Discover Hawaii Tours Blog

Hawaii is most known for its beautiful weather, perfect beaches, big wave surfing, and its all around beauty. One often overlooked element of Hawaii and its culture is the diverse cuisine and unique delicacies. Many different foods are grown, produced, and prepared throughout the islands, and are all important to the customs and way of life here in Hawaii.

Locally grown crops have played an important part in Hawaii’s growth and economy for decades. Fields of pineapple, macadamia nuts, and coffee are seen on many of our North Shore and Circle Island Tours, and our Big Island Volcano Tour.

A closer look at local food production:

Pineapple – It is unknown when the pineapple was introduced into Hawaiian culture; however, large scale planting of the fruit began around 1850. James Dole established a plantation near Wahiawa on Oahu around 1900 and production escalated and eventually spread to other islands. Today, the remaining pineapple producers in Hawaii are Dole and Maui Land and Pineapple Company.

North Shore Pineapple Field

Coffee – First introduced to the islands through King Kamehameha’s Spanish Advisor in 1813, coffee remains a very big part of Hawaii’s exports. Unique soil and weather patterns combine to make Kona Coffee some of the most sought after coffee in the world. Hawaii is the sole U.S. provider of coffee in the world and most of the coffee comes from a 20 mile stretch of over 700 small coffee farms along the Kona coast of the Big Island on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa, though there are small quantities produced on the islands of Kauai and Maui.

Taro – No other form of food may represent Hawaii more than the taro plant. Though it is grown in many tropical climates worldwide it is most widely used in Hawaii and early Hawaiians were known to consume large quantities of taro that had been ground into a paste known as Poi. When raw, the plant is inedible and considered toxic, but when cooked or steeped in water, the root is harmless after it has been cooked.

Coffee Tree in Kona

Macadamia Nuts – Introduced to Hawaii from Australia in 1882, the macadamia nut tree was originally raised because of its beauty. A very versatile nut in cooking, there are over 700 farms and 8 processing plants, mostly on Hawaii’s Big Island, that is responsible for 90% of the world’s supply. Used in many foods including candies, breads, coffee, spreads, and cooking oil, macadamia nuts contain a high level of good fats and have been found to reduce cholesterol.

Sugarcane – Though it is not as big in Hawaiian agriculture as it once was, sugar continues to grow in Hawaii. As early as 1802, people on the island of Lanai were using stone rollers to crush the sweet juice from the sugarcane in 1834, the first sugar plantation went up on Kauai after King Kamehameha granted the use of 980 acres to Ladd & Company for growing and harvesting. The booming industry once employed 1 in 12 people and brought in about $150 million each year, but has since seen its prevalence fall as Hawaii has since concentrated its economic ventures elsewhere.

On June 4, 2010, the USS Missouri Battleship celebrated another achievement in its long and illustrious history. Though this did not take place in battle and there was nothing fired from the deck, it is still quite an accomplishment.
As Rachel Chmiel boarded the great battleship, she was met with gifts and celebration as the 4-millionth guest to visit the deck of the retired war vessel. With ties to Oahu and the daughter of a Navy man, she certainly understood the magnitude of the battleship and all of the glory that she carries. Various attractions from Pearl Harbor and around Oahu provided gifts to help Rachel celebrate her achievement that she will forever share with the Mighty Mo.

The Mighty Mo and all Her Glory

On the heels of a major preservation effort, the proud Missouri is still going strong and attracting an average of about 1400 visitors each day. The memorial recently announced that, in order to keep up with the demands of visitors, they will be extending its hours by 90 minutes each day. New opening time will be 7:30am and closing at 5:00pm, with the operating hours remaining in effect until Labor Day at the least.
With the busy summer season, we have seen a great increase in visitors to the islands and Pearl Harbor remains as a top attraction. Book your tour today for your chance to see the USS Missouri, the USS Arizona Memorial, or any other attractions that Pearl Harbor or Oahu has to offer. See you on tour!

With summer approaching, it means the time of year that everyone loves. School is out, baseball season is in full swing, backyard (or beach) bar-b-ques are frequent, and it’s time to plan the annual family vacation.
This year, why not plan a trip to paradise, and take in the history and beauty of the Hawaiian Islands? The weather is perfect, the ocean is pristine and crystal clear, you can never really run out of new things to experience, and hotels and flights are as affordable as they have been in recent years. With attractive hotel rates in Hawaii being lower than those of major mainland cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and San Francisco, vacationing in Hawaii is becoming more and more wallet friendly.
The island of Oahu is home to many terrific places that are waiting for you to visit. Destinations such as Pearl Harbor, the North Shore, and the Polynesian Cultural Center are must see locations that offer plenty to do and see. You may also board a plane for a short flight to one of the outer islands. The Kilauea Volcano of Big Island and the Road to Hana on Maui are two of the possible choices that will allow you to get away from Honolulu for the day, and enjoy once in a lifetime experiences.
In visiting Hawaii, you will be greeted by friendly faces and a welcoming attitude that has been passed down through many generations. Everyone in Hawaii lives by the aloha spirit and we look forward to sharing our aloha spirit with you, so before booking a flight to Miami, New York, or San Francisco, consider a trip to Hawaii and the many wonderful features that paradise has.

Here on Oahu, as all over the country, we are preparing for the upcoming summer months. Though most are bringing out their short sleeve shirts, shorts, and board shorts for the first time in months, we have had ours out for, well pretty much forever. The summer is inviting for many reasons: though it is a bit warmer and apart from the occasional rain, the weather really doesn’t differ too much from the rest of the year; we still have that gentle breeze from the trade winds, which makes for remarkably beautiful summer days; and the beautiful scenery of the island is out in full force. With that being said, a perfect way to see everything the island has to offer is with one of our Circle Island Tours. Whether you wish to see the North Shore, the South Shore, or all of Oahu, Discover Hawaii Tours has what you are looking for.

One of the most exciting and entertaining competitions is back! From May 12^th through May 15^th, the Polynesian Cultural Center will once again play host to the Annual World Fireknife Championships. This will mark the 18^th year that PCC has hosted the 4-day event culminating in an intense 2 day showdown between 3 finalists, which will take place during the intermission of the “Ha: Breath of Life” show on Friday and Saturday.

The tradition of Fireknife Dancing stems from Samoan Ailao- a warriors knife dance performed with the Nifo Oti (deadly tooth). The dance was originally performed both before battles to frighten their enemies and afterwards to celebrate victory. In more contemporary times, after village, tribal and inter island combat faded into history, the nifo oti has become an important aspect in the Samoan ta’alolo, or gift-giving procession, that honors special visitors.

On your upcoming trip to Oahu, be sure to book with Discover Hawaii Tours and ask about our North Shore Twilight Luau Tour 14B, for your chance to witness this magnificent display of acrobatics, death-defying stunts, rhythmic dancing, and fire-lit knives. This is a must see event that you will surely not want to miss.