Join our amazing crew of the Hoku Nui, for a Hawaiian vacation activity you’ll remember forever. Since, 1985, our award-winning snorkel and manta ray tours have delighted tourists here in beautiful Kailua Kona! Our crew will ensure you have a wonderful cruise water activity while updating you on some of the local history of Kona.
There is some debate over the first settlers of the island of Hawaii but generally speaking the Polynesians, with their sailing and navigation skills are believed to be from the Marquesas Islands (southeast of Hawaiian islands) and originally landed on the the island sometime between 200 and 500 A.D. They followed the stars and the birds travelling in canoes which carried them through thousands of miles of open water.
Using their knowledge and plants and animals they brought with them, they established a new home in this isolated paradise.
Over time, a second wave of Polynesians, possibly from Tahiti, arrived around 800 to 900 AD. They brought new ideas and social structures, establishing a chiefly class. These newcomers blended with the existing population, forming the unique Hawaiian culture we know today.
For centuries, Hawaiians lived in harmony with their environment. They developed a complex social system, thrived as farmers and fishermen, and built sacred temples called heiau. Their deep connection to the natural world and their ancestors is woven into their stories and traditions making Hawaii a unique location that attracts many tourists every year!
