Minding Your Manners in Hawaii

When visiting a new place, we all want to be polite visitors, don’t we? Every culture seems to have its own set of etiquette rules and Hawaii is no exception.

Now, before we get started, I want to emphasize that you’re not going to have to walk on eggshells or really worry about what you do and say. I think that you’ll find that most of these etiquette suggestions are common sense and apply across the world, however you’ll probably find some that other suggestions are somewhat unique to Hawaii. Either way, these suggestions aren’t difficult to follow.

1. Learn to use the words aloha and mahalo with sincerity. Aloha (pronounced “ah lo hah”) has several meanings, but as a visitor, you will most likely use it for saying hello and goodbye. Mahalo (pronounced “muh hah lo”) means thank you. These are beautiful words that you will soon learn to love. Many of Hawaiian vowels are pronounced differently than on the mainland. It would be helpful to read and try to remember the basic overview of the Hawaiian alphabet
   . Most towns and street names are in Hawaiian, so if you become familiar with the basic pronunciation, you’ll be able to attempt to say those names as best you can. If you want more, here’s a website to help you learn more about the Hawaiian language.
2. If you are presented with a lei, always accept and wear it with gratitude. Never take the lei off in the presence of the person who gave it to you. (Hint: if the lei is irritating to your neck, center it on your shoulders so that half lays in front and half on your back.) If you are an expectant mother, you may be given a different lei that has an open end. The open ended lei is intended to encourage a safe delivery.
3. If you are invited into someone’s home, always remove your shoes before entering the home.
4. If you are on a sightseeing drive and you notice a local driver in your rear view mirror, pull off the road at your earliest opportunity to let the local person pass. They know the roads and scenery like the back of their hands and can go at a faster pace than you.
5. Don’t bring any fresh flowers, fruits, vegetables, etc to Hawaii as they could be harmful to Hawaii’s farms and environment. Any plants or animals brought into Hawaii must be declared and inspected upon arrival. So that you’ll be ready for that process, read Be Prepared to Complete the Hawaii Agricultural Declaration Form.
6. Don’t damage the coral by touching it or stepping on it. Be sure to read these coral reef etiquette recommendations.
7. Don’t approach sea turtles, monk seals or humpback whales. They’re all endangered species and protected by law. See these guidelines for keeping appropriate distances.
8. Don’t take any lava rocks or black sand which is considered to bring bad luck.
9. Be respectful of others particularly at historic or religious sites.
10. Respect private property. All beaches in Hawaii are open to the public, but that doesn’t mean you can traipse across someone’s yard to reach the beach. Use the public beach access.
11. Always pick up and properly dispose of your garbage. (Added by HawaiiVacationGifts)
12. Never honk your horn in traffic unless it is an absolute emergency. (Added by Chris)
13. As a courtesy, it is always a good idea to let older people or mothers with young children go a head of you in a line. (Added by Chris)
14. Understand that hula is far more than just a dance to entertain tourists. B.N. Sullivan says, “hula is much more to those of us who live here, whether we are of ethnic Hawaiian ancestry or not. It is a central, and in some ways sacred, expression of local culture and tradition… If you are lucky enough to get invited to a local wedding or other celebration, or if you happen on a club or restaurant where locals gather and there is live music, you’ll see people spontaneously get up and dance hula when they hear one of their favorite pieces played. I mean young people, old people, women, men, little kids, grannies, aunties, uncles and so on. Do NOT snicker. This is the real deal! Count yourself lucky to see it.”
15. In Hawaii there is a local language/dialect called “Pidgin“. For example the word hello may end up sounding like “ho brah”. It is very unlikely that visitors will hear pidgin while visiting Hawaii, so please don’t get too hung up on this one. From my many visits to the islands, I’ve only heard it spoken between friends on rare occasions or on the radio. Some locals recommend that it’s best that visitors don’t attempt to speak pidgin to the locals as it might accidentally irritate them. Do not assume that someone you overhear speaking pidgin is stupid, illiterate or uneducated. Most locals are actually “bilingual”, in a sense that they speak perfect English as well as pidgin. (Added by Dave and B.N. Sullivan)

In my many trips to Hawaii, I’ve encountered some wonderfully friendly people. The spirit of aloha does indeed exist in Hawaii. For example, a security guard we met on Oahu was so friendly and helpful when we were lost and thirsty in the the hot sun. He had no reason to help us, but he went out of his way to help us. He even offered us a cold bottle of water from his own lunch box. We were really blown away with his generous aloha spirit.

I hope that you will encounter the aloha spirit on your Hawaii vacation. There’s a good chance you will. So, bring your smile and practice up on saying aloha and mahalo and you’ll have a great time!