Original subtitles

>> narrator: NO OTHER LAND IS

MORE PRIMAL-- MORE ASTONISHING IN ITS RAINBOW

OF LIFE--

MORE COMPELLING, WITH ITS SEDUCTIVE STORIES OF HISTORY,

MYTH, AND HUMAN DRAMA.

HAWAII, AN EMERALD STRING OF EIGHT MAJOR ISLANDS NEAR THE

EQUATOR, IN THE VAST PACIFIC OCEAN.

TO SEE IT BY AIR IS A STUNNING

JOURNEY.

WE’LL TRAVEL ACROSS THE MAIN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS--

FROM KILAUEA, A SMOLDERING GIANT OF A VOLCANO--

THE MOST ACTIVE ON THE PLANET, OUT PAST THE SHORES OF ONE OF

THE MOST NOTORIOUS LEPER COLONIES, WHERE A BRAVE PRIEST

WAGED A SOLITARY WAR AGAINST THE PLAGUE OF DEATH.

ON TO PEARL HARBOR, WHERE WAVES

OF JAPANESE BOMBERS TURNED A PEACEFUL MORNING SKY INTO AN

\hINFERNO THAT CHANGED THE WORLD; AND TO WAIKIKI AND BEYOND, WHERE

A LEGENDARY OLYMPIC ATHLETE INTRODUCED THE WORLD TO THE

SPORT OF SURFING.

AERIAL HAWAII IS A JOURNEY UNLIKE ANY OTHER ON THE FACE OF

THE EARTH.

OUR JOURNEY OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS STARTS ON THE

BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII. SO BIG, IT’S MORE THAN DOUBLE

THE SIZE OF ALL THE OTHER HAWAIIAN ISLANDS COMBINED.

IT’S BELIEVED THAT THE FIRST

HUMANS MAY HAVE SET FOOT HERE AROUND 500 A.D.

THEY LIKELY WERE FROM THE

MARQUESAS ISLANDS, 2,500 MILES TO THE SOUTH.

WHY THESE POLYNESIAN SAILORS

SET OUT FOR THE UNKNOWN IS A MYSTERY.

THEY SAILED THE OPEN SEA UNTIL

FINALLY, THE HORIZON YIELDED A GLORIOUS GIFT:

THE WARM, WELCOMING SAND

OF HAWAII.

ON THE WESTERN SHORE OF THE ISLAND, THE REMAINS OF A GREAT

STONE WALL STAND AS A MONUMENT TO HAWAII’S ANCIENT CULTURE.

THIS IS PU’UHONUA-O-HONAUNAU,

A SACRED PLACE THAT ANCIENT HAWAIIANS BELIEVED HELD SPECIAL

POWERS.

BUILT IN THE 1500S, ITS WALL STANDS 1,000 FEET LONG, TEN FEET

\hHIGH, 17 FEET THICK, NOT TO REPEL ENEMIES, BUT TO PROVIDE

SANCTUARY.

IF A LAW WAS BROKEN, THE PENALTY WAS OFTEN DEATH.

FOR SEVERE CRIMES, THE ENTIRE

FAMILY OF THE ACCUSED WAS EXECUTED.

LAW BREAKERS WERE GIVEN ONE SHOT

AT A REPRIEVE: IF THEY COULD \hESCAPE AND REACH PU’UHONUA

BEFORE BEING CAPTURED, THEY WERE SAFE.

HERE, PRIESTS OFFERED REFUGE AND

FORGIVENESS.

WHATEVER THE CRIME, THE FUGITIVE WAS THEN ALLOWED TO RETURN HOME,

WITHOUT FEAR OF RETRIBUTION. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h♪

FOR CENTURIES, HAWAIIANS WERE

UNKNOWN TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

BUT IN 1778, CAPTAIN JAMES COOK, ON EXPEDITION WITH TWO SHIPS OF

THE BRITISH ADMIRALTY, BECAME THE FIRST EUROPEAN TO SET FOOT

HERE.

THE ISLANDERS RECEIVED COOK AND HIS MEN WARMLY--

BUT CONSEQUENCES WERE FATAL.

WITHIN A 100 YEARS OF COOK’S ARRIVAL, AN ESTIMATED 90 PERCENT

OF THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION \h\h\h\h\h\h\hWAS WIPED OUT.

DEAD, FROM MEASLES AND OTHER EUROPEAN DISEASES.

BUT FOR COOK, DEATH CAME MUCH

MORE SWIFTLY. A YEAR AFTER HIS ARRIVAL,

HE ANCHORED HERE.

SOME NATIVES STOLE ONE OF COOK’S BOATS; THE CAPTAIN AND A SMALL

LANDING PARTY CAME ASHORE TO RETRIEVE IT.

MORE THAN 200 WARRIORS ATTACKED. COOK WAS STRUCK IN THE HEAD AND

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hKILLED. A WHITE OBELISK MARKS THE SPOT

WHERE HE FELL.

ACCORDING TO CREW MEMBERS, SOME FRIENDLY HAWAIIANS LATER

RETURNED COOK’S BODY, OR WHAT REMAINED OF IT; HANDS, SCALP,

A FEW BONES, AND THE SKULL, WITHOUT ITS LOWER JAW;

ALL OF IT BURNED. ♪

TRAVELING NORTH ALONG THE COAST,

\h\h\h\hMODERN HAWAII BECKONS. AT FIRST GLANCE, THE BIG ISLAND

APPEARS TO TURN A COLD SHOULDER TO BEACH LOVERS.

HAWAII HAS FEWER SAND BEACHES PER MILE THAN OTHER ISLANDS IN

THE CHAIN.

BUT THE BEACHES IT DOES HAVE ARE AMONG THE BEST IN THE

ENTIRE STATE.

SOME OF THE ISLAND’S MOST OPULENT RESORTS HUG ITS

WESTERN SHORE LINE. LIKE THIS ONE--

THE MOANA KAI HOTEL. BUILT IN 1965, SITUATED BETWEEN

\h\h\hTWO ANCIENT LAVA FLOWS, MOANA KAI WAS THE FIRST RESORT

HERE.

THE OWNER WAS LAWRENCE ROCKEFELLER, OF THE

ROCKEFELLER DYNASTY. AS A VENTURE CAPITALIST, HE WAS

\h\hFAMOUS FOR PROVIDING EARLY START-UP CAPITAL TO TWO LITTLE

COMPANIES NAMED INTEL AND APPLE. BUT HE WAS ALSO A PIONEERING

CONSERVATIONIST, COMMITTED TO BUILDING ECO-FRIENDLY HOTELS

THAT GAVE PEOPLE A RESPECTFUL ACCESS TO NATURE.

IN HAWAII, THE MOANA KAI HOTEL

IS HIS LEGACY. SOME ROOMS AND SUITES HERE COST

A $1,000 A NIGHT. \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h♪

AT THE NORTH END OF THE ISLAND,

\h\hBEAUTY GIVES WAY TO MYSTERY. WHAT APPEARS AS LITTLE MORE THAN

\hA ROUGH PILE OF STONES IS ACTUALLY WHAT REMAINS OF THE

ANCIENT TEMPLE OF MO’OKINI HEIAU.

IT’S BELIEVED THE SITE WAS USED

FOR HUMAN SACRIFICE TO THE \h\h\hHAWAIIAN WAR GOD, KU.

TENS OF THOUSANDS WERE

SACRIFICED HERE-- THOUGH LITTLE BLOOD WAS ACTUALLY

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSPILLED. BECAUSE A BLOODIED CORPSE DID

NOT LOOK GOOD ON THE STONE ALTAR, MOST VICTIMS WERE EITHER

DROWNED, STRANGLED, OR POISONED.

VISITORS TO THE SITE OFTEN CLAIM THAT THERE IS AN EERIE QUIET, A

\hSTRANGE CHILL IN THE AIR, AS IF THE COUNTLESS DEAD STILL LINGER.

BUT THE MOST TANGIBLE TRACE OF

WHAT HAPPENED HERE ARE THE STONES OF THE TEMPLE ITSELF.

ACCORDING TO LEGEND, THE STONES WERE MOVED TO THIS SITE FROM A

VALLEY SOME 14 MILES AWAY.

FROM HAND TO HAND, THE ROCKS WERE PASSED ALONG A CHAIN OF

18,000 PEOPLE AND STACKED AT THE TEMPLE, ALL IN JUST ONE NIGHT.

AN EPIC FEAT, CONSIDERING THAT THE STONE WALLS WERE NEARLY

30 FEET THICK.

30 FEET THICK.

HEADING SOUTH ALONG HAWAII’S EAST COAST, A LUSH WONDERLAND

AWAITS: THE WAIPIO VALLEY.

ONCE, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LIVED

\h\h\hHERE, CULTIVATING BANANAS, COCONUTS, AND A SPINACH-TASTING

PLANT CALLED TARO.

BUT IN 1946, A TSUNAMI DEVASTATED THE VALLEY.

MOST OF THE SURVIVORS LEFT,

AND THE WILD TOOK OVER.

THEN IN 1961, PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY

STARTED THE PEACE CORPS. AND THE WAIPIO VALLEY WAS CHOSEN

AS THE SITE OF ONE OF ITS FIRST TRAINING CAMPS.

A LIVING CLASSROOM, WHERE

VOLUNTEERS PREPARED FOR THE RIGORS OF LIFE IN UNDERDEVELOPED

COUNTRIES.

TODAY, THE CAMP IS LONG GONE; ONLY ABOUT 50 PEOPLE LIVE IN THE

ENTIRE VALLEY, FARMERS MOSTLY.

\hTHIS PART OF HAWAII HAS SLIPPED BACK IN TIME, BECOMING NEARLY AS

REMOTE AND UNTAMED AS WHEN IT WAS FIRST CARVED IN THE EARTH.

ITS SAND BEACH IS BLACK FROM

WHERE ANCIENT VOLCANIC LAVA FLOWED TO THE OCEAN, AND WAS

CRUSHED BY THE SURF.

AND DEEP INSIDE THE VALLEY, ITS CLIFFS TOWER SOME 2,000 FEET

HIGH. ONE OF THE HIGHEST FREEFALLING

WATERFALLS IN THE WORLD IS HERE, A SPECTACULAR 1,300-FOOT DROP.

INLAND FROM THE VALLEY IS THE

SPRAWLING PARKER RANCH, THE SITE OF A REMARKABLE AMERICAN SUCCESS

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSTORY-- THE RAGS-TO-RICHES TALE OF A

VAGABOND SAILOR WHO TURNED HIS SKILL WITH A GUN INTO A DYNASTY.

AT THE TURN OF THE 19TH CENTURY,

\h\hHERDS OF LONG-HORNED CATTLE ROAMED THIS PART OF THE ISLAND.

THEY WERE WILD, DANGEROUS, FAR FROM THE DOMESTICATED BREED OF

TODAY.

WITHIN A DECADE, THERE WERE SO MANY THAT LOCALS FELT

THREATENED.

TO CONTROL THE POPULATION, A LOCAL CHIEF HIRED A MAN NAMED

JOHN PARKER TO HUNT SOME OF THE CATTLE.

PARKER WAS A NEW ENGLAND SAILOR WHO HAD JUMPED SHIP ON THE

ISLAND, AND WAS KNOWN AS A GOOD SHOT WITH A MUSKET.

BECAUSE THE CATTLE LIVED IN CANYONS, THE BEST WAY TO HUNT

THEM WAS ON HORSEBACK. PARKER FAVORED HORSES WITH A

KEEN SENSE OF SMELL. THE SOONER A HORSE COULD PERK

ITS EARS AND ALERT HIM THAT HIS PREY WAS NEAR BY, THE SOONER HE

COULD GET OFF A GOOD SHOT.

BEFORE LONG, PARKER WAS SALTING THE BEEF FROM HIS KILLS, AND

SELLING IT TO THE WHALING VESSELS THAT CAME TO PORT.

IN NO TIME, SALT BEEF WAS A BESTSELLER, BECOMING THE

ISLAND’S CHIEF EXPORT.

WHEN PARKER MARRIED THE CHIEF’S GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER,

A DYNASTY WAS BORN. HE DOMESTICATED HIS OWN HERD OF

CATTLE, AND ACQUIRED THIS LAND \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hYOU SEE.

EVENTUALLY, THE PARKER RANCH

GREW TO OVER 150,000 ACRES, BECOMING ONE OF THE LARGEST

CATTLE RANCHES IN THE NATION.

SOUTH FROM THE MAIN PART OF THE PARKER RANCH LOOMS THE MAMMOTH

MAUNA KEA VOLCANO.

FROM BASE TO SUMMIT, IT TOWERS MORE THAN FIVE AND ONE HALF

MILES, HIGHER THAN EVEN MOUNT EVEREST.

THE LAST TIME MAUNA KEA ERUPTED

WAS SOME 3,500 YEARS AGO.

MAUNA KEA MEANS WHITE MOUNTAIN, FOR THE SNOW THAT COVERS ITS

PEAK.

IN THE 1960S, NASA SENT ITS APOLLO ASTRONAUTS TO TRAIN ON

MAUNA KEA. IT SEEMS THAT THE TERRAIN HERE

IS SIMILAR TO THAT ON THE MOON.

TODAY, SCIENTISTS STILL FLOCK HERE, THIS TIME ARMED WITH THE

MOST POWERFUL TELESCOPES IN THE WORLD.

THE THIN CLEAR AIR MAKES IT AN IDEAL PLACE TO STUDY THE

HEAVENS. IN RECENT YEARS, ASTRONOMERS

USING THESE AND OTHER TELESCOPES ATOP MAUNA KEA, HAVE MADE KEY

DISCOVERIES ABOUT THE FORMATION OF STARS, THE ORIGIN OF BLACK

HOLES, AND THE WEB OF DARK MATTER THAT STRETCHES ACROSS THE

COSMOS.

MEANWHILE, A MERE 50 MILES AWAY IS MAUNA LOA,

A GIANT OF A VOLCANO.

SINCE 1832, MAUNA LOA HAS ERUPTED 33 TIMES;

THE LAST ERUPTION WAS IN 1984.

THE MOSTLY UNPOLLUTED AIR ATOP MAUNA LOA IS NIRVANA FOR

SCIENTISTS. IN THIS CASE, THE SUBJECT

IS CLIMATE RESEARCH.

IT STARTED IN 1958 WHEN AMERICAN GEOCHEMIST DAVID KEELING SET UP

\h\hHIS INSTRUMENTS HERE. HE WANTED TO FIND OUT IF

INDUSTRIAL CARBON DIOXIDE WAS HEATING THE SURFACE TEMPERATURE

OF THE EARTH.

KEELING FOUND THAT CO2 LEVELS IN THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE WERE

INCREASING AT A RATE OF 3.3 BILLION TONS A YEAR.

IT WAS A MILESTONE DISCOVERY,

THE FIRST MEASURABLE DATA TO ESTABLISH A CONNECTION BETWEEN

GLOBAL WARMING AND RISING CO2 LEVELS.

BY FAR THE MOST ACTIVE VOLCANO

BY FAR THE MOST ACTIVE VOLCANO

ON THE ISLAND, IN THE WHOLE WORLD IN FACT, IS KILAUEA.

THE VOLCANO HAS SPEWED LAVA

CONTINUOUSLY SINCE 1983, UNLEASHING MOLTEN ROCK AT

TEMPERATURES UP TO 2,000 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

AS THE LAVA FLOWS DOWN THE HILL

AND MEETS THE SEA, IT PRODUCES A CLOUD OF STEAM LIKE THIS ONE.

BUT DON’T GET TOO CLOSE; INHALING THE STEAM CAN SEAR YOUR

LUNGS AND KILL YOU IN MINUTES.

ONCE IT COOLS IN THE OCEAN, THE LAVA HARDENS AND FORMS A CRUST

THAT EXPANDS THE SURFACE OF HAWAII’S COASTLINE.

SINCE THE 1980S, LAVA HAS

EXPANDED THE ISLAND BY MORE THAN 500 ACRES.

CALLED LAVA EXTENSIONS, THESE TRACTS OF NEW LAND BELONG

TO THE STATE OF HAWAII.

THE RULING WAS HANDED DOWN BY THE STATE SUPREME COURT AFTER

SEVERAL LAND OWNERS CLAIMED THE NEW SHORELINE PROPERTIES AS

THEIR OWN.

BUT, AS THE VOLCANO CREATES, IT ALSO DESTROYS.

THE SMOKING LAVA WIPES OUT

HIGHWAYS--

DEVASTATES WILDLIFE--

AND TURNS ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS INTO SMOLDERING DEAD ENDS.

STILL, LIFE ENDURES.

EVEN AS THE VOLCANO CONTINUES TO ERUPT, NEW HOMES ARE UNDER

CONSTRUCTION, RIGHT ON TOP OF THE OLD LAVA FLOWS.

HEADING WEST FROM HAWAII,

THE NEXT ISLAND IN THE CHAIN: MAUI.

THE AVIATION HERO

CHARLES LINDBERGH SAID OF MAUI, "IF THERE IS A HEAVEN ON EARTH,

IT’S HERE."

TODAY, THE PORT CITY OF LAHAINA, ON MAUI’S WEST COAST, BUSTLES

WITH A FLEET OF PLEASURE BOATS. BUT IN THE 1800S, THIS WAS THE

CENTER OF THE PACIFIC WHALING INDUSTRY.

HUNDREDS OF WHALING VESSELS

FILLED THE HARBOR--

AND THOUSANDS OF SAILORS PROWLED THE STREETS.

AMONG THEM WAS A YOUNG MAN NAMED HERMAN MELVILLE,

WHOSE EXPERIENCES AT SEA LATER INSPIRED HIM TO WRITE THE NOVEL

"MOBY DICK."

NOW THE WHALES HERE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT TOURISTS,

WITH CAMERAS.

MAUI IS THE WHALE-WATCHING CAPITAL IN THIS PART OF THE

PACIFIC.

EACH YEAR, MORE THAN 1,000 HUMPBACKED WHALES, LIKE THIS

MOTHER AND HER CALF, MIGRATE HERE FROM THEIR ARCTIC FEEDING

GROUNDS. THE MOTHER WHALE KEEPS HER BABY

\hCLOSE. THEY’LL SWIM TOGETHER LIKE THIS FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF

\hTHE CALF’S LIFE, THE MOTHER TEACHING VALUABLE SKILLS THAT

WILL HELP HER BABY THRIVE AND GROW.

WHAT MAY LOOK LIKE PLAY TO US CAN BE THE MOTHER SHOWING HER

CALF HOW TO MANEUVER WHEN ATTACKED BY A PREDATORY SHARK.

ANOTHER REASON SO MANY PEOPLE

FLOCK TO MAUI IS THE SHORELINE.

THERE ARE MORE THAN 80 BEACHES. WHILE MOST LOOK LIKE THIS ONE,

OTHERS HAVE SAND OF BOLD, UNEXPECTED COLORS.

BLACK, GREEN, RED, ALL FROM ANCIENT LAVA FLOWS.

AT EVERY TURN, MAUI IS A

ROMANTIC PARADISE, CONSIDERED THE NUMBER ONE DESTINATION FOR

WEDDINGS IN THE WORLD.

TRAVELING ON WEST MAUI, THE MOUNTAINS AND RUGGED COASTLINE

ARE A MAGNIFICENT WILDERNESS, SO WILD THAT PARTS OF IT HAVE YET

TO BE FULLY EXPLORED.

MUCH OF THIS PART OF THE ISLAND IS A RICH NATURE PRESERVE,

THE LARGEST IN THE STATE.

RARE VEGETATION GROWS AT A RATE OF ONLY ABOUT ONE FOOT EVERY

10,000 YEARS; NO WONDER PUBLIC ACCESS IS LIMITED.

ONE FOOTPRINT IN THE SOIL CAUSES

DAMAGE THAT CAN TAKE THOUSANDS OF YEARS FOR NATURE TO REPAIR.

THE HIGHEST PEAK IN THE MOUNTAIN

IS PU’U KUKUI, MEANING \h\h\h"HILL OF LIGHT."

ANCIENT HAWAIIANS BELIEVED THIS RAINFOREST WAS THE MEETING

PLACE BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH.

IF THIS WAS THE REALM OF THE GODS, THEN IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH

FOR KINGS AS WELL. ACCORDING TO LEGEND, AN 18TH

CENTURY MAUI KING SOMETIMES LIVED NEAR THE MOUNTAIN,

ATOP HIS OWN GODLIKE REALM: A SPECTACULAR ROCK FORMATION

CALLED THE [INDISTINCT] HEAD.

EACH MORNING, THE KING WOULD DIVE FROM HERE, AND PLUNGE

HUNDREDS OF FEET INTO THE OCEAN.

HUNDREDS OF FEET INTO THE OCEAN.

YOU ENTER A WORLD UNTO ITSELF, THE ROAD TO THE CITY OF HANA.

A SLITHERING 53-MILE DRIVE

THROUGH WHAT HAS BEEN CALLED "A HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN."

800 YEARS AGO, THE PEOPLE OF

MAUI MADE THIS AREA A HOME FOR THEIR GODS.

THIS MASSIVE TEMPLE,

PI’I-LANI HEIAU, IS BUILT OF LAVA ROCK, SPREAD OVER NEARLY

THREE ACRES.

BUT PERHAPS THE MOST FAMOUS HOME ON MAUI, FOR MORTALS AT LEAST,

IS HERE. A CHURCH ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF

THE ISLAND WHERE THE GREATEST AVIATOR IN THE HISTORY OF THE

WORLD IS BURIED, CHARLES LINDBERGH.

THE MAN FAMOUS FOR HIS 1927

NON-STOP SOLO FLIGHT FROM NEW YORK TO PARIS LIVED IN MAUI

DURING THE LAST YEARS OF HIS \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hLIFE.

IN 1974, HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH

LUNG CANCER, AND INFORMED THAT HE HAD PERHAPS A WEEK TO LIVE.

RATHER THAN RECEIVE TREATMENT

STATESIDE THAT MIGHT PROLONG HIS LIFE, LINDBERGH TOLD HIS DOCTOR

THAT HE WISHED TO DIE AT HOME.

"I WOULD RATHER SPEND TWO DAYS ON MAUI," HE SAID, "THAN SPEND

TWO MONTHS ALIVE IN NEW YORK."

INLAND FROM LINDBERGH’S GRAVE IS HALEAKALA, THE WORLD’S LARGEST

DORMANT VOLCANO. ITS NAME MEANS

"HOUSE OF THE SUN," BECAUSE AT DAWN, IT’S AS IF THE SUN RISES

FROM THE CRATER ITSELF.

THE CRATER IS 21 MILES IN CIRCUMFERENCE, AND 3,000 FEET

DEEP.

THE FEELING OF SOLITUDE AT THE SUMMIT IS IMMENSE.

AFTER HIS VISIT HERE, MARK TWAIN WROTE, "I FELT LIKE THE LAST MAN

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hON EARTH. NEGLECTED OF THE JUDGMENT AND

LEFT PINNACLED IN MID-HEAVEN, A FORGOTTEN RELIC OF A VANISHED

WORLD."

TRAVELING WEST FROM MAUI, THE ISLAND OF LANA’I IS THE NEXT

STOP.

LANA’I IS A PRIVATE ISLAND WITH TWO EXCLUSIVE RESORTS.

SO EXCLUSIVE, THAT IN 1994, IT

WAS CHOSEN AS THE SITE OF ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAVAGANTLY PRIVATE

WEDDINGS EVER.

EVERY HOTEL ROOM ON THE ISLAND WAS RENTED AND KEPT EMPTY.

HELICOPTERS ON NEARBY ISLANDS

WERE PAID NOT TO FLY. SECURITY WAS SO TIGHT THAT THE

ONLY PEOPLE ALLOWED ON THE ISLAND WERE THE 100 OR SO

WEDDING GUESTS. THE COST?

IT DIDN’T MATTER; THE GROOM WAS THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD,

BILL GATES.

JUST A FEW MILES NORTH OF LANA’I IS MOLOKA’I, A SMALL ISLAND OF

STUNNING BEAUTY.

THE SEA CLIFFS ON ITS NORTH SHORE ARE THE HIGHEST IN

THE WORLD, RISING 2,000 TO 3,000 FEET ABOVE THE WAVES.

BUT BEHIND THE BEAUTY,

A FAR DIFFERENT STORY. GRAVESTONES CROWD THE SHORELINE

OF WHAT ONCE WAS A NOTORIOUS \h\h\h\h\h\h\hLEPER COLONY.

LEPROSY IS A CHRONIC INFECTIOUS

DISEASE THAT DISFIGURES THE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSKIN.

IN THE 1800S, PEOPLE WITH THE

DISEASE WERE EXILED HERE BY THE GOVERNMENT.

THE LIVING CONDITIONS WERE

SAVAGE. AS ONE OBSERVER PUT IT, "PREPARE

FOR MOLOKA’I AS FOR THE GRAVE."

BUT ONE MAN SET OUT TO CHANGE THAT.

FOR 16 YEARS, A BELGIAN MISSIONARY NAMED FATHER DAMIEN

CARED FOR THE SICK HERE.

HE CLEANED THEIR WOUNDS, BUILT DECENT HOUSING, AND BURIED

THOUSANDS AS THEY SUCCUMBED TO \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hTHEIR DISEASE.

FATHER DAMIEN EVENTUALLY CONTRACTED LEPROSY HIMSELF.

HE DIED IN THE COLONY IN 1889, AND IS BURIED ON THE GROUNDS OF

THIS CHURCH.

A CENTURY LATER, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH BEATIFIED HIM, ONE STEP

FROM SAINTHOOD.

THE GRAVES ON MOLOKA’I BEAR WITNESS TO HIS EXTRAORDINARY

LIFE.

LIFE.

PUSHING WEST, THE ISLAND OF O’AHU.

IT MATERIALIZES OUT OF THE

PACIFIC, A LUSH GREEN VISION, JUST 44 MILES LONG AND 30 MILES

WIDE.

BUT THEN, A STARTLING CONTRAST:

HONOLULU, THE STATE CAPITAL, AND LARGEST CITY IN HAWAII.

DOWNTOWN HONOLULU IS CONSIDERED ONE OF AMERICA’S PRETTIEST AND

MOST COMPACT CITIES.

MOST OF ITS FINANCIAL, BUSINESS DISTRICT, AND RESIDENTIAL HIGH

RISES ARE ELEGANTLY SITUATED WITHIN JUST 12 SQUARE BLOCKS.

BECAUSE IT’S SO ISOLATED, HAWAII

IS A SLAVE TO ITS ENERGY NEEDS. IT GETS ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF

ITS ENERGY FROM IMPORTED OIL--

BUT CHANGE IS IN THE WIND. THE STATE HAS COMMITTED TO GOING

\hGREEN, PRODUCING 70 PERCENT OF THE ENERGY IT NEEDS BY THE YEAR

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h2030. THIS WINDMILL FARM, FOR

INSTANCE, IS TURNING WIND GUSTS INTO ELECTRICITY.

A SINGLE WIND TURBINE CAN GENERATE ENOUGH POWER TO PROVIDE

ELECTRICITY FOR HUNDREDS OF \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hHOMES.

ON O’AHU, RESEARCH IS UNDERWAY

TO MAKE RENEWABLE ENERGY USING HAWAII’S OWN NATURAL RESOURCES--

SUCH AS PUMPING COOL OCEAN WATER TO SUPPLY THE AIR CONDITIONING

FOR DOWNTOWN HONOLULU--

AND CONVERTING ALGAE INTO BIODIESEL FUEL FOR CARS AND

TRUCKS.

HAWAII HAS BECOME A LIVING LABORATORY FOR SUSTAINABLE

ENERGY.

WHILE TOURISM MAY BE O’AHU’S NUMBER ONE CASH CROP, THESE

SPRAWLING PLANTATIONS MAKE A CASE FOR PINEAPPLE AS A CLOSE

SECOND.

AROUND 1900, A MAN NAMED JAMES DOLE CAME TO HAWAII,

DETERMINED TO START A NEW BUSINESS.

INTRIGUED BY THE LOCAL POPULARITY OF PINEAPPLES, DOLE

PURCHASED 60 ACRES HERE ON O’AHU AND BEGAN GROWING THE FRUIT.

IN NO TIME, THIS CROP YIELD

MULTIPLIED, DEMAND GREW, AND AN EMPIRE WAS BORN.

AT ITS HEIGHT, THE DOLE EMPIRE

PRODUCED ABOUT 250 MILLION PINEAPPLES A YEAR.

WHEN IT COMES TO O’AHU, NO

DESTINATION ATTRACTS QUITE LIKE A GIANT WALL OF WATER.

TWO OF THE BEST SURFING SPOTS

ON THE PLANET ARE HERE: WAIKIKI--

AND THE NORTH SHORE, HOME OF THE FAMOUS BONSAI PIPELINE.

THE HAWAIIAN SPORT OF SURFING IS

\h\hAT LEAST 1,000 YEARS OLD, AND O’AHU IS AT ITS HEART AND

SOUL.

WHEN CAPTAIN COOK’S EXPEDITION FIRST REACHED HAWAII IN 1778, AN

OFFICER DESCRIBED THE AMAZING \hSIGHT OF MEN ON SURFBOARDS.

"THE BOLDNESS WITH WHICH WE SAW

THEM PERFORM THESE DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS MANEUVERS WAS

ALTOGETHER ASTONISHING AND IS SCARCE TO BE BELIEVED."

SOME EARLY SURFERS USED THE

THICK PALM-LIKE LEAVES OF THE BANANA PLANT TO RIDE THE WAVES.

THE STORY OF MODERN SURFING

BEGINS WITH A MAN NAMED THE DUKE, DUKE KAHANAMOKU.

HE WAS A GOLD MEDAL SWIMMER AT THE 1912 SUMMER OLYMPICS.

BUT PERHAPS HIS GREATEST LOVE

WAS SURFING, AND HIS SKILL WITH HIS BOARD CAUGHT ON.

ONE OF HIS MOST FAMOUS EXPLOITS

IS THE DAY HE RODE A 30-FOOT MONSTER WAVE OFF THE COAST OF

HONOLULU FOR ALMOST TWO MILES.

IT’S SAID THAT IN O’AHU, EVERY SURFER ON EVERY WAVE RIDES WITH

THE SPIRIT OF THE DUKE.

THE SPIRIT OF THE DUKE.

\hHIGH ABOVE THE WAVES ON O’AHU’S SOUTHERN SHORE LOOMS THE EXTINCT

ANCIENT VOLCANO: \h\hDIAMOND HEAD.

BRITISH SAILORS GAVE THE CRATER

ITS NAME WHEN THEY MISTOOK THE CRYSTALS TWINKLING IN ITS LAVA

ROCK FOR DIAMONDS.

BUT THERE’S NO MISTAKING THE GLORIOUS VIEW FROM ITS 760-FOOT

\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hSUMMIT. WAIKIKI AND THE ENTIRE SOUTHERN

SIDE OF THE ISLAND ARE AT YOUR \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hFEET.

BECAUSE OF THIS COMMANDING VIEW

\h\h\hOF THE PACIFIC, THE U.S. MILITARY BOUGHT DIAMOND HEAD IN

1904, NOT LONG AFTER HAWAII WAS ANNEXED.

THE ONCE-DEADLY VOLCANO BECAME A

HOME TO A MILITARY OBSERVATION \h\h\hTOWER, AND A FOUR-LEVEL

UNDERGROUND COMMAND POST INSIDE THE MOUTH OF THE CRATER.

[PLANES AND MILITARY MUSIC]

[PLANES AND MILITARY MUSIC]

DECEMBER 7, 1941.

SEVERAL MILES UP THE COAST FROM WAIKIKI, JAPANESE AIRCRAFT

SWOOPED IN FOR THE KILL.

TORPEDO BOMBERS HIT FIRST--

TARGETING THE BATTLESHIPS ANCHORED IN THE HARBOR.

A SECOND WAVE OF DIVE BOMBERS

ATTACKED U.S. AIR BASES ACROSS O’AHU.

HUNDREDS OF AMERICAN AIRCRAFT

WERE DESTROYED OR DAMAGED BEFORE PILOTS COULD EVEN GET

THEM OFF THE GROUND.

INCREDIBLY, THE DAMAGE TO AMERICA’S PACIFIC FLEET COULD

HAVE BEEN FAR WORSE.

A THIRD WAVE OF JAPANESE AIR ATTACKS HAD BEEN PLANNED.

THE TARGET? THE FLEET’S ENORMOUS FUEL

STORAGE. FORTUNATELY, THE JAPANESE

BELIEVED ENOUGH DAMAGE HAD BEEN DONE, AND THE ATTACK WAS CALLED

OFF.

BECAUSE THE FUEL WAS SAVED, THE U.S. FLEET WAS EVENTUALLY

ABLE TO MOBILIZE AND TAKE THE WAR TO THE JAPANESE.

DURING THE TWO-HOUR ATTACK ON

PEARL HARBOR, 21 VESSELS WERE DESTROYED.

WORST HIT WAS THE USS ARIZONA.

TODAY, THIS MEMORIAL PERCHES ABOVE THE SHIP’S WATERY GRAVE.

NEARLY 1,200 YOUNG MEN DIED ABOARD THE ARIZONA WHEN A BOMB

MADE A DIRECT HIT, IGNITING THE SHIP’S FORWARD MAGAZINE.

THE SHIP SANK IN NINE MINUTES.

TODAY, THE USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL IS THE NUMBER ONE DESTINATION

FOR TOURISTS VISITING O’AHU.

FOR TOURISTS VISITING O’AHU.

THE LAST OF THE EIGHT MAJOR HAWAIIAN ISLANDS IS ALSO THE

OLDEST, KAUA’I.

THE ISLAND WAS BORN OF A VOLCANO THAT RUPTURED FROM THE OCEAN

FLOOR-- ONLY TO BURN OUT AND BECOME

EXTINCT ABOUT FIVE MILLION YEARS AGO.

THE SAME ERUPTION THAT RAISED

THE SAME ERUPTION THAT RAISED

KAUA’I FROM THE ICY DEPTHS OF THE PACIFIC ALSO CARVED THIS

INTO ITS HEART. WAIMEA CANYON IS CALLED

THE GRAND CANYON OF THE PACIFIC.

IN POLYNESIAN MYTHOLOGY, THE CANYON AND OTHER WONDERS ON THE

ISLAND OWE THEIR CREATION TO THE HAWAIIAN FIRE GODDESS, PELE.

ACCORDING TO LEGEND, PELE

TRAVELED TO KAUA’I AND DUG INTO THE EARTH, SEARCHING FOR A FIRE

PIT IN WHICH TO LIVE.

IT’S SAID THAT PELE TORE OPEN THE EARTH AT WAIMEA CANYON BUT

FOUND ONLY WATER.

EVENTUALLY, SHE FLED KAUA’I AND CONTINUED HER SEARCH FOR A HOME

ON THE OTHER ISLANDS IN THE \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hCHAIN.

BUT PERHAPS THERE’S MORE TO THE

\h\h\hMYTH THAN MEETS THE EYE. RESEARCHERS HAVE NOTED THAT THE

SUPPOSED MOVEMENT OF THE FIRE GODDESS FROM ISLAND TO ISLAND

JUST SO HAPPENS TO COINCIDE WITH THE GEOLOGICAL RECORD OF

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY IN HAWAII.

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY IN HAWAII.

LAST STOP ON KAUA’I IS ONE OF THE WETTEST ENVIRONMENTS IN THE

\h\h\h\h\h\hWORLD-- MOUNT WAI’ALE’ALE.

AVERAGE RAINFALL HERE?

440 INCHES A YEAR. SO MUCH WATER FLOWS THROUGH THE

MOUNTAIN THAT WATERFALLS ABOUND.

MOUNTAIN THAT WATERFALLS ABOUND.

THIS 280-FOOT FALLS WAS FAMOUSLY USED IN THE FILM

"JURASSIC PARK." IT APPEARS WHEN A HELICOPTER

CARRYING SCIENTISTS FIRST LANDS ON THE ISLAND.

LOCALS NOW JUST SIMPLY CALL IT

JURASSIC FALLS. IT WAS DURING THE MAKING OF THAT

FILM THAT A FIERCE HURRICANE \h\hSLAMMED INTO THE ISLAND.

PRODUCTION HALTED AS THE STORM UNLEASHED ITS FURY.

THE CAST AND CREW HUDDLED IN SAFETY--

BUT ACCORDING TO ONE REPORT,

DIRECTOR STEVEN SPIELBERG COULDN’T RESIST THE OPPORTUNITY

\hTO CAPTURE SOME OF THE REAL STORM FOR THE ONE PORTRAYED IN

THE FILM.

\hIT’S SAID THAT SPIELBERG TOOK A CAMERA OPERATOR WITH HIM UP ON A

\h\h\hROOF WHERE THEY FILMED THE WIND-DRIVEN WAVES CRASHING OVER

\h\h\h\h\h\h\hA BREAKWATER. THAT FOOTAGE APPEARS IN THE

MOVIE.

MOVIE.

HAWAII BY AIR-- A STUNNING JOURNEY, UNLIKE ANY

ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

A DAZZLING TRIP THROUGH TIME, IMAGINATION, AND A RAINBOW OF

LIFE. ♪ OOOOO OOOOOO OHOOHOHOO ♪

♪ OOOOO OHOOOHOO OOOOHOO ♪ ♪ OOOOO OHOOHOOO OOHOOOO ♪

♪ OOHOOO OOHOOOHO OOOOHO ♪ ♪ SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW ♪

♪ WAY UP HIGH ♪ ♪ AND THE DREAMS THAT YOU

DREAMED OF ♪ ♪ ONCE IN A LULLABY II II III ♪

♪ SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW ♪ \h\h\h\h\h\h♪ BLUE BIRDS FLY ♪

♪ AND THE DREAMS THAT YOU DREAMED OF ♪

♪ DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE ♪ ♪ OHH OHHH ♪

♪ SOME DAY I’LL WISH UPON A STAR ♪

♪ WAKE UP WHERE THE CLOUDS ARE FAR BEHIND ME EE EE EEH ♪

♪ WHERE TROUBLE MELTS LIKE LEMON DROPS ♪

♪ HIGH ABOVE THE CHIMNEY TOPS ♪ ♪ THAT’S WHERE

YOU’LL FIND ME OH ♪ ♪ SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW ♪

♪ BLUEBIRDS FLY ♪ ♪ AND THE DREAMS THAT YOU

DARE TO ♪ ♪ WHY OH WHY CAN’T I? I II ♪

♪ SOME DAY I’LL WISH UPON A STAR ♪

♪ WAKE UP WHERE THE CLOUDS ARE FAR BEHIND ME ♪

♪ WHERE TROUBLE MELTS LIKE LEMON DROPS ♪

♪ HIGH ABOVE THE CHIMNEY TOP ♪ ♪ THAT’S WHERE YOU’LL FIND ME ♪

♪ OH SOMEWHERE OVER \h\h\hTHE RAINBOW ♪

♪ WAY UP HIGH ♪ ♪ AND THE DREAM THAT YOU

DARE TO ♪ ♪ WHY OH WHY CAN’T I? I HIII ♪

♪ OOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO ♪ ♪ OOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO ♪

♪ OOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO ♪ ♪ OOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO ♪