Finding the Hawaii of 'The Descendants'

Doug Peebles / Kauai Visitors Bureau

By Lygia Navarro, msnbc.com contributor

Who hasn?t dreamt of Hawaii, fueled by a postcard from a friend vacationing there, an image in a magazine, or a movie scene? With the popularity of the Oscar-nominated film "The Descendants," crowds of travelers are being drawn to Hawaii by the film?s portrayal of what the author of the novel inspiring the film calls "the real Hawaii" ? Hawaiians struggling with workaday concerns (health problems, marital difficulties and arguments over an inheritance) amidst gorgeous island backdrops.

?It?s ironic that I wrote this book that shows other sides of Hawaii, that?s not so pretty and glamorous, and that?s why people want to come,? said author Kaui Hart Hemmings, a Hawaii native. ?I don?t think Hawaii has ever been captured on film, as it really is, until now.?

?It?s almost become like our modern-day ?South Pacific,? said Kauai Visitors Bureau executive director Sue Kanoho, comparing the film to the blockbuster 1958 musical shot on Kauai. Tour operators note the influx of visitors looking for scenes from the film, and the visitors bureau will begin surveying visitors on whether ?The Descendants? inspired their trip.

Hemmings and Kanoho both say director Alexander Payne worked to make the film look like their lives. ?He really took time to get it right,? said Kanoho, ?and gave a glimpse into modern-day Hawaii life. The film touches upon that it?s more than a sun and surf location, but really about the legacy of the land and the people.?

Protecting Hawaii?s natural beauty is a central drama in the film ? and in real life. ?People are very protective of the land, what you call the ?aina?? in Hawaiian, said Kanoho. ?The challenge is about having people come and experience the beauty, but then really understanding and respecting what [the land] means to the people here.?

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The Hawaiian Islands are the perfect vacation destination for travelers of all types.

Kanoho says the conundrum over what to do with inherited land ? sell for the financial windfall, or keep for the islands? posterity ? is faced by many Hawaiian families. In fact, the property owned by the fictional King family in ?The Descendants? is a real cattle ranch: the former sugarcane plantation called Kipu Ranch, near Lihue, Kauai, is still owned by descendants of former Kauai governor William Hyde Rice, who bought the land from the Hawaiian monarchy in the 1870s.

For the view George Clooney?s character showed his daughters of their family?s land, visitors (including people with mobility issues and children at least five years old) can hop an all-terrain vehicle with Kipu Tours?for a three-hour ranch and mountain tour or a four-hour waterfall picnic tour. And Roberts Hawaii runs the Hawaii Movie Tour?on Kauai, highlighting spots shown in ?Jurassic Park,? ?Pirates of the Caribbean? and others, including Tahiti Nui, the restaurant and bar where Clooney?s and Beau Bridges? characters share a drink.

Robert Y. Ono / ? Robert Y. Ono/CORBIS

Her warm friendly people, inspiring natural beauty and unique culture draw people to the immaculate shores of Oahu.

On Oahu, where the fictional King family lives, author Hemmings recommends tourist favorites and stops off the beaten path. ?If this [film] gets people to venture out and get to know more, that?s a big score,? Hemmings said. Hemmings loves the bustle of Honolulu?s Chinatown?and the ?pockets of quiet? that can still be found in Kailu, where she lives, and on the north shore of Oahu, where visitors can watch surfers ride enormous waves.

Not to be missed, Hemmings says, is the volcano at Haleakala?? even if it is so touristy that hard-core hikers mix with Japanese tourists in high heels. ?It?s a big volcano ? there?s snow. You can hike down into the crater, but you really feel like you?re walking into the moon.??

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Source: http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/23/10219749-finding-the-hawaii-of-the-descendants

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