Hawaii in April

[fenchurch]

We finally remembered to actually book our tickets for the big vacation trip to Hawaii next month(!! where did the time go?) -- we kept talking about it and looking over options, but never quite getting anything purchased. Well, now we're committed, because we've paid our airfare and reserved our seats! Squee!!!

I haven't been to Hawaii since I was 10, when we stopped for a bit while we were moving back to the Mainland from Guam. I'm very excited about getting to do some of the tourist type things, because it's something I never really got to do. Whenever we were on Oahu, we spent most of our time visiting old friends of my parents -- my mom went to high school there and that's where my parents were living when they met and after they got married. It's also where I was born. rackham has never been... so, we figured it was the ideal place to celebrate our 20th anniversary (talk about wondering where the time has gone!)

Even more squee-worthy is the second leg of our vacation... on the Big Island. And you know that that means! Volcanoes!!!! SQUEEEEEE!! I've want to go to the Big Island all my life! And we're going!!! *does the Dance of Joy*

So, people! Friends of mine! For those of you who have gone more recently than I have, what's your favorite thing to do on Oahu and the Big Island?

Comments

[queenofattolia.livejournal.com]

My favorite things on Oahu: The shrimp trucks on the way to Waimea; watching the surf and the surfers on the North Shore; shave ice at Masumoto's (also in Waimea); driving around the island in all directions; the University of Hawaii and the neighborhood around it; the view from the Punchbowl; Haunama Bay; Diamond Head; Leonard's Malasadas (fabulous hot!) and plate lunch at the Rainbow Drive-In in Kapahulu;; all the Zippy's everywhere; drinks at the Halekulani at sunset (you can get virgin ones, and yeah it's corny, but beautiful); Chinese food in Chinatown; Ala Moana Beach, where real Hawaiians hang out; the first mission church and the grounds around it; the huli huli chicken trucks parked around downtown; Iolani Palace (touristy but fascinating and oh so sad); the Bishop Museum; Punahou Academy - and actually, everything in Oahu (my favorite island).

My sister says the Saturday farmer's market at Diamond Head is not to be missed - she says the homegrown/homemade fruits, jams, breads, condiments etc. are fabulous and make great gifts (I know this first-hand).

I've never been to the Big Island (only to Oahu, Maui and Kauai), but sis says the coffee plantations are cool, and they have a wonderful farmer's market too (in Hilo, I think).

You're going to have big fun no matter what you do. Hawaii is amazing.

ETA: Sunday brunch at the Halekulani is amazing, too - very expensive, but worth it just to pile your plate full of yummy Hawaiian and Asian goodies and take it to a table overlooking Waikiki. The dessert table is impressive, as well - I've never had a Sacher torte quite like the one made in Hawaii.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Thank you for all the suggestions! I'll definitely be adding them to the list... Love the idea of going to the farmer's market. It's not something that ever would have occurred to me to do, either.

the view from the Punchbowl;

You know, other than going to Sea Life Park or to Paradise Park (which I hear is no longer there), the Punchbowl is the one thing I remember doing on Oahu and I'd already been planning on taking Rackham there.

[geojlc.livejournal.com]

On Oahu, I like the flea market, the Pearl Harbor monument, and the Polynesian Cultural Center. We also did some snorkeling that was pretty cool, only the fish are far enough down that you either need to be able to see well or have prescription goggles... (and that may also have been on the big island. :-)

If you can arrange it, do some hiking out on the lava flows after dark. We had a ranger guide. There weren't any open vents at that point, so we hiked to about a 1/4 mile from where the lava flowed into the ocean and watched the explosions. It was VERY cool! We also did a hike in a lava tube, and visited a beautiful park with a water fall. If you rent a car and can manage it, the drive over the pass between Mouna Loa and Mouna Kea was pretty cool. One side of the island is rain forest and the other side is a dessert. It's kind of like driving through the Columbia River Gorge from Portland to Eastern Oregon. The cliffs at the edge of the big island were also pretty impressive... Ooo... also make sure to stop at at least one of the roadside fruit/smoothie stands. I had the best ever pina colada smoothie at one of those! I think, however, my favorite experience was taking a helicopter trip over the lava flows. It was really neat!

Wow, you'd think I spent forever there. I was there with a geology group and spent 10 days total on the 2 islands. Of that 10 days, we had something like 110 scheduled hours and silly things like 30 minute breaks at 10pm. But it was amazing and I'd go back and do it in a heartbeat!

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

We were definitely planning on doing the Pearl Harbor Monument and the Polynesian Cultural Center... they're things I never got a chance to do on my previous visits. And we want to go snorkeling at some point (something else I've never done, despite living out in the islands as a child), although I hadn't thought about the prescription issue. Not a problem for me, but it means Rackham probably won't be able to see anything (he's blind as a bat without his glasses).

I love the idea of hiking out on the lava flows after dark! And yeah, the plan is to rent a car on both islands, so we've got some freedom to really explore.

[geojlc.livejournal.com]

Some car rental companies don't want people to take the cars up over the pass. If you want to do that, either don't mention you are going, or find one that doesn't specifiy that. I think it has something to do with not letting you have insurance if you are going that way or something...

I hope you have lots and lots of fun!

[econopodder.livejournal.com]

I have never been but want to go, for family reasons like you: my grandfather grew up in Honolulu (attending Punahou, like Barack O.), where my great-grandfather managed a fertilizer company. (Yes, my family was literally batsh*t (aka guano).)

That leads to the suggestion I do have for you: I like reading novels set in a place I'm travelling to. If you do, too, I can recommend the novels of Alan Brennert: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Alan%20Brennert

I read his novel Moloka'i a few years ago and loved it; somehow I'd never known that that entire island had been an (involuntary) leper camp for decades, up until shockingly recently.

I discovered that book when Brennert contacted my aunt. He was researching his latest novel -- Honolulu, just published recently -- and somehow had learned about my great-grandfather's role at Hawaiian Fertilizer Company (later Pacific Guano and Fertilizer). I guess that firm, or a fictional simulacrum, figure in his new story, b/c he was looking for any photos or stories we could share. We had a few pics but nothing more.

Writing this reminds me to see if I can get his new book from my library. I'll read it with literary eagerness but a certain amount of familial trepidation, as I can't imagine that haoles (white settlers) come off too well from any Hawaiian perspective in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Oh very cool! Our roots don't go back that far and are fairly shallow to begin with, since the reason both my mom and I were born on Oahu is because our fathers were in the military (I'm an Air Force brat and my mom is a Navy brat). She spent quite a bit of time there on and off when she was growing up (they bounced between Hawaii, Guam, California and Washington), but we left Oahu when I was seven months old and really only went back when we were flying to and from Guam while we lived there.

I'll have to see about tracking down copies of those books!

[jerusha]

Have a fantastic time! I've never been to Hawaii.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Yay! I look forward to vicariously enjoying your trip with you both!

[pmgoose.livejournal.com]

Wow, that sounds awesome!! I've never been, but I hope y'all have a wonderful time! :)

[celedraug.livejournal.com]

*chuckle*

Well, pretty much all of the places/things I would go back to have already been listed. Definitely make certain to take the tour and luau at the PCC, I remember taking one of the tours where you also got to go on the grounds of the Hawai'ian Temple. Enjoy the gardens and smell some of the plumeria, pikaki and other flowers for me please. *grin*

Gambit and I have been talking about going, since I've not been back in years, and he has family living there.

[gab.livejournal.com]

I've never been, but it sounds AWESOME. I don't envy the over the ocean part, though. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the whales will behave while you're on your trip. :D

Also, I am so jealous! But the good kind. :)

[acristleo.livejournal.com]

I have nothing constructive to offer, I can only confess my envy followed by my very sincere wish that you both enjoy your celebration!

[framefolly.livejournal.com]

Wow! What a perfectly romantic and exciting way to celebrate a most happy occasion! Have a GREAT time!

It's been literally decades since I've been to Hawaii, but I vividly remember going to a beach where I swam with beautiful colorful fish! Right next to me -- even in the shallows where my 9 year old feet could touch the sand! I don't know where it is, what it's called, or even if it still exists, but that was an enduring magical memory and I hope you find it...

[(Anonymous)]

You could visit the BYU campus while you're there too - Holly

[corellian-sugar.livejournal.com]

Sea Life Park and Polynesian Cultural Gardens (flip side of the island, near the AF Base).

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

We've never been, so I have to see it through your eyes! Happy Anniversary and have a GREAT TIME!!!