Hawaii Beach & Landscape Photography – Best-of Gallery
Strung across the middle of the Pacific, Hawaii is a chain of lava-born islands where rainforests, beaches and volcanoes meet the sea. On Maui, Oʻahu and the Big Island, waves roll onto long crescents of sand, turtles rest on black lava shores, and evenings end in slow-burning sunsets over the ocean.
This gallery gathers my favourite beach and landscape photographs from Napili, Waikiki, the Road to Hana, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and the Kohala Coast – a best-of collection that follows Hawaii from quiet coves to cliffs, waterfalls and glowing horizons.
Crowds of people play in the surf and along the golden sand at Napili Kai Beach on Maui, Hawaii, as powerful turquoise waves crash close to shore, with palm trees, low-rise resort buildings and distant clouds in the background.
A small wedding ceremony setup with a simple white arch and wooden chairs stands on a manicured lawn overlooking the turquoise water and sandy beach of Kapalua Bay on Maui, Hawaii, with palm trees and resort buildings in the background.
Big Beach, Makena State Park, Maui, Hawaii, USA – wide stretch of golden sand and powerful shore break on the south coast.
Red-and-white outrigger canoes rest on the grass at Waialae Beach Park on Oahu, Hawaii, with leaning palm trees lining a narrow path to the shore and shallow turquoise reef waters stretching out beneath a partly cloudy sky.
A tropical resort garden in Wailea–Makena on Maui, Hawaii, with a lily-covered pond, lush plants and palm trees, a small white footbridge, and cabanas by the ocean visible in the background.
Kaanapali Beach on Maui, Hawaii, USA – long sandy strip with resort hotels, palm trees and clear blue Pacific water.
A small turquoise pool with a narrow waterfall tumbling down a lush, fern-covered rock face along the Road to Hana on Maui, Hawaii, with two people swimming in the calm water surrounded by dense green vegetation.
Hana region on Maui, Hawaii, USA – coastal cliffs, surf and lush greenery along the far end of the Road to Hana.
Hāna, Maui, Hawaii, USA – remote east-coast village surrounded by rainforests, black sand beaches and rugged shoreline.
Black sand beach at Hāna, Maui, Hawaii, USA – volcanic shoreline with dark sand, lava rocks and bright tropical water.
A narrow wooden boardwalk leading through a dense bamboo forest near Hana on Maui, with tall green bamboo stalks rising closely on both sides and soft natural light filtering through the canopy above.
An enormous, ancient banyan tree in a lush forest near Hana on Maui. Its thick roots and wide, sprawling branches form a natural canopy over the forest floor. A person stands by the massive trunk with an arm raised towards the tree, highlighting its impressive scale.
A gently curving stretch of golden sand at Napili Kai Beach on Maui, Hawaii, with clear turquoise water lapping the shore, a few people swimming and walking along the beach, and low-rise resorts and palm trees lining the coastline under a partly cloudy blue sky.
Amazing sunset at Napili Kai Beach, Maui, Hawaii, USA – the photographer’s finest and most memorable sunset experience, with a woman standing at the water’s edge as the glowing sky reflects across the calm ocean on a perfect tropical evening.
A bright yellow catamaran named “Na Hoku II” is beached in the shallow turquoise water at Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, with gentle waves washing the sandy shore and surfers visible on the reef in the distance under a partly cloudy sky.
Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA – sunset over the skyline, palm trees and the busy waterfront.
Elegant landscaped gardens at a luxury resort by Wailea Beach on Maui, Hawaii, with a long ornamental pool lined with fountains, manicured lawns, colourful flower beds and tall palm trees framing views of the ocean under a deep blue sky.
Red-and-white outrigger canoes rest on the neatly trimmed grass at Waialae Beach Park on Oahu, Hawaii, with leaning palm trees, a sandy shoreline and shallow turquoise lagoon under a deep blue sky with scattered clouds.
A wedding couple holding colourful pink and blue balloons poses for photographers on the grass at Ko Olina on Oahu, Hawaii, USA, with a calm turquoise lagoon, sandy beach, palm trees and people swimming in the background.
Ko Olina, Oahu near Honolulu, Hawaii, USA – lagoon shoreline with palm trees, walking paths and calm swimming water.
Akaka Falls on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA – tall waterfall plunging into a lush jungle gorge along the Hamakua Coast.
Tropical flower on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA – vivid petals and lush green background in close-up detail.
Sea turtle on a Hawaiian beach – protected green sea turtle resting on the sand beside the Pacific surf.
Glowing orange lava and billowing steam rise from a crater at night in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii, illuminating the dark sky with an intense fiery light.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Big Island, Hawaii, USA – smoking vents and hardened lava fields in an otherworldly landscape.
Anaehoʻomalu Beach on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA – palm-backed sandy bay with fishponds and sunsets on the Kohala Coast.
Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA – beachfront resort with palms, ponds and lava rock shoreline.
Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows, Big Island of Hawaii, USA – lagoon, lawns and coconut palms meeting the lava rock shoreline.
The Fairmont Orchid, Big Island of Hawaii, USA – crescent beach, sheltered bay and luxury hotel buildings on the Kohala Coast.
The Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island of Hawaii, USA – luxury resort on the Kohala Coast with palm-lined lagoon and gardens.
Two surf instructors in red T-shirts stand beside a red-and-white outrigger canoe on the sandy shore at Waialae Beach Park on Oahu, Hawaii, with turquoise water, a line of palm trees on a rocky spit, and a deep blue sky in the background.
A manicured putting green at a seaside resort by Napili Kai Beach on Maui, Hawaii, with low-rise buildings, palm trees, a pool area with sun loungers and a striped canopy, and turquoise ocean visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
A fabric hammock on a wooden stand sits on a lush green lawn at the Four Seasons Resort on the Big Island, Hawaii, surrounded by tall palm trees, white sun umbrellas, lounge chairs and a glimpse of the ocean in the background.
A woman stands at the water’s edge watching a vivid sunset at Napili Kai Beach on Maui, with calm waves washing the sand, the sky glowing pink and orange, and the dark outline of a distant island and palm trees on the horizon – the photographer’s favourite scene from two trips to Maui.
All photographs on this page were taken by Norwegian landscape and travel photographer Svein Magne Tunli.