World Invitational Hula Festival
The three-day World Invitational Hula Festival is not an outdoor activity such as hiking, but it provides a wide view of Hawaiian culture beginning with the well-known story dancing known as hula. Lee Cataluna of "The Honolulu Advertiser," describes the World Invitational Hula Festival as an event that "draws close to 400 dancers who travel with dressers, assistants, friends and supporters. There are exhibitions and dance competitions, and more than 100 workshops on topics such as Hawaiian culture, history, art and biota." It is an international event with participants joining in from Japan, Mexico, Okinawa, the U.S. mainland, Guam, India, the Netherlands and, of course, Hawaii. In 2009, the event cost varied depending on your seat location and number of days you watched the competition. The most expensive seats cost $90 for three days and $35 for one. Free seating was available.
The World Invitational Hula Festival
P.O. Box 1034
Honolulu, HI 96808
(808) 486-3185
worldhula.com
Snow Covered Peaks
During November, snow begins to form of the highest mountains in the area. With average temperatures on much of the islands' land steady between 75 and 85 year round, the tops of the mountains are likely to be the only place to see snow in the tropical climate. The view is picture-worthy. The most-famous of the snow frosted mountains is Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea is accessible by an unpaved road with a visitors center roughly a half an hour from the top.
Kona Coffee Festival
The Kona Coffee Festival celebrates the island coffee crop, which first arrived around 1813. The festival is Hawaii's oldest food festival. It incorporates a grand parade, a bowling tournament, recipe contest, Gevalia Art Exhibit, and the coffee label/website competition. It also has concerts, other entertainment and even Little Miss Kona Coffee Berry Pageant. Other competitions include quilting and cupping. Cupping competitions determine the best Hawaiian coffee.
Moku o Keawe International Festival
The Moku o Keawe International Festival is similar to the World Invitational Hula Festival with less emphasis on the hula and more on the culture of Hawaii. The main event, the hula competition, is only for adults. The accompanying activities focus on preserving Hawaii's culture and history.
Stargazing
The warm weather and clear skies make Hawaii a great place to stargaze. Several companies offer variations of guided stargazing. The world's largest observatory is located on Mount Kea. You could make the trip to the snow-covered peak at night and gaze at the stars. Nearly any location in Hawaii is great. Just walk out of your hotel and find unrestricted views. Pull up a lawn chair, sprawl on the ground and look up.
