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

[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!