|
|
Hawaii Holiday Quick Facts
|
 |
Hawaii Tourist Information Quick Facts:
Number of Islands: 8 large islands
Population: 1.5 million
Time: 10 hours behind GMT
Currency: US$
Languages: English and Hawaiian
Hawaii is one of the 50 US States. Hawaii lies north of the equator in the North Pacific Ocean.
Hawaii Health and Dangers
Mosquitoes are present throughout Hawaii but are rarely an annoyance on the dry coastal areas. Inland, however, and along the wet tropical north-east coasts of the main islands, mosquitoes thrive and a good repellent and mosquito screening is necessary. Outbreaks of dengue fever sometimes effect the east coast of Maui. Hawaii is free from malaria, yellow fever and most other diseases endemic in other tropical countries.
Water is safe to drink except from mountain springs where purification is needed. The only real threat is the Sun - sunstroke, prickly heat and other skin irritations particularly in the more humid months from August to November when light, airy clothes are essential. Take plenty of sunscreen and a good brim hat with full UV protected swimsuits recommended for small children.
Doctors, dentists and pharmacies are found everywhere but are extremely expensive as are hospital beds and emergency operations.
If swimming, it is advisable to stick to the public beaches which have lifeguards. Hawaiian beaches often have dangerous rip tides and currents around its passages and the state uses official flags to represent swimming conditions.
Hawaii Electricity
Electricity, as with mainland US, is 100 AC voltage and standard two pin flat plugs. Most video and digital camera power supplies and laptop computers offer dual capability so a transformer is not required. However, check before hand - if your appliance does not offer an input range of 100-240 volts, then you will need to buy a transformer to use your appliance.
Hawaii Communication
The telephone area code for the entire State of Hawaii is (808). Telephones in Hawaii are very reliable and there are lots of public phones. Prepaid calling cards are widely available and offer cheap international calls. Local calls are charged at a flat rate of 25cents.
Internet Cafes can be found throughout the State in all town centres and at many hotels. Connection speeds are extremely fast and cost about US$1 for ten minutes.
Travellers with Disabilities
Hawaii has exceptional facilities for wheelchair access and Oahu has been voted the most accessible destination in the USA on several occasions and several rental companies offer cars for travellers with disabilities.
Media and Books
National, local and free newspapers are widely available, and there is an amazing quantity of free tourist publications selling mostly tours and attractions. For the most detailed information, pick up a copy of 101 things to Do for each island.
Travel Guide books for Hawaii are numerous and include the always interesting to read Rough Guides and the usually out of date Lonely Planet. The most detailed book for pointing out the sights are the independent titles published on Kaua'i, Big Island and Maui by Wizard Publishing. Hawaii hosts an unbelievable quantity of pictorial books, most of which are glossy editions of popular tourist sights or aerial photos.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
