The Hawaii Traveler

115 nautical miles (140 miles) northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands, and extending northwest for more than 950 nautical miles (1,200 miles) is a vast, mostly untouched archipelago now called The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (formerly the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument). It’s the largest marine conservation area in the world, and is surrounded by some of the most extensive and healthy coral reefs in U.S. waters. According to some sources, commercial fishing will end there, and the area will be promoted as a tourist destination by 2011.

According to folklore, Papahanaumoku is the goddess who birthed the islands; Good Morning America and USA Today named it as one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”. Created by presidential proclamation in 2006, it’s been called the rainforest of the sea, and is larger than all US national parks combined.

The monument supports 7,000 species, one quarter of which are endemic. Prominent species include the threatened Green Sea Turtle and the endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal. Populations of spiny lobster have not recovered from an oceanographic ecosystem regime shift that affected the North Pacific during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Other species include the Laysan and Nihoa Finches, the Nihoa Millerbird, Laysan Duck, the Laysan Albatross, and numerous species of plants including Pritchardia palms.

Although the uninitiated may or may not want to make this their first trip to the islands, you can find an excellent guide to the monument, along with maps, videao, and pictures, at NOAA. 

Map by Christine Taylor of NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program.

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