Hawaii has only been inhabited since around AD 300 but the history of these paradise islands is as fabled as any nation on Earth. From the epic sea journeys of Polynesian wayfarers who first found these shores to the turmoil brought by European discovery and the arrival of missionaries and plantation owners, the path to modern Hawaii has been both colourful and turbulent.

Read on for a brief history of the islands, as well as a guide to the fascinating historical sites still dotted around them...