Tundrababe ([info]tundrababe) wrote in [info]abouthawaii,
@ 2008-02-20 14:28:00
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Taking a trip to Hawai'i
Name: Susan

Age: 33

Location: St. Cloud, MN

Interests, Please: Warm sun, no snow. That's my main interest of late.

Have you been to Hawai'i? (if applicable): No, never!

What do you like about Hawai'i? It's warm, it's beautiful, the culture, lots of Buddha statues and tiki dudes, flowers, whales, Hawaiian cows, flowers, and um, everything really.

What do you dislike about Hawai'i? That I'm not there right now! It's 12 below zero here. Plus, I'm not looking forward to the 10 hour plane ride.




I'm taking a trip to Hawaii soon, as you can see, and I am super-excited about it! I'm going with some friends and family, and we'll be visiting Oahu and Maui for a week. We're cramming as much stuff as possible into our trip, while still leaving some free time to explore things on our own. I thought maybe I could post some of our plans here and get some tips or opinions from the locals or those that have been there/done that. I'm cool with a certain level of cheesy tourist stuff, but I would like to explore the history and culture of Hawaii. The "real" Hawaii, if you will.

Here's the itinerary, from what I understand it (I didn't do all the planning). First, we're going to Oahu after two (hopefully only two, and on time) long flights. We're staying in this hotel in Waikiki. On the second day we're going on a tour of Pearl Harbor. We'll be spending the next day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I'm curious about that one - is it really a cultural center, or is it more of a corny tourist thing? We're taking the bus or cabs on Oahu, so I'm hoping those are easy to figure out.

After that we're flying to Maui. In Maui, we'll be staying at Kaanapali Beach Hotel and renting a van. Then we're taking a boat to go whale watching. We're also going to the Old Lahaina Luau, taking a helicoptor tour, and seeing 'Ulalena, which is some sort of Hawaiian Cirque du Soleil thing, I guess.

We're going to be staying near the Jodo Mission in Maui, where the big Buddha statue is. The giant banyan tree is in the neighborhood too.

Two things that restrict my travel somewhat is that I use a wheelchair, and I'm a vegetarian. So, recommending surfing or steakhouses isn't going to help me, but if you have anything to recommend with that in mind, I welcome your suggestions. Thanks!

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[info]travel_brat
2008-02-20 09:42 pm UTC (link)
People flock to the Cultural Center by the bus load. I personally (and this is just my own opinion) did not enjoy my time at the cultural center. Granted it was several years ago but i didn't care much for it. It felt very touristy to me even though it does have a lot of cultural elements to it. I think what turned me off was the amount of people there too.

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[info]tundrababe
2008-02-20 09:47 pm UTC (link)
Aww no, I was afraid of that! It looks very touristy. I've read both positive and negative reviews of the place. I wouldn't care too much, but we're going to be there all day. I guess I'll go keeping in mind that it's going to be a cornfest, and try to appreciate it for what it is. At least it'll be warm!

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[info]travel_brat
2008-02-20 09:52 pm UTC (link)
Trust me...you can't have a bad time in Hawaii. *giggle* Oh...and don't worry about being a vegetarian there are lots of places that have stuff that you could eat. When you get into Waikiki you'll see at your hotel or outside on some of the street corners there are magazines and coupon books EVERYWHERE. One of them is specifically for dining. THey are free and have lots of info in them plus coupons.

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[info]tundrababe
2008-02-20 09:58 pm UTC (link)
Cool - I am looking forward to putting on my eating pants for this trip!

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[info]travel_brat
2008-02-20 10:01 pm UTC (link)
They have some great food there. All kinds of different things. If there is particular types of food that you like...or something that you want to make sure that you try...let everyone here know. I'm sure between all of us we can post our favs of stuff.

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[info]tundrababe
2008-02-21 08:13 pm UTC (link)
I have never tried Hawaiian food, so I have no clue what I like or don't like. If it's vegetarian, I'll try it (except I really don't like seaweed). Everyone says to try poi, so I'll have to try poi. My favorite types of food are Asian foods - Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese...is it anything like that? I love rice.

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[info]travel_brat
2008-02-21 08:17 pm UTC (link)
You'll have no problem finding Asian foods. And rice...well...you won't have a problem finding rice either. I have a feeling you'll enjoy all the yummy food based on what you just said!

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[info]arwengaladriell
2008-02-22 03:06 am UTC (link)
Urr, there are a lot of locals that don't like plain poi ; kind of an acquired taste. I'm not sure what kind of Hawaiian dish you'd like if you're a vegetarian. Most of the common ones have some kind of meat or fish. only thing I can think of that doesn't have any kind of meat is the desserts. Haupia is popular; made from coconut milk. And there are all kinds of stuff made from taro, like breads and pies. But there are a lot of local dishes that are inspired by the many cultures here. You could try Lomilomi salmon, if you eat fish. It's basically tomatoes green onions and bits of salmon.

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[info]arwengaladriell
2008-02-21 03:15 am UTC (link)
If you want history focused on Hawaii you should check out the bishop Museum on Oahu. the Polynesian Cultural Center encompasses all the Polynesian islands including Fiji, samoa, Tonga and tahiti,New Zealand. the bus system on Oahu is very good, but the other islands aren't as lucky.

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[info]tundrababe
2008-02-21 07:23 pm UTC (link)
Oh, okay, thanks! I was curious why they had Easter Island statues on their website, that makes sense now. It's not just Hawaii.

I didn't know about the Bishop Museum, we'll see if time allows that. The artwork there looks incredible!

We rented a van for Maui, their bus system didn't look too great.

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[info]arwengaladriell
2008-02-22 02:53 am UTC (link)
Oh, I hope you get a chance to have some shaved ice from the north shore on Oahu; it's the best in the nation There is a really good one in town too, close to the wal-mart.

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[info]c_eagle
2008-02-21 10:55 am UTC (link)
Have a great time!!

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[info]tundrababe
2008-02-21 07:23 pm UTC (link)
Thanks!

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[info]coco_beans
2008-02-21 11:37 am UTC (link)
The bus system is good enough on Oahu that you won't need cabs. Maui, you will probably need cabs. The bus system is accessible and pleasant and affordable. Just ask the bus driver to let you know when you get to "P.C.C."
My suggestion is to take the bus from Waikiki going one way and take the bus home going the other way around the island. PCC (what the locals call the cultural center) is equidistant from Waikiki on either route.

PCC is an individual thing. It's touristy, but, personally, I liked it. You could spend an hour to all day there. I would check out the IMAX theater when it gets too muggy/hot or when people need a rest. The hula show (at night) is put on by the college students in the area. They aren't professionals. If you're knowledgeable about dance, then you might find it too hooky. But, everyone I've taken there has liked it.
I would skip on all the other extras (the luau, the "treat" during the show, etc.) The theater is small enough that you don't need to be particularly concerned about good seating either.
It can be a little dusty. And it might rain at some point during the day on that side of the island. The bus can get cold for that long of a ride.

You shouldn't need a professional tour of Pearl Harbor unless you are a serious nut over that stuff.

Waikiki is really accessible. The North Shore (historic Haleiwa) isn't really (you'll be riding on the side of the road/dirt)



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[info]coco_beans
2008-02-21 11:39 am UTC (link)
****I mean, take the bus going through the north shore on the way there and take the same bus headed in the same direction (don't cross the street) through the windward side to waikiki. So you get the circle island tour.

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[info]tundrababe
2008-02-21 07:29 pm UTC (link)
We rented a van for Maui, so I'm not too worried about that. I'm glad the bus system is so good. The loop drive sounds like a good idea.

I think we have some people nuts over the Pearl Harbor experience, hence the tour. Plus, it's a ride. We'll be at the PCC all day, I don't know what's in store but it should be fun. I didn't know there was an IMAX, that's cool.

Thanks for the info!

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[info]ichigogeisha
2008-02-21 06:38 pm UTC (link)
http://ssl.honoluluadvertiser.com/livinginparadise/2007/main

Aloha!

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[info]tundrababe
2008-02-21 07:29 pm UTC (link)
Thanks, this site looks helpful!

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