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Hawaii travel. Where to visit for 10 days


joedeep

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Hello,

 

I will be visiting Hawaii anytime from May till mid September (any preference of month should I have?), for 10 days. I am browsing tons of posts on tripadvisor and it looks overwhelming to me, as there are so many places. Lot of beaches. So can't figure, what are places I should skip and what I should not miss.

I will be going with family, so no long hikes and we are not fan of water sports.

So far, it looks like most folks suggest Kauai is must. As I want to see 2 Island, I can't decide if next one should be Maui or Oahu. Nothing is booked as of now, so I am flexible on it. Please suggest, which Island and placed you would suggest.

 

What kind of places I like - I loved Banff and Jasper, Black Forest of Germany, Switzerland Alps, Highway-1 of California.

 

I have Z6 with 24-70mm f/4, 50/85mm, and also 300mm PF. I guess primes will be less used, except shooting some family pictures. Also I am thinking to get UWA (14-30mm), if I get in good price.

 

Please advice.

 

Thanks

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My wife and I cruised four islands, Oahu, Kauai, Hawaii (the big island Kona and Hilo areas) and Maui. We also stayed an extra three days in Honolulu on Waikiki beach.

 

My first question is are you going this year? if so, what's open for visiting due to the virus?

 

In any case, here's what I would suggest.

 

Oahu (Honolulu) See the Arizona Memorial. They take you out there by ferry. There's a great museum on the shore about the Pearl Harbor attack. See Honolulu and stop by Waikiki Beach and visit Diamond Point. We also reserved and went to a luau with fire dances, food, and a great show. We spent three extra days on Oahu We rented a car to get around which made it easy. On the other islands, we took tours by bus because we were only there for a day or two by ship. Lik has one of his galleries in Honolulu if you'd like to take a look.

 

Maui, Go to Haleakala by bus. It;s up a 10,000 foot mountain and the sights and views are just great. we went on a sunset tour. They have trips for sunrise but you got to get up earlier than I like. Go to Io Valley. I think there's a zoo nearby or sea aquarium. I forget. It was very nice too.

 

Kauai: Na'pali Coast. we saw from our cruise ship. But there are smaller boats and other ways to get there. Jurassic Park and other films were shot there as many other places on Kauai.

 

The Big Island (Hawaii). See the Volcano Parks from Hilo.

 

 

Good luck. Fit things in for the wife and kids.

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Thanks for your tips.

You are right about the COVID test. If we should negative report, quarantine is not required. Also, I am hoping this requirement can go away till my travel time if we should proof of fully vaccinated.

 

@AlanKlein : I also thought of taking a cruise. That is a good way to see all islands in just one pack/unpack process and avoid the hassle of island hopping/flights. But as per the current requirement of NCL, they are allowing ONLY vaccinated people. I am going with my 5 years old. So, it is kind of ONLY vaccinated adults for now.

So we will be renting a car on both islands (whichever we will decide). I will see if I can more responses who visited these islands by car and explored more.

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First, get travel insurance. The move to relax restrictions might well result in an upswing in virus cases (it has in other countries), and may lead to re-imposing restrictions. Insurance to cover any commitment that can't be cancelled certainly seems like a good idea. Be sure to get in writing (print?) and understand your hotel cancellation policies.

 

Trying to see more than 2 islands in 10 days will make for a disappointing trip - between travel time and packing/unpacking, it will cost you most of a day to change islands, so the more islands you go to, the less time you will have to see them.

 

Kauai is the most scenic for my nickel, but everyone has their preferences. The Napali Coast (we did an evening dinner cruise along the coast) and Waimea Canyon are both excellent. The lighthouse at Kilauea isn't open every day - check online or with your hotel for their schedule. The famous big surf in Hawaii comes from the north and is a winter phenomenon - the surf will be smaller and come from the south and southeast in the summer. The surf will still offer good surfing, and the beaches on the southeast side of Kauai will be very active up to the time school starts. The area around Princeville is good, too - the mountainside overlooking the community gets the most rainfall per year on earth - lots of waterfalls up there.

 

Maui - nice hotels along the west coast around Kaanapali, north of Lahaina. The famous Road to Hana has hundreds of corners in around 40 miles, a number of waterfalls that may have swimmers, and good coastal views. We found one and only one restaurant in Hana - we found a hot dog stand on the beach and ate there. Be cautious driving back in the afternoon. Lots of people who live in Hana work in the Kahului area, and will be driving home at speeds that can be quite frightening (they drive like they own the corners).

 

We didn't do much on the Big Island - my wife wanted to stay at a "destination resort" on one of the islands, so we stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa and didn't see much else in those three days.

 

Oahu is interesting. The beach at Waikiki was busy with lots of surfers. The shape of the bottom makes the waves rise and break rather far out from the sandy shore - my 300 was inadequate for getting surfer shots I liked. The Arizona Memorial is unique. The battleship Missouri is docked nearby on battleship row on Ford Island - the surrender was signed on the Missouri. So the ship and the Memorial are the start and end of WWII. Dole has an enormous plantation about halfway between Honolulu on the south shore and the island's north shore. They offer tours and exhibits - mildly interesting. The famous surf beaches are all on the north shore (Banzai Pipeline, Sunset Beach, etc), but the surf in July 2014 was as flat as my pool. Around the corner on the northeast side of the island is not tourist country - it's local residential. But it's beautiful, with an abundance of kids playing the surf, an interesting shoreline, etc.

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Update: If you supply documentation of a recent negative COVID test, quarantine isn’t required or suggested.

 

HAWAII

 

Hmmm, I read you link and it says "within 72 hours of boarding". But note, just 2 weeks ago I had an acquaintance who planned a trip to Hawaii to celebrate his wife's 40th birthday. They got their COVID test "72 hours in advance" but when they landed in Hawaii and showed the results, the authorities there based the 72 hour window on Hawaii time. So since my friend took the test in the mainland using local clocks, say for example noon in CA (so 8AM in HI) 72 hours before a noon landing in HI, again local time in HI, the elapsed time from test to landing was 72+4 hours (but clearly less than 72 hours before boarding). Based on this arithmetic, the authorities in HI would not allow their entry unless they quarantined. Since this would ruin their planned trip, they were give a night in an airport hotel and had to return to the mainland the next day. Vacation ruined because of bureaucratic nonsense.

 

So to be safe don't get tested too early before your flight.

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Something to add to the "test within 72 hours" issue - to avoid quarantine, the test must conducted by a lab approved to do the test BY THE STATE OF HAWAII. Just because the lab is approved in your state doesn't automatically mean Hawaii has blessed that lab. I know people who arrived in Hawaii having been tested by a lab approved in their home state of Utah only to find that lab was not approved by Hawaii, and they were turned away.
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I am hoping, these conditions (and COVID too) are relaxed, by the time I visit. If not, I will read the testing window carefully and avoid these issues, discussed here.

 

I think I have time to visit only 2 islands. Kauai would be the one, I will definitely visit.

I am still reading about all places and trying to decide between Maui and Oahu. Probably I should go to Maui, along with Kauai.

 

Regarding lens selection, I have Z6 (24-70mm f/4 & 50/85mm & 300mm PF). Guess, I will leave all primes at home?

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For those who would like some data and what seems to me a balanced assessment of Hawaii's situation, instead of memes, wordplay, and emotional response, check out the link below. It's only as of last November, but does go into detail about various things affecting Hawaii's covid rates, etc. Won't address specific current policy, but does look at how different factors have played roles for Hawaii.

 

For those who visit, hope it works out for you and hope you'll share the photos. It's certainly both a scenic and culturally interesting place, affording all kinds of different photo opportunities.

 

ARTICLE

"You talkin' to me?"

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...
Hello,

 

I will be visiting Hawaii anytime from May till mid September (any preference of month should I have?), for 10 days. I am browsing tons of posts on tripadvisor and it looks overwhelming to me, as there are so many places. Lot of beaches. So can't figure, what are places I should skip and what I should not miss.

I will be going with family, so no long hikes and we are not fan of water sports.

So far, it looks like most folks suggest Kauai is must. As I want to see 2 Island, I can't decide if next one should be Maui or Oahu. Nothing is booked as of now, so I am flexible on it. Please suggest, which Island and placed you would suggest.

 

What kind of places I like - I loved Banff and Jasper, Black Forest of Germany, Switzerland Alps, Highway-1 of California.

 

I have Z6 with 24-70mm f/4, 50/85mm, and also 300mm PF. I guess primes will be less used, except shooting some family pictures. Also I am thinking to get UWA (14-30mm), if I get in good price.

 

Please advice.

 

Thanks

to me the ultimate Hawaiian experience takes place at the Big Island , stay in Hilo

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  • 1 month later...

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