O/T:Going to Hawaii, what to see? what to do?

Hey guys and gals.

I'll be on the islands for vacation at the end of December, and am looking for some stuff to do!

surfing and Pearl Harbor are obviously on the agenda, but what else is there? Bands? Shows?

 

I know a girl from back in high school who lives there now. We talk on line all the time and if I were going to Hawaii, she'd be at the top of my list of things to see and do.

 

Fencepost86,

Things you might want to check out:

1. PEARL HARBOR MEMORIAL There is also a vintage aircraft museum on Ford Island. I haven't been there yet but I have heard good things about it.

2. HIKE DIAMOND HEAD. Its a hike from inside the crater to the Top of diamond head. Takes me and my 2yr old about an hour. Try to go early it can get crowded on the trail.

3. Forget the car scene and go surf! If you really need to check out cars when you are here go to: www.hawaiiindependentcruisenights.com but by mainland standards the scene is limited here. There is no drag races either. Hawaii Raceway Park shut down about a year ago.

4. During the winter check out the surf on the North Shore. It gets huge during the winter swell. But, if it's going off - be ready to sit in traffic for a while.

5. Visit Maui or the Big Island if you have the extra time.

 

Troll lewers street in waikiki and bone tourist girls. Toilet bowl in hanauma bay is cool and if it's still there hawaii raceway park, (dragstrip). I was stationed there 4 years, God Bless America and hot tourist chicks! They closed the dragstrip!!!! What the hell!!? Oahu was perfect, it no longer has all a man needs.

 

well, you could always give me her contact info... lol

 

My favorite island is Maui. Lots to do without the big crowds. Surf, snorkle, drive, fish, helicopter, horseback riding, airplanes and submarine. Best place is the Napili Kai Beach Resort. Private beach and away from the crowds. Excellent snorkling.

If money is no object, The Grand Wauleia on Maui has the best pool. Only water elevator in the world. The pool has a river and rapids that run around it.

 

If you have to ask about what to do in paradise you shouldn't be going.

 

I'll be on Kauai... so I wont be near any large touresty things (just the way I like it)

Binder... I know what I can do... I just wanted to make sure I wasnt going to miss anything amazing. Though I'll probably spend all my time learning to surf. When you've been a land-locked Albertan your whole life, it'll be pretty cool to learn how to surf

 

I'm just jealous because your going instead of me!! Have a great time

 

Are you only staying on Oahu??? If so get out of that god awefull Honolulu/Waikiki. It's not the "real" Hawaii at all.
Go to the north shore hang out do nothing.
But you could always hook up with Dog the Bounty Hunter and tie beads into each others hair.

 

If you get a chance to hop over to Maui, two things I would reccomend are: Take a sunrise bicycle tour of Mount Haleakala and drive the "Road to Hana". The bicycle tour starts at the top of Mt Haleakala, a dormant volcano, before sunrise. You get to see the sun rise above the clouds...VERY COOL! Then you get to ride a bicycle down the mountain, going throuh all the different climate cahnges, from cold, to cloudy, sometimes rain, and then down to the warmth. The "Road to Hana' will take you along the shore of the island, and through some of the most breathtaking sceanery you will ever see. I wore out a set of brakes on a rental Ford Tempo back in the 80's from all the tight corners!

 

Yeah, I've done that drive too. It is awesome. The road is really twisty and narrow, but its worth it. There are these 7 waterfalls when you finally get to the top.

 

pack up any thing you care about and ship it to where you are staying before you go. you arent going to want to come back. i went to maui 1 1/2 yr ago and called my mome and told her she might have to ship my car and my dogs and sell my house. we truley didnt want to come back. road to hanna is awsome. we didnt get to to the sunrise deal, it was vaca. and we didnt want to wake up that early. sounds cool though. surfing lessons wont be cheap, at least from what i saw. my wife and i really want to go back. definitely have to see hawaii before you die.

 

The bike tours down from Haleakala have been shut down by the State Forestry Division. There was a rash of fatal accidents. Still worth taking the drive up. I guess you could find your own bike and ride down.

 

I also recommend the bike ride down Haleakala and getting up there to see the sunrise. It's an unforgettable experience. The Road To Hanna is OK but if you want a real treat off the beaten path take Rt 340 from Honokowai to Waiehu. Fantastic views along this route. We enjoyed this more than the road to Hana. My wife and I both felt that the horror stories of the Road To Hana were exaggerated, it's a paved road with lots of curves. Saw Rustfarmers post and went looking. They are not shut down permantely yet. You can read about it here.

http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=34753

 

phat rat,
I really hope it's not shut down. We went over to Maui couple of months ago and I was real bummed it was shut down or suspended while we were there. Although I have lived in Hawaii all my life and have raced bicycles for many years I have never experienced the ride down. I don't get to surf much either for that matter.

 

My wife and I did the sunrise ride in June 06 it was an experience we won't forget. At first my wife was hesitant to go but decided to try it. She has never for a moment regretted it. They did airlift an injured woman off that was a couple of groups behind us that day. Where else can you take a bike ride of 30+ mi and only pedal about 1/2 mile? If I remember correctly average speed down the mountain was about 20 mph, that's pretty good for just coasting. LOL Do you live on the big island?

 

Oahu? I'd have to hit this...




I wish that was in my backyard..

 

If you like to snorkle go to Hanauma Bay and while you're there ask someone how to get to the toilet bowl. It's worth finding.

 

Surf,hang out & drink. In that order.

 

I spent some time there while in the Navy. Possibly the most beautiful place on the planet. Go see the Pearl Harbor and USS Arizona Memorial. Then, if you're single, take a run through Hotel Street. That's where bad sailors spent our hard earned money. Lot's of activity there.

 

I would have to recommend that, if you can spring for the extra bucks, see the Arizona Memorial by air. I did, and I suggest you will never forget the image. You'll get about a one-hour tour of Oahu in the deal, but the Arizona was worth it all by itself, IMO.

Roger

 

Fencepost86 you'll have to fill us in when you get back. My fiance and I are going on our honeymoon on Kauai in Aug. 2009. She has been researching the heck out of it and talking to people on various websites about where to go and what to see.I can't wait to go......

 

Kauai is one nice place, lots of things to see and do without the Honolulu congestion. Poipu in the summer and Princeville in the winter.

 

You probably want to avoid hooking up on Hotel Street nowadays. You won't know what you are getting Lots of Mahus work that area now. (Mahu is the local word for tranvestite.) It is a colorful area to visit none the less.

 

No one has mentioned that there is a drag strip on Kauai - here's their web site. Unfortunately there are no races while you're there but you can stop by and say you were there. It's on the way to the Grand Canyon of the Pacific which is a very nice ride with a fantastic valley at the end that you will see on just about every Hawaii calender you ever see for years to come. All the way around the other end of the road (you can't drive all the way around the island) up by Princeville I highly recommend the Captain Zodiac tour. You get to see the whole Napili coastline from the sea (including looking UP that valley that was at the end of the canyon road. Plus you're on a fun go-fast zodiac raft that's a lot more fun than those go slow boats with 150 people on the top deck. Our zodiac captain was a hot shit and called the tourist boat the ones for the "newly weds and nearly deads" as we wizzed past them.

BTW here's the drag strip's web site. Call one of those guys and ask them if there's anything happening while you're there or where the neat shops are to visit. The locals love to show their stuff off to mainlanders (PS there is a strip on the Big Islnd and on Maui also.)
http://www.islandracer.com/

On Oahu I second that idea of hiking up the inside of Diamond Head. Very few people actually know that Diamond Head is a crater. The view you always see is from Waikiki looking east. What you do is drive around the east side and drive thru a tunnel (you might recognize it if you watched Magnum PI very much since I think it's the only tunnel on the island other than the Wiki Wiki tunnels) and into the center of the crater (it's free so do it even if you don't want to take the hike). Then when you hike up and reach the top, you're looking west back at Waikiki and beyond that to Pearl Harbor. It's a view not very many people can say they've seen.

Speaking of Pearl Harbor and the tours - you can do a tour of the Missouri also now and it's a very good self directed tour (or you can pay to get a guide if you'd like.) And by all means make sure you take the "official" tour of the Arizona from the Naval visitors center. You go to the memorial on an official Navy "ship" and they are the only ones allowed to let passenger disembark onto the Memorial - and that is one VERY moving experience.

Another nice somber take is the Punchbowl Crater which is like the Arlington Cemetery of the Pacific. BTW, the view from the east exit of the Punchbowl offers a fantastic view of Honolulu/Waikiki at night.

One last thing before I head to the shop to process some aluminum.

What ever Island you land on first - the next day plan on getting up to see a sunrise. Remember, your body is still on "home" time which for me is 5 hours later than Hawaii time. So while it's 4-5 AM in Hawaii, your body thinks it's 9-10 AM so getting up is no big deal. If you're staying on Waikiki go out on the pier down toward the west end of the beach and you'll get a fantastic sunrise right over Diamond Head. On Kauai we caught a great sunrise from the beach behind the Islander on the Beach Hotel and on Maui - as mentioned above - NOTHING beats the sunrise over Haleakala as you stand on the west rim of a 2 x 7 mile crater ABOVE the clouds (hopefully) and watch the sun come up over the far (eastern) edge of the rim and clouds.

Yea, we love Paradise - we're heading back in February for our 8th trip and we can't wait

Dennis

 

Maybe the best advice is to make good plans ahead of time, ask questions like you are doing here, and then when you get there...

Relax.

Get on hawaiian time as soon as you can and don't be on time for anything. Throw away your shoes, get some slippas and hang out. Be cool with the locals. Spend most of your time at the beach. Get out of the hotel and eat at as many Mom & Pops as you can.

Eat loco mocos for breakfast, plate lunch after surfing, and lots of fish for dinner. Try the laulau at least once. If you try poi, eat it with the kalua pig. Taste great that way.

Have fun and give and take as much Aloha as you can.

 

Agree, We stayed at the Grand Wauleia, WOW!!! $60 for two burgers, two drinks and two bags of chips at the swim-up bar in the pool!
Maui is by far the best! Road to Hana is lots of fun, we even watched someone drive it backwards!
Rent a 4x4 and explore the Island, go the the beaches away from the busy areas.

 

If you get to Maui and do the road to Hana don't stop there - continue right on around the east end of the island - you come around just in time to stop at the Tedesci winery and then over to Makawao (sp?). If the wife is with you, take her to Sherri Reeves store - absolutely nothing for guys but beautiful T-shirts and stuff for the wife - you'll get BIG points for that one.

Oh, and if you like the road to Hana you need to go around the west end of the island also. If you're a HOG member rent a hog from Maui HD and do the west end counterclockwise - you'll absolutely love it. Well, you will if you like scenic 2nd and RD gear touring with dramatic cliffs and waterfalls. If it's higher speed riding you like, rent a hog from TJ's right in front of the King Kamehameha (sp?) hotel in Kona and take a trip across the Big Island.

Oh, I can't wait