, a U.S. Navy bombing range until 1990, has been left uninhabited?

Kahoolawe was used as a military bombing range from World War II until 1990 and has been uninhabited since, under restoration by the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission.

What type of native Hawaiian mammal is the only land mammal native to the islands?

The Hawaiian hoary bat (ope'ape'a) is the only land mammal native to Hawaii. All other land mammals, including mongooses and rats, were introduced by humans.

What famous North Shore surf spot is home to the annual Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational?

The Eddie Aikau Invitational runs at Waimea Bay only when waves reach at least 20 feet, so it often skips years; it honors the Hawaiian lifeguard and big-wave surfer Eddie Aikau.

Because so much of its native wildlife is threatened, Hawaii is often given what unhappy nickname?

Hawaii is often referred to as the 'Endangered Species Capital of the World' due to its extremely high number of threatened and endangered plant and animal species, many found nowhere else on Earth.

Which Waikiki hotel, opened in 1927, is known as 'The Pink Palace of the Pacific'?

The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, which opened in 1927 in Waikiki, is known as 'The Pink Palace of the Pacific' due to its distinctive pink stucco exterior and luxurious ambiance.

What makes the summit of Hawaii's tallest mountain one of the best places in the world for telescopes?

The summit sits above most of the atmosphere's water vapor, with stable airflow and low turbulence, which is why telescopes funded by eleven countries have been built there since 1964.

What ancient Hawaiian sport involved riding ocean waves on long wooden boards?

Surfing, he'e nalu or wave sliding in Hawaiian, was a status activity: chiefs rode the longest olo boards, and some breaks were reserved for royalty.

Which Hawaiian island did Dole buy in 1922 and make the world's largest fruit plantation?

Lanai was Dole's pineapple island for six decades; Larry Ellison bought 98 percent of it in 2012 and shifted the island toward luxury tourism.

What type of rock formations are created when hot lava flows into the ocean and cools rapidly?

When lava hits seawater it shatters into basalt fragments, and a large flow can build a black sand beach almost overnight; Punaluu on Hawaii Island is the best-known example.

Which U.S. president was born in Hawaii?

Barack Obama, the 44th president, was born in Honolulu on August 4, 1961, the first president born outside the contiguous United States.

Which Hawaiian island's north coast has sea cliffs of about 3,000 feet, among the world's tallest?

Molokai's north shore cliffs formed when the northern half of the island's volcano collapsed into the sea; they cut off the Kalaupapa peninsula, used as a leprosy settlement from 1866.

How did Polynesian voyagers navigate thousands of miles of open Pacific to settle islands such as Hawaii?

Reading stars, swells and wind patterns, plus cloud formations, bird flight and bioluminescence, let navigators cross the Pacific without instruments.

Which president signed the Hawaii Admission Act in March 1959?

Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admission Act on March 18, 1959; Hawaii's voters then approved statehood in a June plebiscite before formal admission that summer.

Roughly what share of voters backed statehood in Hawaii's 1959 plebiscite?

Over 93 percent of voters backed statehood in the June 27, 1959 plebiscite, roughly 132,800 yes to 7,900 no; Niihau was the only precinct that voted against.

Which is the only U.S. state where Asian Americans are the largest ethnic group?

Hawaii is the only state where Asian Americans are the plurality, about 37 percent in the 2020 census, a legacy of plantation-era immigration from Japan, China, the Philippines and Korea.

Hawaii is the only U.S. state that has never recorded what?

Its high volcanic summits still see snow, but never that kind of cold.

Hawaii is the only U.S. state located south of which line of latitude?

Hawaii's main islands lie between about 19 and 22 degrees north, south of the Tropic of Cancer at 23.4 degrees, making it the only state in the tropics.

Which Kauai mountain is among the wettest spots on Earth?

Mount Waialeale on Kauai averages about 450 inches of rain a year, rivaling Mawsynram in India as the wettest place on Earth.

Which Hawaiian musician was named 'The Voice of Hawaii' by NPR in 2010?

Israel Kamakawiwoole, 'Iz', was profiled as 'The Voice of Hawaii' in NPR's 50 Great Voices series in 2010; his ukulele medley 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World' made him famous worldwide.

What is the name of Hawaii's only NCAA Division I athletics program?

The University of Hawaii at Manoa's men's teams are the Rainbow Warriors and its women's teams the Rainbow Wahine; it is the state's only NCAA Division I program.

Which historically famous Hawaii-based Army unit was the most decorated for its size in U.S. history?

The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Japanese American soldiers largely from Hawaii, became the most decorated unit of its size, with 21 Medals of Honor; future Senator Daniel Inouye was one recipient.

Which president signed the Newlands Resolution annexing Hawaii on July 7, 1898?

Cleveland had blocked annexation before McKinley took office.

What nickname was given to the 1887 charter forced on the king by threat of force?

The Bayonet Constitution of 1887 was forced on King Kalakaua by the Hawaiian League and its armed militia, stripping the monarchy of most powers and limiting the vote to property owners.

Which Hawaiian city was the kingdom's capital before it moved to Honolulu in 1845?

Kamehameha III made the move; Lahaina was largely destroyed by wildfire in 2023.

What does the name Honolulu mean in Hawaiian?

Honolulu means 'sheltered harbor' or 'calm port' in Hawaiian; the related Maori place-name Whangaruru carries the same meaning.

Honolulu holds which distinction among major U.S. cities and state capitals?

Honolulu is the westernmost and southernmost major U.S. city and state capital, farther south than Miami and farther west than Anchorage.

Which waterfront Honolulu landmark was for many years Hawaii's tallest building?

Aloha Tower, a 184-foot lighthouse and clock tower opened in 1926 beside Honolulu Harbor, was Hawaii's tallest building for about four decades.

Which 1875 treaty let Hawaiian sugar enter the United States duty-free?

The Reciprocity Treaty of 1875 admitted Hawaiian sugar duty-free; its 1887 renewal gave the United States exclusive rights to Pearl Harbor as a coaling and repair station.

How many aircraft carriers launched the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?

Six carriers, Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku, launched 353 aircraft in two waves against Pearl Harbor.

Of the eight U.S. battleships at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, how many were sunk?

Four battleships were sunk: Arizona, Oklahoma, West Virginia and California; all eight were damaged, and only Arizona, plus the target ship Utah, were never refloated.

Which Japanese admiral planned the Pearl Harbor attack as a pre-emptive strike?

Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Combined Fleet, conceived and planned the Pearl Harbor attack; Chuichi Nagumo commanded the carrier strike force itself.

How many Americans were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor?

The attack killed 2,403 Americans, 68 of them civilians, and wounded a further 1,178; 1,177 of the dead were aboard USS Arizona.

Oil seeping from the battleship sunk at Pearl Harbor is poetically called what?

Oil seeping from USS Arizona, a few quarts a day, is called 'the tears of the Arizona' or 'black tears'; the memorial straddles the hull without touching it.

Which entertainer's 1961 benefit concert raised $64,000 for the USS Arizona Memorial?

It was his final live performance until 1968.

Which 1795 clash gave the future kingdom's founder control of Oahu?

At the Battle of Nuuanu in 1795 Kamehameha's forces drove Kalanikupule's Oahu army up the Nuuanu valley, with many warriors forced over the Pali cliffs.

Which king surrendered Kauai and Niihau in 1810, completing the islands' unification?

Kaumualii, the ruling chief of Kauai, agreed in 1810 to become Kamehameha's vassal rather than fight, bringing Kauai and Niihau into the kingdom peacefully.

Which monarch's statue did Hawaii place in the Capitol's National Statuary Hall Collection?

Hawaii's two Statuary Hall statues, both installed in 1969, depict Kamehameha I and Father Damien; the bronze Kamehameha, about 15,000 pounds, is among the collection's heaviest.

Which king made a trip around the world in 1881, seeking plantation workers?

Kalakaua's 1881 world tour, the first by any reigning monarch, sought immigrant labor for the plantations; in New York he met Thomas Edison and saw electric lighting demonstrated.

In 1874, which candidate lost the election for the vacant throne to Lunalilo's successor?

Queen Emma, widow of Kamehameha IV, lost the legislature's 1874 vote to Kalakaua 39 to 6; her supporters' riot at the courthouse prompted U.S. and British sailors to land.

Which Hawaiian song was composed by Queen Liliuokalani?

Liliuokalani composed 'Aloha Oe' in 1878, years before she became queen; during her 1895 imprisonment she wrote songs such as 'The Queen's Prayer' and translated the Kumulipo chant.

What was the title of Liliuokalani's 1898 autobiography?

'Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen', published in Boston in 1898, was Liliuokalani's account of the overthrow, written while she lobbied Washington against annexation.

Which U.S. minister to Hawaii ordered Marines ashore during the 1893 overthrow?

John L. Stevens, the U.S. minister to Hawaii, had Marines from USS Boston land in Honolulu on January 16, 1893 and recognised the provisional government the next day.

What was the name of the group that led the 1893 coup against the queen?

The Committee of Safety, 13 businessmen and lawyers led by Lorrin Thurston, proclaimed a provisional government on January 17, 1893 after Liliuokalani tried to issue a new constitution.

Which 1993 act of Congress conceded U.S. participation in the overthrow of the kingdom?

The Apology Resolution, Public Law 103-150 signed by Bill Clinton on November 23, 1993, acknowledged U.S. participation in the 1893 overthrow on its centennial.

What is the glottal-stop mark in written Hawaiian called?

The okina, written like a single open quotation mark, marks the glottal stop in Hawaiian, as in Hawai'i; the kahako is the macron marking a long vowel.

What are Hawaii's Hawaiian-language immersion preschools called?

Punana Leo, 'language nest', preschools opened in 1984, beginning with Kekaha on Kauai, and seeded the state's K-12 Hawaiian immersion schools.

Which creole tongue is more widely spoken in the islands than the native Polynesian language?

Hawaiian Pidgin, formally Hawaii Creole English, has roughly 600,000 speakers, far more than Hawaiian, and borrows from Japanese, Cantonese, Portuguese and Filipino plantation languages.

Which style of hula is the ancient form, accompanied by chant and traditional instruments?

Hula kahiko is the ancient form, danced to chant and instruments such as the ipu gourd and pahu drum; hula auana is the Western-influenced style with guitar and ukulele.

Which nickname did the last Hawaiian king earn for his love of singing and ukulele?

Kalakaua, the 'Merrie Monarch', revived hula and chant at his 1883 coronation after decades of missionary-era suppression, and wrote the words of Hawaii Ponoi.

In which city is Hawaii's most prestigious annual hula competition held?

It begins on Easter Sunday and is considered the most prestigious hula contest.

Immigrants from which country brought the small guitars that became the ukulele?

Three Madeiran cabinet makers who arrived in 1879 are credited as the first makers.

What does the word 'ukulele' roughly translate to in Hawaiian?

Ukulele is usually translated as 'jumping flea', from uku (flea) and lele (jumping), possibly for the quick movement of a player's fingers on the strings.

Duke Kahanamoku won Olympic medals in which sport?

Duke Kahanamoku won swimming gold in the 100-meter freestyle at both the 1912 and 1920 Olympics and silver behind Johnny Weissmuller in 1924.

Duke Kahanamoku's 1914 surfing exhibition at Freshwater Beach helped launch surfing where?

Duke Kahanamoku's December 1914 exhibition at Freshwater Beach, Sydney, helped launch surfing in Australia; the board he shaped from local sugar pine is preserved by the Freshwater Surf Life Saving Club.

Which elected office did Duke Kahanamoku hold in Honolulu from 1935 to 1961?

Duke Kahanamoku was elected Sheriff of the City and County of Honolulu in 1934 and re-elected to 13 consecutive two-year terms, serving until 1961.

Using his surfboard, Duke Kahanamoku rescued eight men from a capsized boat off which city in 1925?

On June 14, 1925 Duke Kahanamoku used his surfboard to pull eight fishermen from the capsized yacht Thelma off Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, making repeated trips through heavy surf.

Mauna Loa's November 2022 eruption was its first since which year?

Mauna Loa's November 27, 2022 eruption ended a 38-year quiet that began after its March-April 1984 eruption, whose lava stopped about four miles from Hilo.

What was the 1916 reserve later split into the Volcanoes and Haleakala units originally called?

Hawaii National Park was created on August 1, 1916, weeks before the National Park Service itself, and was divided in 1961 into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park.

In what year was the Volcanoes park on the Big Island named a World Heritage Site?

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, seven years after it became an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980.

How tall is Haleakala's highest peak, Puu Ulaula?

Puu Ulaula, Red Hill, tops Haleakala at 10,023 feet; the volcano may once have stood near 12,000 feet before erosion and subsidence lowered it.

What does the name Waikiki mean in Hawaiian?

Waikiki means 'spouting fresh water' in Hawaiian, a reference to the springs and streams that once fed the marshes and taro ponds behind the beach.

Which waterway was dug in the 1920s to drain Waikiki's mosquito-breeding wetlands?

The Ala Wai Canal, dug between 1921 and 1928 by Walter Dillingham's Hawaiian Dredging Company, drained the wetlands and rice paddies behind Waikiki and created the land for the resort district.

What is the Hawaiian name for slack-key guitar?

Ki hoalu, 'loosen the key', is slack-key guitar, a fingerstyle tradition in open tunings that grew from guitars brought by Mexican vaqueros in the 1830s.

A loco moco, a classic of Hawaii's plantation-era local food, tops rice with a hamburger patty, brown gravy and what?

Eggs finish the loco moco, a hamburger steak over rice under brown gravy.

Which fried pastry did Portuguese immigrants from the Azores bring to Hawaii?

Malasadas, yeast doughnuts fried and rolled in sugar, came with Portuguese plantation workers from the Azores and Madeira; Leonard's Bakery in Honolulu has sold them since 1952.

Which restaurant chain established National Spam Musubi Day in 2021?

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue declared August 8 National Spam Musubi Day in 2021, and Governor David Ige marked it with a proclamation.

Which fish did Hawaiians first encounter as contract laborers in the Pacific Northwest?

Salmon, salted and shipped from the Pacific Northwest where Hawaiian laborers worked for the Hudson's Bay Company, became the base of lomi-lomi salmon, massaged with tomato and onion.

Who played Steve McGarrett in the original Hawaii Five-O?

The series ran 12 seasons on CBS from 1968 to 1980.

Who composed the famous Hawaii Five-O theme music?

Morton Stevens composed the Hawaii Five-O theme in 1968; The Ventures' cover of it reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969.

In which country was the Hawaiian pizza invented?

Sam Panopoulos, a Greek immigrant, invented the Hawaiian pizza in 1962 at his Satellite Restaurant in Chatham, Ontario, Canada, naming it after the canned pineapple brand he used.

Father Damien was born in which country?

Father Damien was born Jozef De Veuster in Tremelo, Belgium, in 1840 and took the name Damien as a novice in the Sacred Hearts congregation.

Forced isolation at Molokai's Kalaupapa leprosy settlement, begun in 1866, ended in what year?

Hawaii abolished forced isolation at Kalaupapa in 1969, 103 years after the first patients were exiled there in 1866; the area became Kalaupapa National Historical Park in 1980.

Which animal is Hawaii's official state mammal?

The Hawaiian monk seal, named state mammal in 2008, is called ilioholoikauaua, 'dog that runs in rough water'; it is an endangered species found only in Hawaii.

Hunting and introduced predators cut the nene population to how many birds by 1952?

Hunting, grazing and introduced mongooses and cats cut the nene to about 30 birds by 1952, from an estimated 25,000 when Cook arrived; captive breeding brought it back.

Which is the oldest of Hawaii Island's five volcanoes?

Kohala, at the island's northern tip, is the oldest of Hawaii Island's five volcanoes, about one million years old and last active roughly 120,000 years ago.

Which Big Island valley is nicknamed the 'Valley of the Kings'?

Waipio Valley on the Hamakua coast is called the 'Valley of the Kings'; Kamehameha I was raised there and it was a seat of early Hawaiian rulers.

Which Kauai gorge is nicknamed the 'Grand Canyon of the Pacific'?

Waimea Canyon, the 'Grand Canyon of the Pacific', is about 10 miles long and up to 3,000 feet deep, carved by the Waimea River draining Mount Waialeale.

Which sound did the old Kauai dialect of Hawaiian keep that the standard dialect replaced with 'k'?

The old Kauai dialect kept the 't' sound, so locals said 'Tauai' for their island; the t-for-k pronunciation survives among Niihau speakers.

Which ship was Captain Cook's own vessel when he reached Hawaii in 1778?

Cook sailed HMS Resolution on his third voyage, with Charles Clerke's HMS Discovery as consort; Endeavour was his first-voyage ship and Adventure sailed with him on the second.

Which Maui town is the county seat?

Wailuku, at the mouth of Iao Valley, has been the seat of Maui County since the county was formed in 1905; neighboring Kahului is the island's commercial hub and largest community.

What are Hawaii's cowboys, working cattle ranches since the 1830s, called?

Paniolo, from 'espanol', were the Hawaiian cowboys trained by Mexican vaqueros whom Kamehameha III brought in during 1832; Parker Ranch on the Big Island grew into one of the largest U.S. ranches.

Which merchant trademarked the term 'Aloha Shirt' in 1937?

Ellery Chun, owner of King-Smith Clothiers in Honolulu, registered the 'Aloha Shirt' trademark in 1937; designer Alfred Shaheen later dressed Elvis for the Blue Hawaii album cover.

What is the name of the voyaging canoe launched in 1975 that sailed to Tahiti without instruments?

Hokulea, launched in March 1975 by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, reached Tahiti in 1976 guided without instruments by Micronesian navigator Mau Piailug.

Which crew member was lost at sea when the voyaging canoe capsized near Lanai in 1978?

Eddie Aikau, Waimea Bay's first lifeguard, paddled his surfboard for help after Hokulea capsized in the Kaiwi Channel on March 17, 1978 and was never seen again.

Hawaii's Ironman World Championship sends riders across the lava desert to Hawi and back on a bike leg of how many miles?

112 miles, or 180 km, of cycling comes before the full marathon.

Which atoll is the northwesternmost island in the state of Hawaii?

Kure Atoll is the northwesternmost island in the state of Hawaii and the world's northernmost coral atoll; neighboring Midway Atoll, about 55 miles southeast, is federal territory outside the state.

In 2020 Hawaiians had the longest life expectancy of any US state, at roughly what age?

Hawaii led all states in 2020 with a life expectancy at birth of 80.7 years, ahead of Washington and Minnesota, despite one of the highest costs of living in the country.

The uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands form most of which marine national monument?

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, created in 2006 and expanded in 2016 to about 583,000 square miles, covers the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

How many counties does the state of Hawaii have?

They are the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai and tiny Kalawao.

The Hawaiian islands were built by an undersea magma source known as what?

A hotspot, a stationary mantle plume, built the chain as the Pacific plate drifted northwest over it, which is why the active volcanoes sit on the youngest island in the southeast.