Customer Reviews

Hawai'i Wildlife Viewing Guide

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It would be easy to poke fun at a Hawaii nature guide that excludes relatively undeveloped Molokai because it is still too natural.

However, Watchable Wildlife Inc., which sponsors this series of guides, has a point. Molokai has plenty of birds, but it also lacks "the infrastructure needed to accommodate visitors and protect the habitat and wildlife."

For similar reasons, Haleakala National Park excludes almost everybody from the magnificent remnant of native environment at Kipahulu on Maui.

Maui, however, is pretty well-fixed for harmless wildlife viewing. Kanaha Pond Wildlife Sanctuary provides easy views of rare birds sandwiched between an airport and an industrial area.

"Hawai`i Wildlife Viewing Guide" is highly selective, with only 31 prime sites chosen throughout the state. These include the sunken crater and favorite snorkeling spot Molokini, another site with excellent close-ups with wildlife and easy access, within Maui County.

The other Maui County sites are the summit of Haleakala, Big Beach, Oheo, Polipoli, Waianapanapa, Kipahulu (the highway views, not the forbidden interior), Kealia, and the whale sanctuary in Kihei; plus Manele-Hulopoe on Lanai.

Access information is full and reliable. Some other advice is dubious. Waianapanapa does not have, in my opinion, "a beautiful swimming beach," and the "excellent swimming" at Big Beach is best avoided in anything but the smallest surf.

There is a valuable section on the ethics of watching wildlife, and the book is nicely illustrated.

A neutral comment that mongooses and feral cats can be observed at Oheo parking lot would have benefitted from a pointer that both, but especially the cats, are serious enemies of the birds, especially seabirds, that the guide is largely aimed at.

And if you're going to Molokai and want to watch wildlife, there is an excellent spot at the Nature Conservancy's Kamakou Preserve. It isn't as accessible as the sites in "Hawai`i Wildlife Viewing Guide," but a call to the conservancy in Honolulu can set up a visit on monthly guided tours. (Four-wheel drive required.)

The book covers the state and national parks and the wildlife you can find in the parks. I liked the colored thumb nail marks at the bottom of the page that alerts you it is a premier site. also has many mapes that make the wildlife viewing areas. Lots of good pictures.And this book can replace a guide book for planing sight seeing trips !