The Only Island-State in the U.S. – Crossroads of the Pacific

✈️🌋Land softly at Daniel K. Inouye Intl. (HNL), O‘ahu – and step into a calendar that always reads “summer.” 🌡️ Climate Cheat-Sheet Year-round: 25-32 °C (77-90 °F). Water temp: 24-27 °C (75-81 °F) – no wetsuit needed. Whale window: Jan-Mar (humpbacks migrate from Alaska). Surf peaks: North-Shore Nov-Feb, South-Shore Jun-Aug. 💸 Money Perks NO state sales tax (one of only two US states) – everything 10-15 % cheaper than mainland. China driver’s licence + official translation = legal to rent a car for 30 days. 🚩 O‘AHU – “The Gathering Place” Waikiki Beach – Elvis sang here; learn to surf in 2 hrs, sunset catamaran sails $40. Pearl Harbor Complex (4 separate sites) Arizona Memorial – free ticket (reserve online) Missouri Battleship – $25 Bowfin Submarine – $25 Pacific Aviation Museum – $25 Full Passport $80 → 1 full day. Play list: sky-dive, dolphin swim, night-manta snorkel, Kualoa Ranch (Jurassic sets). 🚩 BIG ISLAND – “Volcano Island” 🌋 Do NOT self-drive lava fields – insurance void + roads disappear. Guided day-tour ¥800 includes: Kilauea Overlook (sulphur plumes) Chain-of-Craters road (lava flow moonscape) Black-sand beach (Punalu‘u) – turtles guaranteed. Lava tube walk – lit, 20 min, 60 °F year-round. Evening add-on: boat to ocean-entry point (when active) – glowing red rivers hitting Pacific = IMAX reality. Inter-island flight 1 hr ¥1k (book 2-3 weeks ahead). 🚗 Drive Tips Saddle Road (cross-island) now paved & legal – 50 min vs old 3 hr coast crawl. Speed limit 55 mph max; photo radar loves tourists. Fill up before volcano loop – last station is Hilo. 🏖️ Black-Sand Magic Mamalahoa Highway ➜ Kilauea Overlook 20 min walk Feel: crunch of glass-like olivine under flip-flops. Photo: steam plume back-dropped by Pacific – wear bright colours for pop. 🎒 Pack Me Reef-safe sunscreen (spray confiscated at airport). Light rain jacket – 10-min showers appear. Water shoes – lava is razor sharp. 🌈 One-Line Takeaway Hawai‘i hands you blue lagoons, red lava, green turtles, black sand – all in one passport stamp. Book the flight, the volcano tour, and the shave-ice – the islands will write the rest. #US #Honolulu #Hawaii