Our Rendering: The Islands Beneath the Rainbow

This rendering shows the Hawaiian archipelago as one continuous chain, with a rainbow (ʻānuenue) arcing above it. It is the artwork planned for KHPA license plates.

Rendering of the Hawaiian archipelago in relief. Small turquoise-ringed islands and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands trail across the upper left. The main islands run to the lower right, each in its own color, ending with a large red Hawaiʻi Island. A rainbow arcs over the whole chain. — The KHPA archipelago rendering. Northwest is at the upper left; Hawaiʻi Island is at the lower right.

How each island got its color

Each of the main islands is traditionally linked with a flower or plant, and the rendering gives every island the color of its own. The colors follow those references: the red of the lehua for Hawaiʻi, the pink of the lokelani rose for Maui, and so on around the chain.

HawaiʻiRedLehua flower
MauiPinkLokelani rose
KahoʻolaweGrayHinahina plant
LānaʻiOrangeKaunaʻoa plant
MolokaʻiGreenKukui nut flower
OʻahuYellowʻIlima plant
KauaʻiPurpleMokihana berry
NiʻihauWhitePūpū (shell)

Kahoʻolawe’s hinahina is silvery gray, which appears as a pale gray-lavender in the rendering. Niʻihau’s color is white, for the pūpū shells.

Reading the rendering

The chain is laid out as it lies on the map, with the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands trailing off toward the upper left and Hawaiʻi Island anchoring the lower right. Here is where to find each main island:

Where to find each main island in the rendering
Island	Where to find it
Hawaiʻi	Red, at the lower right. The largest island.
Maui	Pink, to the northwest of Hawaiʻi Island.
Kahoʻolawe	A small island just south of Maui, in a pale gray-lavender.
Lānaʻi	Orange, between Maui and Molokaʻi.
Molokaʻi	Green, long and narrow, north of Lānaʻi.
Oʻahu	Yellow-gold, to the northwest of Molokaʻi.
Kauaʻi	Purple, the northwesternmost of the main islands.
Niʻihau	A small island southwest of Kauaʻi. Its color is white.

The whole chain

The rendering includes the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands alongside the eight main islands, so the full length of the archipelago, more than 1,500 miles, is in view. The small islands and atolls at the upper left are ringed by turquoise reef and include the places described in Papahānaumokuākea: The Northwestern Chain.

The rainbow

A rainbow begins faintly at the far northwestern end of the chain and arcs across the archipelago, ending near Hawaiʻi Island. A fainter second band runs beneath the main arc.

Plates, registration, and questions

For questions about registration and licensing, see Registration & Licensing. Requirements vary by category and are confirmed by office staff, so contact your island office before visiting, or call the public line at (808) 333-3459.

To learn more about the land shown here, read The Hawaiian Archipelago.