Go Visit Hawaii

If you are looking for a luau on Oahu, you have a new option. The Hilton Hawaiian has just added a luaus on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. It’s called Waikiki Luau on the Lagoon.

Setting this lu‘au apart from others in Hawai‘i is the breathtaking backdrop of the
lagoon, providing the perfect site for the lu‘au’s signature lagoon procession in which Hawaiian fishermen arrive aboard a canoe signaling the official start of the lu‘au. Following their arrival, the fishermen then teach guests to do the “hukilau” dance – a traditional song and dance that talks about fishermen and their catch.

The luau begins at 5:15 and includes a night of music, classic luau buffet, and Polynesian dancing. A lei greeting, mai tai and soft drink are included in the price. The cost is $95 for adults and $45 for children between the ages of 6 and 12. To purchase tickets, or for more information, call the hotel at (808) 949-4321 and ask for extension 77709. If you’ll be driving to Waikiki Beach, validated parking is available at the Hilton for $8 for self-parking, or $13 for valet.

Oahu’s largest heiau,a Hawaiian religious temple, is Puu O Mahuka. You’ll find this temple perched on a hill overlooking Waimea Bay on the North Shore. It’s definitely worth a 20 minute or so diversion from Highway 83 to visit it. Educational plaques are stationed by the heiau. This diversion is also worthy because of views. Here’s the video we shot of this site and views.

It is estimated that this temple was built in the 1600s. This heiau was probably used for religious services until the religious kapu (taboo) system was abolished by the Hawaiian ruler in 1819. Sacrifices were offered to the gods here. Traditionally, food offerings were presented to the gods, but it is reported that human sacrifices may have also been offered here. For more information on the history of this heiau, see this link.

Heiaus are constructed out of stacked stones. The overall shape of a heiau is usually rectangular. This two-page brochure shows a drawing of how Puu O Mahuka once looked.

Puu O Mahuka is managed under the Hawaii State Parks system and visiting this site is free. If you visit, please do not remove and/or stack any stones. Please also be respectful if you see someone worshiping here.

To get here, take Pupukea Road by the Foodland grocery store. Turn right on Puu o Mahuka. Ample parking is available.

Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources recently launched a spruced up website loaded with great information on Hawaii’s State Parks. Here’s how to use this resource to help you with your vacation plans.

Finding the State Parks
It’s easy to find the state parks for Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and the Big Island with the interactive island maps. On each individual park page, you can find out much more about the significance of the park, hours of operation, and if there are facilities like restrooms and picnic tables, etc.

Learning Hawaii’s History and Culture
This section of the website is chocked full of information of which parks to visit to learn about life in ancient Hawaii.

Finding the Hiking Trails
You’ll find great hiking advice that is written specifically for Hawaii’s trails. You’ll find a listing of the trails maintained by the state in interactive maps. Here are the trail guides for Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island.

Camping and other State Park Lodging
Here, you’ll learn where you can camp as well as the permit process and fees required. You’ll find information for lodging in cabins at Hawaii’s state parks. For example, you can stay in a cabin at the Kokee State Park on Kauai.

Park Rules & Health and Safety
Before you visit Hawaii’s state parks, you should review the park rules and learn about the unique safety circumstance.

(We took the above photo at Waianapanapa State Park on Maui.)

I continue the series of articles of what to see with only one day on each island with a day trip to Oahu. Before we dive into the details, I though I’d give you just to give you a little background on this Oahu day trip. I first visited Oahu on a day trip from Maui. At the time I was taking my first vacation to Hawaii and silly me, I thought this vacation would be my one and only to Hawaii. So, the plans I’m about to share are what I actually did on a one day visit to Oahu.

Though Oahu has beautiful beaches and views, in my opinion, its top attraction is its rich history and significance in World War II. The historic sites are mainly concentrated in Pearl Harbor. With that in mind, here’s what I advise you see in one day on Oahu:

• USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor marks the beginning of World War II. You’ll watch a brief film before taking a boat ride to the memorial. Get here as early in the morning as you can to avoid crowds and make sure you are aware of their strict security guidelines. Visiting this memorial is free.
• USS Missouri (Mighty Mo) at Pearl Harbor. This battleship marks the end of World War II. There is an admission fee to tour this ship.
• Soak in the scene and have lunch on Waikiki Beach (Dukes would be a good choice.)
• See Punchbowl Cemetery (National Memorial of the Pacific). This solemn site is in the middle of the extinct volcanic crater, Puowaina. Visiting this site is free.
• If you have time drive up to the Pali Lookout for a nice view of the southern end of Oahu.

Arrival and arranging transportation:

First, you’ll probably arrive in Honolulu at the airport or at the cruise ship harbor. From there you can either rent a car or arrange for a guided tour. In my case, I had Polynesian Adventures arrange the entire tour including air and ground transportation with a guided tour. I normally prefer touring on my own, but with the city streets of Honolulu, I decided to let someone else do the driving this time. Note that traffic in Honolulu can be difficult at times so make sure you plan adequate time in for your return to the airport or cruise ship.

What if I don’t like war history stuff? What else would you recommend I see and do?

I would take a tour around Oahu. This tour is usually called a “Circle Island Tour”. There are lots of tour companies who provide a narrated tour, which for a first time visitor takes much of the hassle of planning and logistics off your plate. If you abhor tour buses, you can drive it on your own. I would see the North Shore beaches, Haleiwa (try to get a shave ice here), Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head, the Byodo-In Temple, and the Pali Lookout.

What if I have two days or more on Oahu?

Well, one thing is for sure, you’ll never have a lack of things to do on Oahu. I would consider spending an entire day and evening at the Polynesian Cultural Center. You’ll learn tons about the various Polynesian islands and their cultures, catch a luau, and see the best Polynesian music and dance show I’ve seen.

For fans of the TV show Lost, you may enjoy renting a car and driving to see some of the Lost filming locations. Seeing Police Beach where the survivors beach camp is filmed was one of the top spots I wanted to see. Also, in the same day that you visit the beach camp, you could tour the Kualoa Ranch where many scenes are filmed.

For more ideas, see my popular article on the top 10 best free activities and sites on Oahu.

If you are going to be on Oahu for Memorial Day weekend, consider these ideas to honor the meaning of the day.

Lantern Floating Ceremony- this annual event takes place on Memorial Day from 6:30pm - 7:30pm at Ala Moana Beach Park. Lanterns are released on the water to honor those who sacrificed their lives in war. They have a great website with all the details.

Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony at Punchbowl - The ceremony begins at 8:30am with the mayor’s address. Cannons will be fired and each tombstone will be draped in a lei. Read more about public transportation and parking options here.

See the Arizona Memorial - Though there aren’t any specific events, visiting this memorial is certainly a worthy way to honor Memorial Day. Read more about planning your visit.

Tour the USS Missouri- This retired battleship is also known as the Mighty Mo and also makes a great place to visit to honor the day. See my article with advice for touring the Mighty Mo.

Photo credit to Dave Zuls.

The Polynesian Cultural Center will be hosting the 16th World Fireknife Competition and Samoan Cultural Arts Festival from May 14th though 17th.  If you are going to be on Oahu during this time, I highly recommend you make plans to see this exciting event, particularly if you can make it to see the Horizons evening show on May 17th.  (By the way, I’m a big fan of the Horizons Show.)

Many luaus have a fireknife dance as the grand finale. It really is breath taking to watch.  As you might imagine, these dancers are taking some pretty significant risks as the perform.  The knifes are sharp on both ends and on fire. In a statement from the Polynesian Cultural Center, I was told that, “The fire is very real, and dancers often make contact with different parts of their body with only a short lavalava wrap around their waist. As any fireknife dancer will tell you, they do get burned, as dancers use no other form of protection.”

Logo Apelu, vice president of operations for the Polynesian Cultural Center, says “Many of these competitors began learning the fireknife when they were just a child, picking up the practice fireknives at first.  Unlike most children, though, these young warriors were encouraged to play with fire.”  Now you don’t hear statements like that everyday, do you?

When the competition was founded 16 years ago, there were less than 30 competitors.  Last year, more than 65 performers entered the competition with dancers entering from Japan, New Zealand, Guam and even the continental U.S.

Here are the ticketing details:

Admission to the Hale Aloha Theater events and the Samoan Cultural High School Arts Festival is $8 for adults, ages 12 and up and $6 for keiki ages three to 11.  To join in on the final night of festivities, visitors must purchase a reserved seating ticket to either of the two Horizons night shows that evening, as the finals take place during the intermissions of both.  Any full-day ticket holder can attend any of the special events with their ticket except for the final night, which will require a Horizons night show ticket. Ticket prices start at $43.00.

For more information or to make reservations, please call the Polynesian Cultural Center ticket office at (800) 367-7060 or visit the PCC Web site at www.polynesia.com.  In Hawaii, call (808) 293-3333.

In the photo - Andrew “Umi” Sexton, the 2007 Fireknife Champion.  Photo provided courtesy of the Polynesian Cultural Center.

The Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu really does a great job introducing you to the Polynesian music.  The center has created a village representing each major grouping of islands.  The following video was shot in the Hawaiian village.  Cousin Benny explains the origins of the Hawaiian nose flute and then plays it for us.  (If the video doesn’t appear in your e-mail, click here to access it, then click on the arrow.)

See my other posts on the Polynesian Cultural Center:

• A review of the village demonstrations and float parade
• A review of the Ali’i Luau
• A review of the evening Horizons Show

According to this video, Waikiki Beach is the best place in Hawaii to learn how to surf. I recently spoke to a friend who just learned how to surf at Waikiki Beach and she just raved over how great it was. So, if you are going to Oahu and you’ve had a lifelong dream of learning to surf, take a look at this brief video to whet your appetite.

What is your favorite four-letter word? Mine is “free”! It’s not often that you find quality entertainment that’s free, but on Oahu’s Kuhio Beach, you’ll find a beautiful free hula show.

The show includes authentic Hawaiian music and hula performances and a torch lighting ceremony. It’s offered every night except for Mondays. It begins at 6:30pm on the Kuhio Beach Hula Mound near the intersection of Uluniu and Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki.

The show lasts about an hour. If you’re going, you may want to bring a towel or a beach mat as there is only lawn seating.

Mahalo to the Honolulu Office of Economic Development for providing the free show and to the Waikiki Improvement Project for the photo.

Oahu’s North Shore is famous for big waves that attract expert surfers from across the world.  It is common to have 20 foot waves during the winter months on Oahu.  The big surf can be extremely hazardous for those who aren’t expert surfers, so don’t get any ideas that you are going to teach yourself how to surf at Sunset Beach or Waimea Bay in the winter. In this situation, I’m happy to just be a spectator. 

Take a virtual tour to see the recent (end of November 2007) big wave action as reported by KITV via YouTube.

If you are viewing this post via e-mail, click here to watch the video.