Kailua Kona

Start your journey at the Kailua Kona where you will see the first church built by the Christians in 1820. The Mokuaikaua was rebuilt using lava rock and crushed coral in 1837 and up to this day, it is a good place to retreat into if you want to escape from all the urban noise you are used to. Just nearby is the Hulihee Palace which now serves as a museum.

Ahuena Heiau

The Ahueana Heaiu was used by the Great Kamehameha when he conquered the islands of Hawaii in the early part of the nineteenth century. The surrounding villages was known as the capital of the islands thru 1821 and up to now a lot of the natives see it as the capital of Hawaii.

Coffee Country

Just before reaching the village of Captain Cook on the 110 mile marker, pull over to the Kona Coffee farm where you can learn about the lifestyle in the plantation that has evolved in the last century. Here you will know more about coffee and also be able to try local fruits like Kona oranges, guavas, passion fruit and more.

Kealakekua Bay

In the Kealakekua Bay, you will see a monument where James Cook was killed in 1779 by the natives of the islands. This significant piece of history happened a year after Cook became the first Europeans to reach what they called Sandwich Island.

Forest and Lava Fields

After the coffee shack and Painted Church, you will be passing thru fields of lava and paradise like forests.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Stop by at the visitor center of the park and inquire how you can see some active lava flowing out of the earth. Most likely a ranger will take you thru a guided hike.

Honokaa

From Honomu you have to get off the highway to go to the Honokaa which overlooks the Waipio Valley offering one of the most picturesque sites in Hawaii.

The obvious reason that Maui is a great whale watching destination is that there are a lot of whales to see. The area off shore has been set aside as a nature reserve to protect the whale habitat which has resulted in large numbers of whales. The whale that you are most likely to see off of Maui is the humpback whale which normally travels right past the island on its winter migration from Alaska. The result is that if you come at the right time of year you are almost guaranteed seeing whales.

Another reason that Maui is such a great whale watching destination is that the best time to see whales is in the middle of winter. The whales move south over the winter to escape the cold, vacationers tend to do the same thing. That means that the time that the whales are in Maui is also the best time for visitors to come to the island to get away from the terrible weather at home. Besides nobody wants to be out looking for whales when it is freezing cold.

Not only is it easy to see whales off the coast of Maui but the area is well set up for it. Since a lot of people make the trip specifically to see the whales there are a lot of companies that have been established to capitalize on this business. The result is that the infrastructure for Whale Watching in Maui is excellent. There are lots of tour operators who will take you out to see the whales, although it is completely possible to see them while standing on land. In addition all of the things like hotels and restaurants that a tourist would need are there as the island has long been a popular destination.

One advantage that Maui has over other whale watching destinations is that there is a lot that you can do there besides watch the whales. While the reason for your trip may be to see the whales, realistically few people will spend their entire vacation whale watching. Since Maui is a popular tourist destination for lots of other reasons there are also lots of things besides watching whales that you can do. Most people will spend a day or two watching the whales and spend the rest of their trip doing other things, which is not really an option at a lot of other destinations.

Here are some things kids can be busy with in Hawaii:

Surfing

This is on top of the activities your kids can engage in Hawaii. If your kid has not tried this before, there are a lot of surfing schools in Hawaii which cater to children who want to learn. A good place to learn how to ride the waves Is in the island of Oahu. The waves around the third biggest island of Hawaii are gentle enough for kids and perfect for surfing beginners.

Pearl Harbor

Help your kids learn about a good chunk of history and visit Pearl Harbor with them. Your kids will not be snoring during the tour since there are a lot of interesting things to see like the USS Missouri where the Japanese forces surrendered. They can also tour the battleship to see where Gen. Douglas McArthur once walked. There is also the USS Bowfin Submarine which is now converted as a museum.

Volcanoes National Park

The islands of Hawaii are still evolving because of the active volcanoes of the islands. The volcanoes are also great destinations so your kids can learn something about our planet. You and your kids will enjoy the ride thru the Crater Rime Drive or along the Chain of Craters Road which will bring you close enough to the flowing lava.

Road to Hana

The Hana Highway in Maui brings you down a road that stitches in and out of the green valleys, breath taking cliffs, by the waterfalls, and exciting one lane bridges. There are several lookouts where you can stop and stretch a bit. You can also hike to swimming holes or go for some hiking.

Papawai Point

All you will need are your binoculars to see the giant humpback whales enjoying the waters near the Maalaea Bay. Slow down when you get to the 8 and 9-mile marker. Stop when you see the scenic point sign. Stop. And enjoy the beautiful Hawaii sunset.

Mauna Kea Summit

Mauna Kea is in Big Island offers one of the most breath taking views in the state of Hawaii. It is considered as a sacred spot by the locals. Being on top of Mauna Kea is like looking down into earth from heaven with all the marshmallowy clouds. Stay for a bit and wait for the stars, and you can be looking at the best view of our galaxy.

Saddle Road

The name comes from the shape of the path you will take from Mauna Kea through Mauna Loa. This is a 53 mile saddle-shaped road. The sunrise and sunsets are among the best in the world.

Na Pali Coast

Take a boat earl y in the morning and you will be viewing the velvety cliffs from the waters while sea turtles, dolphins, and whales keep you company.

In Oahu, at midnight on Waikiki Beach, you can see some gorgeous fireworks. This is open to the public, which means you can entire for free! Furthermore, the display can be seen along the entire beachfront, so it is also surprisingly easy to get a good seat.

Also at midnight, this is a free display at the Aloha Tower Marketplace. It takes place in downtown Honolulu.

And also free to the public, there is a gorgeous show at the Ko Olina Resort.

Christmas is something that is special and different for every single person, there is something that you need to remember though and that is that Christmas can be celebrated anywhere and is usually celebrated differently in different states.  Hawaii Christmas’s are no different, there are some traditions that are dominate in Hawaii around Christmas but one thing for sure is that Santa certainly makes his rounds!

There is absolutely no bigger Christmas celebration in the world than the Honolulu City Lights, this celebration is not only held at Honolulu Hale, which is City Hall, but there are tons of Christmas-themed things there that really make you feel at home.  For example, a 50-foot Norfolk pine Christmas tree is there as are tons of carols.

Another thing that you will experience is the food – restaurants really deck themselves out with a holiday menu and really make it special and unique.

While we all know that Hawaii is the destination for everything from anniversaries all the way to weddings, have you ever thought about celebrating Christmas there though?  Well, there are many people nowadays that are looking for some exotic places to visit during the Christmas holidays and I can tell you that Hawaii is definitely the best spot.

While you will not find chestnuts roasting or snow on the ground, there are a ton of different and unique things that you can do in Hawaii that you can not do anywhere else – that is swim!  Swim, surf, lie out on the beach, use that bathing suit and eat some fantastic Hawaiian food.

In the next blog, we are going to go over exactly how Christmas is supposed to be celebrated in Hawaii and how Hawaiian people get down with Santa!

Hawaii is a place that is jam-packed with all sorts of sights for you to see – however did you know that there is one specific sight that everyone should see on their vacation?  That is the spouting horn – you have to watch it blow!  It is actually one of the coolest sights in the world and it is actually right by the Allerton Garden Visitor Center. 

This spout is actually a dual-lava tube that actually breathes air and makes an eerie dragon type sound while the other tube actually shoots a powerful spray of salt water up into.  The tubes are set about 10 feet from the shoreline and on large south swell days – the spray can actually get up to about 30 feet.

This is a beautiful sight that everyone should take in whenever they are in Hawaii!

Now that we have talked about biking in Hawaii, let’s go ahead and talk about shopping!  By far, my favorite part of the vacation is spending money and shopping in Waikiki is certainly one of the highlights whenever I go on vacation.  In Waikiki, there are a ton of different and quaint little shops as well as some beautiful and unique artists’ studios. 

As shown here, there are also a ton of different and large shopping areas that you can visit if you want to spend the entire day shopping.  Shopping in Waikiki is something that is not only fun and cool, but you can bring back all sorts of gifts for any family members that didn’t go!

You can buy music CDs by local bands, coffee, designer clothing, custom jewelry, glass, fabric – everything and anything you want!

When you think about it – what is the first thing that you want to do whenever you are in Hawaii?  I know that I want to lie on the beach.  However – did you know that there are truly a ton of different biking trails that you can go on.  The great thing about biking in Hawaii is that you can truly get a feel for Hawaii in and of itself. 

Hawaii is a beautiful place – there are so many different beautiful places to visit and certainly a lot of different experiences that you can go through whenever you are biking.  Whether you are looking to bike around the main island or you want to bike around some of the smaller ones, everywhere in Hawaii contains all sorts of trails!

So make sure that you bring or rent your very own bike and I can promise that you are going to have a heck of a lot of fun!