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Hawaii, Maui and Oahu
by Tim Anderson
 Introduction
My second trip to the Hawaiian Islands involved visits to Hawaii, Maui
and Oahu with flights between the islands. Also, link to details on
my first trip which included 2 days in Oahu and an
island cruise on the Carnival
Spirit.
BIG ISLAND
Keauhou
We stayed with friends at Keauhou Punahele for our week on the island of
Hawaii. You can type this name on a search engine to arrange your
own accommodation. This unit was on the ground floor fronting the
golf course, with a large lanai that included a table with seating for 4
and a barbecue. This 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom unit was
spacious. It included a full size kitchen, dining room and a large
living room with a flat screen TV. The decor was typical Hawaiian
with wicker furniture and flowery prints on the upholstery. Keauhou
Punahele is about 7 miles south of the Kona pier. The grocery store in
Keauhou is about 4 long blocks away. They have the best fresh-baked
glazed doughnuts in the world. They must use a sweetbread mix.
The weather in Keauhou was unbeatable. We were there the last
week in January, but our friends had been there all month. They said
they'd had one hour of rain, which did cause major flooding. Every
morning is sunny in the Kona area. The clouds build over the island
in the afternoon and cause an overcast, but the sun always sneaks back
through so that you can watch the sun go down. The temperature is
basically the same everyday. Not hot - just perfect for a light
T-shirt, shorts and sandals. Start off with a trip to Kona for
coffee on the waterfront, snorkelling at Kahalu'u Bay, chocolate covered
macadamia nuts at the ABC store and then back to the
condo for a nap. The evenings were perfect room temperature, which
meant for an enjoyable walk down to the the Sheraton
Keauhou nightly to watch the manta rays feed in the waters lit by
spotlight from the hotel. The next morning you simply felt like
doing it all over again.
Kahalu'u Bay
On our first day in the Kona area, we visited Kahalu'u Bay. This is a popular local beach just a 5.5 miles south of Kona on
Ali'i Dr
which winds along the waterfront. They have covered picnic tables, washrooms, a
concession stand, a sandy beach and
outdoor freshwater showers. Snorkel equipment can be rented at the beach.
The snorkeling here is excellent. The coral reef is protected by a breakwater and
a large assortment of tropical fish can be seen in the shallow waters near shore.
This includes parrotfish, yellow tangs, reef triggers, black triggers, convict tangs, orange spine tangs, unicornfish, coris and butterflyfish.
I particularly enjoyed traveling with a school of racoon butterflyfish.
They accepted me in the group and were so close that I nearly pushed them aside as I swam.
There are sea turtles that can be seen without even entering the water too.
In fact one of them came up on the beach daily among all the people to
bask in the sun. The sea life was much more varied, enjoyable and easily accessible than the highly touted Captain Cook Monument
snorkeling at Kealakekua Bay. I recommend this location instead.
If you're on a cruise ship at Kona, take a short cab ride and spend the day at the beach here.
This spot was my favorite part of my visit to Hawaii. I could spend
endless days going to Kona in the morning for Kona coffee and the
afternoon snorkeling and sunning at Kahalu'u.
South of the exposed area where the turtles accumulate, I found an excellent
spot where the water was extremely clear and the corals were in perfect
condition, however the number of fish decreased. Along the reef back toward the beach there were tons of fish.
My favorite continues to be the school of raccoon butterflyfish who move slowly, but seem to scurry toward me
when I enter the water, so that we can drift around together. For additional photos,
visit my post at TropicalFishForum.net
Snorkeling at Kailua-Kona
My first stop everyday of my one week stay in Kona was a trip to Lava
Java for a Kona Coffee decaf. Kona coffee is amazingly even better than Tim Horton's.
On this particular day, I'd decided to see what the snorkeling is like in
the small bay beside the pier where the cruise ships dock. Norwegian
Cruise Line's Pride of America was in the harbor tendering passengers to
shore. Although the cruise ships call this Kona, you'll need to use
Kailua-Kona to start finding this on maps and the internet. The small beach along the northern side of the pier is a great spot with sandy beach,
washrooms and showers. There are also snorkel rentals and everything else you need, like macadamia
nut chocolates, at the ABC store across the street. Although the water in this sheltered bay is a little murky, it's a great spot to view tropical fish.
There was a large school of yellow tangs, bird wrasses, puffers, orange spot tangs,
even a long nosed butterfly and lots of gold ring tangs. This is an excellent spot to head to off of a cruise ship - a great beach, good snorkeling and no cost at all f you happen to bring your own swim mask.
After Kailua-Kona pier snorkel, we headed back to my favorite spot at Kahalu'u
Bay and went snorkeling two more times that same afternoon.
Punalu'u Black Sand Beach
On January 27th we traveled the south end of the Big Island. At the
town site of Na`alehu, we stopped at the Punalu'u Bake Shop for a wide selection of fresh baked goods.
They also serve sandwichs made from sweetbread buns and hot meals which were welcome on the return
route. The town is the most southerly in the United States and was an extremely clean and lovely spot.
Nearby is the Punalu'u Black Sand Beach. It's made almost entirely of soft black volcanic sand.
The big attraction here is the sea turtles. We could see 5 or 6 at a time just 10 - 15 feet from the shore.
My wife was eager to snorkel with them. We found out afterward that you are supposed to maintain a distance of 15 feet.
She soon found herself in the water under 2 feet away and when she backed up, she smashed the algae
from the rocks into her trunks, making a messy brown smudge in her haste to back off.
I found it was easier to see the turtles by standing near them in the water and looking down.
Eventually one crawled up on the beach, which made a great shot.
Chain of Craters
When we visited Volcanoes National Park previously, it was on a tour off of
a cruise ship that included Kilauea, but didn't go down through the Chain of
Craters to the sea. Finally seeing the Chain of Craters was a
highlight of the visit to the Big Island for me. Descending from the
4,000 foot level, you soon leave the tropical forest which is filled with
the sounds of singing birds. A number of very deep craters are soon
reached. These were originally pools of lava where the lave
subsequently leaked out. Soon after the craters, you reach large areas
of lava flow. You can actually hike for miles across these and descend to
the ocean on foot. Far quicker and easier to descend the slope in a
vehicle. It's amazing to look down and see the vast expanse of lava
that has covered this area through repeated eruptions over the
centuries. In the distance, you can see where the lava from Pu`u `O`o is currently
entering the ocean and creating a gigantic steam cloud. At the end of
the road, you can hike a quarter mile to a location where the lava has
covered over the original road surface. Truly a remarkable world.
Mauna Kea
On Jan 29th, I took the Mauna Kea Summit Adventures tour.
It started in Kona on a new 14 passenger bus with large windows and a comfortable ride.
The bus stops at Waikaloa to pick up passengers along the way and then heads to the bumpy Saddle Back road, passing through the Parker Ranch and a US military installation on the saddle between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
From there the bus turns north and heads up to the 9,000 foot visitor
center and scientist dorms. This area is usually restricted by rental car agreements, but the guided tour
is a better choice regardless.
Some of the benefits include a hot meal at the visitor center, heavy parkas and gloves for the freezing conditions and a
knowledgeable guide. The landscape was eerie, with no vegetation,
only volcanic debris and numerous cinder cones. We watched the sunset in the crispy air.
As the sunsets, the various observatories come to life, spinning and opening their doors to begin their nights work.
It was surreal and I realized that it reminded me of the Time Machine story,
where the Morlocks come out of the ground after sunset to gather up
humans. As it grew dark, we headed back down near the visitor
center to star gaze.
The tour brings their own 11 inch Celestron CPC telescope and the viewing is excellent at 9,000 feet.
Tons of stars, a few meteors and satellites too. Pat toured us through the night sky, including locating the North Star, the Andromeda galaxy, Perseus, Pegasus, the Devil Star, Orion, Taurus and many of the signs of the
zodiac. The highlights for me were the Orion Nebula and reacquainting
myself with the fine detail of the constellation of Orion. I'd forgotten the shape of his bow, but it stood out clearly here.
In fact there was so little moisture that the stars overhead did not twinkle, but shone steadily instead.
I can't say enough about the excellent narration and the quality of the star gazing experience.
The hot chocolate and shortbread was very welcome and offset the chill in my toes.
I can't say enough about this 9 hour experience. You could never duplicate it off a cruise ship tour, as you would miss the sunset and all the stars.
MAUI
We flew on Hawaiian Airlines from Kona to
Kahului. They are an excellent airline and the 717 was full of passengers. The airport in Kona is old fashioned, with arrivals and departures listed on a piece of paper posted on a wall. The waiting areas are outdoors, beside the planes, and loading is done by ramps pulled up to the side of the plane just like in the old days.
The flight to Kahului on Maui is listed as a half hour, but it didn't seem to take nearly that long. It seemed we barely got to 14,000 feet and I could see Kaho'olawe, Molokini and Maui out the window.
You can also fly Go! between
the islands.
Molokini
On the Sunday morning, we took the Kai Kanani catamaran to Molokini Crater. The trip runs from the
Maui Prince Hotel and is the first snorkeling tour to reach Molokini each day.
It also goes under the name of the Molokini Express. The hotel was very nice and has an open courtyard in its
center with jungle like vegetation, waterfalls and pools. I'm not sure how sound proof the rooms are, but when we arrived at 6am for our tour, the birds singing in the dark were deafening.
The excursion on the catamaran was an excellent tour. They run the catamaran up on to the beach and two gangways drop down for loading.
You wade out knee deep and then walk up the steps. The catamaran can hold 80 so the 12 of us that morning had lots of room.
We were provided with muffins, pineapple, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and soft drinks.
On the way out, as dawn approached, we came across a female humpback and her small baby.
They were resting, aka logging, less than 50 yards from our craft. When mom finally decided to pack up and go, a male escort rose to the surface and gave us a tail flip as an indication that they'd had enough of us.
Haleakala was outlined in the dawn and the sun came up while we were in the water at Molokini.
The catamaran tied up by having a crew member dive in 20 feet of water to attach a mooring line.
The catamaran sat in about 40 feet of water. It was extremely clear.
The coral was packed tightly against the edge of the crater. There weren't as many fish as at Kahalu'u and it was hard to get close to them, but it wasn't a bad spot.
I saw a very large moray eel and it made me a little nervous as it decided
to side-wind across the reef 25 feet below me. I also saw a gigantic
trumpet fish. The clarity would make this an excellent spot for scuba, but for me, I was just as happy back at the beach at the motel in
Kihei later that day.
After Molokini, the catamaran headed back to just shy of the hotel and tied up in 40 feet of water so we could look for turtles.
It was perfectly calm and clear, so this stop was very enjoyable. We only saw one
turtle, though. I followed it for quite a while, but he was 30 feet below me and heading wherever I wasn't.
Eventually I gave up the chase. Apparently he could have stayed down a couple hours.
I highly recommend the Kai Kanani Charter. The 3 crew members were friendly and knowledgeable. The craft was top notch and the experience was safe and enjoyable. It's also an excellent idea to go early in the day like this, as it typically gets very windy in the afternoon in Maui.
Plus you avoid all the afternoon party boat that frequent Molokini every
day.
Kihei
We rented a car at the Kahului airport and headed to the Best Western Maui Oceanfront Inn at Kihei. Having our own GPS made
traveling so much easier. I highly recommend having one with your rental car - they all rent GPS units with rental cars now.
Our motel was a pleasant surprise. It's actually part of the Mana Kai Resort which is next door. It had units in pods of 4. Disappointments were that you could hear through the adjoining door and that there is no tub. On the plus side, it was a nice unit with a glimpse of the ocean and Molokini. The best feature is that it's right on Keawakapu Beach, which is lovely. In fact the entire Kihei and Wailea area are astounding for their lush vegetation and expensive atmosphere, in stark contrast to the volcanic and strip mall appearance of Kona. It truly upgraded us to tropical paradise status. We wandered through the Wailea mall at sunset and ate
an open air meal at the Cheeseburger Island. When I asked what they did when it rained there, they said that about half the restaurant closes and gets wet.
After our trip to Molokini, we spent the day at Keawakapu Beach and I
snorkeled right there among the coral and tropical fish. There were others with me, but I realized I'd come a long way, snorkeling in the wide open ocean in 10 feet of water without any concerns at all. We also strolled along the waterfront down to Kamaole Beach Park. It's interesting that the waterfront here is open to the
public even though it's privately owned property. Signs tell you that it's open for the public to pass through each location, but that the
facilities and lawn chairs are private.
We thought about eating at Sarentos Restaurant on the premises at the Best Western, but it was not only a little pricey - it was packed solid with reservations on Saturday and Sunday night. It must be great food, it certainly was an excellent location with tables on the waterfront patio.
Road to Hana
The road to Hana turned out to be a big disappointment for us despite recommendations to make the journey.
More than 30 miles of the trip is 15 mph switchbacks - count them, more than 100.
Then add a myriad of one lane bridges and you are talking hours of motion sickness.
The access to ocean views are extremely rare. The moisture backs up against the Haleakela volcano creating lush rain forest cross cut by gullies and streams.
Along the way, many people have set up lean-tos or sheds in their yard to sell fruit, beverages and hamburgers to all the tourist
traveling the route. When you finally get to Hana, you are left wondering where the town actually is. The ranch has a restaurant, but we ended up eating at Tutus on Hana Bay.
The meal choices ranged from frozen hamburger patties to hotdogs and from french fries to patato chips.
Try the ranch meal instead.
There were a couple of attractions listed in the area, but it's a mystery where to me where the 7 pools and the black sand beach are.
Perhaps these were located at the main beach, which was closed for 2 months for repairs.
We decided to skip the lava tube, the caverns and Lindbergh's grave in favor of hightailing it out of there.
My suggestion for an alternate trip would be to hold some vegetation in front of your eyes and spin around in circles for 10 minutes.
You'll get much the same sensation, but you'll use up far less time.
Better yet, read about our trip to Haleakela
during our Hawaiian cruise instead.
Kahului
On February 2nd, we switched locations to the Maui Seaside Motel in Kahului.
This motel is lower end (can't name a less expensive one in Maui), but still
fairly costly. The rooms are adequate with typical fan or air conditioning option.
There were no tubs. Don't get a room too close to the stairwells, as they are metal framed and clang with each step taken.
Although it's a seaside location at Kahului harbor, there is no access to the beach.
Try the rowing club next door. The location is right beside the dock for cruise ships and the mall across the street has many options for food.
It's also very close to the airport. Again the GPS comes in very handy, as it can even tell you which direction to walk to find the restaurant of your choice.
Lahaina
Lahaina is a great place to simply stroll the main street shops and
waterfront. If you're hoping for a waterfront view for lunch,
starting trying to book in by 11 as it gets very busy. On a rainy,
windy day in Maui, Lahaina can remain relatively calm and dry. The banyan tree planted by William Owen Smith in 1873,
takes up the entire central square. A short walk out of the downtown
area brings you to the Lahaina Jodo Mission and its Buddhist temple.
OAHU
Turtle Bay Resort
Turtle Bay Resort was the most extravagant and expensive part of our trip to the Hawaiian islands, but well worth it. The hotel is built on the oceanfront between two bays.
Itl has 3 wings and because of the design, all three wings have ocean views regardless of which side of the wing your room is on.
Our room was on the 3rd floor facing west over the pool toward the sunset. The room was spacious with a large lanai (covered deck) and a large bathroom with two rooms and double sinks.
One of the nice features of the Hotel is the sheltered bay called Kuilima
Cove adjacent to the east of the hotel. It provides a nice sandy beach for guests and the
cove is a great spot to snorkel and see a variety of tropical fish including reef triggers (Huma huma nuku nuku apua’a), velvet tangs and saddle wrasses.
The water isn't as clear as some other sites because of all the nearby wind and wave
action, but this location is a very safe one for the beginning snorkeller and it's only a few feet from the hotel. If you don't have a mask and snorkel, rent one from the hotel.
Then come back in the evening and try dining in the open air at Ola's on the
beach there.
In the main hotel, we enjoyed eating at the Palm Terrace, which has views out over the pool and the ocean.
There's a buffet every night, but the first night, I had the the Filet Mignon and Jumbo Prawns.
For the starch I didn't go with the waiter's recommended Okinawan Sweet Potato Puree and I regretted it, but my wife bailed me out with some delicious
samples of hers. She also enjoyed the Asian slaw. For desert, I let the waiter pick, because I obviously should have
listened on the starch recommendation. He recommended the Banana Cheese Cake Carmel Xango and, even though I'm not a banana fan, this was exquisite.
The Hawaiian music from a live band rounded out a fabulous dinner experience.
At our second dinner at the Palm Terrace we choose the buffet and had an excellent array of meats and deserts, but was hard to top our experience from the night before.
All two soon our two nights were over and it was time to head to the surf competition at the Bonzai Pipeline before heading to Hanauma Bay for snorkeling and Waikiki for dinner.
Banzai Pipeline
We got the opportunity to visit the Bonzai Pipeline twice during our stay at Turtle Bay.
On the first day, it was windy. The red flags were staked out on the beach warning of unsafe conditions, but the ocean was full of surfers.
There weren't many specators, but there were lots of high powered cameras taking photos.
The second day was a marked contrast. The 18 foot waves were sufficient to start the HIC Pipeline Pro trials.
Although the conditions were more dangerous, the red flags came down and most of the surfers were sidelined at the beach waiting for their turn to compete.
The spectators, surfers, photographers and TV reporters filled the beach.
It was great fun to watch.
Waikiki
The southeast corner of Oahu is one of my favorite areas in the Hawaiian
Islands. The beaches are so distinctive here: Hanauma Bay for
snorkellers, Sandy Beach for surf and sun, Makapu'u for body surfing, Waimanalo Beach for walking against the backdrop of mountains so
close you wonder how the beach fit in, Diamond Head for a great hike with
fabulous views. And of course, Waikiki continues to be my favorite
city. It's busy on Kalakalua Ave from sunrise until well after
dark. This time we stayed at the Park Shore
Waikiki. The hotel is right on Kalakaua Ave at the corner of
Kapahulu, which is directly across from the zoo and Kapiolani Park. It
has reasonably priced rooms at the back. You can't beat the location.
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