Go off the beaten path in Hawaii [Image by Kathy VanDeventer from Pixabay]There is nothing like Hawaii for exotic beaches, gorgeous scenery and the whole “Aloha” experience. Whether visiting the Big Island, Oahu, Kauai or Maui, this state offers everything for a perfect vacation. However, while most of Hawaii’s major attractions are well known, these exotic islands offer less usual and sometimes weird locations to visit off the beaten tourist path. Read on to find out more about some of these locations, just waiting for you to visit.
The Seven Sacred Pools of ‘Ohe’o Gulch in Maui, Hawaii
The Seven Sacred Pools of ‘Ohe’o Gulch in Maui [Image by Drazz on Flickr]First, we visit Maui and its beautiful Haleakala National Park, where ‘Ohe’O Gulch is a stunning natural playground. This location features the Seven Sacred Pools which, along with its surrounding hiking trails, are worth visiting all year round. While exploring the area, make sure to look out for a number of historic sites along the way.
Waimoku Falls, Hawaii [Image Wikimedia Commons]One is the Pipiwai Trail which runs above the Seven Sacred Pools, a four-mile round trip with a number of gorgeous waterfalls along the way. Once you reach the end of the trail, the beautiful Waimoku Falls stand tall – a 400-ft waterfall that cascades down a lava rock wall. Take care when you visit the falls, due to the dangers of falling rocks. However, as can be seen from the image above, people never read signs!
Raëlian UFO Peace Park, near Volcano, Big Island
Nature trail near Volcano [Image by Brian Diehm from Pixabay]This fascinating place on Big Island in Hawaii is surely popular with fans of science fiction. Located just outside Volcano on the island, the Raëlian UFO Peace Park dates back to the 1970s, when a man named Claude Vorilhon founded a religion dubbed Raëlianism. According to the religion, life on this planet as we know it was introduced by an alien species, the Elohim. According to Vorilhon, what people think of as angels were actually the Elohim themselves, taking human form to teach us lessons over the ages.
Vorilhon formed the Raëlian UFO Peace Park to celebrate the religion and the site is certainly worth visiting. Here, several unusual sculptures can be seen, including a sea turtle, a naked woman, peacocks and other native birds. Other statues feature symbols relating to the Raëlianism religion.
One especially interesting sculpture resembles the crop circles that have been found all over the world. Meanwhile, it is a model of a planned galactic embassy, which Raëlians hope to build one day in Hawaii. Until that time, the dense vegetation reveals the intriguing statues. While it is now abandoned, it is still worth a visit.
The Raëlian UFO Peace Park can be found at the corner of Highway 11/Volcano Road and Ali’I Kane Street. Readers can see images of the site in the video included here:
Take time out to explore the less usual side of beautiful Hawaii. While there, chat to the locals to discover even more fascinating, off-the-beaten-path locations to explore.
[…] year, Maui’s beloved historical and cultural center of Lahaina was hit by the worst fires. However, while the islands are open and want to welcome […]
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