Hawaii must surely be the all time dream vacation spot of crossword composers everywhere.  They will probably tell us, however, that their persistent interest in all words Hawai'ian has most to do with the inclusion of lots of vowels in these words, which makes it easy to include them as "filler" words in many a puzzle.  Hula as "a Hawai'ian dance" takes its place in a puzzle more easily than, say, czardas for "a Hungarian dance."  As we are about to discover, the list of Hawai'ian "frequently-used words in crosswords" is far more extensive than that of Hungary or any other place you might name.
 

ALOHA...What better word is there to start with than one which has been turning up in crosswords for years as everything from "Hilo greeting" to "Honolulu hello" to "Hawai'ian hello or goodbye."   And if you want to see how those clues barely tap the number of possibilities available in a complete definition of the word, click on the "Aloha from Hawai'i" icon below which will take you to an extensive glossary of Hawai'ian words which has been made available to us in the award-winning webzine of that name.  If your computer is equipped with Java, you will even be able to hear how the words are pronounced.

The all out favorite of the puzzle makers would seem to be OAHU -- "Honolulu's island," "Waikiki's locale," "site of Diamond Head," "Pearl Harbor location," or "neighbor of Molokai."  It could also be the answer for just plain "Hawai'ian island," but with only four letters to fill in, you'd have to decide between Oahu and Maui.  Click on the high-lighted OAHU above for Global Town information or HERE for the GoHawai'i webpage on OAHU.
 
 

 MAUI.  ..A close second in popularity, it turns up most often as "Hawai'ian island,"  but it is also known as "Lahaina's island" and "home of the road to Hana."  Once again, click on the high-lighted word MAUI up front for the Global Town page and then click HERE to see what GoHawai'i has to say about MAUI.
 
 
 

KAUAI...It might be clued as "Hawai'i's garden island," which is no lie.  Or possibly as "home  of Hawai'i's own Grand Canyon," a reference to the magnificent Waimea Canyon located on the island. Once again, however, the clue will probably be "Hawai'ian island," and there are five letters to be filled in your best bet is KAUAI.  Find Global Town's information by clicking on the high-lighted name of the island.  Click HERE to visit GoHawai'i's webpage.
 
 
 
 

   LANAI...This is, of course, another "Hawai'ian island" of five letters, but we are more likely to see it used with one of its many other clues.  It is often given the clue of "pineapple island," a reference to the fact that it once contained the world's largest pineapple field.  It also turns up as a "Polynesian porch," or just "porch" or "veranda."  Click on the high-lighted name above for GoHawai'i's information about this Hawai'ian island.
 
 

The Big Island, which officially has HAWAI'Ias its name, refuses to be outpaced in puzzles  by its neighboring islands. The principal city on the Big Island more than compensates for Hawai'i's being so seldomly included as a crossword item by consistently showing up in puzzles as "Hawai'ian port."  Or perhaps as "Hawai'i's old whaling port."  The answer? HILO.  Not too many years ago we would sometimes run across "____ Hattie" as a clue for HILO.  Hilo Hattie was a legendary Hawaiian entertainer of the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in a number of Hollywood films during that period.  Today her name lives on with the popular Hilo Hattie chain of stores which sell clothing of Hawai'ian design as well as other Hawai'ian souvenirs to the Islands' many visitors.  Click on high-lighted names to visit informational websites, and on Hilo Hattie's picture for more about this popular performer.
 

 Probably the only other Hawaiian entertainer who might be familiar from being included in crosswords is...

DON HO...Whether as "popular Hawai'ian singer" or "Hawai'ian entertainer" or even as "'Tiny Bubbles' singer,"  Don Ho has continued to appear in puzzles for nearly thirty years.  A click on his picture or name will take you to his home website.  And while we are on the subject of Don Ho, this is an excellent opportunity to point out that he is also the object of one of J.J.'s palindromes in her "Once Upon a Palindrome" story and word game.  You can check it out by clicking on the high-lighted name just above.
 
 

The Big Island is also the location of two other crossword favorites.  Think how often you may have seen the clue "Mauna ___" in a puzzle.  That clue is for either of two answers.

LOA...Mauna LOA is the first of two Hawai'ian mountains which have had long and active lives in crosswords.  It might also be clued as "'long mountain' in Hawai'ian," since it is the largest volcano on Earth and so designated as 'long mountain' by the Hawai'ians.  It is also one of the most active volcanos on Earth, having erupted 15 times since 1900, most recently in 1984.  Click on the full name above to read more about it.

KEA...Mauna KEA, the second answer to "Mauna ___," is the tallest volcano on the island of Hawai'i, and is now considered to be dormant, having last erupted some 3500 years ago.  It has also been clued as "Hawai'ian for 'white mountain'," a reference to the white glacial till which blankets its summit.  But of course as any crossword solver will tell us, KEA is also a "green parrot," a "New Zealand parrot," or a "green parrot native to New Zealand."  As it happens, this little green parrot has been as elusive to find on the web as he is in the mountains of New Zealand, but if you click on the miniaturized picture below you can go to a site which not only tells you about this bird, but also shows you a much larger picture of it.

While we are on the subject of Hawaiian birds, don't forget the "Maui goose," the ever popular NENE...You can find out all about this puzzle favorite in my Crossword Column on Birds in Crosswords where it was the first item in my column.  Just click on its name to take you to that Column where you can read all about it.

 Now, on to Hawai'ian entertainment which is amply covered in puzzles everywhere.  No matter what the occasion in Hawai'i, you are greeted with a flower LEI.  At your arrival and at your departure, and at all points in between you will be treated to one of the most gracious and charming customs you are likely to encounter anywhere in the world.  The cluemeisters become eloquent in their descriptions of the flower wreath.  In just a few months we were offered "blooming neckwear," "island neckwear," "Hilo neckwear," "island souvenir," "Maui momento," and "welcome for Don Ho" along with the more conventional "garland" and "wreath" as clues for the LEI.  Each May Day many of the islands have competitions at which prizes are awarded for the most artistic and beautiful leis in dozens of different categories.  You can read all about it in the Starview column entitled "Celebrating May Day in Hawai'i."  A click of your mouse on the high-lighted title will take you there.  Additional information is available by clicking on the high-lighted word LEI above and on the picture of the lei greeters shown here.

HULA...Of equal importance as LEI to crossword composers is the "island dance," "storytelling dance," "lu'au entertainment," or "dance with Don Ho?".  Although there is a general perception of the hula as popularized in Hollywood films, native Hawai'ians are much more serious about this dance form which traces its origins to the early years of Polynesian occupancy of the Islands.  Young and old, men and women, boys and girls, study hula seriously in Hawai'i and compete in several festivals throughout the year.  Click on the highlighted word above to learn more about one of these halaus, or schools of the traditional Hawai'ian dance.

LU'AU...The mention of "lu'au entertainment" as a clue for HULA brings us to still another familiar crossword stand-by which has enjoyed such clues as "meal on Maui," "where to see a hula," and "Hawai'ian do."  There seems to be a general agreement that the Old Lahaina Lu'au on Maui is one of the most authentic to be found in the Islands, and a click on their logo or the word Lu'au above will take you to their website which includes interesting pictures as well as a full list of authentic Hawai'ian lu'au dishes. You'll find those links and more at the menu that scrolls horizontally at the very top of the virtual "Hele Mai" Experience from the Old Lahaina Lu'au web pages.
 

 POI...As any clue writer will tell you, this "Hawaiian dish" is the main "lu'au chow."  Not wanting to stop there, many of them will also go on to clue us with the "poi source" or the "poi ingredient."  What they are referring to is TARO, a word so popular in crosswords that they have also come up with clues such as "root in Hawai'ian cookery," "Polynesian plant," "tropical tuber," and "tropical plant."  They're right on all counts.  Click on Dietrick Varez's block print of the taro plant being harvested for some information on how POI is made from the root of the TARO plant.  Or click here to read about the legends, myths and history of this plant that produces the poi long favored by native Hawai'ians.
 
 

Copyright 1998 C. Schnebel
updated 2005
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