The story of Hawaii sounds like a modern day fairy tale: a tropical paradise in a mysterious and unexplored ocean, that awaited discovery by settlers, sailors, and soon thereafter, tourists, attracted by the flicker of Tiki torches, the sway of lovely hula dancers, the notes of softly plucked ukuleles, white sandy beaches...

In reality, the story of Hawaii started when the islands were created in a string of volcanic eruptions, one of which, on Hawaii's Big Island continues to this day to spew lava and redraw the island's topography.

The beautiful dancing hula girls appeared much later, but when the legends of balmy tradewinds and the intoxicating scent of plumeria began to reach "civilized" shores, the tropical paradise that is Hawaii, changed its face by translating its images into marketable icons. Still, yesterday's dream of moonlit romance, bare feet on white sandy beaches, flowers draped around your neck, the cool taste of a tall tropical drink decorated with colorful paper umbrellas, and palm trees swaying in the breeze is as alive today as it was a hundred years ago.