Hunte's Garden, with more than 90 percent excellent reviews and year-round accessibility, was the clear winner. A world-renowned botanical garden located in the central hills of St. Joseph, Hunte's Garden consistently ranks as the top thing to do in the country.
These reefs are living, breathing snapshots of a watery world that you can peek into: refreshing oases where the noise of the land falls away; in its place, an intricate and utterly at-ease slice of life that you're lucky enough to witness.
The helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers when it crashed Thursday afternoon at Kalalau Beach, the Kauai Fire Department said. The beach is on the Na Pali Coast on Kauai's north shore.
We're not expecting much in terms of winds, mainly just going to be flood potential. And thinking that the focus is going to be Oahu, Maui County and Big Island, with Kauai kind of being on the fringes of it versus, you know, all the Islands were impacted last time.
Real estate here is very relationship-driven, and when agents have solid guidance behind them, they can stay focused on taking care of their clients and building their business. In Hawaii we're often working with clients across islands and time zones, so things don't always happen during the workweek.
Abiqua Falls is a stunning 92-foot waterfall that tumbles over a wall of columnar basalt into a wide pool, perfect for swimming. The surrounding area features a pebbled beach that provides breathtaking views of the falls and lush greenery.
Archaeologists estimate that fishers in Peru have been using the reed boats for approximately 3,500 years. Elaborate ceramics dating back to the sophisticated Moche culture (AD100-800) and the later Chimu civilisation (900-1470), depict figures astride the craft, which was called a tup in the now-extinct Mochica language. They are believed to be among the first crafts to be used for riding waves, possibly predating Polynesian proto-surfing in Hawaii.
Located within the Maddalena Archipelago National Park, Rosa dei Budelli is one of the Mediterranean's most closely protected beaches. Its pale pink hue, created by microscopic organisms mixed with crushed coral, has made it famous, but access is tightly regulated. Visitors may arrive only by boat and must admire the shoreline from designated areas offshore.
Hilo, Hawaii on the Big Island has been a top pick for many spring travelers, according to Kayak. The booking company found that this spring break, flight searches to Hilo are up 60 percent and that airfare is down 26 percent, when compared to last year. An average, roundtrip economy flight over spring break is $503, according to Kayak.
I've wanted to be an ocean swimmer ever since I moved to Sydney. The idea of getting out past the waves and braving the elements excited me. I would tell anyone who would listen: Once I live closer to the beach, I'm going to be out there. Just you wait. I've lived walking distance to the beach for more than a year now. During this time, I've read a lot about ocean swimming: how swimmers overcame challenges or life-altering moments.
Last night I had a dream and you were in it, and I was in it with you. I was doing the packing I never did. Not sure how it started, that's how dreams go. But I was nervous that you might show up. Just like you were nervous I'd be there. Eventually you did show up, but your head was buzzed and dyed orange.
HOME is located in a former Triyoga space, but with a very different vibe - less hardcore wellness, more grab a comfy seat, bring a book and accidentally lose the whole day. Phone calls aren't allowed, shoes have to be removed, as do earphones, and whether that's a sign of me getting old or not, those are exactly the kind of rules I like to have at HOME.
I'd been on the island for less than a week when I opened my glove box looking for sunglasses, only to find the wrapper of my emergency granola bar torn open and the corner nibbled, right next to a neat little pile of mouse droppings. As I inspected the rest of the car, I was mortified to realize it was likely more than a single mouse. I texted the friend I was housesitting for in disbelief. "Ugh, I'm sorry! That's so island," she wrote back.
According to multiple media reports, 66-year-old Kurt Van Dyke died last Saturday in Cahuita, a town near the country's coastline along the Caribbean Sea. The Tico Times, an English language Costa Rican newspaper, reported that Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Agency received a report about the incident at 10:50 a.m. Van Dyke's body was discovered with signs of asphyxiation and multiple stab wounds, according to a preliminary examination by the investigative agency.
Maui's lush landscapes have drawn visitors for decades, but now what comes from the aina (land) is also attracting attention. As the island continues to recover from the 2023 wildfires and a 20.7% drop in tourism between July 2023 and July 2025, more Maui farm owners are opening their fields and facilities to visitors. Farm tours offer educational, entertaining and enriching experiences that offset the high cost of farming and help stimulate the island's economic recovery.
The accompanying catalogue for Hawai' i: a Kingdom Crossing Oceans features more than 150 works, from ancient Hawaiian treasures to important contemporary pieces, telling "a compelling story of movement, allyship and cultural exchange [between the UK and Hawaii]". An inventory of the entire collection of Native Hawaiian works housed at the British Museum, the largest collection outside of Hawaii, is included in the catalogue.
You can visit here and see the beauty of the island by looking around and going about your day. However, it's deeper than you can see. What's missed is the stories told, so seek out our history and our roots, then you will truly understand.
On an empty beach at the bottom of the world, the waves that roll over the sand are midnight blue and lit by the stars and a waxing moon. I'm only vaguely familiar with the constellations that hang above Great Barrier Island, known for centuries to the Māori as Aotea, some 56 nautical miles northeast of Auckland, New Zealand. I'm not all that used to seeing them so clearly,
Candidly, most people visiting the British Museum's Hawaii exhibition probably walk in with a lot of stereotypical preconceptions about the island nation. And will walk out with a totally different understanding of it. Understandably, we probably think of it as not much more than the Pacific island nation that's part of the USA, home to Pearl Harbour and the long-running TV show Hawaii 5.0.
It's an event so rare that it has only happened 11 times in the past 41 years, and when it's anticipated to run, all of Hawaii turns its attention to the North Shore of Oahu. People arrive a day or two ahead, sleeping in cars or tents on the side of the highway that leads to Waimea Bay and tailgating into the night to claim a sliver of parking. They're waiting to hear if the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational surfing contest, also called the Eddie for short, will get the green light from the lifeguards, who have the final say.
It came to its conclusion after evaluating all 50 states across three key dimensions: emotional and physical well-being, work environment, and community and environment. Those three dimensions were evaluated using 30 metrics, including the physical health of the population, sleep rates, food insecurity, commute times, income growth rate, average leisure time per person, safety, and more. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing maximum happiness. WalletHub then averaged each state's numbers to calculate its overall score.
I recently returned from my fifth trip to French Polynesia-specifically, Bora Bora-and I remain convinced it's the most beautiful place on earth. Since I first honeymooned there in 2010, every trip back feels just as awe-inspiring as the first: impossibly turquoise lagoons, powder-soft sand, Instagram-worthy overwater bungalows, and underwater scenes that are almost too magical to be real. But here's something else about this kind of paradise: It's remote.
From the famed Waikiki Beach in Honolulu and surf spots on the North Shore to the lush Manoa Valley, Oahu's beauty is legendary. Given its stunning landscapes, cultural attractions, and outdoor activities, the island draws tourists from all over the world. This also means that, like many other Hawaiian islands, Oahu has experienced an influx of over-tourism. Travelers must be aware of their impact on both the environment and the people who call this exquisite place home.
My forearms are throbbing, my feet are cramping and my eyes burn from the salty sting of the Atlantic Ocean. And yet I'm oddly euphoric, high on the rush of flying above the water, propelled by the wind. Around me, wings launch 10, even 20 feet in the air, like fireworks lighting up the sky. My wing zips around beneath them, my board barely hovering two feet above the sea - nowhere near as high as I'd like to be, but there's still time.
My mother and I are at our best when unwinding on the beach with a piña colada in hand. It's not that we don't love adventurous travel; it's just that our travel styles are different. She's all about going with the flow, and I prefer to have a plan and a well-balanced itinerary. But one thing we both appreciate is a good tropical resort.
Maui's dreamy landscape turned into a nightmare on Aug. 8, 2023. What began as a brush fire, fueled by dangerous winds, quickly engulfed the historic town of Lahaina and damaged other parts of the island. The deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century claimed 102 lives, destroyed more than 2,200 structures, and caused an estimated $5.5 billion in damage.
As the final hours of 2024 crept up, I sat on my parents' hardwood floor with a giant whiteboard, a box of colorful markers, magazine cutouts and a Don Fulano Margarita. It's become a New Year's Eve tradition to make a vision board, my creative outlet to manifest what's to come, along with picking a color and a word to live by for the upcoming year.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/TAL-flood-haleiwa-hawaii-HELPHAWAIIFLOODS0326-3b8954b11813487caf57f7ef754684d1.jpg)
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/south-shore-haula-beach-kauai-hawaii-HAWAIILOCALS1220-017a873ad01147c7b266cb372d762020.jpg)