In Vancouver, you're never out of sight of towering peaks--or of the sea. It is a prosperous city adorned with flowers lining the streets and lush greenery like Stanley Park. Museums offer fine collections of the dramatic Northwest native arts. Vancouver's Chinatown is the second-largest in the world. The waterfront Gastown district recalls the city's colorful past as a premier Pacific port since the days of the Clipper ships.
Located on the eastern seashore of the big island of Hawaii, Hilo is an old sugar town and the second-best (after Honolulu) seaport in the islands. Also known as the flower capital of the state, Hilo boasts flower farms and Queen Liliuokalani Park, an authentic Japanese garden. You may wish to visit the black sand beaches of the Puna District. Or Kilauea, the world's largest volcano; its crater is the legendary home of Pele, goddess of fire, who keeps watch over her domain of Volcanoes National Park.
Historic Lahaina was once a rough-and-tumble whaling town in days gone by. Today visitors come to watch, not hunt, the humpbacks in Lanai Channel. Ascend through waving sugar cane fields to the summit of Haleakala for sweeping views over its vast dormant crater and of this beautiful island. Or, ride a tram through the Tropical Plantation on its slopes.
Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor - these names evoke feeling of magic, mystery, drama and history, and they are all located in Honolulu. The capital of Hawaii, this city not only offers some of the best beaches along side big-city skyscrapers, there are also parks, fabulous shopping, the only royal palace in America, the Arizona Memorial in the harbor at Pearl City, the Polynesian Cultural Center and more.
Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach, Pearl Harbor - these names evoke feeling of magic, mystery, drama and history, and they are all located in Honolulu. The capital of Hawaii, this city not only offers some of the best beaches along side big-city skyscrapers, there are also parks, fabulous shopping, the only royal palace in America, the Arizona Memorial in the harbor at Pearl City, the Polynesian Cultural Center and more.
Located on the leeward side of the Big Island and best known for its coffee, Kona was once the playground of Hawaii's royalty. You can visit both coffee and macadamia nut plantations, Kealakekua Bay where Captain Cook first landed (and was later murdered) in 1779, and The Sacred City of Refuge, a haven for ancient lawbreakers. Or Parker Ranch, the largest cattle ranch in the world, with over a quarter of a million acres.
In Vancouver, you're never out of sight of towering peaks--or of the sea. It is a prosperous city adorned with flowers lining the streets and lush greenery like Stanley Park. Museums offer fine collections of the dramatic Northwest native arts. Vancouver's Chinatown is the second-largest in the world. The waterfront Gastown district recalls the city's colorful past as a premier Pacific port since the days of the Clipper ships.