oahu guidebook:
molokai and maui guidebook:
oahu guidebook:
Driving and Discovering Hawaii, companion website to the award winning Hawaii guidebook series. VJ Day photos of 1945 celebrations in color.
Download our famous free Oahu Movie Locations Drive Map, where island filming sites are revealed for LOST, Pearl Harbor and Elvis movies.
entire website and its contents copyright 2010 by montgomery ewing publishers LLC
FREE OAHU HAWAII MOVIE LOCATIONS DRIVE MAP
CLICK
Driving and Discovering Hawaii, your virtual Hawaii guidebook to Maui, Kauai, Molokai, Oahu, the Big Island, and driving in Hawaii. Locate secret Hawaiian beaches, visit an active volcano, hidden waterfalls, and deserted islands. Revisit VJ Day 1945. Tips on Hawaiian weddings, hotels, bargain restaurants, cruises, ultimate condo rentals, and vacation packages. Famous film and TV locations for LOST and Elvis movies revealed here!
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maui guidebook:
oahu guidebook:
discoveringhawaii.com’s
THE LATEST DEALS
Our friend Joy zips right along at Honopueo Falls at the World Botanical Garden on the Big Island, at mile marker 16 north of Hilo. Built to the highest specs by Experience Based
Learning, a company that has installed Zip Lines worldwide, you can experience exhilaration thru the Honomu treetops with confidence.
big island guidebook: SPECTACULAR OCEAN-
FRONT HOUSE: $150!
Gorgeous unobstructed ocean views are just one of the highlights of this beautiful home located just 20 minutes from Hilo’s shopping centers. Click here to see what awaits you for just $150 a night.
UPCOUNTRY MAUI WINERY
In wonderful, cool, spectacularly green Ulupalakua, you’ll find sweeping panoramic views of West Maui, a lovely climate, a beautiful winery, and a great general store with lots of cool Maui Paniolo (cowboy) duds and great made-to-order sandwiches to enjoy on the front porch, as the upcountry breezes rustle the fragrant eucalyptus. Some of the most enormous Norfolk Pines we’ve ever seen shade the winery grounds. Cool off: go upcountry!
DIAMOND HEAD LIGHTHOUSE
One of our favorite places to watch the sun set is from the wall on Diamond Head Rd. adjacent to the lighthouse. We pick up something to eat and drink, kick back, have some sips and good conversation as the sunset back-lights this venerable Oahu landmark,
SeaWatch
Diamond Head
Lighthouse
CHINATOWN
The only way you can really enjoy HONOLULU’S authentic thriving Chinatown is on foot. The area is compact and filled with surprises and oddities. Street parking is limited, restricting you from doing a whole lot due to the limited time that meters allow, so drive around and scope out public parking. Small self-service lots are dotted around Chinatown and most take credit cards as well as cash. Eat at Indigo for glamour and cool, and at Maunakea Marketplace for bargain Asian fare and the freshest produce for your condo-meal prep and picnic outings.
LAUPAHOEHOE
This film was shot just months before the infamous April Fool’s Day Tsunami wiped out Laupahoehoe in 1946.
maui guidebook:
SOUTH MAUI’S KAUPO STORE is as much artifact museum as a dispensary of refreshments for the thirsty traveler. Shelves display everyday articles from days gone by, including underwear packaging from the 1920s, kitchen supplies, and tools. It’s the only place you’ll be able to grab something to eat for many many desolate miles, so be sure to stop in after visiting Hui Aloha Church.
Click that map to download a printable pdf file of our Famous Movie Locations Drive Map. Visit the sites of some of your favorite films and TV Shows, like LOST, MAGNUM PI, 50 FIRST DATES, JURASSIC PARK and scores of others.
FREE OAHU HAWAII MOVIE LOCATIONS DRIVE MAP CLICK
hawaii guidebook:
DO WE REALLY HAVE TO RENT A CAR?
Spending thousands to travel to the middle of the Pacific to just lie by a pool doesn’t make a lot of sense, especially in a locale as stunning and awesome as Hawaii. Oahu has more beaches than any other island, as well as a million things to do outside of Waikiki. We get sad when we see people on a bus, allowing someone else to determine what they will see and experience. People who intended to just lie by the pool for a week always come down with the “3rd-day-itch” to start exploring, once they decompress, and a rental is the only way to scratch that bugger.
Don’t end up regretting your untaken chance to fully experience Hawaii’s back roads and off-the-beaten-path wonders. Rent a vehicle! We favor Budget Rent A Car because they include lots of freebies. These freebies are really FREE, not just “2 for 1” or BOGOs. You get free admission to the Polynesian Cultural Center, free scuba lesson, free golf club rental at multiple courses, free orchid plant, free snorkel rentals, free Aloha Tower parking, free museum admissions, etc.
FREE WiFi
Why pay for astronomical WiFi at hotels when you can surf for free?
See individual island pages for locations.
big island guidebook:
NENE: THE ENDANGERED HAWAIIAN GOOSE
These birds were near extinction in 1918 when Herbert C. Shipman began an effort to save them. Shipman started a captive breeding program at his Keaau home on Hawaii’s Big Island. The story is told in the National Geographic, November 1965, article titled "Saving the Nene, World's Rarest Goose".
Reclaim Your Youth: Growing Younger After 40 174 pp. Now Available in Paperback for only $12.00. Click the book cover above to purchase, or visit our Fitness page in the menu at the top of this page to read all about it.
maui guidebook:
BLUE ANGEL FALLS
MAUI’S BLUE ANGEL FALLS IN HANA
is the epitome of Paradise and is easy to reach. It’s clear cold spring waters form a pool just yards from the crashing surf. Turn mauka on Ulaino Road, drive to the end, cross the stream on foot, and boulder-hop about 100 yards. You’re there!
big island guidebook:
HAWAII VIDEOS
We begin to look old and feel old because we lose our lean muscle mass:
DON’T GET OLDER
—GET YOUNGER
VIEW THE NEWEST LAVA FLOW ON THE BIG ISLAND
Drive to the end of Hwy. 130 south of Hilo for an up-close encounter with brand-new real estate in the making. You will have to hike 30-60 minutes from the designated parking area over rugged lava deposits, so wear well-fitting sneakers and socks, or better yet, hiking boots. The best views are at dusk, which means you’ll be hiking back to your car in the dark, so a flashlight or lamp is essential. Bring water to drink, a windbreaker, your camera and a friend. Since the lava course is ever-changing, call for the latest updates the day you plan to hike: (808) 985-6000. Visit this website for map of location: http://lavainfo.us/
Few people realize that commercial color photography became available to the masses in 1907. Because of its expense, color photos pre-1950 are relatively unusual. Here are some very rare color views of Hawaii from the 1920s.
The Captain Cook Monument in the Big Island’s Kealakekua Bay fronts the eerily-vacant slopes in the background, which today are filled with homes.
The Rainbow Bridge in Haleiwa, on Oahu’s North Shore, is seen here soon after its construction. Notice the Model T automobile parked to the extreme right.
Old Volcano Road on the Big Island still exists in short stretches, but has been replaced by modern Hwy. 11. Here, a 1920-era automobile makes the trek up to Halemaumau.
The Moana Hotel in Waikiki was (almost) completely restored in recent years in celebration its 100th birthday, but the old pier, and the dining hall annex seen here on stilts, were not rebuilt.
big island guidebook:
JOY RIDE
hawaii guide book:
COLOR IN THE BLACK & WHITE WORLD OF THE 1920s
MAKING HAWAII A PART OF YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE
A new feature on our virtual Hawaii guidebook, discoveringhawaii.com: a special page devoted to all that’s new and inspirational in island style design and decor. We showcase outstanding creative designs and ideas, Hawaiian homes and apartments and vacation accommodations, many of them incorporating inexpensive detail items that really pull together the Hawaiian look. What exactly is the “Hawaiian Look”, you might ask? Well, it’s far richer than the classic wobbly hula girl lamp. Hawaii’s Heritage is multi cultural, with influences from New England, Mexico, Europe, the Far East, the Caribbean, Bali and Indonesia, and especially Hawaiian endemic art and utilitarian objects. We will be featuring the best that we can find, including local Hawaii businesses and internet stores with a an almost unlimited quantity of styles that can be incorporated into your own Hawaiian-style nook, chosen room or outdoor area, or entire home. Click the photo.
Distances & Drive Times
We have added a handy feature to Driving & Discovering Hawaii’s island destination pages: a map of the island showing distances and drive times to make calculating your exploration easier and more accurate.
oahu summer guidebook:
MOKULEIA
on the western end of Oahu’s famous North Shore, boasts and unbroken string of amazing beaches that runs for miles. During the week you’ll more often than not find that nobody is around but you, and the coastal views are unforgettable. Slipper lobsters can be snatched off the reef just yards from shore, and with summer comes placid conditions ideal for swimming and snorkeling.
oahu guidebook:
big island guidebook:
oahu guidebook:
Photos, Top-to-Bottom:
—Papers fly from rooftop spectators at the Honolulu Advertiser Building at Kapiolani Blvd. and South St..
—Celebrants zoom past Lippy’s Service Station on Kalakaua Ave..
—Cheering Navy men fly past the House of Coral store on Kalakaua.
—The official September 2nd VJ Day Parade down Beretania St.
—Navy men pose: the man in blue is wearing a non-regulation uniform due to the uniform shortage.
—Exuberant local Oahu boys crowd a red GM truck to join in the fray.
—The scene in front of the Moana Hotel.
—Troops march in the VJ Day parade,
—Officers smile on Waikiki Beach in front of the Halekulani Hotel.
—Japan surrenders to General Douglas MacArthur aboard the USS Missouri.
VJDAY
65 Years Ago, The World Changed.
Photos by David J. Sullivan. Copyright The Sullivan Family Trust
Zeke puts his huge foot down and says “Enough is enough. I ain’t goin’ down there. Buy me some ice cream.” The Big Island hike at Halemaumau Crater isn’t for everyone. But for those who love ethereal primeval landscapes, it’s a paradise. Visit Zeke’s Page
VJ Day Honolulu
August 14, 1945
Hawaii erupts with unbridled joy as the Japanese surrender ends WWII. These scenes are along Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki, in the immediate viicinity of today’s still-thriving beaux-arts jewel, the Moana Hotel (Sheraton).
LEFT: VJ DAY color VIDEO
big island guidebook:
1923
1927
1923
1923
Sailors grasp hands to keep from falling off their speeding truck; a car festooned with signs drags a homemade Japanese flag. The sign on the back reads “The Rising Sun Will Set Forever”; servicemen walk past Kuhio Beach as papers blow in the wind; Sailors and WAVEs crowd a jeep flying past the Moana Hotel.
MURPHY BEACH PARK
People long for the Hawaii Of Yesteryear, yet incongruously they want it to be located just a stone’s throw from their luxury resort. That just can’t be. You’ll need to travel to the decidedly untouristed isle of Molokai to experience Olde Hawaii, and all the lack of convenience that characterized that bygone era, but man, is it ever worth it.
Spectacular Murphy Beach (pictured above) looks and acts every bit like paradise, with its swaying coconut tees, pristine sands, kid-safe reef-protected aqua waters, wonderful snorkeling, and world-class wind and kiteboard surfing. Despite all these wonders, usually nobody else is there except you, gazing dreamily at beautiful Maui across the channel. Located at the 20 mile marker, we find more to love about Murphy than any other Hawaii beach. And we’ve seen them all. Many times over.
