O’ahu (Note: the Spring Break program doesn’t typically go to Ohau)
- Our meeting point, known as the Gathering Place, is home to the capital city Honolulu, a hub for international business and military defense, and a fusion of East and West cultures
- Visit Pearl Harbor, a vital US naval station since 1899, and the USS Arizona Memorial, to understand the strategic importance of Hawai’i to U.S. political relations in the Pacific
- Hike Diamond Head State Monument for a 360 degree view of Honolulu and the southern coast of O’ahu to learn about the geological history of Hawai’i, from the edge of a 300,000 year old crater
- Snorkel Hanauma Bay, a marine protected area and former site of Hawai’ian royalty, to learn about the marine life of O’ahu
- Learn about the strategic importance of Hawai’i at the East-West Center
Big island
- Fly from O’ahu to the Big Island, the youngest and largest of the Hawai’ian islands chain and the site of the most active volcanoes
- Learn about the concept of Aloha, and its importance as a key ethic and worldview in the Quadruple Bottom Line
- Learn about ecological evolution on one of Earth’s most diverse islands, containing 10 of the world’s 14 life zones
- Explore the black sand beach of Punalu’u to understand the geologic processes of volcanism
- Travel to the southern-most point of the United States, Ka Lae
Volcanoes
- The most visited tourist attraction on the Big Island, Volcanoes National Park is a UNESCO World heritage Site and the ancestral home of Pele, the Fire Goddess
- Guided (~4 hour return) hike across the Halema’uma’u crater, Kilauea’s most active vent, to understand the cultural and biophysical features of volcanoes
Mauna Kea
- Star gaze from atop Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain on Earth and one of the world’s preeminent observatories
Kona
- Snorkel Kahalu’u Beach Park, an important site of Hawaiian cultural heritage and marine biodiversity
- Learn about sustainable business plans at the Natural Energy Laboratory in Kona
- Experience the spiritual sanctuary of Pu’uhonua o Honaunau and one of the great engineering feats of ancient Hawiians at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park
- Visit Hulihe’e palace, Kona, and learn about the ahupua’a traditional Hawai’ian resource management
Hilo
- Conduct a iNaturalist study, a citizens science project, to understand the natural biodiversity of the Hawai’ian Islands
- Explore the Hilo Farmers Market (only on certain days of the week) in one of Hawai’is most traditional and historic towns, Hilo
*The itinerary includes activities that are representative of a program but, we cannot guarantee that all activities will always be included