Hawaii?

[hollymarie]

I'm looking forward to my first trip to Hawaii in October--Big Island and Oahu. I would appreciate any recommendations on hikes and outdoor activities. Thanks

[Demeris]

I would encourage you to take two days and drive all the way around the Big Island. You might even think about taking the drive that cuts across the middle of the Island. I'm in awe of the range of weather/geology/flora/fauna on the Big Island.

Also--make time for the volcanoes outside Hilo. Hilo is like a rainforest, but Kona and that whole stretch of beach on the western side of the island is drier and has fascinating rock formation.

Jeanine (bzar) will probably come on and give better suggestions. I think she lives there. I was there for 6 weeks in 2014.

[athompson10]

Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island is fascinating. I did daylong self-guided hikes with my husband (bring WATER!) and the landscapes are otherworldly, especially the lava fields. Kilauea was in an active phase when we were there, as it is now, and there were sections of the park closed to hikers due to fumes from the lava flow. Getting close enough to see the steam/plumes was quite enough for me!

We also did an evening summit trip (guided tour) to Mauna Kea, which involved sunset at the observatory and an astronomy lesson/stargazing session. Really interesting.

I've never been in Oahu long enough to take advantage of Diamond Head or other outdoor hikes there - usually just stopping over - but a trip to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona memorial is well worth it. I went six months after 9/11, and we New Yorkers had just begun the long conversation about what kind of memorial should go up at the Trade Center site. After visiting the Arizona, I thought, "this EXACTLY": a solemn, quiet, reflective place to remember the dead.

[BigBadBetty]

I loved snorkeling at Honaunau Bay on the Big Island. There is plenty to see right off the shore. Parking is tight. We parked and toured Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau which is next door and then went snorkeling (leaving our car at the park). Our condo came with snorkeling equipment.

[dutchgirl]

I just came back from the big island. Others have commented on the land activities. I have suggestions for water excursions.

1) swimming with wild Hawaiian spinner dolphins. My sister and I went with Adventure X. You go out on a very large zodiac boat, drop into the water in front of a pod of dolphins and they'll swim right through you. INCREDIBLE! You don't touch them or act aggressively with them. Just swim along. The government is trying to end this type of interaction with dolphins so you'd need to do it now. This type of excursion is done earlier in the morning.

2) evening manta ray encounter. I can't remember what company we went with. You go on as smaller power boat at dusk to a location where manta rays are known to congregate. You put on a wet suit, mask, and fins and get into the water where you hang onto a floating platform with a light. The krill, and therefore the mantas, are attracted to the light and the mantas will barrel roll right underneath the light to eat the krill. MANTA RAYS ARE BEAUTIFUL and graceful animals. I came away from the excursion with a new level of awe for these strange and wonderful animals. Just FYI, you'll need dry and warm clothes to change into as you do get cold in the water. This is also a night time excursion.

The big island has phenomenal snorkeling! You can go to any beach or park, head to the water and see amazing things. This past visit I saw sea turtles, rays, and an eel in addition to all manner of fish. An excursion can take you to some remote spots that are hard if not impossible to access by land.

And if you're up for it, ziplining. There's a great outfit on the north part of the island near Hawi. I think it's 8 lines, 4 suspension bridges, and a rappel. The north part of the island is a neat cross between lush and more arid. The scenery was gorgeous!

[bzar]

Aloha!!! and congratulations on booking your vacation to Hawaii.

I live on Oahu. I'm not a very experienced hiker - Mizach just visited Hawaii and she and her family did several hikes when they came here a few weeks ago. i'll try to get her to post. Katalina also visits often and has hiked and done various activities (paddle boarding) here on Oahu - i'll also ask her to post.

i've hiked at 2 "beginner" hikes - Diamond Head and Aiea Loop Trail. Katalina might also post about the Diamond Head hike - she's an expert!

haha! i just posted this regarding Kualoa Park on Oahu:
today's workout: hike / tour / community svc

Kualoa (koo-ah-LO-ah) has a lot of outdoor activities. horseback riding, zipline (my sister has gone on a zipline excursion and it involves a little hiking), ATV, movie tour, ancient Hawaiian fishpond, zoo.

You must also visit Hanauma (hah-NAU-ma) bay, a fish sanctuary where you can snorkel.

There's more beaches and beach accessibility on Oahu compared to the Big Island.

On Oahu's north shore, you can visit Waimea bay (why-MAY-ah) bay where the big surfing events take place. there's also turtle watching on that side also.

if you golf, i can post about that separately.

The Arizona Memorial is an outdoor National Park. I highly recommend this tour - it's one of the most visited sites on Oahu by tourists. when i have visitors, i take them there and to a complementary site - Punchbowl Cemetery. they're not near one another, but they tell the story about WWII.

Jennifer R lives on the northern side of the Big Island and i'll ask her to post, especially about hiking since i've never hiked on the big island.

i've visited the Big Island a lot since my MIL is from Kona. Honaunau (HO-now-now) as everyone mentioned is a national park - also called The City of Refuge. i've never gone snorkeling - just visited. There's more National parks on the Big Island than anywhere else in the state.

i highly recommend Volcanoes National Park in Kilauea (kee-lau-AY-ah), especially if you can go on the night tour. Mauna Kea Observatory is also a must.

[shoegoddess]

Walk up Diamond Head. Killer hike. My husband expected a bar at the top but all that was there was a WW2 bunker. Needless to say he was not please!

[Jennifer R]

Sabine and bzar had some great tips for the Big Island. Feel free to PM me and I'll give you my phone number if you want to text me when you're here.

DO NOT try to "drive around the island" in one day. It is BIG and people who do that wind up having a very long day and not seeing much.

Volcanoes National Park is great for hiking--we also are having an active lava flow right now, so you have a choice of either hiking to see it or (my favorite) taking a boat ride at dusk to see the flow entering the ocean. Unforgettable!

Pololu Valley on the north end of the island is a short but very scenic hike.

Snorkeling is terrific, I live in one of the areas with the best snorkeling and also know secret places to see lots of sea turtles. Our coral took a hit with El Nino causing bleaching last year but there's still plenty to see.

Have fun!

[katalina]

Diamond Head is my daily trek when I’m on Oahu. It is approximately 2 miles from Waikiki. If you want to take the bus, they run pretty regularly. There are 237-271 steps (I think that’s the count) – depending upon whether you take the newer trail or the old. The trail splits off after the first set of stairs & tunnel. Old trail to the right, new trail to the left. They both lead to the top. Beautiful panoramic views of Waikiki as well as the Ko’olau Mountain Range. Highly recommend. I would recommend going earlier in the day as it is less crowded and cooler.

Koko Head is known as the Hawaiian Stair Master. It’s over 1000 stairs (old railroad ties). Again, beautiful panoramic views.

Manoa Falls is a fun trek, culminating in a gorgeous waterfall.

Hawaii Nature Center has a lot of trails (I’ve only been out there once).

One of my favorite excursions was Holokai Kayak and Snorkel. The diversity of the marine life and coral was absolutely breath-taking.

I echo Jeannine’s recommendation of Pearl Harbor!

Once a trip I typically head up to the North Shore for the day. There are so many beautiful beaches! Lunching in either Shark’s Cove or Haleiwa.

I hope you have an amazing time!!!

[bzar]

Originally Posted by katalina

Diamond Head is my daily trek when I’m on Oahu. It is approximately 2 miles from Waikiki. If you want to take the bus, they run pretty regularly. There are 237-271 steps (I think that’s the count) – depending upon whether you take the newer trail or the old. The trail splits off after the first set of stairs & tunnel. Old trail to the right, new trail to the left. They both lead to the top. Beautiful panoramic views of Waikiki as well as the Ko’olau Mountain Range. Highly recommend. I would recommend going earlier in the day as it is less crowded and cooler.

Koko Head is known as the Hawaiian Stair Master. It’s over 1000 stairs (old railroad ties). Again, beautiful panoramic views.

Manoa Falls is a fun trek, culminating in a gorgeous waterfall.

Hawaii Nature Center has a lot of trails (I’ve only been out there once).

One of my favorite excursions was Holokai Kayak and Snorkel. The diversity of the marine life and coral was absolutely breath-taking.

I echo Jeannine’s recommendation of Pearl Harbor!

Once a trip I typically head up to the North Shore for the day. There are so many beautiful beaches! Lunching in either Shark’s Cove or Haleiwa.

I hope you have an amazing time!!!

thank you for this post.

you know, even though i live here, i sometimes have to ask people like Katalina what sites are good!!! i've always wanted to paddle board - a co-worker offered to help me with this, but i haven't taken him up on the offer just yet.