A few years ago, my sister, Debbie, moved to Kawai. She repeatedly invited me to visit her, and my default response was: "Yes, I will. But not yet. It's not a good time." I regretted this procrastination when she moved back to Michigan without my promised visit.
This past November, Debbie bought a condo on Kauai and moved back there. I resolved not to repeat my mistake, so I planned a trip for early February. The trip lasted 13 days and took me to 4 different islands.
We departed for Honolulu in February with flight and hotel reservations for four islands - Oahu, The Big Island of Hawai'i, Maui, and Kauai. This was my first visit to the Aloha State in 37 years, a trip I took between finishing graduate school and starting my first professional job. In those days, I had very little disposable income, so I saved wherever I could, and I visited only the island of Oahu.
I resolved to splurge more on this visit. A major highlight of my recent trip was a helicopter flight around Kauai, including a dive into the Waimea Canyon, which has no roads for automobiles. A light rain fell during our flight, limiting visibility but allowing us to see rainbows from above.
Another treat was seeing a live volcano - Kīlauea - erupt at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Most of us picture a volcano as a cone-shaped mountain with red-hot lava spewing from a hole at the top center. Thanks to the volcano's age and the number of eruptions, Kīlauea is nearly flat. Steam billowed from the crater, which was surrounded by a plateau of dried black lava.
A visit to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona memorialized the thousands who died on the morning of December 7, 1941, in a surprise Japanese air raid, which was successful in the short term but inspired the United States to enter World War II in the Pacific, leading to the defeat of the Japanese Empire.
A hike up the dormant volcano Diamond Head offered spectacular views of Oahu and a sense of accomplishment.
A local excursion company offered the opportunity to swim with manta rays off the coast of the Big Island, so we signed up. A sunset boat ride brought us to a cove where they shone lights into the water, and equipped us with snorkeling gear. I was transfixed as dozens of manta rays - some with wingspans exceeding ten feet - approached the light, often brushing against my arm before diving into the depths.
Hawaii offers beautiful sunsets over the Pacific Ocean from every island, and I saw some spectacular views.
The only drawback occurred during our stay on Maui. I have heard of the beauty of this island, but high winds and heavy rains prevented us from enjoying much of it during our two-day stay. Inclement weather forced the cancellation of the morning whale-watching cruise I had reserved, so we spent much of the day inside watching the Super Bowl. I braved the elements to take a treacherous drive on a narrow, winding Maui road to see the Nakalele Blowhole from above. Ocean waves crash under the shoreline rocks and spew dozens of feet in the air through a blowhole. Kauai also boasts the Spouting Horn blowhole, which was nice but less impressive.
We visited numerous waterfalls on Kauai and The Big Island. Rainbow Falls on the latter was the most beautiful.
One night, I noticed that Five for Fighting was performing at the Hawaii Blue Note club in Honolulu, so we bought tickets. It was an enjoyable show, and his daughter joined him onstage for one song.
A beach on the southern coast of Kauai is a nesting ground for sea turtles, and we witnessed dozens of them crawling up from the ocean. We were also fortunate to witness Hawaiian monk seals that had crawled onto a beach to sun themselves just a few yards away - behavior they only exhibit every few weeks.
We visited many food trucks, drank many mai tais, ate kalua pork tacos and poke bowls; we did a lot of driving and witnessed much of the natural beauty these islands have to offer; and we spent quality time with my sister. Debbie was an excellent host during the five days on Kauai. She showed us the sights, drove us around, and even loaned her car for hours at a time. It was an amazing trip that yielded many memories that will last for years. I do not plan to wait another 37 years before I return.
Daily Itinerary
Sunday, February 1
- Arrived in Honolulu
Monday, February 2
- Pearl Harbor and USS Arizona
- Dole Plantation:
- Plant maze. Underwhelming.
- Train ride. Kids on the train made it too loud to hear the tour guide, but the scenery was nice.
- Botanical Garden. Beautiful plants and landscaping
Tuesday, February 3
- Diamond Head. Parked in the crater and climbed to the top
- Five for Fighting concert at the Hawaiian Blue Note
Wednesday, February 4
- Flew to the Big Island
- Walk around Kailua-Kona
- Watched the sun set over the ocean
- Relaxed with coffee, dinner, drinks
- Snorkeling with Manta Rays canceled due to rough seas
Thursday, February 5
- Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
- The Rainbow Falls
- Kaumana Caves. Very dark. Went a short distance inside
- Drove around Hilo
- Carlsmith Beach
Friday, February 6
- Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historic Park
- Drove down the coast
- Snorkeling with manta rays
Saturday, February 7
- Flew to Maui
Sunday, February 8
- Whale watching cruise canceled due to weather
- Nakalele Blowhole
- Watched the Super Bowl
Monday, February 9
- Flew to Kauai
- Mai tais and nachos with Debbie at a local hotel
Tuesday, February 10
- Drove along the southern coast of Kauai
- Spouting horn, a set of blowholes on the ocean
- Tunnel of trees
- Grilled steaks by the pool
Wednesday, February 11
- Drove around the northern coast of Kauai
- Stops at multiple beaches, including:
- Tunnels Beach, named for a tunnel-like cave across the road
- Waimea Bay
- Hanalei Bay
- Stops at multiple beaches, including:
Thursday, February 12
- Worked remotely in the morning
- Sea turtles and seals at the beach
Friday, February 13
- Worked remotely in the morning
- Helicopter ride around Kauai and into Waimea Canyon
- Visited waterfalls
Saturday, February 14
- Drove to the west of the island and along the rim of Waimea Canyon
- Flew home
Video of Helicopter ride over Kawai