chepar
Contributor
Humuhumunukunukuapua'a:There is always potential tension between the Hawaiians and the haoles, but I have always found the locals very welcoming once they get to know you. They can be standoffish at first for sure, like people in many tourist destinations, especially places with a culture as unique as Hawaii's. It definitely depends on your attitude. Like all tourist destinations, the locals have a love/hate relationship with the tourism industry. Some places are worse than others in terms of tolerance of non-locals. And of course some places are like Disneyland.
This pretty much sums it up without getting into too much detail. You will find some locals more welcoming than others.
The "local culture" is very different than most of the mainland. As said previously, much depends on your attitude and how you approach the differences.