Photographing the Islands of Hawaii
Text and images copyright E.J. Peiker, all rights reserved

An Introduction to the Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are a chain of several islands and many atolls that stretch for over 2,000 miles in the central Pacific Ocean. The larger and inhabited islands are what we commonly refer to as Hawaii, the 50th State of the United States of America. The main islands are comprised of the Island of Hawaii (also known as the Big Island), Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Lanai, Molokai, Kahoolawe, and Niihau. Beyond Niihau to the west lie the atolls which reach out to Midway Island. This article will focus on the accessible islands of Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Lanai and Molokai. Kahoolawe is property of the United States Navy and does not accept visitors. Niihau is home to a few hundred of the last remaining pure blooded Hawaiians and also is not open for visitation.

Getting to Hawaii is quite simple, as most major air carriers have daily flights to Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii. Two main inter-island carriers offer frequent regular service between these and the other two islands that can be visited - Molokai and Lanai. A flight from the west coast of the US takes about five hours and covers over 2,000 miles. Since this is a part of the US, no passports or vaccinations are required for US citizens. It is not legal to bring fruits, vegetables, or any other form of food derived from living things in and out of Hawaii, and you will be subjected to agricultural inspections. All food items purchased, such as pineapples, are subject to inspection and require Department of Agriculture inspection and approval. There are stores at the airports that take care of all of this for you. Once on the islands, rental cars and hotels are plentiful. Food and accommodations in Hawaii can be very expensive; expect to pay double what you pay in the continental US for most items. Even the most veteran of sunbathers from Florida and Arizona will burn in Hawaii due to the much more direct sun angle; use of a strong sunscreen is recommended.

A Brief History
The Hawaiian Islands were born 70 to 100 million years ago when the Pacific plate ruptured causing hot magma to form the very first island. This was the island of Kure which has now eroded beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean except for a small remnant in the form of coral reef. The islands that we call Midway, French Frigate Shoals, Necker, and Nihoa in the far northwest part of the archipelago were formed next. These are also on their last breath in their geological life. Of the islands to which we commonly refer as the Hawaiian Islands, Niihau and Kauai are the oldest followed by Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui, and Hawaii. In general the islands first formed in the northwest and proceeded to the southeast. All except Hawaii are declining geologically and eroding away, although the main volcano on Maui has not yet been declared extinct, leaving a remote possibility that Maui could still grow. Hawaii is considered a young island and is very much growing with continuing volcanic eruptions. To the southwest of Hawaii, the newest island is forming and growing. Its surface is only 3,200 feet below the water. In about 100,000 years, this will be the newest island in the Hawaiian island chain and its name is Loihi.

The first settlers of the Hawaiian Islands arrived in double-hulled canoes in the fourth or fifth century from the Marquesas Islands, more than 2,000 miles to the south. These settlers cultivated the land and farmed it producing edible crops such as taro. What happened to the original culture is not fully known but it is believed they were overthrown by settlers from Tahiti and receded into the cliffs and valleys; thereby giving birth to the legend of the Menehune – a tribe of short people who live in the woods away from civilization. The new culture was led by chiefs who established strong laws by creating taboos designed to evoke fear and thereby maintain order among the people.

In the 1700’s, Captain Cook, while on his way to Alaska, discovered the Hawaiian Islands when he made landfall on Kauai. This began the westernization of the islands. Initially Cook was thought to be a God but as time went on, the Hawaiian people became suspicious. When one of Captain Cook’s followers killed a Hawaiian Chief, Captain Cook was stabbed to death by a mob. Cook and his band are credited for much modernization in the islands but are blamed also for bringing venereal diseases, rats, and other negative aspects of modern culture.

The most revered figure in Hawaiian history is King Kamehameha the Great. He is credited for bringing together the islands under single rule rather than each island being under their own rule, which had often resulted in wars between the islands. As this was done through force, Kamehameha could be considered a conqueror.

During the 19th century, whaling ships from all over the world followed whales to the islands which led to modernization and integration of the islands. In the mid 1800’s, Hawaiians got the entrepreneurial spirit and began selling large tracts of land. Sanford Dole bought much of this land including essentially the entire island of Lanai. In 1894, the United States recognized Hawaii as a sovereign nation under Sanford Dole, President, Republic of Hawaii. Then in 1900, Hawaii became an official territory of the United States and eventually, in the mid 1900’s, became the 50th state of the US. Today, Hawaii still produces pineapple and sugarcane but these industries are very much in decline, as Hawaii’s main product is tourism.

Photographing the Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are a treasure for nature photographers. They offer everything from spectacular coastlines, to large mountains, cliffs, volcanoes, canyons, and some exotic wildlife. In general, lenses in the 20mm to 200mm range will suffice for any landscape work. Most of the wildlife you will encounter on the islands is of the avian variety so if you plan to photograph birds, a longer lens such as a 500mm is desirable. Filters such as a polarized and graduated neutral density filters will help produce better results.

Kauai is a photographer’s paradise but be prepared for lots of rain. Kauai hosts the wettest spot on earth at the summit of its main volcano, Mt. Wai’ale’ale. Some highlights on this island include Waimea Canyon, which is sometimes referred to as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. This is a spectacular canyon lined in reds and greens. There are numerous waterfalls, rugged coastline, beautiful flowers, and much more to photograph. Even though this is a small island, you could easily shoot all day for a week and not get bored. Not to be missed are the Kalalau lookout at the top of Waimea Canyon and the Napali Coast on the northwest side of the island. For photography, it is best to either take a zodiac boat to shoot the Napali Coast or to take a helicopter tour. If you opt for the helicopter tour, wear all black including long sleeves and black gloves to prevent reflections of you in the helicopter windows from ruining your photos. One of the most incredible experiences you will ever have can be experienced in a helicopter that takes you into the crater of Wai’ale’ale, where waterfalls stream down more than a thousand feet all around you. Wildlife shooters appreciate the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge where you can photograph numerous ocean bird species such as Albatross, Shearwater and Petrel.

Oahu is very heavily populated and also has by far the most tourists. It does have a lot to offer photographically especially along the uncrowded northern shores. There is probably no better place on earth to photograph colossal pipeline type waves than along the north shore in winter.

Maui is another photographer’s dream with incredible beaches, an abundance of roadside waterfalls on the road to Hana, and some very interesting geological formations. The Iao Needle in the “saddle” of the island (the low land that connects the volcano to the east and the older one to the west) is an interesting formation of rock that looks like the point of a needle. Haleakala is Maui’s main volcano and the road rises to 11,000 feet at the edge of one of the worlds largest volcanic craters. The landscape inside is otherworldly, like you just got off your spaceship at Mars.

Lanai is probably the least photographed of the inhabited islands as it doesn’t have very much new to offer and is fairly remote. However, for underwater photographers, Lanai is the place to go. There are daily dive and snorkel charters out of Maui that will take you to all of the hot spots.

Molokai is also rather remote but offers some spectacular cliffs and waterfalls that drop thousands of feet into the ocean. A helicopter tour out of Maui can take you along these cliffs.

If you have never been to the Hawaiian Islands and want to visit just one island for the purpose of photography, the Big Island or Hawaii is the place to go. Hawaii is huge! All of the other islands combined have significantly less landmass than the island of Hawaii alone. Hawaii has white sand beaches, green sand beaches and black sand beaches. Hawaii has rain forest, upland farmland, waterfalls and … spewing volcanoes! A week of shooting from dawn to dusk will only scratch the surface on this island. Not to be missed are the black sand beaches and sea turtles that sun themselves there, the waterfalls in the Hilo area or the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens just north of Hilo. The drive to see the sunrise from 13,800 feet on the top of Mauna Kea is unbelievable and there is snow there much of the year. But the most incredible experience is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park where you can see real lava flows when eruptions are occurring. You can hike out among the lava fields and see glowing rocks and oozing lava - a truly incredible sight. The big island is another place where a helicopter tour is highly recommended as you will see the volcanoes from the air, fly into some waterfall-laced valleys and much more.

Wildlife shooters will find birds such as Crested Cardinal, Yellow-billed Cardinal, Zebra Dove, Common Myna, Pacific Golden Plover, Wandering Tattler, Black-crowned Night Heron, Java Sparrow, and Saffron Finch readily accessible in most resort areas. There are numerous exotic species that live in the woods and are tougher to photograph. For much more information, see The Audubon Society’s Hawaii’s Birds which is available in any bookstore on the islands.

The Hawaiian Islands are one of the world’s true treasures and are fantastic for photographers. They are accessible from any part of the planet despite their remoteness as most of the world’s major air carriers serve them. The next time you think Hawaii, rather than thinking about an umbrella drink on the beach, think about the incredible photos you could get when you go there for a visit.

References
The best travel books for Hawaii are Maui Revealed, Hawaii The Big Island Revealed and the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook. All are published by Wizard Publications (www.wizardpub.com). For birds, I recommend Hawaii’s Birds, by the Hawaiian Audubon Society.

E.J. Peiker is the Senior Technical Editor at NatureScapes.Net and has been photographing seriously for over thirty years. For more information on E.J., please visit his website at www.ejphoto.com.

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