The holiday season is around the corner, and I’ll be spending it in my lovely sunny Hawaiian home. Unfortunately for many other Hawaii-enthusiasts across the globe, Hawaii won’t be on their holiday itinerary. Instead, give them a little piece of the islands with these seventeen gifts from Hawaii that you can buy online.
Hawaii Vintage Poster
If I were to give a gift from Hawaii to one of my friends from the mainland, odds are I would go for a Hawaii vintage poster (as pictured at the top of the post). They’re not absurdly expensive, they show case a small part of local culture, and they have that vintage aesthetic that people are all about these days. My favorites are the ones pictured above, which are by local artist, Nick Kuchar. Amazon surprisingly has quite a good selection in comparison to the other sites I looked at, but this surfing one and this Hawaii Volcanoes National Park one were two of my favorites.
Hawaii Patch
If you have a couple of frequent traveler or backpacker friends on your list, a Hawaii patch could be perfect for them. They will be able to sew or iron on the Hawaii patch that you give to them alongside the others that they’ve been collecting. While Amazon does have some that catch my eye, my personal favorite is from Vagabond Heart Co. (I actually bought their Hawaii patch for one of my friends last year!)
Surfing-Inspired Jewelry
The jump from Hawaii gifts to surfing gifts is definitely not a far one, especially when the product is co-made by a local award-winning surfer. The local company Junxjo teamed up with a New York skateboarding brand to create a surfing-inspired piece of jewelry They ended up coming up with a minimalistic surfboard fin necklace.
Photo Courtesy of McLaughlin Creations on Etsy
Island-Inspired Jewelry
Earlier this year, the company Imi Jewelry launched an island pride collection. These solid 14 karat gold necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings are in the shape of one of the four main Hawaiian Islands: Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. But snatch ‘em up quickly, because these sell out fast!
If that’s much too far out of your budget, the McLaughlinCreations store on Etsy has island necklaces in silver for a much cheaper price.
Hawaii Guide Book
Because Hawaii is quite expensive to visit, there are many people who hope to visit the islands someday in the future. Until then, why not give them the Oahu Revealed guide book? Then they’ll be all prepared with their must-sees and must-dos when they finally make it to the islands, making it one of the perfect gifts from Hawaii.
Honey from Big Island Bees
One of my favorite treats that you can only get in Hawaii is honey from Big Island Bees. The bees at Big Island Bees harvest their pollen from rare flowers native to Hawaii. (As a matter of fact, many of these flowers are only found in Hawaii. The honey from the extremely rare Ohia Lehua blossom is my favorite!
Artwork by a Hawaii Artist
Hawaii’s artists manage to magically capture the beauty of the islands and put it on canvas (or paper or wood or whatever medium they choose to use). Even when you’re not in Hawaii, the work of these Hawaii artists can bring a little piece of the islands to you!
Sarah Caudle
Sarah Caudle is a Hawaii-based artist who creates the most beautiful ocean landscapes out of resin. Think of the brightest blue ocean you’ve ever seen. Now imagine taking a picture of that ocean from above with a drone. And now make it a little more shiny and a tad more magical. That’s basically the work available at Sarah Caudle Art.
Use the code “Borders&BucketLists” on the website for 10% off your order!
Lauren Roth
Lauren Roth designs pieces that are bright and inviting. The only way to achieve her colorful displays of Hawaiian floral and plant life is through a unique combination of watercolor, acrylic, ink, and paint markers. Lauren’s talent has not gone unnoticed, as she has worked with Hawaii Magazine, Nautica, and Jake Shimabukuro.
While you can of course by Lauren’s wonderful paintings on her website, you can also purchase hats, bags, stationery, and even eco-friendly wrapping paper that you can use to wrap your lovely gifts from Hawaii.
Use the code “BORDERS5” on the website for 5% off your order!
Karen Whitworth
Through a combination of saturated colors and glimmering light, Karen Whitworth’s pieces are truly something special. Using her paints, brushes, and generous talents, Karen captures a glimpse of the beauty of Hawaii.
Pidgin to Da Max
Know someone who’s obsessed with Hawaii’s local dialect called pidgin? (If you don’t know what that is, check out this post). Get them this book called Pidgin to Da Max! It’s basically a humor-filled dictionary of pidgin words with comic book-like illustrations. It had quite a few good laughs as I flipped through it.
Photo Courtesy of AshleyRose Clothing
For the Keiki (a.k.a. Children)
Do you have a little Hawaii fan? The local brand AshleyRose Clothing makes little Hawaiian print dresses for babies and toddlers! How cute is that?
This Hawaii T-Shirt
This plain black, yet humorous t-shirt that says “I don’t need therapy. I just need to go to Hawaii” caught my eye as I was scrolling through the Hawaii t-shirts on Amazon. Perhaps it’s also a fantastic gift for someone on your list.
Or This Hawaii T-Shirt
If you’re looking for a Hawaii t-shirt that’s a little less humor and a little more aesthetic, check out this one with a Hawaiian hula vintage vibe. Both of these shirts would make great gifts from Hawaii.
Photo Courtesy of Rix Island Wear
Rix Island Wear
Many tourists to Hawaii buy gaudy, bright aloha shirts (what visitors call “Hawaiian shirts”). If you’re looking for a classier aloha shirt, Rix Island Wear is the place to get it. Personally, the Halau and Kupu collections are my favorite, but there are several other options if those aren’t up your alley.
Red Dirt Shirt
If you’ve ever been to Hawaii, you know that Hawaii has some bright red, iron-filled dirt that stains just about everything that it comes in contact with. Well, some Hawaii locals have found a way to turn this into a positive thing, by purposefully dying shirts to become the red dirt color. And voila! The Red Dirt Shirt was created. That’d be quite an original gift from Hawaii to give!
*Note: the red dirt shirt website is quite difficult to navigate. To get to the products, you have to click on the location (any location, but it’ll change the products you’ll have access to) and then the location image that pops up. On the bright side though, they do offer free shipping to anywhere in the U.S.
Li Hing Mui Powder
Remember that sweet, sour, and spicy powder that I brought up in Part 1 of the Hawaii Food Bucket List? Li hing mui powder? Well guess what? You can buy it online and sprinkle it on your ice cream, fresh fruit, dried fruit, or whatever you feel like experimenting on at home.
Design Jord
I recently Design Jord, and I knew that I had to add it to this list. It’s filled with the perfect Hawaii-themed gifts, especially if you’re into stickers. Most of the adorable stickers focus on food, plants, or “aloha ‘aina” (take care of the land). There’s even a boba sticker, which I have never seen before.
Southern Aloha Charm
Run by a girl from the South who moved to Kailua, Hawaii, Southern Aloha Charm makes the most of the gifts from the ocean. Using driftwood as her canvas and the ocean as her inspiration, Southern Aloha Charm’s pieces are fantastic if you’re looking to add some beach-y vibes to your home.
*Note: the selection at Southern Aloha Charm changes frequently, so if you see a piece you like, snatch it before it’s gone! And if there’s nothing that speaks to you at the moment, just check back again in a couple of weeks!
Kona Coffee
Many people nowadays claim to be coffee connoisseurs so perhaps a bag or two of Kona coffee would be the perfect gift from Hawaii. Kauai coffee and Waialua coffee are both great local alternatives as well.
Hoping to support other local Hawaii businesses? Here are a bunch of sustainable businesses that deserve your support!
So which of these gifts from Hawaii would you like to get? Or is there something else that isn’t on this list? Write them below in the comments! (I promise I’ll respond!)
Did this post give you some gift ideas? Pin it for later!
Disclosure: I use referral links in this post, and I might make a commission on my recommendations.
I came to love the Aloha spirit that permeates Hawaii and really wish I had bought more souvenirs with that sentiment on it! I love this idea to buy things online! Great tips!
Me too! I figured if you can’t get to the aloha spirit, bring the aloha spirit to yourself!!
I’d want so many of those this holiday season! Especially the Kona coffee, I totally miss that. This was such a great list!
Thanks so much!! I tried to think of things that I actually miss when I’m away from home :).
This has made me miss Hawaii so much!! I’m a big fan of vintage posters (there are some great ones!) and I love that necklace as well 🙂 Thanks for sharing these ideas!
Those are a couple of my favorite items too!
Haha Hawaiian t-shirts are the way to go! Love this, I visited once and would welcome a little piece of paradise to carry around with me 🙂
Haha maybe one of these can be your little piece of paradise ;).
I dream of visiting Hawaii one day <3 I love the relaxed island vibe. The island inspired necklace looks really cute!
One day it’ll happen!!
I love these gift ideas! I’ve always wanted to visit Hawaii! Great post.
Sounds like it might be time to plan a trip haha
I’m all about those vintage prints! Such a good find. My dad is heading to Honolulu next year for work, so I might just drop him this link as a subtle hint! Strange, but I had never thought that a Hawaiian shirt would make for a good souvenir. I love the print on the shirt pictured—lovely vintage vibe and definitely a lot classier than some Hawaiian shirts I’ve seen lately!
Oh yeah for sure! I feel like Hawaiian shirts that are marketed to tourists are so loud and bright. The ones that locals actually use are so much better!
Oooh these would make great Christmas gifts! And now I want some for myself!
Lol yes!! Get some for your Hawaii-loving friends!
What an awesome post! I never imagined you could get these stuff online. Super useful, saving it.
Right?! I was even surprised by some of these (like the li hing mui powder!)
I love souvenirs, so it was really fun to read this post! Honestly, my favorite thing about this roundup is that 90% of the things are unique and I’ve never heard of them before… Very cool!
That was the goal!
Innovative topic for a blog post! Buying souvenirs online is definitely a way to provide inspiration to visit a destination and they make great gifts!
For sure!! Glad you enjoyed the read!
I don’t know anyone who has been to Hawaii and hasn’t loved it! Every time I go to Kona, I always bring back coffee to give as gifts. Some how I never thought of buying it online? Great suggestion.
aw glad to hear that you’ve loved your trips to Hawaii!
I will take ALL the coffee please! ☕
Seriously. Send it now.
Haha it’ll just take a couple clicks!
I am totally in love with the jewelry and the vintage posters! Thats so cool that you can get them online! we usually pack light so its cool that you can buy it when you get home!
Totally agree!!
My husband and I got engaged in Hawaii, so I’d love to buy him a Hawaii-related gift for a future anniversary. I especially love the vintage posters!
aw that’s such a cute idea!