The Best of Hawaii the Best
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
1 TTHEHE BBESTEST OOFF HHAWAIIAWAII COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 004_497654-ch01.indd4_497654-ch01.indd 1 111/20/091/20/09 22:34:25:34:25 PPMM 004_497654-ch01.indd 2 4 _ 2 1 4 9 THE BEST OF HAWAII The Best Beaches 7 6 5 4 T - PREVIOUS THE help ensurethateverydollariswellspent. Nomatterwhatyourbudget,thisguidewill toward thebestHawaiihastooffer. will steeryouawayfromthecrowded,overrated,andoverpriced—and Thisbook a Hawaiiresident,Icantelltheextraordinaryfrommerelyordinary. As wherethisguidecomesin. before yougetonthat“free”snorkelingtrip.That’s skirted huladancers,overpricedexoticdrinks,anda4-hourtimesharelecture ist trapssellingshellsfromthePhilippines,hokeyfauxculturelikecellophane- If you’renotcareful,yourtriptoHawaiicouldturnintoanightmareoftour- evenparadisehasitsshareofstifl Unfortunately, year. after year theAlohaState to peoplereturn somany whichiswhy vacation, 2-week seeanddoonany muchto too far There’s complex. nitely andinfi distinct, Eachofthe sixmainislandsisseparate, endless. relaxation—are adventure—and for possibilities The surf. an endless by sandscaressed green black,andeven those beaches—gold,red, Andoh, andsoaringvolcanoes. ruggedcanyons, running through c h 0 W W 1 . i n and camping are top-notch, and there’s plentyof parking. Seep.321. and campingaretop-notch,there’s wavesthunderinlikestampedinghorses.Thefacilitiesforpicnicking winter, that aregreatforswimming,snorkeling,andbodysurfi cream-coloredsandslopesdowntocrystal-clearwaters you’ll seewhy:Perfect some consideritoneofthemostbeautifulbeachesinworld.Onelookand toptravelmagazinesasthemostbeautiful beachinHawaii— in theworld’s Hapuna Beach Beach Lanikai not onlyasscenicbackdrops,butalsobirdsanctuaries.Seep.204. tinyoffshoreislandscompletethepicture,functioning and kayaking.Two andexcellentforswimming,snorkeling, ters. Thewatersarecalmyear-round golden sandassoftpowderedsugarborderingtranslucentturquoisewa- postcard-perfectbeaches—amileof CoastisoneofHawaii’s Windward d d PAGE 2 best : Haena Beach. ests, hidden gardens, cascading waterfalls, wild rivers wildrivers cascadingwaterfalls, hiddengardens, ests, fi you’ll Here fi andHollywood Seas literature mid-Pacifi drenched, thishandfulofsun- like onearthquite noplace here’s (BigIsland):Thishalf-mile-longcrescentregularlywinskudos (Oahu): Too (Oahu):Too BEACHES nd palm-fringed bluelagoons,lushrainfor- gorgeous tobereal,thisstretchalongthe c islands. The Hawaii ofSouth Hawaii c islands.The ing crowdsandtouristschlock. lms really does exist. doesexist. lms really ng insummer; come 111/20/09 2:34:26PM 1 / 2 0 - / 0 9 2 : 3 4 : 2 6 P M Hanalei Princeville K au la KAUAI k a h i Lihue C h Puuwai a n Poipu l n ne e n l ha C NIIHAU ai OAHU au K Laie Haleiwa P A C I F I C O C E A N Makaha Kailua l e n n Pailolo Pearl Harbor a MOLOKAI h Channel Honolulu Waikiki C i iw Ka Kaunakakai Kaanapali han. lohi C C A Ka u Kahului MAUI h a NOR a TH u A n ME Lanai City Lahaina R . ICA i Hana JAPAN E LANAI ahik N Los Angeles k Kihei I i l L la e n ea an Haleakala E K h T C National Park A D a Honolulu h L a ’ KAHOOLAWE h T i e l A Hawaii u n N n e a n R l h E A T C N Hawi I HAWAII “The Big Island” E q u a t o r P A C I F I C Waimea Samoa O C E A N Islands A U Fiji Keahole Point Mauna Kea S Tahiti Easter Hilo T R Cook Island A Islands Kailua-Kona L P A C I F I C O C E A N I A Tonga Sydney Captain Cook Kilauea Crater Mauna Hawaii Volcanoes National Park New Loa Zealand Ka Lae (South Point) 004_497654-ch01.indd 3 4 _ 4 9 7 6 5 4 - 160˚ W 159˚ W 158˚ W 157˚ W 156˚ W 155˚ W c h HanaleiHanalei PrincevillePrinceville 0 K 1 a The Hawaiian Islands . u i n la KAUAIKAUAI d k a d h 22˚ N LihueLihue 22˚ N i 0 50 mi 3 C h PuuwaiPuuwai a n PoipuPoipu l n ne 0 50 km e n l ha C NIIHAUNIIHAU ai OAHUOAHU au K LaieLaie HaleiwaHaleiwa PACIFICP A C I F I C OCEANO C E A N MakahaMakaha KailuaKailua l e n n PailoloPailolo PearlPearl HarborHarbor a MOLOKAIMOLOKAI h ChannelChannel HonoluluHonolulu WaikikiWaikiki C i w 21˚ N i Ka KaunakakaiKaunakakai 21˚ N KaanapaliKaanapali han. lohi C C A Ka u KahuluiKahului MAUIMAUI h a NOR a TH u A n ME LanaiLanai CityCity LahainaLahaina R . ICA i HanaHana JAPANJAPAN E LANAILANAI ahik N LosLos AngelesAngeles k KiheiKihei I i l L la e n ea an HaleakalaHaleakala E K h T C NationalNational ParkPark A Honolulu–Tokyo D a HonoluluHonolulu Honolulu–Los Angeles h L a 3,862 miles ’ KAHOOLAWEKAHOOLAWE h T 2,556 miles i e l A HawaiiHawaii u n N n e a n R l h E A T Honolulu–Mexico City C N HawiHawi I HAWAIIHAWAII 3,791 miles “The“The BBigig IIsland”sland” 20˚ N EquatorE q u a t o r Honolulu–Sydney 20˚ N 5,065 miles PACIFICP A C I F I C WaimeaWaimea SamoaSamoa OCEANO C E A N IslandsIslands A U FijiFiji KeaholeKeahole PointPoint MaunaMauna KeaKea S TahitiTahiti EasterEaster HiloHilo T R CookCook IslandIsland A IslandsIslands Kailua-KonaKailua-Kona L PACIFICP A C I F I C OCEANO C E A N I A TongaTonga SydneySydney CaptainCaptain CookCook KilaueaKilauea 111/20/09 2:34:26PM 1 CraterCrater HawaiiHawaii VolcanoesVolcanoes / MaunaMauna 2 NationalNational ParkPark 0 NewNew LoaLoa / 0 ZealandZealand 9 3 2 19˚ N : 3 19˚ N 4 : 2 6 KaKa LaeLae (South(South Point)Point) P 160˚ W 159˚ W 158˚ W 157˚ W 156˚ W 155˚ W M 1 W Kapalua Beach (Maui): On an island with many great beaches, Kapalua takes the prize. This golden crescent with swaying palms is protected from strong winds and currents by two outstretched lava-rock promontories. Its calm waters are perfect for snorkeling, swimming, and kayaking. Facilities include showers, restrooms, and lifeguards. See p. 503. W Papohaku Beach (Molokai): These gold sands stretch on for some 3 miles (it’s one of Hawaii’s longest beaches) and are about as wide as a football fi eld. Offshore the ocean churns mightily in winter, but the waves die down in sum- mer, making the calm waters inviting for swimming. It’s also great for picnick- ing, walking, and watching sunsets. See p. 588. W Hulopoe Beach The Best Island Experiences Best The (Lanai): This golden, palm-fringed beach off the south coast of Lanai gently slopes down to the azure waters of a Marine Life Conservation District, where clouds of tropical fi sh fl ourish and spinner dolphins come to play. A tide pool in the lava rocks defi nes one side of the bay, while the other is lorded over by the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay, which sits prominently on the hill above. Offshore you’ll fi nd good swimming, snorkel- ing, and diving; onshore there’s a full complement of beach facilities, from restrooms to camping areas. See p. 621. W Haena Beach (Kauai): Backed by verdant cliffs, this curvaceous North Shore beach has starred as Paradise in many a movie. It’s easy to see why Hollywood THE BEST OF HAWAII THE BEST loves Haena Beach, with its grainy golden sand and translucent turquoise wa- ters. Summer months bring calm waters for swimming and snorkeling; winter brings mighty waves for surfers. There are plenty of facilities on hand, includ- ing picnic tables, restrooms, and showers. See p. 688. THE best ISLAND EXPERIENCES W Hitting the Beach: A beach is a beach is a beach, right? Not in Hawaii. With 132 islets, shoals, and reefs, plus a general coastline of 750 miles, Hawaii has beaches in all different shapes, sizes, and colors, including black. The variety on the six major islands is astonishing; you could go to a different beach every day for years and still not see them all. For the best of a spectacular bunch, see “The Best Beaches,” above. W Taking the Plunge: Don mask, fi ns, and snorkel to explore Hawaii’s magical underwater world, where exotic corals and kaleidoscopic clouds of tropical fi sh await you—a sea turtle may even come over to check you out. Can’t swim? That’s no excuse—take one of the many submarine tours offered by Atlantis Submarines ( 800/548-6262; www.go-atlantis.com) on Oahu, the Big Island, and Maui. Check out the “Watersports” section in each island chapter for more information on all these underwater adventures. W Meeting Local Folks: If you go to Hawaii and see only people like the ones back home, you might as well not have come. Extend yourself—leave your hotel, go out and meet the locals, and learn about Hawaii and its people. Just 4 004_497654-ch01.indd4_497654-ch01.indd 4 111/20/091/20/09 22:34:26:34:26 PPMM 1 smile and say “Owzit?”—which means “How is it?” (“It’s good,” is the usual response)—and you’re on your way to making a new friend. Hawaii is remark- OF HAWAII THE BEST ably cosmopolitan; every ethnic group in the world seems to be represented here. There’s a huge diversity of food, culture, language, and customs. W Feeling History Come Alive at Pearl Harbor (Oahu): The United States could turn its back on World War II no longer after December 7, 1941, when Japanese warplanes bombed Pearl Harbor. Standing on the deck of the USS Arizona Memorial ( 808/422-0561; www.nps.gov/usar)—the eternal tomb for the 1,177 sailors and Marines trapped below when the battleship sank in just 9 minutes—is a moving experience you’ll never forget. Also in Pearl Harbor, you can visit the USS Missouri Memorial, where World War II came to an end. The Japanese signed their surrender on the deck of this Island Experiences Best The 58,000-ton battleship on September 2, 1945. See p. 244. W Watching for Whales: If you happen to be in Hawaii during humpback-whale season (roughly Dec–Apr), don’t miss the opportunity to see these gentle gi- ants.