Far-flung Hawaii’s been the setting for numerous blockbuster movies and it’s the favoured holiday spot for many a celebrity, but there’s more to the South Pacific paradise than just beaches and palm trees
It’s 6.20am and I’m standing in freezing fog, teeth chattering, rubbing my hands together. When packing for Hawaii, I didn’t expect to need gloves and a bobble hat. I half wonder whether to pull out the swimsuit in my rucksack and wrap it around my hands.
And then the sun slowly breaks. We’re 10,000ft high on the summit of Haleakala National Park in Maui for the daily sunrise ritual. It might be the traditional E’ala’e chanting or the elated reaction from the crowd, but the atmosphere feels euphoric as the beams of light slowly illuminate the spectacular mountain range.
First shock to the system: Hawaii is infinitely more than just a surfer’s paradise. The islands are the most remote place in the world and, investigating the rare, endemic plant life on the way down from the summit, it feels like it.
Each of the eight main islands even has its own distinct character. We begin our Hawaiian hop in perhaps the most developed, O’ahu. Expecting palm trees and sandy beaches, I’m taken aback to land in the midst of high rises, traffic jams and designer super-stores in Waikiki on the south shore.
Like a badge of honour after a long three-flight journey, our host hangs a beautiful and fragrant lei of white jasmine and firecracker tulips around my neck.
“Aloha! You’re on Hawaiian time now. Not late, just later,” Kainoa says, ordering a round of tropical Mai Tais. It’s just gone 12.30pm and he covers the table with plates of local dishes, like Huli Huli chicken, lomi-lomi salmon and Ahi poke raw tuna.
Hawaiians are charming and friendly with big personalities. We become smitten with our driver, Brandon, who picks us up from our hotel wearing the customary lurid palm tree shirt and provides running commentary on the islands, talking over the relaxing hum of slack key guitar on the radio.
We drive an hour north from Waikiki to Kualoa Ranch and hit tropical storms as we travel through lush, dense rainforest. Brandon tells us there can be 120 inches of rainfall in the mountain range per year, compared to just 20 inches on the sunny west side of the island.
We prepare for a cinematic flashback as we board jumbo open jeeps at Kualoa Ranch (kualoa.com), dubbed movie set valley. Hundreds of blockbuster movies and TV shows have been filmed in the 4,000 acre site and we slow down to observe signposts pointing to edge-of-seat moments and take pictures. I step into Godzilla’s giant footprint, pose with iconic signage for Jurassic Park, and inspect Lost’s plane crash site.
It’s poignant to hear that the Pearl Harbour movie was also filmed at the ranch. During World War II, the open pastures of cattle and horses became a real-life airfield for shelter and defence for the US military.
Our next stopover is another film location. Turtle Bay is the only resort on the north shore of O’ahu and the pretty unforgettable setting for Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
The two-hour Kamehameha Highway scenic drive to the tip of the island boasts dominating mountains to the left and backdrop of the blue Pacific to the right. We witness brave cliff jumpers at La’ie Point, launching themselves into the waves, just for fun.
Our journey’s prolonged by the temptation to stop off at almost-deserted coves and roadside stalls selling cold coconut juice, fresh pineapples and bright straw bags. Brandon then takes the ultimate detour. We pull up at the famed Kahuku shrimp trucks and join the long queue for portions of hot juicy prawns smothered in garlic or lemon butter.
It’s at spectacular Turtle Bay, with its roaring ocean frontage, that we realise that surfing is practically a religion here.
Rows of boards are stacked up in varying heights and countless rash guards sit drying outside the hotel’s surf school – wetsuits are deemed unnecessary in the warm water.
It’s only fitting that I have my first-ever surfing lesson in nearby Kawela Bay, a secluded lagoon that’s pretty tame by surfing standards.
Dodging coconut shells and roaming cockerels, our instructors from Hans Hedemann (hhsurf.com) run through the basics on the sand – preferred foot forward, paddling lying on belly and – the tricky bit – how to transition seamlessly to an upright position and stay there.
Just 45 minutes in the ocean feels exhausting but, despite a run-in with some coral, we all manage to ’ride a wave’ for at least five seconds of glory before zonking out on the beach.
Bobby, one of our bronzed instructors, reveals he surfs for two to three hours every day. “Anything less than an hour is just a tease,” he laughs. Covered in sand, we all travel back to Turtle Bay in the surf truck, swaying to Hawaiian reggae.
During winter, spots like Waimea Bay, Ehukai Beach and Sunset Beach on the north shore are meccas for pro surfers, drawn by monster waves of 40 feet or more. This stretch of coastline – dubbed the Seven Mile Miracle – can suddenly transform into a car lot loaded with waxed boards if there’s a good swell, even if that’s a Tuesday afternoon. Everything stops for surfing.
Soaking up the laid-back north shore culture, we potter around charming surf towns, like Haleiwa. From art galleries to ’Grass Skirt Grill’ restaurants and souvenir stores, the promenade of shop fronts looks like a rainbow paint explosion. Even the pink McDonald’s is the prettiest I’ve seen.
Hawaii’s answer to Mr Whippy, the popular Matsumoto Shaved Ice store, is the real tourist magnet. Frequented by the Obamas, queues run out the door for the menu of 30+ radioactive-looking flavoured syrups. I slurp on the Hawaiian signature combo of pineapple, coconut and banana – adzuki beans optional!
It takes just 35 minutes to fly from Honolulu to Kahului in Maui, the perfect opportunity to absorb Hawaii’s varied landscape from a height. Those postcards featuring surf and palm trees only tell half the story – add desert, mountains, rainforest and volcanoes to the paradise picture.
After our epic 10,000 feet Haleakala sunrise, we explore upcountry Maui where we sip pineapple wine at Maui’s Winery (mauiwine.com), toast lavender scones at the breathtakingly beautiful Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm (aliikulalavender.com), and gorge on cheese at the Surfing Goat Dairy (surfinggoatdairy.com).
Hawaii’s warm conditions and passion for sustainability give the farm-to-fork evolution legs. We proudly spot all three local ventures featured on the dinner menu at the plush Andaz Maui at Wailea that same night and order them immediately.
But it’s not until I take the legendary Road to Hana, along Maui’s rugged eastern coastline, that I really appreciate Hawaii’s diversity.
The 83km drive is a series of bendy roads, narrow one-land bridges and hairpin turns, but the incredible, unspoilt views make the travel nausea worthwhile. We pass countless signs for falling rocks and there are near misses when our vehicle practically shaves the mossy mountainsides.
Everything gets greener and wetter with every mile.
The 6,000 feet of lush, green rainforest separates with ferocious waterfalls fuelled by the driving rain as we climb higher and higher, passing rainbow-striped eucalyptus trees and mountain apple trees on the way.
After what feels like hours, our driver announces “we’ve made it to Hana” and windswept bright African tulips lead the way to the Wai’anapanapa State Park like a welcoming red carpet.
There’s more ceremonial action on our last night when we get to experience a traditional luau at Lahaina (feastatlele.com). With leis reinstated around our necks, hula dancing and oli chanting honouring the land, it feels like the Hawaii you might see in old movies.
We indulge in the five-course Polynesian feast and drink Mai Tais while reminiscing about our adventures.
A hui kaua, Hawaii. That’s “until we meet again” – and I’ve learnt how to stand on a surfboard for more than a minute.
TRAVEL FACTS
Lisa Haynes was a guest of Go Hawaii. Visit www.gohawaii.com for information on the destination.
Hotels: The Modern Honolulu, from £184 a night (www.themodernhonolulu.com); Turtle Bay Resort, from £249 per night (www.turtlebayresort.com); The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, from £249 a night (www.westinmaui.com); Sheraton Maui, from £282 per night (www.sheraton-maui.com).
Flights: United Airlines, from £697 return, from London Heathrow to Honolulu (www.united.com); Hawaiian Airlines, from £114 return, from Honolulu to Kahului (www.hawaiianairlines.com).