"Have you ever been to Tahiti?"- Asked the cartoon parrot Kesha. Continue his monologue: "Do you know where Honolulu is? In which country? "In our minds Honolulu is associated with azure tropical sea, snow-white beaches and slender palms. And we are right in this. Because Honolulu is a city in the Hawaiian archipelago. But the answer to the question of which state it belongs to can cause surprise in you. The United States of America! Yes Yes. The capital of the inhabitants of Honolulu (and they, according to the 2010 census, there are about four hundred thousand people) believe Washington. Although the backwater of this city, too, can not be called. After all, it is the capital of the whole state of Hawaii. And of course, a tourist Mecca. Read about sunny Honolulu in this article.
Geographical location
Archipelago of Hawaii lies in the tropical latitudesbetween the 19th and 22nd degrees of northern latitude and near the 160th meridian of western longitude. The islands are washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The main city in the Hawaiian archipelago is Honolulu. Where is the capital of this state of the USA? It lies on the southern outskirts of the third-largest archipelago and the most populated island of Oahu. The name Honolulu is translated from Hawaiian as "protected, quiet bay". And this is the truth. Typhoons, tornadoes and hurricanes bypass Honolulu. And even the rainy season here does not look as heavy as in other tropical countries. And all because the area where Honolulu is located lies on the leeward side of the trade winds. From strong vortices it reliably covers the mountain range of Koolau. Not far from the city there is the Diamond Head volcano (the Diamond Head), a tourist pilgrimage point.
How to get to Honolulu?
Isolated from the whole world, the islands do not leaveyou have no choice. Only the plane will take you to a tropical archipelago, lost in the Pacific Ocean. From Moscow, you can outline two routes. The first - through Frankfurt and Los Angeles, and the second - through New York and Los Angeles. From this last American city to Honolulu you need to fly five and a half hours. The lion's share of passengers arriving on the archipelago, land at the international airport of Honolulu. Where is this in relation to the city? The airport is in the western suburbs, near the Pearl Harbor War Memorial and the bishop's museum. This is one of the largest hubs in the US. Every year it receives more than twenty million passengers. The airport consists of several terminals, between which the free shuttles "Vicki-Bass" ply with an interval of several minutes. If your plane landed late at night, you will not need to take a taxi. City buses run around the clock. The center (downtown) is followed by Route 19. The most favorite tourist destination is the Waikiki beach area. There followed by the company's SpeediShuttle minibuses and city flights No. 20.
History of Honolulu
The first Polynesian settlement arose on the islandOahu in the eleventh century. The capital "quiet bay" was in 1804, when the King of Hawaii Kameame I moved here with his court. At first the palace stood in the area of modern Waikiki, but a little later it was built where the business center of the city is now located. Europeans learned where Honolulu is located in 1794, when the British sailor William Brown swam into the "quiet bay". In 1845, at Kamehame III, the capital of Hawaii was again transferred from the island of Maui to Oahu. Since that time, Honolulu has taken on a modern look. The royal palace of Iolani, St. Andrew's Cathedral and Aliyolani-Hale were built. In 1898 the archipelago became part of the United States of America. In the vicinity of Honolulu was the US naval base Pearl Harbor, which was attacked in December 1941 by Japanese aircraft carriers. After the Second World War, Hawaii received rapid development in connection with the tourism industry.
Climate
Гавайские острова лежат в тропической природной zone. However, the rain shadow from the Coolau range, where Honolulu is located, reduces the amount of precipitation. Even dry and wet seasons, typical for the tropics, are not clearly expressed here. Just in the winter months, the rain falls a little more. In general, we can say that in the Honolulu holiday season lasts all year round. The climate here is fertile. In summer, the thermometer's column ranges between +27 and +31 ° C, and in winter here + 18-25 ° C. Hawaii is a sunny archipelago. Meteorologists number here no more than 90 cloudy days a year. The sea off the coast of Honolulu is always warm. The water temperature never falls below 23 ° C, and in summer it warms up to 28 ° C. Strong storms are a rarity. There are also no dangerous currents.
Beaches
Вайкики-бич – это раскинувшаяся на много kilometers a magnificent wide strip of golden sand. The name translates as "flowing water". There are many streams that flow from the mountains into the sea. Waikiki Beach is a kind of visiting card for Honolulu. Where to rest, it's up to you. After all, on Oahu there are many beaches for committed different categories of holidaymakers. On Waikiki rest are money-bags and amateurs of entertainment, in small Sunset Beach - parents with young children, Hanauma Bay is chosen by divers and fans of swimming with a mask. North Store North is famous for its high and steady wave, so professional professionals go there. Kailua Beach is located on the windward side of Oahu. It is ideal for windsurfing.
Price list
Hawaii, and Honolulu in particular, in no waycan not be called a budget resort. Prices here are high, and for all goods, as almost 99% of the necessary for life is delivered from the mainland. In Hawaii, the highest value of real estate in the United States. Therefore, do not choose a vacation in Waikiki (Honolulu), where there is a sector of luxury luxury hotels. Perhaps you will find affordable housing in the Chinatown or in the countryside. Despite the smoothed climate throughout the year, Hawaii has a high and low tourist season. The peak of prices falls on the winter months and March. Summer comes the so-called middle season. If you want to at least slightly minimize your spending on vacation in Hawaii, choose the off-season (spring or autumn).
Historical places of interest
Do not limit yourself to just beach rest.Where Honolulu is located, there is something to look at the curious tourist. In the city itself it is the only royal palace in the United States. He is called Iolani. In translation, this means "the palace of the heavenly bird." The building was built in 1882 and acquired electricity and telephones earlier than the White House and the residence of the Queen of Great Britain. Now there is a museum in the building of the royal palace.
Another attraction of Honoluluis the memorial complex "Pearl Harbor". But there is no house-museum of Barack Obama in Honolulu, although it is known that the 44th US president was born here and graduated from the local secondary school.
Natural attractions
The magnificent nature of the island of Oahu, whereHonolulu, attracts tourists like a magnet. From the city you can see the crater of the Diamondhead volcano, which you can climb. From the top opens a stunning landscape. Another attraction of the island is Hanauma Bay on the south-east coast. Children will be interested in visiting the Waikiki Aquarium, where about two hundred species of fish and waterfowl are exhibited. The Bishop's Museum has a rich collection of Polynesian culture. You can stroll through the jungle to the waterfall of Manoa (about a kilometer from the city). Or visit the local zoo. The sacred waterfall (the highest in Hawaii, 335 meters) can only be viewed from the air. Many tourist companies offer helicopter tours to this unique natural site.
