"Eho'omanawa nui" is Hawaiian and means "just don't stress". Before the plane finally lands at Honolulu International Airport on Oahu after more than 20 hours, we have already made the acquaintance of one of the most important island proverbs. Our seatmate John had uttered it with a grin when we told him about our vacation plans and he asked incredulously: "You want to do all that? But you're on vacation! Relax, you're in Hawaii." One of the best tips for our Hawaiian vacation: relaxation really does set in quickly.
Wreaths of flowers and orchids
The carefree feeling is supported by beguiling fragrances. At the airport, we are greeted with a friendly "Aloha" and a welcome lei, a wreath of flowers, is placed around our necks. Orchids are waiting on the pillows in the hotel room. And at breakfast in the morning, they are nestled between scrambled eggs, avocado, mango and papaya. We cancel our first planned item on the agenda, a tour to Diamond Head with a view of Honolulu. Instead, we take a relaxed stroll to one of Hawaii's sights, the famous Waikiki beach, and watch a pack of surfers lurking on their boards, waiting for the perfect wave. Afterwards, we enjoy a "Paradise Burger" in a small street café.
A trip to the island paradise in the Pacific means one thing above all: letting go. Forgetting the daily grind and letting yourself get involved in an easy, exhilarating life. The rest of the world is far away. It's just under 4,000 kilometers to the coast of California and 6,000 to Japan, but it's a stone's throw to one of the other larger Hawaiian islands. They are easy to reach by plane.
Dream beaches straight out of a picture book
And so, two days later, we board Hawaiian Airlines for Maui. "Maui no ka oi", Maui is the most beautiful, they say. The sun shines for almost twelve hours a day - and it goes in the evening just as quickly as it comes in the morning. Once a sugar cane island, Maui is now the perfect vacation paradise and one of Hawaii's most popular travel tips. With picture-perfect beaches and sleepy villages straight out of an old movie. While beach life takes place almost exclusively on the fair-weather side between Kapalua and Wailea, the north coast attracts visitors with its pure nature. We drive along the Hana Highway past rushing waterfalls that pour into dark green pools and through lush rainforests with kukui nut trees, orchids, ferns and eucalyptus. Hana, our destination, resembles a Garden of Eden. Idyllic and peaceful.
Hawaii's sights leave us speechless
The island of Kauai is no less captivating. This is mainly due to the Na Pali Coast, one of Hawaii's most spectacular sights. The highest cliffs in the Pacific are lined up here over a length of around 20 kilometers. A series of ridges and gorges, overgrown with moss green, some of which plunge vertically into the depths. A sight that leaves us speechless.
Big Island is the youngest and Hawaii's main island. Here, the Kilauea volcano releases lava into the sea around the clock and provides for "island offspring". While we clamber over solidified lava on a tour through the Volcanoes National Park, our guide Peter tells us that Hawaii is getting bigger every day. At some point, vacationers might even visit a new island, a new interesting place in Hawaii. Should we wish it on them? After all, paradise already has so much to offer. And after all, a vacation shouldn't turn into stress!