Sandwich Island Saga 41. Overview

At the end of my first return to the Hawaiian Islands for some 30 years, a recap seems appropriate.  The islands are American without quite being America. Tourism is still their major commercial activity.  Activities that were formally free have become regimented and more exploitative. If anything, the islands seem too dependent on tourism. Tourism itself may well become less acceptable. Many of its young people move to the mainland, being replaced by less well paid immigrants from areas like the Philippines. Interestingly, immigrants seem well accepted here. The Hawaiian Islands are notably prone to some of the obvious dangers of climate change (e.g. sealevel rise, coral bleaching, hurricanes, wild fires, flash floods, heatstroke etc). The flora and fauna of the islands is a hotchpot of rare endemics and a vast array of introduced species, some beneficial, others less so. Hawaii remains a tantalising mix of order and chaos.