Beautiful words to travel by

‘Molten lava will mesmerise me, but I will not disrupt its flow.’’ These words stuck with me as I read aloud the Pono Pledge, Hawaii’s invitation for visitors to sign to respect the environment.

The pledge ends with ‘‘I will embrace the island’s aloha spirit, as it embraces me.’’ Beautiful words.

Similar to the te reo Ma¯ ori word aroha, aloha has many deep cultural meanings, but tends to be used as a way to express love and fellowship.

New Zealand and Hawaii have a lot in common. Our shared Polynesian heritage and voyaging ancestry. Our epic landscapes and natural beauty, from mountains to the sea. Our commitment to protecting the environment.

Here in New Zealand, visitors are encouraged to live by the Tiaki Promise, which is a commitment to care for New Zealand now and for future generations, to act as a guardian and to preserve our home.

It is not dissimilar to Hawaii’s concept of ‘‘malama’’ – to care for the land and give back to it.

If you are planning a trip to Hawaii, you can now book ‘‘malama experiences’’ as a way to honour the land that you are visiting.

You can read about my experience helping out on a taro farm on pages 34-35 to find out what it means, and why all travellers should embrace this concept of ‘‘malama’’.

For an island holiday of a different nature, be sure to read about Rakiura/Stewart Island on page 29.

It is home to the fabulous South Sea Hotel and its famous Sunday night quiz. It is the fastest way to connect with the locals.

If the furthest place you are travelling to this month is the movie theatre, then you will love reading Pamela Wade’s story exploring Louisiana, where the hit movie Where The Crawdads Sing was filmed.

Set in hauntingly beautiful wetlands, discover the flocks of flamingos, piebald ibis and grey herons that live in this area, the biggest swamp system in the United States. You can find it on page 40.

If you are more of a history buff, turn to page 27 to read about Sydney’s old military fortifications at Middle Head.

They might seem a bit out of place in the harbour, but there is a lot to learn and discover, just like all our wonderful travel writers sharing their tales in this week’s magazine.