In the Beginning: Archipelago, The Origin & Discovery of the Hawaiian Islands *

Honorable mention recipient of the 2013 Ka Palapala Po`okela Award of Excellence in the category of Natural Science. Not Since James Michener's epic book, "Hawaii," has there been a book that tells the whole story of the Hawaiian Islands, from creation to discovery by the Polynesians and the Western Explorers. The Hawaiian archipelago is the oldest and longest chain of islands in the world. For over 70 million years, more than 100 Hawaiian volcanoes have erupted from a deep undersea hot spot on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Over this time, slow drift of the Earth's crust has produced a trail or chain of volcanoes that stretches over 3,000 miles across the Pacific from the Big Island of Hawai'i to the edge of Kamchatka (Asia). Throughout "In the Beginning: Archipelago" you will experience Hawai'i as you've never seen - from plumes of lava exploding under water to a plant in the cloud forests of Maui that blooms only once in thirty years. Learn of the origins and evolution of exotic tropical gardens, forests, and coral reefs. Join this exciting exploration of the islands as they were when first discovered by the Polynesians and the Western explorers, as well as, by all of us who live in Hawai'i today.