The Hawaiian Islands are located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and form the 50th state of the USA. In the south east of the island of O'Ahu, Honolulu is a modern town and the starting point for most journeys. It also contains the Iolani Palace - once the residence of King David Kalakana - a magnificent Victorian structure in the centre of Honolulu and the only royal palace in the United States. In Pearl Harbour, a museum commemorates the events of the seventh of December 1941 when most of the American Pacific fleet was destroyed by the Japanese. The valley of Nuuanu Pali is of great importance in Hawaiian history. It was here that a deciding battle took place, when King Kamehameh came from Maui and triumphantly drove the troops of the chief of Oahu into the mountains, the result of which formed the political union of the Hawaiian Islands. In winter, the world's best surfers collect on Sunset Beach, attracted by spectacular waves, some of which reach as high as the tallest church steeples. On the island of Kaua'i, the Wailua is Hawaii's only navigable river and it flows through some of the exciting locations which were used for Jurassic Park, Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Blue Hawaii. Two volcanoes dominate the extraordinary island of Maui, which also features sandy beaches, green pastures, dense jungle and a bleak lunar - like landscape. On Waimea Beach in 1778, the English sea captain, James Cook, was the first European to set foot on Hawaiian territory. The Waimea Canyon was referred to by Mark Twain as 'The Grand Canyon of the Pacific', a massive gorge which has been carved out of the volcanic landscape by the Waimea River. From a Victorian style station there is the narrow - gauge Sugar Cane Train which travels through the once prolific sugar plantations of Kaanapali. Haleakale is the world's largest dormant volcano with a crater as large as Manhattan. But nowhere else in the world can volcanoes be studied as safely as on Big Island in the Hawaiian Volcanoes National ParkThe Hawaiian Islands…priceless pearls in the Pacific Ocean.
