The Pacific islands of Hawaii is the most isolated population center in the world with a rich history and vibrate communities. Archaeologist Patrick Vinton Kirch suggests that Hawaii was initially populated by Polynesian settlers around the year 600, with additional Tahitian explorers arriving in the 13th century. For centuries the Hawaiian culture persisted under a class system and a code of conduct relating to taboos called Kapu. Before King Kamehameha I unified the eight main islands of Hawaii (mostly by force) in 1795, land division conflicts between ruling chieftains were common. Hawaii's first contact with Europeans came with the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1778, and since then the Kingdom of Hawaii had experienced a tumultuous and complex history that eventually led to its annexation by the United States in 1898 and admission as the 50th state in 1959.
In early 2016 Michael spent four months exploring the islands of the "Aloha State". From the ocean to the top of volcanoes with deserts and rain-forests in between, the following photography collection highlights the beauty and diversity of the Hawaiian Islands. This portfolio is only a summary, so please subscribe for updates when more stories on Hawaii are published!
Aloha & Mahalo,
Michael Chahley
