Oahu and Kauai cheap adventure tips

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m going to Hawaii next month and will be spending about three days on Oahu and then three days on Kauai. I’ve gotten the general impression that Oahu is a more commercial oriented island and Kauai is a more nature oriented island. I’ll probably do one or two expensive things, but I can’t afford to throw down $100-$200 every day on activities. So I’m looking for advice on 1) Just anything cool to do that you would reccomend 2) Some more exciting or interesting things unique to those island even if they are expensive 3) cool things to do that are free or cost very little money, and cool places to visit on the islands that are free to do so. 4) Any important “island etiquette”

Here are some things I’ve been thinking might interest me if they are available and especially if they are cheap:
[ul]
[li]A luau[/li][li]Fire dancing/spinning/poi[/li][li]Hiking, jungle, scenery, beaches, views, turtles, taking cool pictures[/li][li]Beaches, swimming, waves, swimming with turtles[/li][li]Learning to surf[/li][li]Zipline, bunjy, helibunjy, skydive, cliff jumping, ultralite, fire walking[/li][li]The gay scene and the gay non-scene[/li][li]Yoga, meditation[/li][li]Ancient temples and architecture, native culture[/li][li]Lost (tv show) filming locations (Oahu)[/li][/ul]

2

I went to a luau and loved it - but you got to be prepared to eat the stuff. The rest sounds great (can’t speak to the gay stuff, though).

Best thing I ever did in my life was take a helicopter tour of Kauai. If you’ve never been in a helicopter (I hadn’t), that’s bonus. It wasn’t cheap, but if we’d had time, we’d have gone back and done it again. It was spectacular.

I really enjoyed the Polynesian Cultural Centre on Oahu and, at the suggestion of some travel site or other, found a local church supper type luau which was fun.

I love Kauai to bits. Rent a vehicle and tour the entire island. It’s spectacular.
And if you can spare a day to go watch the eruption on the Big Island, don’t miss it.

3

Hi, Jack. You’re in for a treat. Hawaii is a wonderful place.

I figure you already have a place to stay on Kauai, but we’ve stayed at this little bed and breakfast before, in the town of Kilauea on the North Shore, and can highly recommend it. It’s not expensive, the couple who run it are good people and the North Shore is beautiful. A hike along the Pali Cliffs is a must. Check out the lighthouse at Kilauea Point (northernmost point of the Hawaiian Islands); there’s a great wildlife sanctuary there, with lots of nene, the state bird (I still remember a cute little nene chick waddling around, everyone following it with their cameras). Also check out Waimea Canyon, but don’t just turn around after you’ve seen that; proceed to the end of the road and check out Koke’e State Park. One thing I like about Kauai that you NEVER hear about is the moa, wild chickens descended from the early Polynesian days. They’re really beautiful, if you can imagine chickens being beautiful. But they are. Kauai is the only island left that has them; mongooses ate them all on the other islands long ago. (Kauai is the only island, I believe, that does not have mongooses.) You’ll see lots of moa along the road to Waimea Canyon and Koke’e State Park.

You’ll really need to rent a car for Kauai, but not for Oahu; the Honolulu bus system is quite efficient if you’re looking to save some money.

As for Oahu and the Honolulu bus system, one of the neat things is the Circle Island route. I think the city bus is up to something like $2 now, but a couple of routes completely circle the island – one clockwise, the other counter-clockwise; about 4 hours for the basic $2 (or whatever it is now) fare, the cheapest sightseeing “tour” you’ll find. And you can get off at beaches along the way and pick the bus up again (although you’ll have to pay a new fare each time); Hale’iwa is a great little town to walk around in. I believe route #52 is the clockwise Circle Island route, and the easiest place for you to pick it up would be the south (ocean) side of Ala Moana Shopping Center.

I won’t bore you with the usual tourist stuff to do like Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay etc. You’ll hear plenty about all of that. But one I will mention is the hike up to the top of Diamond Head from the inside of the crater. When we lived in Honolulu, it was free to do, but now there’s a nominal fee, just a dollar or two. The last time we did it, two years ago, it seemed a lot more crowded than when we lived there, so word must have got out. It’s not TOO strenuous a hike, and you get a great view from up there. It’s not TOO far of a walk from Waikiki (but remember you have to go to behind Diamond Head, not down directly at the bottom of it), or you can take bus #22 or #58.

In Waikiki, Eggs 'n Things is hands down our favorite breakfast place. It’s open all night, from 11 at night to 2 the next afternoon. There’s always, and I mean always, a crowd outside waiting to get in for breakfast, but don’t let that deter you. They are very efficient, and we have never had to wait more than 20 minutes for a table, even though they seem always to say it will be about 30 or 40 minutes. Another great breakfast is the all-you-can-eat buffet in the Shore Bird Beach Broiler in the Outrigger Reef Hotel. Right close to the water and a great view of Diamond Head.

Have a great time!

4

I live in Kauai and have spent some time on Oahu. As far as Kauai goes there are infinite free things to do. Numerous hikes, waterfalls and beaches to visit. I recommend reading the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook. It has very detailed information concerning just about everything you can do on the island.

My opinion concerning your list?
Skip the Luau, hardly worth it. You can get the same food at any Plate Lunch type restaurant.

Fire Dancing and poi? Skip these as well. Poi is a bland novelty food and fire dancing is your standard “charge the mainlander ridiculous amounts for a bad show” type of thing.

Hiking, jungle, scenery, beaches, views, turtles, taking cool pictures, Beaches, swimming, waves, swimming with turtles-Yes, yes, yes to all of these. Great hikes on Kauai, though most are very primitive and dangerous, they are well worth it. I spend all my free time at the beach snorkeling, boogie boarding, body surfing or just swimming. When I am not there I am hiking or kayaking somewhere inland where it is cooler. The winter is big surf time on the North Shore. There shouldn’t be any more giant swells until next fall. When the surf is big here it is close to impossible to even get in the water.

Learning to Surf. You may want to do this. What will happen is a local surfer will take you out to a safe spot with a long board and teach you how to paddle out, stand up and balance on the board. If you want to surf at all I recommend using a teacher.

Zipline, bunjy, helibunjy, skydive, cliff jumping, ultralite, fire walking - I have not tried any of these. I have seen ultralites flying over Polihale on the west shore near Na Pali and would love to try that myself. I don’t know how much that would cost.

The gay scene? I wouldn’t know anything about that either. There is not much, if any, nightlife on Kauai. The whole island pretty much shuts down around 9:00. Only a handful of restaruants/bars are open after that.

Yoga/meditation - I have never tried it, but my daughter does go to a yoga class for children and loves it. It is only $5 for the hour.

Ancient temples and architecture, native culture - There are ancient temples call heiaus on the various islands that are fun to visit. You can go to the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu to really get a taste of the old world.

Lost (tv show) filming locations (Oahu) - I haven’t been to the north shore of Oahu, but I would love to visit there. Some of the props are stored there, like the plane hull and cockpit, but I don’t know if they are accesible to the public.

5

I love Kauai. Here is my take:

As mentioned, Kokee state park, Waimea Canyon and Kilauea lighthouse are great to visit in a state-park kind of way. I also enjoyed Poipu beach, where there is frequently a monk seal on the beach in front of the Hyatt (both times we were there, plus in the guidebook, so it seems to be a regular occurrence).

Also, there is a botanical garden on the south side of the island that is incredible. I am not usually into any type of garden, but this is just so incredibly beautiful, and the guide did a great job of explaining all of the local plants I’d never seen before that I really got a lot out of the visit. The botanical garden on the north side is interesting from a history/culture perspective, it used to be an ancient native-Hawaiian terraced farm, but not nearly as beautiful.

One of the best things I did while I was there was take a yoga class on the beach. It was very informal, seemed like most of her business was people who saw her one day and asked if they could join the next class. I gave her $20, I think it was on a what you want to pay basis. Honestly, that class may have been the highlight of my honeymoon (shh, don’t tell my husband!) The PG-13 highlight, anyway.

I agree about the no nightlife. I don’t think you’ll miss it, though, and there will be some on Oahu. Kauai basically doesn’t have streetlights, so when it gets dark, it gets DARK.

Of expensive stuff we did, we went to the luau at the Princeville Resort. The view of the sunset from their pool/beach area is something I still remember for its beauty. Probably the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. The resort is also incredibly luxurious, so if you want to inject any of that scene into your trip, (drinks at the bar, for example) there it is.

Another not-cheap thing we did was horseback riding on the beach. That was pretty incredible, also recommended.

My husband did the helicopter ride and was just as amazed as the previous poster. He shot like 8 rolls of film (back in the days of film…)

Also, not that you would, but do not under any circumstances see only the south side of the island. You must drive to Hanalei and Kee beach on the north side. An incredible, must see place.

Be aware that the Polynesian Cultural Center has a strong LDS Church affiliation, and it comes through in their programming. Kind of like Disney, if Goofy were to come up to you and share his testimony. My husband and I are Christians, active in our church, and it still was uncomfortable for us.

Where is the green with envy smiley?

6

Looking for advice? Visit IMHO. Moved.

samclem GQ moderator

7

I just want to add that Hanalei is my favorite town Kauai. You can get good food for a reasonable (or should I say reasonable for Kauai) price at the Polynesia restaurant at Ching Young shopping village. Then continue west for the best snorkeling on the island at Tunnels beach in Haena. I have lived in Princeville since January and have not even come close to doing/seeing all the things I want to on just the North Shore alone.

8

Three days huh? Lots to cram in.

[QUOTE=jackdavinci]

[li]Ancient temples and architecture, native culture[/li][/QUOTE]

There’s also Iolani Palace and the Bishop Museum. My nieces love the volcano building at the Bishop Museum. They have a neat show at the bottom where they melt some rock then pour it out and let it harden. Fascinating.

Make sure you bring a jacket with pockets in it if you go to the Pali lookout. That way you can stick your hands in it and spread the sides like wings and really lean into the wind.

On Friday and Saturday nights they show a movie on the beach down by the zoo. They often have live music before hand. It’s the only time I ever saw Don Ho live. He and Hoku were performing together. Plus sometimes they do other cool stuff like having live feeds from the Deep Impact mission. Anyway if it’s late and the movie is good you might like to experience it.

9

Go geocaching! (www.geocaching.com). Disclaimer: I have not geocached on Oahu, and I haven’t even been to Kauai. But I always recommend geocaching on Hawaii’s Big Island because it takes you to the most extraordinary places at no cost. I’m sure the same is true for other Hawaiian islands, and in fact geocaching is a great sport to do almost anywhere.

It does have a start-up cost – you have to buy a hand-held GPS unit ($100 to $400 these days) and learn to use it. But this is a great investment if you like the out-of-doors.

10

If you can fit it into your budget, I highly recommend a Zodiac boat tour of the Na Pali coast on Kauai. It is one of my fondest memories from my years in Hawaii. I can’t recommend much else on Kauai as I haven’t been back since Hurricane Iniki trashed the island in '92.

I don’t recommend tourist luaus - bad high-priced food. Waikiki Beach is crowded. Waikiki in general is crowded and expensive, go to the North Shore or the Windward side of Oahu instead. Haunama Bay is awesome. Don’t miss Iolani Palace, it is worth seeing for the Imperial tea service given to the royalty of Hawai’i by one of the Napoleons alone.

I also need the green-eyed smilie; I spent five years in Hawai’i and would dearly love to go back.

11

:dubious:
do not take a helicopter tour :rolleyes:

12

Funny, i was going to say I loved the helicopter tour of Kauai, but it isn’t cheap, of course. Then again I had never been in a helicopter before so that added to the “cool” factor for me.

But the best things I did in Kauai was snorkeling and inland kayaking. The highlight of it all was snorkeling and getting up close (but not too close) to some sea turtles.

13

Don’t know if this has been recommended yet (I just did a quick scan) but do yourself a favor and get the guide book OAHU revealed and/or Ultimate Kauai.

I just got back from Hawaii a couple of months ago and found these books to be invaluable. Here is their website which they update frequently to let you know what has changed.

There are some GREAT hikes in Oahu and such, so don’t let Waikiki and Honolulu sucker you in. Lots of amazing natury stuff to do, especially the drive across H-3 (I think it is H-3) that cuts through the mountain. Good stuff.

14

There were two helicopter crashes last month in Kauai within a few days of each other. The safety regulations are being called into question.

15

Rent a car, get a good map, and enjoy dinking around the islands. Lots of beaches, birds, mountains. I was just on Kauai and spent money only on the rental, gasoline and food.

16

I have to agree with not taking a helicopter tour. Besides the safety questions, I remember that on the Big Island, the sulfur from the volcano eroded the blades and caused at least one crash that I know of while I was living in Honolulu. Also on the Big Island, I remember reading that some “moks” (Hawaiian rednecks) loved to take potshots at the helicopters when they came too close to their property and disturbed them with their noise – or made them fear they’re marijuana-growing enterprise was about to be discovered.

Of course, the OP did not mention the Big Island, but I agree with the safety concerns.

17

I took a helicopter tour of Kauai back in 95. It was amazing, we flew into Mt. Waialeale. I believe it was the back of the valley just northwest of Kawaikini. Clouds above us and sheer cliff walls all around us that were the greenest you could possibly imagine and incredibly close. Flying up the Na Pali coast, over the canyon, it was just an amazing experience.

Of course they don’t do that anymore because shortly after we got back there was a helicopter crash off the Na Pali coast. And since then it seems like every year or so another one goes down. There are so many flights a day that there’s just a small chance it will be you but what an awful time to die. Ok, there’s no great time to die but it just makes me sad to think that people come here just to visit and never return home.

18

Oh, and if you hike out to the Na Pali coast, an amazing hike, please to walk out to the edge and look down because if you fall you die. Can’t believe people do that there. And at the Grand Canyon. And at the Cliff os Moher.

I hate when people do that.

19

mokes(correct spelling, short for mokumoku-street fighter)
potshots(unintentional funny, because these people are said to be pot growers chasing away police spies) :stuck_out_tongue:

20

I wouldn’t do the helicopter tour either, mostly because to me it’s a silly way of experiencing Hawaii. There’s so much more fun things you can do on land. You can actually do things instead of just sitting and looking.

Also, I’d skip Eggs ‘n’ Things and go to Wailana Coffee House instead. I’m not a breakfast person, but I love eating breakfast there.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/specials/bestrestaurants04/restaurant?id=68