Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA

A postcard I received through an Instagram swap a couple of years ago. Hawaii looks so dreamy!

Kauaʻi is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of 1,456.4 km2, it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle", Kauaʻi lies 169 km across the Kauaʻi Channel, northwest of Oʻahu. This island is the site of Waimea Canyon State Park.

The United States Census Bureau defines Kauaʻi as Census Tracts 401 through 409 of Kauaʻi County, Hawaiʻi, which is all of the county except for the islands of Kaʻula, Lehua, and Niʻihau. The 2010 census population of Kauaʻi (the island) was 67,091, with the largest town by population being Kapaʻa.

Hawaii

A wonderful map card I received as part of a swap last year.

Hawaii is the 50th and most recent U.S. state to join the United States. It joined the Union on August 21, 1959. It is the only U.S. state located in Oceania and the only one made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean.

Hawaii’s diverse natural scenery, warm tropical climate, abundance of public beaches, oceanic surroundings, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, (wind) surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike. Due to its mid-Pacific location, Hawaii has many North American and Asian influences along with its own vibrant native culture. Hawaii has over a million permanent residents, along with many visitors and U.S. military personnel. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu.

The state encompasses nearly the entire volcanic Hawaiian Archipelago, which comprises hundreds of islands spread over 2,400 km. At the southeastern end of the archipelago, the eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui and the Island of Hawaiʻi. The last is the largest and is often called the "Big Island" to avoid confusing the island with the state or archipelago. The archipelago is physiographically and ethnologically part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.

 Hawaii is the 8th smallest, the 11th least populous, but the 13th most densely populated of the 50 U.S. states. Hawaii's ocean coastline is about 1,210 km long, which is fourth in the United States after those of Alaska, Florida and California. Hawaii is the only U.S. state not located in the Americas and the only state with an Asian plurality. It and Arizona are the only two states that do not observe daylight saving time, and Hawaii and Alaska are the only two states that are not in the contiguous United States.

Chinaman's Hat, Hawaii, USA

This postcard is in the minority in my collection as it wasn't received through Postcrossing - and not even through Facebook! I've been in touch with Anne in Hawaii, swapping zines, stickers and tea, and once I asked her if she had any spare postcards she could send me (I don't have too many from Hawaii and it looks so beautiful there). She did ;) This is one of them, one of my favourites, although it was difficult to pick just one as they are all so beautiful.

Mokoliʻi is a 5.1 ha, 63 m tall basalt island 0.54 km offshore of Kualoa Point, Oahu, in Kāne'ohe Bay, Hawaii. Geologically, it used to be connected to Oahu before erosion cut it off. It is also known as "Chinaman's Hat" for its likeness to the straw hats Chinese immigrants wore. Wedge-tailed Shearwaters are the only species of bird that nests here; previously there were a few.

Mokoliʻi is open to the public from dawn to dusk. On weekends it is somewhat a popular secret with tourists and locals. It can be accessed by kayak, boat, surfboard, or by swimming; depth soundings are only four feet on its west side. This may be dangerous during any other time or inclement weather. The area is home to stonefish, and sharks are often seen around the island, often in early mornings.

Hawaii, USA

Continuing on the theme of holidays (sort of), I certainly wouldn't say 'no' to Hawaii if I ever got the chance to go there. Having a sea so close would be fantastic, and warm temperatures would be nice, too.. ...although at the moment it's really warm here in England, too. It's probably been around or over +20 C all week and right now I'm almost *too* warm wearing just a skirt and a t-shirt! I do love this, though, and try to enjoy it while it lasts. Yeah, it probably wont' be like this for much longer :p



Isn't this a gorgeous view?! I mostly chose it due to the amazing colours of the sky, although the ocean does look gorgeous as well. It shows the Alligator Rock on the North Shore of O'ahu. The place was named after the distinct rock formation offshore and is a great place for snorkeling and scuba diving in the summer. Julia, who sent me this card, tells me that in winter the waves can get over 6 metres high and they hold famous surfing competitions there. She says she wouldn't go anywhere near the water at those times and I'm inclined to agree with her, it does sound pretty crazy!



The stamp on the left is quite a familiar one, a definitive stamp from 2003, showing the American Clock. The cute dog and cat stamps are from a set of 10 stamps issued last year, under the title 'Adopt a shelter pet'.