Hawaii!

So when you next plan a trip to Hawaii, here are some fun things to consider doing, depending on the island(s) you’re visiting. Not totally off the beaten path, but perhaps a little less common than some things folks do on the islands.

• Any island:
  • find a sunset sail/cruise
  • go to a Luau
• Kauai:
  • Go on a Tasting Kaua’i food tour
• Maui:
  • Visit the Maui Ocean Center
  • Try out Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate
• Big Island
  • Take a trip up to the top of Mauna Kea

Sunset Sail:
We’ve done this on both Maui and the Big Island. We need to go back to Kauai to do one. The photos are Lahaina, and Waikoloa x2.

Luau:
There are lots to choose from, and the good ones include a lot of Hawaiian history. The photos start with the original settlers from Tahiti, the cowboys of the Big Island (King Kamehameha was gifted with cattle), and twirling fire.

Food tour:
We went on our first one in Dublin, years ago. Since then, we have tried to see if there is one where we are. It’s a great opportunity to get out and try things you might not otherwise, meet some interesting people, and have fun. Tasting Kaua’i does several different tours on the island. We did the South Shore tour, which is a driving tour, going to several different locations around Poipu and Koloa, including Monkeypod Jam (they ship, and also teach classes), the Kickshaw food truck, and a local grocery store (poke that’s out of this world!)

Maui Ocean Center:
The ocean center is a mix of museum and interactive exhibits. The posters I’ve seen over the years are likely based on the tanks at the center, with a plethora of different fish and other marine animals. The photos are a Yellow Pualu (Surgeonfish), a black-tip reef shark, and a series of corals.

Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate:
The Ku’ia chocolates are made on-island, and are an intriguing mix of chocolate with island flavors. The chocolate is from either their estate plantation (which is a few miles into the hills of Maui) or Ecuador. They manufacture in their Lahaina location, which is in a little light industrial area on the west end of town, and do tastings in their upstairs lanai. You can also do a tour of the estate. The view from the lanai includes their estate. The “OMG” chocolate is a combination of blood orange, mango, and guava, and is indeed OMG. They have a variety of collections, and they were great gifts once we got home.

Mauna Kea:
The trip up to the top of Mauna Kea is a several hour long journey/tour. I recommend going with Mauna Kea Summit Adventures. They will pick you up (either side of the island), drive you with a great narrative about the areas you’re going through (Parker Ranch, etc), feed you while you acclimatize a bit to the altitude at the visitor’s center (9200′), and then take up up to the top (13,986′) for sunset. You stop again at the visitor center for star gazing, and then head back to your starting point. Well worth the time and cost. They will provide heavy coats/gloves if you didn’t bring your own, as well as carrying a pulse oximeter and supplemental oxygen. Do consider pre-treating for altitude sickness, although you’re only up at the top for about 75-90 minutes. Do bring your fancy camera and tripod for sunset and timed shots of the stars.