OT - what to see in Honolulu and Waikiki

[tcoral]

First time going! . Couldn't pass up the low fares right now so going to take my daughter on a trip. Going in February (I hope her cast will be off by then, she's having the pin removed from her arm this month, another reason to celebrate).

So, if I'm staying close to Waikiki beach, what should we see and do? I don't want to rent a car but will I have to? I see they have an aquarium there, any good? Maybe see that when we fly in?

I can't swim well, but I hear that I should go snorkling and there are places that a person with limited swimming ability can go, where at that time of year is good? My daughter can swim better than me, will it be interesting for her too?

We are staying 3 full days, besides the travel ones. I like nature, and going to spend time at a beach .

 

[fishnerd]

waikiki aquarium is well worth it, peppermint angel, abei angels are there.
diamond peak if you are up for a trek up.
pearl harbor
dole plantation

Most of these require a vehical though

 

[tcoral]

waikiki aquarium is well worth it, peppermint angel, abei angels are there.
diamond peak if you are up for a trek up.
pearl harbor
dole plantation

Most of these require a vehical though

OOOOH, :inlove: got to see the aquarium then! I was telling my daughter that since my reef tank had a lot of Hawaiian fish in it we would probably have to see that! Do they have eels in there too? Dragon eels and stuff?

I'm up for the trek, got to see if my daughter is though.

 

[fishnerd]

Yes they do have eels there, the hawaiian endemics are the show though. H. fuscipinnus G.personatus tons of A. arcuatus B saniguensis

 

[tcoral]

Yes they do have eels there, the hawaiian endemics are the show though. H. fuscipinnus G.personatus tons of A. arcuatus B saniguensis

OK, mapped it and it's a 15min walk from the hotel so could be a good thing to do when we get there . (stretch those legs after a 5+ hour flight).

 

[TigeBell]

I agree with fishnerd on all the suggestions. the aquarium is definitely worth the trip, a boat ride to the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor is definitely a emotional experience, and The Dole Pineapple Plant is delicious.

As for snorkeling, you could do it on Waikiki Beach but the visibility is <10 feet close to shore. However, to get to deep water on Waikiki Beach, you would have to swim out a long ways while the depth isn't that much. Over all, not worth snorkeling on Waikiki Beach IMO. Hanauma Bay is a totaly different story and you could do the hike up to Diamond Peak afterwards or even before.

On the weekend, The Hilton Hawaiian hotel use to have a ton of vendors and a person that made grass hats and bowls. Always was interested is watching him. However, that was my uncle Not sure if he is still doing it any more.

Uber might be your friend

Have a great time. I was living on Oahu from '90 to '94 and scuba dove, surfed, snorkeled, swam, and partied like it was 1999 All my experience there was 20 years ago

p.s. I wouldn't suggest the party like its 1999 :wildone: :hmm3:

 

[tcoral]

LOL, my daugther likes horse riding and looking at the one day deluxe adventure at Kualoa ranch. We would get the horseback riding, ATV and 2 other tours, just deciding which day (tues, wens, thurs) and which other tours! One even goes to the filming site of Jurassic Park! We are going mid week, from Monday to Friday (traveling Monday and Friday).

So fitting in the whole day at the ranch one of the days, figuring out what to do on the other 2 full days. It's the middle of whale watching so probably need to do that or dolphins? Or is the dolphin one over rated?

 

[tcoral]

I agree with fishnerd on all the suggestions. the aquarium is definitely worth the trip, a boat ride to the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor is definitely a emotional experience, and The Dole Pineapple Plant is delicious.

As for snorkeling, you could do it on Waikiki Beach but the visibility is <10 feet close to shore. However, to get to deep water on Waikiki Beach, you would have to swim out a long ways while the depth isn't that much. Over all, not worth snorkeling on Waikiki Beach IMO. Hanauma Bay is a totaly different story and you could do the hike up to Diamond Peak afterwards or even before.

On the weekend, The Hilton Hawaiian hotel use to have a ton of vendors and a person that made grass hats and bowls. Always was interested is watching him. However, that was my uncle Not sure if he is still doing it any more.

Uber might be your friend

Have a great time. I was living on Oahu from '90 to '94 and scuba dove, surfed, snorkeled, swam, and partied like it was 1999 All my experience there was 20 years ago

p.s. I wouldn't suggest the party like its 1999 :wildone: :hmm3:

On the Hanauma Bay snorkeling, should I take the boat out or just rent the equipment and go from the beach? That looks like real fun too! (and not too deep so I won't freak out)

 

[TigeBell]

just snorkel from shore. it is shallow for awhile and you see a ton of fish and will be a long swim to the outer limits where the coral will be. But, there are so many fish that I never had time to even look at coral. If I remember correctly, the fish do like green pees . However, I think they discourage the feeding and might be illegal to feed? You can check on that before you do anything for sure

Not sure about the whale watching or dolphin tours. There are so many things to do, I not sure you will miss anything with that. You could do the whale/dolphin tours here in Northern California. The only difference is the type of whale and dolphins. Honestly, do stuff there that you can't do here. Horseback riding would be awesome there because you can't see the stuff they have there if you were to do it here.

 

[tcoral]

OK, good luau places that are in that area (Hilton Waikiki) that possibly have gluten free offerings? Saw the hilton one advertised (though at the different one than I'm staying). How safe is it to be walking around at night from place to place?

Looking at sea life park and the chief's luau, is that park any good? how's the luau? (it had a gluten free selection)

 

[jthao]

Have fun Tina!! Take lots of pics!!

 

[tcoral]

Thanks guys!

Well reserved some activities already.

Going to Chief's Luau the night we get there, (had really good ratings, gluten free menu and transportation).

Tuesday we are going to Kualoa Ranch and Wednesday going to do a Hanauma Bay Snorkeling Adventure Half-Day Tour

This will leave plenty of time to relax and Thursday open to maybe do a bus tour or something.:dance::dance:

planning to fit diamond peak and the aquarium in there somewhere