Hawaii Things to do ???

dblue75

Hey.....I'm off to Hawaii in Sept for a few weeks. Did a bit of research on the internet regarding things to do etc....

Does anyone have any advice or been there and did trips of any sort or go to other islands for a few days etc..... that they would recommend or loved doing.

Any suggestions greatly welcomed.

Thanks :T :T :T

omelette451

Lie on the beach for hours on end watching many scantily-clad boys/girls (delete as applicable!) running around...

The odd cocktail thrown in.

That's about it really. Have a nice time

rlc22

Not sure which island you're going to, but we were in Oahu for 4 nights on our honeymoon last year.

We didn't get to do much in the 4 days, but the one thing I would recommend if you're a Lost fan is the Lost Tour of the island offered by Big Kahuna. It was fab!

LesD

Things to do in Hawaii…..

OAHU
Waikiki Beach!
Diamond Head crater hike - need to take a torch!
Waikiki Aquarium - only aquarium with live coral reef.
Honolulu Zoo – a short walk from the Aquarium.
Kapiolani Park Free Hula Show – Tue/Wed/Thur
International Marketplace – souvenirs of every sort!
Duke Kahanamoku statue and the sacred stones of Ulukou on Kalakaua Avenue.
(Look for the webcam on the nearby lamp-post and wave to friends when you phone home!)
Punchbowl Crater – good view of Honolulu.
Iolani Palace – only palace in U.S – other interesting buildings nearby.
Chinatown – great for lunch!
Hilo Hatties – free trolley ride from Waikiki!
Aloha Tower – a short walk from Hilo Hatties.
Ala Moana shopping mall!
Round the island bus trip - No.52 (clockwise) or 55 (anticl/w) from Ala Moana.
Bus passes for 4 days from ABC Stores.
Hanauma Bay – great for snorkelling.
Sea Life Park – the usual dolphin show.
Byodo-In Temple – replica Japanese temple – near Kaneohe.
Polynesian Cultural Center – a great luau they say (expensive).
(‘Luau’ – similar to NZ ‘Hangi’ I suppose!)
North Shore surfing inc. Banzai Pipeline - waves are higher in winter.
Dole Pineapple Plantation - largest maze in the world.
Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbour – a bit morbid!
Pearlridge shopping centre – good view of Pearl Harbour from car park!


A few words of Hawaiian…

Aloha – Hello
Aloha – Goodbye
Mahalo – Thanks
Makai – towards the sea (away from the mountain!)
Mauka – away from the sea (towards the mountain!)
Nene – Hawaiian goose (state bird – 10 points if you see one!)
Ono – oh yes! (Quite delicious!)
Poi – taro
Taro – poi (never did solve this one)
Pupu – snack (hmmmm…..)
Pele – nothing to do with soccer – the Goddess of Fire



Other Islands

HAWAII
Volcanoes National Park – Kilauea – world’s most active.
Mauna Kea/Mauna Loa – measured from the sea bed, the world’s highest mountains!
Kona – famous for coffee
Town of “Captain Cook” – where he was killed

MAUI
Up-market and green – lots of rainforest.
Lahaina – old whaling town
North-east coast – Road to Hana – 2-3 hours to the general store!
Haleakala Crater – transport up and then cycle down – at dawn!

KAUAI
Jurassic Park, South Pacific, raiders of the Lost Ark, Blue Hawaii partly made here.
Mount Waialeale – world’s wettest place!
The island for a helicopter trip (expensive) – Jurassic Park waterfall and Na Pali Coast.
Waimea Canyon – the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
Waimea Village – first Captain Cook landing place.
Hanalei – source of most of the poi/taro/poi!
Wailua Falls and Fern Grotto – tourist trap?

Cornball

Presuming you will be on Oahu:

If you are a fan of Lost I really enjoyed this Hummer movie/film set tour.

I did a Volcano tour to the big island that involved getting up at 4 am to catch a flight but it was amazing.

Pearl Harbour for the history.

I did several tours with Oahu Nature Tours, inc. hiking up to Manoa Waterfall, hiking to the top of Diamond Head (2 hrs up! Lots of stairs!) which had an amazing view, and Royal History Tour.

I tried surfing with these guys. Very cool, friendly girls.

You have to visit the Dole Plantation. I had no idea pineapples grew in the ground!

The best thing about all these tours was that they will all collect you from your hotel and you can book the day before usually.

The beach area in front of the major hotels gets really crowded but if you walk 5 min down towards Diamond Head it's much quieter.

You can't really go wrong in Hawaii! Can't wait to return.

Cornball

LesD wrote: »

Dole Pineapple Plantation - largest maze in the world.

That thing is a death trap! Got lost, panicked and pushed my way through the bushes scratching my legs to bits.

Blue264

LesD wrote: »

Diamond Head crater hike - need to take a torch!

Ala Moana shopping mall!

Round the island bus trip - No.52 (clockwise) or 55 (anticl/w) from Ala Moana.
Bus passes for 4 days from ABC Stores.

Byodo-In Temple – replica Japanese temple – near Kaneohe.

North Shore surfing inc. Banzai Pipeline - waves are higher in winter.

Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbour – a bit morbid!

Pearl Harbour is quite staggering. It puts a lot of things into perspective.

Waimea Valley is well worth a visit to get away from the crowds.

Byodo-In Temple is stunning and worth the trek.

Ala Moana shopping mall food court is great for a cheap lunch.

Try taking a horseback trek into Diamond Head Crater.

As has been said above, use the local bus! It's so cheap and takes you to almost everywhere that you would want to visit.
And my personal favourite place on Oahu is Haleiwa by a very long way.
Also had a surprisingly good night at the Hard Rock Cafe there. Think they still have live bands three nights a week too.

Unless you want to do the Lost tour, I really would use the local bus.

LesD

Cornball wrote: »

The beach area in front of the major hotels gets really crowded but if you walk 5 min down towards Diamond Head it's much quieter.

But not too far, if you're heterosexual!

matthew74

Haleakala on Maui is superb. The Hana highway also worth driving. Have not been to the other Islands unfortunately.