Hawaiian Souvenirs: Remembering Your Honeymoon

You'll want something to take home to remember your honeymoon, and Hawaii offers a staggering amount of possible souvenirs. If you associate dancing hula dolls and plastic tiki gods with Hawaiian souvenirs, think again: Hawaiian crafts, quilts, jewelry and pearls are beautiful, unique and eye-catching.

 

Many people choose to get married in the Islands, and Hawaiian wedding rings are beautiful daily reminders of your wedding day. Look for rings that remind you of the Islands: The gold or silver of many Hawaiian wedding rings is molded into the shapes of hibiscus flowers. Wedding rings make lovely choices for Hawaiian souvenirs that will remind you of the romance of your honeymoon everyday.

 

Hawaiian jewelry doesn't stop at Hawaiian wedding rings, however. Traditional Hawaiian jewelry makes use of the island's natural bounty. Local artists use sea shells to make puka shell necklaces. (Puka shells are small disk-like sea shells with holes drilled through them — the highest quality puka shells are those that have had their holes naturally worn away.) Pearls, coral, shark teeth and even coconut shells are used to create jewelry unique to the Islands.

Quilts are popular choices for Hawaiian bedding. Western missionaries introduced quilting to the Islands, and the Hawaiians quickly adapted the craft, adding designs from their own culture. The design for the quilt is cut from a single piece of cloth, rather like cutting out a paper snowflake. Typically, only two colors are used: One for the design and another for a backdrop.

 

Quilts are traditionally given to brides on their wedding day, and are so complex they take months to complete. Many Hawaiian bedding packages include a quilt and matching pillowcases or shams. If you'd like to have a quilt and pillow shams made as souvenirs of your Hawaiian honeymoon have your concierge direct you to a local Hawaiian quilt maker. You can choose the colors and pattern and the shop will ship it to your home upon completion. While these can be quite expensive, they are heirlooms made to last a lifetime.

Some of the most beautiful Hawaiian souvenirs are made of koa wood. The koa tree is the largest native tree in the Islands, and is found nowhere else in the world. Hawaiians used koa wood for a number of purposes including making canoes. Today, you can take home a wide variety of koa wood souvenirs including salad bowls and utensils, framed mirrors, pens and lamps. If you're willing to pay the shipping, you could even take home koa wood furniture!

Hawaii supports a thriving community of artists, who take their inspiration from the natural beauty and history surrounding them. Pendants might be engraved with images taken from Hawaiian petroglyphs, paintings may celebrate the hibiscus flower, or a koa wood sculpture may replicate a tiki god. Shopping for special Hawaiian souvenirs in art stores is an adventure in itself.

Aloha shirts, the bright, colorful printed shirts of Hawaii, may be bold and loud, but let's face it, they're lots of fun. Aloha shirts can be practical: They're cool enough to keep you comfortable on the hottest days. Long muumuu dresses are also cool for those hot summer days, and display bright, vibrant floral patterns.

 

The Aloha shirts and muumuus worn by the locals are made out of soft, muted patterned fabrics, however, not the bright fabrics often associated with Island-wear. So, make a choice: Go wild or go native.

Some "souvenirs" are best left where you find them; these include pieces of lava rock and petroglyphs. Taking a piece of lava rock home is considered very bad luck: The rocks belong to the fire goddess Pele, who makes her home in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. Pele's wrath is said to befall those who steal her possessions. For those who might consider this to be superstition, consider this: Park wardens receive several hundred pounds of lava rock in the mail every year. The rocks are often accompanied by letters that describe terribly bad luck and requests that they be returned to Pele.

 

Hawaii's historical heritage should be handled with care and respect. While it may be tempting to take a rubbing of a petroglyph, the process erodes the delicate carving. Heiaus should also be treated with respect: These are sacred places. No matter how tempting it is to pick up a free Hawaiian souvenir, please leave such sites as you find them.

Take lots of pictures, instead.