12 Things Hawaiians Take for Granted

Ability to spend the same day in several different microclimates.

Hawai’i has trade winds and volcanic mountains to thank for its multiple microclimates. We start the day dry on the arid leeward side and can get lost in the humid Jurrasic World of the tropical windward side on the same afternoon.

Surfing warm water year round.

Self-explanatory.

Remote location.

Hawai’i does not feel like the rest of the United States (and because of its complicated history, it sometimes doesn’t want to belong there, either). That’s why, when the rest of the nation obsesses over the Kardashian­­Taylor debacle, Hawaiians go surf. And listen to Jack Johnson.

Fellow Hawaiians.

Everyone knows the Barack Obama story, but he is not the only noteworthy person born here. There must be something in the sweet Hawaiian air that produces creative individuals of the Nicole Kidman, Maggie Q, Bruno Mars, and Jack Johnson caliber!

Locally grown coffee farms and roasters.

Take that, Starbucks.

Mouthwatering street food.

Street food is often the first indication of how cutting­edge the local cuisine is. Hawaiians did not invent acai bowls, but we sure have sparked the US craze with this Amazonian berry. Add to that ahi poke, coconut ice, and kalua pork served on practically every street corner and an amazing island food scene starts to emerge.

Diverse hikes.

Forget Diamond Head­­, there are so many hikes to choose from that are less crowded and far more stunning, like the Olomana Three Peaks in Oahu’s Kailua or the Pipiwai Trail in Maui’s Haleakala.

Fresh fruit year round.

Never will Hawaiians know the plight of someone eating a re­frozen strawberry in the middle of winter… because we have a fresh supply of locally­ grown fruits year­ round. Bananas, mangoes, oranges, papaya, and the above­mentioned strawberries are just a small sampling of the fruits available on the islands all year long.

Rainbows.

Because, sadly, you don’t get a rainbow a day anywhere else in the States. I checked.