Flights booked for July! (Honolulu, Waipio: rental car, rental, live in)

[ChocolateBabz]

am sooo excited I could pee my pants (but I'll try not to!)

Will be there for 8 nights on The Big Island and then 8 nights on Oahu. Haven't booked accommodation yet but will get right on that. We haven't had a family vacation in four years - me, hubby and 'the dude' (age 13).

So we are excited to do some water sports, see a volcano, maybe one of those zipline tours, hubby wants to rent a jeep, see the big gold guy from the start of Hawaii Five-O and generally act like nutty tourists.

I will certainly trawl through this forum for fun things to do but if you had to name the top 3 things to do on these 2 islands what would they be?

Oh yeah and the bikini diet starts tomorrow

[WaikikiBoy]

On Oahu, I normally recommend the following:

1. Iolani Palace: Well worth seeing. You can do a guided tour or a self-guided tour. There is a lot of history and I think it's a must-see for everyone. You can simply google Iolani Palace and learn more.

2. Polynesian Cultural Center: Pay the extra money to get the guided tour, Luau and the night show. It get's kind expensive but the night show is really well done and certainly worth seeing. It will be a really fun, full day there.

3. Drive to the North Shore and grab a shave ice at Matsuoka's in Haleiwa. Yeah, it's a touristy thing to do but it's really a fun thing to do and you can around Haleiwa as well on your way to the North Shore.

If you are REALLY adventurous and "The Dude" won't get scared, you could do a shark tour in North shore. They'll take you 3 miles off-shore in a small boat and drop you in a cage with sharks circling around you. It's actually really cool. The sharks are awesome animals and they come up really close to the cage. It sounds a bit scarey but for me it was a very calm and peaceful experience being in the water and watching those beautiful animals.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by WaikikiBoy

On Oahu, I normally recommend the following:

1. Iolani Palace: Well worth seeing. You can do a guided tour or a self-guided tour. There is a lot of history and I think it's a must-see for everyone. You can simply google Iolani Palace and learn more.

2. Polynesian Cultural Center: Pay the extra money to get the guided tour, Luau and the night show. It get's kind expensive but the night show is really well done and certainly worth seeing. It will be a really fun, full day there.

3. Drive to the North Shore and grab a shave ice at Matsuoka's in Haleiwa. Yeah, it's a touristy thing to do but it's really a fun thing to do and you can around Haleiwa as well on your way to the North Shore.

If you are REALLY adventurous and "The Dude" won't get scared, you could do a shark tour in North shore. They'll take you 3 miles off-shore in a small boat and drop you in a cage with sharks circling around you. It's actually really cool. The sharks are awesome animals and they come up really close to the cage. It sounds a bit scarey but for me it was a very calm and peaceful experience being in the water and watching those beautiful animals.

+ 1. The shark tour is one of the funnest things I've ever done - anywhere. It is a must do for anyone in Oahu.

[ChocolateBabz]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

+ 1. The shark tour is one of the funnest things I've ever done - anywhere. It is a must do for anyone in Oahu.

O.M.G. I had to google it to make sure you were serious - hubby would love that - not sure about me and dude - but we may only get the chance once in our lifetimes - maybe if I was brave enough he would be haha!

[Jeepers Creepers]

Originally Posted by ChocolateBabz

O.M.G. I had to google it to make sure you were serious - hubby would love that - not sure about me and dude - but we may only get the chance once in our lifetimes - maybe if I was brave enough he would be haha!

Sounds great, but with my luck, I would get a tour, with one of those people like pilots that drink before a flight, and be the first low calories snack.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Start doing your rental car research now and make your reservations soon (especially on the BI). We used Discount Hawaii Car Rental; they make your reservation with a major rental company at a discounted rate, and there's no charge for a second driver. People have also said they've gotten good rates through Costco.

I'd recommend not spending the extra money for a jeep. In your 8 days on each island there will be plenty to do without going anywhere you need a jeep. If you are going to the Waipio Valley or the observatories on the top of Mauna Kea, you'd be better off to go with a tour group rather than driving. Unless you are familiar with how to drive on steep mountain roads, having a jeep won't make either of those trips any easier.

The "big gold guy" on Waikiki beach is Duke Kahanomoku. Do some reading up on him.

Speaking of reading, both "Hawaii The Big Island Revealed" and "Oahu Revealed" by Wizard Publications are informative and entertaining reading. And there's a wealth of information on this forum. You'll soon find that 8 days on either island just isn't enough and you'll have to come back again.

[Becca8377]

You can pay a cheaper rate on the shark tours if you don't want to go in the water. So if you don't want to do it, your husband can pay the rate for in the water and you would be cheaper to just hang out on the boat.

Here's my Oahu list -
- Hanauma Bay (get there EARLY, like right when it opens - come 10am it's flooded with tourists)
- Iolani Palace
- Drive around to North Shore - stop at Turtle Beach, Waimea Bay (perhaps check out Waimea Falls), check out Haleiwa and stop at Storto's for the best sandwiches on island (make sure to get the papaya seed dressing!)
- Waiola Shave Ice on Kapahulu
- Leonard's Bakery for Malasadas
- Hiking - Diamond Head, Makapuu, Manoa Falls (all are fairly easy and family friendly). If you're interested in some hardcore hiking, check out Koko Head
- Sea kayaking out of Kailua area
- Catamaran sunset cruise out of Waikiki (Mai Tais was always my favorite)
- Lunch or dinner at Duke's in Waikiki

I'm sure I could come up with a bunch others, but that's a start

[ChocolateBabz]

Originally Posted by Becca8377

You can pay a cheaper rate on the shark tours if you don't want to go in the water. So if you don't want to do it, your husband can pay the rate for in the water and you would be cheaper to just hang out on the boat.

Here's my Oahu list -
- Hanauma Bay (get there EARLY, like right when it opens - come 10am it's flooded with tourists)
- Iolani Palace
- Drive around to North Shore - stop at Turtle Beach, Waimea Bay (perhaps check out Waimea Falls), check out Haleiwa and stop at Storto's for the best sandwiches on island (make sure to get the papaya seed dressing!)
- Waiola Shave Ice on Kapahulu
- Leonard's Bakery for Malasadas
- Hiking - Diamond Head, Makapuu, Manoa Falls (all are fairly easy and family friendly). If you're interested in some hardcore hiking, check out Koko Head
- Sea kayaking out of Kailua area
- Catamaran sunset cruise out of Waikiki (Mai Tais was always my favorite)
- Lunch or dinner at Duke's in Waikiki

I'm sure I could come up with a bunch others, but that's a start

Thanks - I like the idea of watching hubby go in with the sharks, maybe I could pay the tour guide a little extra to leave the gate open LOL! But seriously, I suggested it to the dude and he was all for it - sometimes he surprises me!!

Thanks for the food suggestions, that is always a big part of my holiday. I am a big foodie so any other suggestions are welcome. Never heard of Malasadas but a quick google and I am sooo in!

P.S. hardcore hiking?? I live in Houston and have forgotten what hills look like although I moved here from Scotland so have a vague memory for lumpy bits on the horizon - I never knew you were meant to climb up them though

[PaliPatty]

Originally Posted by ChocolateBabz

see the big gold guy from the start of Hawaii Five-O

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

The "big gold guy" on Waikiki beach is Duke Kahanomoku. .

That "big gold guy from the start of Hawaii Five-0" is King Kamehameha III. The statue is in front of the old judiciary building in downtown Honolulu, across from Iolani Palace.
There is a statue of Duke Kahanamoku on Waikiki Beach. Here's a link to a live webcam :

http://www1.honolulu.gov/multimed/waikiki.asp

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by PaliPatty

That "big gold guy from the start of Hawaii Five-0" is King Kamehameha III. The statue is in front of the old judiciary building in downtown Honolulu, across from Iolani Palace.

Full disclosure... the one in Honolulu is a replica. The original stands near the legendary king's birthplace in Kapaʻau in Kohala, on the island of Hawaiiʻi. Shhhhhhh.