Hawaii is one of the most unusual of the states in the Union. Located in the Pacific Ocean in the region traditionally referred to as Polynesia, Hawaii consists of eight main islands and hundreds of smaller ones scattered across more than a thousand miles of sea. The two most visited islands in Hawaii are Oahu and the "Big Island, whose formal name is the same as the name of the state.
Holiday homes in Hawaii offer access to outstanding recreational opportunities including surfing, hiking through the tropical rainforest, and scuba diving, and snorkeling in the clear waters offshore. The capital of the state is Honolulu, located on the island of Oahu, made famous in American history when the natural bay of Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. Today, tourists can visit the USS Arizona Memorial and look down into the waters at a battleship that was too damaged to be raised.
The National Park Service administers three national historic parks in Hawaii. One is on the island of Molokai where Father Damien ministered to natives and others suffering from Hansen's disease. For his sacrificial service, this Catholic priest was later declared to be the patron saint of Hawaii. Besides history, a large attraction for tourists on Hawaii is the opportunity to view live volcanoes and learn about the geologic features formed over eons by the activity of those same volcanoes. Lava tubes and lava flows are some of the most visited such features.