Discover Hawaii’s blockbuster history
Visitors to Hawaii can now visit the film sets of their favourite blockbuster movies. The beautiful Hawaiian Islands are a haven for acting greats throughout film history. Elvis Presley, Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Patrick Swayze, Kate Hudson, Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry and Ben Affleck are just some of the actors that have been seen through the lens on the Islands of Aloha.
It’s hardly surprising why directors chose Hawaii as the setting to their screenplays – Hawaii is a picture paradise, where sheer cliffs, lush greenery, and clear waters offer the ultimate backdrop.
Hawaii’s oldest island, Kauai, is home to the Napali Coast, rich in natural beauty where green cliffs tower high into the sky and cascading waterfalls plummet into deep, narrow valleys. Such is the grandeur that has been used as the setting for many Hollywood films including Jurassic Park I, II and III, Raiders of the Lost Ark and King Kong. A dramatic way to explore the coastline and the stunning Waimea Canyon is by helicopter. There are a number of companies offering tours including Island Helicopters (islandhelicopters.com) which offer a “Manawaiopuna Falls Landing Tour” (featured in Jurassic Park).
Visitors to Kauai can also venture further into the interior to find where some of Hollywood’s biggest movies were filmed. Kipu Ranch Adventures (kiputours.com) offer three and four hour ‘movie’ tours which also showcase the stunning scenery and historical sites on the island. Hawaii Movie Tours (hawaiimovietour.com) have “Theatre-On-Wheels” tour buses which visit the film sites of legendary masterpieces including Six Days, Seven Nights and Raiders of the Lost Ark. The tours give fascinating insider details of the stars and what they did whilst they were in Kauai and also visit the long-closed Coco Palms Resort, the film location for Elvis’s Blue Hawaii.
Venture to the island of Oahu and the setting of many great films can be explored including You, Me and Dupree, 50 First Dates, Jurassic Park III, Pearl Harbour, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Godzilla and the hit TV series Lost. Kualoa Ranch (kualoa.com) take visitors on tours through forested areas, past World War II bunkers and to the setting of many of these films, venturing deep into the beautiful Ka’a’awa Valley which boasts fabulous views of the Kualoa Mountains.
The scenes of the Peruvian rainforest in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull were not shot in South America but on Hawaii’s Big Island in the lush rainforests of the Puna District in the east. The scene was filmed on private land and several eco-tour operators on the Big Island offer tours which lead intrepid explores to the exotic locations of this scene. Kapohokine Adventures (kapohokine.com), for instance, offer fabulous tours that include the incredible formations of the Kilauea volcano, lush rainforests and breathtaking waterfalls.
The island of Maui has also featured in many films including Jurassic Park I & III, The Hulk and the James Bond movie Die Another Day. The opening surf scenes of the latter, feature what are claimed to be the biggest waves in the world at Peahi Beach, named “Jaws” on the north coast of Maui. A visit to Maui would not be complete without driving along one of the world’s most spectacular coastlines, the Hana Highway, found on the east coast of the island which is abundant with flourishing rainforests, cascading waterfalls and awesome seascapes.
The yet to be released, The Tempest was filmed on the Big Island and Lanai. The islands were chosen as the set for the film due to their unusual and often rugged terrain including the red dirt and lava of Lanai as well as the Puna District and the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Upcoming in 2010, The Tempest is the third on-screen adaption of William Shakespeare’s romance and stars Helen Mirren, David Strathairn, Djimon Hounsou, Alan Cumming, Alfred Molina, Russell Brand, Ben Whishaw and Felicity Jones.
For more information on Hawaii, visit gohawaii.com/uk.