Miles and miles from your next meeting. Kick back and enjoy the sound of palm trees blowing in the breeze, volcanic rock pools and endless pristine sandy beaches.
What is it about the jewel-like string of North Pacific Hawaiian Islands that lures people back time and again? There’s great shopping and tropical benefits for starters. Add a rich cultural history rooted in ancient Polynesia and broadened by Asian, European and American influences plus a burgeoning new food movement and we’re calling it: Hawaii is back and more beautiful than ever.
Spread a towel on the famous sand of Waikiki Beach, enjoy a luau and have a fresh flower lei hung around your neck, but there is so much more.
- Explore the black lava tidal pools at Leleiwi Beach Park while keeping a look out for sea turtles
- Snorkel beneath the cliffs of historic Kealakekua Bay where Captain James Cook was killed
- Take a 4WD to the unusual green sand Papakolea Beach at South Point, Big Island
- Snorkel the partially submerged volcano Molokini Crater in the Alalakeiki Channel, Maui
- Snorkel in Hanauma Bay Marine Preserve, a natural aquarium formed in Oahu
- Listen to the gentle thrum of steel guitar at an authentic hula of House Without a Key at the Halekulani, Oahu
- See the remote and beautiful Na Pali Coast of Kauai or active volcano Mauna Loa from a helicopter.
Surfers will be drawn to Oahu's Waikiki Beach, adventurers will love the active Kilauea volcano while luxury seekers might pop into Maui, Hawaii awaits you.
Oahu
It’s no accident that Oahu means 'the gathering place'.Nearby to Honolulu is Waikiki Beach, one of the most famous tourist destinations on the planet and the location of many of the long-established and premium resorts like the Halekulani.
Oahu, whose capital Honolulu is the largest city and the centre for government and business. The USS Arizona National Memorial at Pearl Harbour is also nearby.
The best time to visit is winter when the usually sleepy North Shore of Oahu comes to life as enormous waves roll in and its Banzai Pipeline becomes the world surf capital.
Maui
When deciding where to go in Hawaii, Maui has to be at the top of your list.
Maui has been voted the best island in the world and it's easy to see why. World-renowned, luxury resorts and adventure water activities can be discovered on iconic beaches while the morning sunrise from the dormant volcano of Haleakala National Park will take your breath away.
In West Maui, you will find the busy and beautiful beaches of Kapalua and Kaanapali, Hawaii’s first resort and the place where you will see the cliff lighting ceremony.
On Maui’s south coast, you can snorkel, swim and kayak in Kihei, Wailea and Makena. Wailea and the smaller Makena have plenty of luxury resorts and upscale shopping places, like the Four Seasons at Wailea and Makena Beach Resort.
The village of Hana, on the east side is reached via a windy (some say hair-pin) drive, over bridges and past waterfalls with breathtaking views across the east coast – it’s a popular base for hiking.
Hawaii (big island)
Hawaii is often called ‘the big island’ to prevent confusion with the name for the larger group of islands.
The Kohala Coast resort area is a popular place for travellers, featuring plenty of golf courses and many superb beaches including the beautiful Anaehoomalu Beach (also known as A-Bay) fringed with palms and lined with royal fish ponds. It’s also the start of the 282 kilometre Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail which follows the coastline and crosses traditional fishing trails.
Fly south to Kahaluu Beach Park on the Kona Coast to discover the island’s most popular beach with reef-protected lagoons, coconut trees, salt and pepper sand, turquoise pools and easy snorkelling over tropical fish.
On the eastern side of the island, you’ll find the lush tropical town of Hilo, which gets more than 4,500 millimetres of rain per year and has plenty of waterfalls. In nearby Leleiwi Beach Park, you can find palm fringed black lava pools. In the centre, you’ll find the extinct volcano Mauna Kea and the active volcano Mauna Loa.
Kauai and Molokai
The 'friendly isle', Molokai is one of the least developed in the island chain. Kalaupapa on the north shore was where the Belgian priest Father Damien set up and ran the famous leper colony on the remote Kalaupapa peninsula, now the Kalaupapa National Historical Park.
US Dollar (US$)
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Gorgeously consistent, the weather in Hawaii averages 27-29°C almost all year round with cooler nights. Summer is from May to October and winter is from November to April, but there is not a lot of temperature variation between the two seasons. There is increased rain between December and March.
From the airport
From the airport, you can book a transfer to your hotel in Waikiki or to the cruise terminal taking you to the outer islands.
In and around the city
Exploring most of the islands requires a hire car, with the exception of Oahu which has an extensive public bus network. Car hire in Hawaii is cheap, the roads are easy to navigate and you can get to all those gorgeous off the beaten track beaches. There are limited bus services between major towns only. With regular inter-island flights and ferries for island-hopping it’s easy to just pick an island and take it from there.
Your flight with Qantas
Pack more into your trip with complimentary checked baggage allowance on every flight.
Enjoy our on-demand inflight entertainment in every seat, with the latest movie releases, TV shows, music and more.
Enjoy the freshest seasonal flavours on your flight to Hawaii, with Neil Perry inspired menus in Premium cabins.
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Important Information
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