While the plot moves slowly, and there is little dialogue, stick with it. I found Hawaii to be a quite satisfying and beautiful little romance.
"Hawaii" does not seem specifically to refer to the U.S.A. state of Hawaii, but rather from Proto-Polynesian *hawaiki, said to mean "Place of the Gods", perhaps something like "wonderful homeland." Both Martin and Eugenio have returned to the place of their youth, albeit under very different circumstances.