| Tours and Activities Hawaii |
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Tours and Activities Hawaii
Food and Drink in Hawaii:
Hawaiian food offers the best of ‘Pacific Rim’ and ‘New American’ cooking
styles, influenced by Chinese, Mediterranean, Mexican and other Asian countries.
Many dishes are based on chicken, pork, seafood and local fruit and vegetables
cooked using traditional methods. The classic traditional Hawaiian feast is the
luau based around a puaa kalua (whole pig) that has been shaved and rubbed with
rock salt on the inside. It is then placed on chicken wire, filled with hot
stones from the fire, and cooked in an imu (pit) along with sweet potatoes,
plantains and sometimes laulau (pork, butterfish and spinach-like taro shoots
wrapped in leaves and steamed). Served with traditional Hawai’ian poi (thick
paste made from ground taro).
Regional specialities in Hawaii:
• Local seafood includes moi (mullet) ulua, opakapaka (pink snapper), lobster
and yellowfin tuna.
• Hawaiian breakfast specialities are macadamia nuts and banana and coconut
pancakes with coconut syrup.
Nightlife
Bars and nightclubs abound, especially on Oahu and Maui. Top international stars
are booked, whilst luau shows (traditional Hawaiian banquets followed by live
performances of music and dancing) are in themselves a great attraction. Jazz,
big band music, tea dances and hula groups are all available.
Shopping
The Aloha Tower Marketplace, Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center and the Ala Moana
Shopping Center in Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, are popular shopping areas. Opening
hours: Mon-Sat 0900-2100. Some shops may open Sun 0830-1800.
Top Things To Do in Hawaii:
• Visit The Leeward Coast (www.visit-Oahu.com/gd_leeward.aspx) on the western
side of Oahu Island. In recent years a certain amount of development has taken
place and new residential areas, golf courses, parks, a shopping centre and an
amusement park (Hawaiian Waterways Adventure Park) have sprung up.
• Relax at Waikiki Beach on Oahu Island. The area is a particularly popular
resort region and is currently undergoing a US$300 million rejuvenation
programme, including construction of new walkways, traffic calming measures, and
picnic and entertainment areas. Some 436 hotel rooms will be lost during phase
one alone; phase two, which is slated for commencement in 2006, will spell the
end for three of Waikiki’s hotels, to be replaced by a single 890-room venue.
Waikiki Beach is probably the most famous surfing beach in the world; learners
are welcome here.
• Explore the Aloha Tower Marketplace (www.alohatower.com), an attractive and
modern waterfront development in Honolulu. It is one of the major attractions in
the area, with shopping plazas, restaurants and pavement entertainers.
• Enjoy the Honolulu Zoo (www.honoluluzoo.org), home to over 1230 mammals,
birds, and reptiles. Meet Violet, the female orangutan. Nearby is Kapiolani
Park, where the Honolulu Marathon is concluded annually. The park was created by
King Kalakaua in the 1870's and is a beautiful 500-acre park listed on the
state's Historic Register.
• Watch the whales. From November to April, Lanai, once known as the ‘Pineapple
Isle’, is the perfect place for whale watching, as humpback whales make the
waters around the island their winter breeding and calving grounds.
• Be amazed by the beauty of Kauai (www.kauai-hawaii.com), ‘Hawaii’s Island of
Discovery’, (some say it is the most outstanding in the archipelago), with
staggering mountains and miles of sandy beaches. It is ideal for the visitor who
does not care for crowded beaches or high-rise hotels. Local attractions include
Mount Waialeale, the Wailua River, and the nearby temple of Holoholoku Heiau.
Hanakapiai Beach is 2 miles inland and there is a stupendous waterfall 2 miles
up in the Hanakapiai Valley.
• Take part in deep-sea fishing. It is very popular off Hawaii’s Big Island.
• Engage in boating. For would-be yachtspeople, one-week yachting charters are
available, with or without crews. All boats are equipped with
Coast-Guard-approved safety equipment and are under Coast Guard supervision.
• Go snorkelling. It is especially popular near the Molokini Crater off Maui, as
well as at various sites around each of the islands.
Tourist Information
Hawaii Tourism Authority
1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815, USA
Tel: (808) 973 2255.
Website: www.hawaiitourismauthority.org
• Tour the National Cemetery of the Pacific (www.cem.va.gov/nchp/nmcp/htm) or
Punchbowl in Honolulu, a memorial and cemetery for US military veterans.
• View the fine collection of Asian art at the Honolulu Academy of Arts (www.honoluluacademy.org
).
• Experience Oahu’s most visited attraction - Pearl Harbor (www.pearlharbor.navy.mil)
and the USS Arizona Memorial (www.nps.gov/usar) (open daily 0730-1700), the
scene of Japan’s surprise attack which brought the USA into World War II. Free
tours take visitors by boat to the memorial spanning the wreck of the Battleship
Arizona where 1177 men died; it is recommended to arrive early as the last boat
leaves at 1500.
• Partake in the Circle Island Tour, which takes in the whole of Oahu. Allow at
least a day for the tour. Attractions en route include Waimea Falls Park, (www.hawaiiweb.com/oahu/beaches),
Pearl Harbor, the Polynesian Cultural Centre (www.polynesia.com), Sea Life Park
(www.sealifepark.dolphindiscovery.com) (swim with the dolphins), the Waialua
Coffee Visitors’ Center (on a former plantation), and Sunset Beach (www.hawaiiweb.com/oahu/beaches).
• Explore the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (www.nps.gov/havo), one of the
natural wonders of the world. At 4103m (13,677ft), Mauna Loa is the largest
single mountain mass in the world, while at 1200m (4000ft), the still-active
Kilauea’s steaming vents and frequent eruptions provide an unusual (and safe)
spectator sport. The volcano is continuously erupting, and can be seen entering
the ocean at sea-level.
• See Mount Haleakala (www.nps.gov/hale) in Maui, a massive volcanic crater
whose name translates as 'The House of the Sun'.
• Discover Maui's Ka’eleku Caverns (www.mauicave.com), which are located beneath
the Hana Rainforest, and are now open to the public for guided tours.
• Delight in the spectacular natural attractions of Lanai Island (www.lanaicity.com).
They include the dramatic Shipwreck Beach or Kaiolohia with its petroglyph rock
carvings and the mystical Garden of the Gods at Kanepu’u.
• Discover Molokai (www.molokai-hawaii.com), ‘Hawaiian by Nature.’ The island
offers wide open vistas, an easy-going ambience and a lively local community.
Attractions include the harbour town of Kaunakakai, with its quaint and
colourful shops, Mount Kamakou, and the Moaulu Falls.
Hawaii's Tourist Information
Hawaii Tourism Authority
1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815, USA
Tel: (808) 973 2255.
Website: www.hawaiitourismauthority.org
Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau
2270 Kalakaua Avenue, 8th floor, Honolulu, HI 96815, USA
Tel: (808) 923 1811 or (800) 464 2924 (toll free).
Website: www.gohawaii.com
Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association
2250 Kalakaua Avenue, Suite 404-4, Honolulu, HI 96815, USA
Tel: (808) 923 0407.
Website: www.hawaiihotels.org
Climate in Hawaii
Warm throughout the year, with an average temperature of 24-29°C (75-85°F), and
no appreciable difference between ‘summer’ and ‘winter’. Heavy rainfall can
occur in some mountainous areas from December to February, but most areas only
receive short showers, while others remain totally arid.
Lightweights are advised throughout the year, with warmer clothes for winter.
Beachwear is popular, and protection from the midday sun, such as sunglasses and
sun hats, is advisable.
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