Oahu – Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, Waikiki Beach, Sunsets
Maui – Sunrise on the mountain, Road to Hana, Snorkeling at Molokini Crater
What a great trip. First time in Hawaii and we really enjoyed it. We visited 2 islands, Oahu and Maui. We flew into Honolulu, Oahu, which was quite busy, like any big city. Maui was more laid back. Lots of beautiful scenery and things to see and do.
Tuesday – Arrival in Oahu– After a delay getting out of Minneapolis, another delay waiting for our connecting flight in San Francisco and the 5 hour time difference, we made it to our room at 9 PM, or 2 AM Iowa time. We flew into Honolulu and stayed a block off Waikiki Beach. We could walk to the beach easily. There was a McDonalds and an ABC Store just a block away from the hotel. McDonald’s breakfasts are quick and reasonable and the coffee’s good. Spam, the salty, spiced ham from Hormel is a big hit here. It’s even on the the McDonald’s “special local favorites” menu. One morning, the owner came in and was greeting all of his regular customers. It felt like a hometown coffee shop. The ABC Stores are everywhere. They’re a nice clean convenience store.
Wednesday – Diamond Head – We took the city bus to Diamond Head. Walked one half mile into the crater to the trail head, then another mile hike up to the lookout tower. Nice path, but a steep incline in places. Glad we did this in the morning, as it was hot. There was a water bottle filling fountain at the visitor center which we took advantage of. When we were waiting for the bus to take us to Diamond Head, we met a nice couple who told us about other things to see. They got on our bus and were headed for somewhere else. When we returned from our hike, we caught the bus back to town, and the same couple was on their return trip! Had another nice chat with them.
We hit the beach next. After stopping for boogie boards and chairs from the hotel desk. Later we watched the sunset from Waikiki Beach. Beautiful.
Thursday – Pearl Harbor – We’re on our tour bus at 7 AM for the Day At Pearl Harbor tour. There was a short trip around Honolulu to show us some highlights, then to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. Our scheduled time for the Arizona Memorial was at 10:45, so we had time to look through the Bowfin submarine and other displays. At 10:45 we gathered with several other groups for a 20 minute video about the history of the attack. Then a short boat ride to the Arizona Memorial. It was like being in church, subdued voices, etc.. The Arizona is clearly visible in the water. In fact part of it is sticking out above water. You can see oil still leaking into the water.
Friday – Drive around Oahu – Today we picked up our rental car for a drive around the island. We drove east on Diamond Head Road, stopping at scenic spots along the road. Although everything is scenic. Honolulu is on the south shore. When you get to the north side there are much bigger waves, and big surfing for the brave. The roads are good, part of the way is one lane. Shaved ice is popular, so we had some at San Lorenzo’s. Lots of roadside stands selling fruit and coconuts. We bought a $5 bag of assorted fruit slices to snack on. Can’t get any fresher!
We took the main highway back to the city from the north side, driving across the middle of Oahu. We’d heard about a nice hike with a waterfall at the end called Manao Falls. We found it with the help of our navigation app and started on the trail. Nice hike thru some dense forest.
Up hill and down and over lots of large tree roots. We came across a guy that was waiting for his hunting companion and their dogs. They were out of sight in a ravine and were finishing up a wild pig hunt. The dogs catch the pig for the hunters. Interesting. As we came to a sign the said the falls were another 3/4 miles down a steep hill, we met another group of hikers on their way back. They said it has been too dry and there is no water going over the falls. Bummer! We decided to head back and try to get our rental car returned before we had to keep it overnight.
By this time of day we were into some heavy traffic as we returned to Honolulu from the west, although not as bad as those on the westbound side leaving the city. But we still didn’t make it to return our car in time, so we paid for parking in our hotel ramp.
Saturday – Sunset cruise – Kind of an easy day. Got the rental car returned first thing, did a load of wash in the hotel machines, then walked to the beach again. We left early to get ready for our last night in Oahu with a sunset dinner cruise. Nice meal, watched another beautiful sunset from the water.
Sunday – Fly to Maui – The airport shuttle picked us up outside our hotel about 9:00 AM. They sent a text about a half hour before with a live map of where the shuttle was, so we could see it and be ready when it arrived. Quick ride to the airport and boarding on Island Air for a short flight to our next stop, Kahului, Maui, and only ten minutes from the Maui Beach Hotel. Kahului is on the north side of Maui, but its just a 20 minute drive to the south side, plus whereever you’re going from there. We caught the hotel shuttle from the airport (lots of shuttle rides on this trip!), but it was too early to check into our room, so we left the luggage at the desk and walked to the nearby mall. We bought a couple of city bus tickets for the Up Country bus route. It’s an hour and a half round trip that goes up the mountain to the first couple of towns, Pukalini and Makawao. Got to see some country, although without any narration or guide to tell us where we were. Maui is much more country and less big city.
When we returned it was time for a sandwich at a restaurant in the mall. While we ate, we discussed our plans for the next few days and realized we had to get our rental car today, for our early Monday morning excursion to see the mountain sunrise. So, it was back to the airport auto rental desk (good thing we bought a day pass for the city bus).
Monday – Mountain sunrise – Up at 2:30 AM! Dressed warm and took the blanket off the bed. On the road at 3 to the Haleakala Summitt to see the sun rise over the clouds. We expected a 2 1/2 hour drive, but we were lucky and missed the sunrise crowd, arriving about 4:30. The summit and viewing area is in a national park and you must have applied for a parking permit online weeks earlier. Sheila had this arranged. I showed my senior citizen national park pass and we rolled right in. I got the park pass last year on our trip to Glacier National Park. A one time fee allows me park entrance for myself and up to three others in the car I’m in, for life!
The road is very winding, but its all paved and in good condition. Very cold and windy at 10,000 feet, but so worth the view when the sun comes up above the clouds. After the sun was up we walked around a bit on the hiking trails but didn’t go too far. The terrain looks like a moonscape, lots of volcanic rock, etc..
After driving back we continued around the north west end of Maui, some narrow roads but lots to see. We stopped at the Nakalele blowhole. It was a short climb down a rough trail to see the blowhole. We saw the heart shaped opening in the rock on the way back to the top.
Tuesday – Rode to Hana – This all day trip started with a nice continental breakfast of fruit, muffins, coffee and juice. We boarded yet another shuttle bus with ten others and were off to the small town of Hana, on the east side of Maui. Many people drive this road with their own vehicle, but we opted to take the shuttle for the color commentary and so we could enjoy the views. It’s only 48 miles, but it takes hours to get there. Partly because of the winding one lane road, and partly because our driver made several stops so we could get plenty of photos. One stop was at Aunty Sandy’s Banana Bread for a freshly baked, still warm mini-loaf, which didn’t last long. As we drove, our driver pointed out a gated driveway and said Woody Haroldson lives there. Later, he pointed out Kris Kristofferson’s driveway. Also discovered that Charles Lindbergh lived on Maui. We saw his grave in another one of those small cemetaries that are everywhere.
Around noon we stopped at one of the many roadside stands and had a warm lunch of pulled pork, potatoes and salads set up just for our bus. As we continued around the island, we could see where the fresh water from the mountains met the salt water in the ocean. There’s a distinct line in the water. Soon the road became more rough and turned into just a rough, dusty dirt road for a few miles. Eventually, we got back on pavement and returned to our hotel at 6:30 PM.
Wednesday – Snorkel at Molokini crater and Luau – Another early morning so we could be at the Maalea Harbor by 6:30 AM, about a 20 minute drive. Our snorkeling trip was on the Four Winds catamaran and included another continental breakfast. Just right to start the day, but not too much for a 45 minute boat ride. On the way we saw a whale with it’s calf, an escort whale and a porpoise.
Molokini Crater is a partially submerged volcanic crater. The crescent shaped crater provides a protected area for snorkeling. Even though the weather and the water was warm, we each rented a wet suit jacket. It just made it more comfortable. We also rented an underwater camera. One of us can’t swim! So I used one of the many life belts provided on the boat. With this and the salt water, I felt like I might float ok. The crew handed out snorkel masks, and I was able to get a prescription mask. The mask won’t seal if you wear glasses. Without glasses I wouldn’t have been able to see the water, let alone any fish or coral. They have a few masks with prescription optics so I was able to see without my glasses.
Those of you that have snorkeled before know how different it looks just under the surface of the water. If you’ve never snorkeled, give it a try at your next opportunity. What a feeling for someone that can’t swim, to jump into the Pacific Ocean and look down through 150 feet of clear water. The 2 hours of snorkeling went quickly. On the way back we enjoyed lunch on the Four Winds.
We were back in the harbor about noon and made our way back to the hotel to clean up for our last night in Hawaii. We attended a luau in Lahaina, a 40 minute drive along the southwest coast of Maui. We had plenty of time so we looked around downtown Lahaina’s Front Street. The 3rd largest banyan tree is located in the courthouse square. It looks like many trees growing together, but it’s one root for everything you see.
Thursday – Charlie’s and home – Today we slept in. Our flight home is at
10 PM, so we had all day to take it easy. We drove along the Wailea beaches. We found our way back to Paia, a small town near the beginning of our Road To Hana trip the other day. We had a late lunch at Charlie’s, a bar/restaurant owned by Willie Nelson. We returned our car to the airport and waited for our flight.
With the late night flight, the time change and a layover in Los Angeles it was a long day. Left Hawaii at 10 PM Thursday night and arrived home at 7 PM Friday night, local times.
