Honolulu

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Now, calling Honolulu a tropical paradise is a bit of a stretch but it sure is a great place to have a holiday.

~ ARRIVAL ~

We landed at Honolulu International Airport around 10:30 pm local time. It seemed to take forever to get through the rigmarole of Immigration and Customs as usual … (damned visas) … but we made it out the other end eventually. Thankfully there was plenty of security present at Baggage ...
...absolutely no negative experiences. The Honolulu Police seemed to be extraordinarily busy all the time, they were constantly on the go, sirens blazing for some reason or other but we never encountered anything dangerous or even slightly threatening.

We had a great holiday and the 5 days seemed to go by too fast. I would have no qualms about heading back to Honolulu again for a week’s holiday and would definitely recommend it as a holiday ... more

Hubby and I took a Hawaiian vacation in May 2003 which was a nice break during the New Zealand winter months. The weather was fantastic and even though there was an occasional passing shower every now and then, overall the days were sunny and oh so very warm. The nights were lovely and balmy and just what you want when visiting a tropical island paradise.

Now, calling Honolulu a tropical paradise is a bit of a stretch but it sure is a great place to have a holiday.

~ ARRIVAL ~

We landed at Honolulu International Airport around 10:30 pm local time. It seemed to take forever to get through the rigmarole of Immigration and Customs as usual … (damned visas) … but we made it out the other end eventually. Thankfully there was plenty of security present at Baggage Claim as our bags were looking mighty vulnerable all on their own on the carousel.

We decided to take a cab to our hotel rather than the cheaper option of the shuttle. It was going on midnight and we just wanted to get to the hotel. It cost about $25 for the cab and the cabbie did the usual trick of taking the tourists to the wrong hotel.

“Sorry, I thought you said The Park Hotel, not the Waikiki Parc Hotel “, yeah right!

Hubby still gave the man a tip though which didn’t go down well with me at all. We checked in, got to our room and crashed.

The hotel (Waikiki Parc) was excellent and I highly recommend it to one and all.

~ FIRST IMPRESSIONS ~

When most people think of Hawaii, images of Waikiki Beach generally pop into mind. Images of grand hotels on the beach front, white sands, blue skies, Diamond Head in the distance and hordes of people all enjoying the delights of the beach.

Well let me tell you folks, it looks exactly like that.

When we were there the thing that struck me most was the lack of crowds. I had been expecting the beach to be crowded with holiday makers so I was rather surprised. The world was in the grips of the SARS epidemic, war and terrorism which I guess may have had something to do with the lack of tourists.
Early May may just be the downtime so maybe we just timed it right. We arrived on a Sunday and left on Friday and I did notice the beaches and streets were markedly more crowded on the Friday than they had been all week.

~WHAT WE DID ~

* Waikiki Beach.

Waikiki Beach is actually quite a small patch of beach so I guess that is why it appears overcrowded in all the tourist brochures. At one end you find the beachfront hotels and at the other, the beach peters out and becomes a man made lagoon which seemed popular with the kids. Along the way the beach is dotted with beach rental kiosks where you can hire surf-boards, boogie-boards, kayaks, etc. or a beach umbrella and lounger if you just fancy lying around sunbathing.
When swimming at Waikiki beach be prepared for the rocks and broken coral bits that litter the sandy bottom, the beach drops off quite dramatically as well so keep a good eye on the kids. There are life guard stations all along the beach keeping a good eye on the situation.

*International Market.

The International Market is conveniently located on Kalakaua Avenue, the main street of Waikiki and is very handy to all the hotels. I found it to be a bit lame though and it seemed to be an endless array of the same old same old. You know the sort … aloha wear, sarongs, swimsuits, ukuleles, shell necklaces, gold jewellery, dancing hula dolls, etc, etc.
You can get some cheap eats at the food court though so check it out and go for the plate lunches if you are into saving some pennies. Costs about $4 for a large helping of rice and either meat, chicken or veggie stew, one helping is enough for two if you are not too ravenous.

*Honolulu Zoo

We visited the zoo on our first day as Waikiki is surprisingly small and we were only halfway through our day and we had all but walked the whole area. We came across the zoo and decided to go check it out. It cost about $6 adult going on memory and as far as zoos go, this one was pretty good. I was heartened to see the animal enclosures seemed to have the animal’s welfare in mind and were heavily covered in long grassy areas and tree cover, great for the animals but I imagine a few people would find it annoying that you can’t see the animals very well.
When we visited major constructions were taking place and quite a few of the exhibits were empty which was a bit of a let down.

*Diamond Head

If you are feeling energetic head off to Diamond Head and hit the lookout trail.
The walk itself is a pretty good workout but you don’t have to be a fitness freak to take it on. Take water and wear reasonable shoes because the path gets a bit uneven in places. The walk up was quite tiring and I took advantage of the rest stops along the way. The heat was probably the worst part, Diamond Head is an extinct volcano and the trail goes along the sheltered crater before starting to climb. It gets mighty hot in the sheltered crater area but once you get up a bit the breezes kick in and have a cooling effect.
The views from the top make this climb well worth the effort expended, take your time and just try to ignore the fitness freaks that jog past you from time to time.

*North Shore

Rent a car, take the bus or catch a cab but get yourself out of Waikiki and go exploring around the rest of the island of Oahu.
We rented a car for 3 days so took the opportunity to get out and about.
The North Shore is famous for the big waves that roll in over the winter months (northern hemisphere) and the brave surfers who step up to the challenge and take these monster waves on.
We stopped off at the small township of Haleiwa and went exploring for a while. We visited the North Shore Surf Museum in the North Shore Marketplace. This small museum is an interesting collection of surfing memorabilia and has some collector’s pieces for sale if you are really keen. This museum is free to the public but donations are much appreciated.
The township was obviously a surfer’s paradise with loads of stores selling surfer related gear and rows and rows off boards for sale and rent everywhere you looked. I imagine the township would be fun to visit when the Vans Triple Crown hits town.
We stopped off at Waimea Bay beach for a while and even though the surf was non-existent, it was a great place to spend a while swimming and sunbathing.

* Aloha Stadium Flea Market

This market was huge and fun. Every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday they hold a market in the car park area of this massive sports stadium. Entrance is $1 per person and about $2 for a car. If you don’t have transport check out a bus schedule as there is a regular service here.
Did I mention that this market is huge !
You will probably spend a few hours here just to complete the whole circuit. It is well worth doing the whole thing as you are sure to come across the odd gem of a stall, there are loads of local wood carvers and artists tucked amongst the endless stalls of aloha wear, t-shirt stands and the like.
Grab a plate-lunch if you get hungry, tasty and very filling lamb & veggie stew, rice, pasta and steaming hot cup of tea for about $5.

*Atlantic Submarine

This was great fun but I’m not sure that it is really worth doing if you have done the submarine thing before. There was not a huge amount to see underwater as there are no actual coral reefs around Honolulu. This reef was manmade with a few scuttled planes, some concrete blocks and wire contraptions.
There were a good amount of fish around and we did get to see a sea turtle which was a bit of a highlight. The very best part was the fact that we were in an actual submarine which was pretty damned cool. Going under was great fun and there were loads of fish buzzing around the subs windows while we scooted along the bottom which was quite entertaining. A narrator pointed out things of interest along the way and also told us what to look out for, she pointed out the sea turtle and a moray eel which I don’t think I would have noticed on my own.
The cruise out to the subs was pretty good also and made for another fantastic photo opportunity.

* Hanauma Bay

This is an extremely popular tourist destination and was loads of fun. The bay is renowned as a great snorkeling spot and so we were very keen to go and try it out for ourselves. Getting there was no problem as we had rented a car but if you don’t have your own transport, grab a bus or join a tour group to get here. You can rent snorkel gear from a small kiosk on the beach and there are also lockers for rent to stash your gear in while you snorkel.
The beach is actually in the crater of an extinct volcano and from the top it is very easy to see that that was what it once was. The reef is shallow inside the crater and provides a natural sheltered habitat for the fish before dropping off to deep blue water on the other side.
This is a great place for the novice to get the hang of snorkeling as it is shallow enough to stand up in if you get in trouble. Once you think you have mastered the art of breathing through the snorkel, then head out to the slightly deeper water and have fun.
If you do get in strife there are lifeguards on duty to rush to your aid.
We spent an afternoon here having fun but not being awfully successful at spotting many fish which was a bit of a let down. Maybe we were in the wrong place or the tide was turning or something. The beach itself is very picturesque and it is well worth making the effort to get there.

*Sunset Hula Concert

Every evening in Waikiki we would join the crowds on Waikiki Beach at sunset to watch the sun go down. One evening we came across a concert down by the statue of The Duke. The concert is put on by the tourism board and was a fun and interactive event. The crowd was encouraged to join in with the hula dancing and the island bands were very entertaining singing traditional island songs, telling legends and a bit of a short history lesson as well.

~ ENTERTAINMENT ~

You don’t need to go very far to find something happening here. Just about every hotel has some sort of entertainment happening nightly from jazz nights, comedy nights, quiz nights etc and of course there are nightclubs, bars and clubs galore and cabaret type shows.

I found that there was not enough time in the day to see everything that was on offer and after a full day sightseeing, I was always too laid back to want to do too much in the evening.

We generally headed out around 6pm for a walk, have dinner and stop off somewhere for a bit of entertainment before wandering back to the hotel around 11 – 12 pm. There always seemed to be something happening that caught our interest along the way.

Walking the streets at night always felt safe and Waikiki is very manageable on foot as it is very compact.

~ BUDGET WISE ~

I found that you could live quite cheaply in Waikiki if you were penny pinching. There are loads of ABC stores in Waikiki where you can pick up bottled water, soft drinks and snacks to store in your hotel room for those late night snacks and reasonably priced to boot.

There are loads of cheap and moderately priced places to dine and you generally get good value for money helpings wise. In fact, one helping would be enough to share amongst two in most places. There are some cheap places on Lewers Street if you are looking for some cheap eats but prices were pretty good all over.

Pick up the coupons booklets that you see just about everywhere. All the Visitors Attractions type booklets that you see will have discount coupons that you can use for just about anything from rental cars, tours, food … you name it, it is bound to have a discount coupon if you bother looking.

If you are in town on a Monday night head to the Hawaiian Shopping Centre ( Kalakaua Avenue ) where you will be treated to a free concert put on by the various businesses in town. These are basically teasers where they try to lure you to their bars, clubs etc by putting on a freebie to get you hooked.

The Polynesian Cultural Centre had a great 1 hour concert and there were ticket touts trying to sell everyone tickets to visit the Centre for a luau but they didn’t hassle you about it and you were quite welcome to just enjoy the show.

~ FINAL THOUGHTS ~

Definitely rent a car and get out of Waikiki as getting around the island gives you are much greater appreciation as to what Hawaii is all about and the scenery along the North Coast is spectacular. The highways and freeways make driving a cinch.

The Hawaiian people are wonderfully laid back and extremely friendly. The service staff are attentive and we had absolutely no negative experiences. The Honolulu Police seemed to be extraordinarily busy all the time, they were constantly on the go, sirens blazing for some reason or other but we never encountered anything dangerous or even slightly threatening.

We had a great holiday and the 5 days seemed to go by too fast. I would have no qualms about heading back to Honolulu again for a week’s holiday and would definitely recommend it as a holiday destination.
 

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