Search results for "polynesian"

Stand on the rim of the volcanic crater at Orongo, a thousand feet above the sea. Look around the endless Pacific Ocean visibly curving along the horizon. Ask yourself how those early Polynesian navigators ever found this isolated volcanic rock surrounded by thousands of square miles of empty sea. And then ask yourself what drove them here – and what happened to them? Easter Island (known locally as Rapa Nui) is the original mysterious island. The islanders developed the only written language in Oceania, but the meaning of the script has been lost. The island itself is best known, of cours...

At less than a million years old, the Big Island of Hawaii is, geologically speaking, a youngster. And with the help of lava flowing from Kilauea volcano, it's still growing. So, unlike the other islands in the Hawaiian chain, the Big Island hasn't had time to develop many sandy beaches along its shores. Although they are few in number, the beaches of the Kona and Kohala coasts (especially the bright white strand at Hapuna Beach State Parks) are beautiful, and the black-sand beach at Punaluu is otherworldly. What the Big Island does have in spades is big-game fishing (particularly ...