In this post I'll be telling you all about my trip to Hawaii. Waikiki to be exact.
I arrived to HI 2 days after the hurricane. I guess you could tell, since it was quiet. I've never been to HI before so I really don't have anything to compare it with but I assume it's always busy there. At least that's what the locals kept telling me. I liked it. Kind of like Bali after the volcano erupted, it was nice and peaceful.
First thing I noticed coming out of the plane was the humidity. Oh my god it was hot!
It get's really hot in summer here as well, but 30 degrees in HI feels totally different to Sydney's dry 30 degrees.
SHOPPING
I'm ashamed to say, but the first 3 days I spent pretty much shopping. Used all my money. I went to the Waikele outlet's and all the Macy's and Ross stores I could find. Great deals. But I guess that's why at the end I felt like 9 days wasn't enough cause I kind of wasted 3 days. After that I really got into exploring the island and it was amazing. Couldn't get enough of it and I really did feel like I ran out of time.
BEING A TOURIST
I did few super touristy thing too, like the Luau party and a bus tour around the island. I personally think the bus tour was great, you get an idea of the island so you can plan where to go and what to see more. It took 8 hours, so if your planning a short trip, you can just google the best places to go and avoid wasting a day in the bus. We saw a temple, a pineapple farm, multiple beaches and snorkeling destinations and the place where Jurassic park and Jumanji was filmed. Cool. Like I said touristy.
HIKING
The first hike I did was the TOM TOM trial, also called the Makapu'u lookout trail. It was on a private property and you actually need to read about it to find it. The view from the top was amazing.
You can see multiple beaches, islands and even the sea life park from up there. I climbed all the way to the top and back. It was around 4 miles, which would be 6 km. The walk is really steep and rocky. I'd say the first 10-15 minutes are the hardest, then it gets a bit easier. I picked a terribly windy day, so at the top it was hard to stand. So I do not recommend a windy day for this hike. Also I do most of my running and hiking in Five finger shoes, which are the most amazing shoes, but I do not recommend those shoes for this hike. The rocks where sharp and slippery and you need all the support you can get. My feet were hurting like crazy, especially coming down hill. Here's few tips for this hike.
1. Wear good hiking shoes.
2. Pick a cool and less windy day.
3. If you wanna do the hike when it's dark, take a flashlight. You WILL fall on your face without it.
3. If possible, wear long pants. Plants along the way where spiky and sharp. I was all scratched after.
4. Plenty of water and sunscreen.
Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention the most important part. How to get there?
I recommend a car, but I did take a bus, there was no bus stop close by, so I had to bus all the way to the sealife park and then walk back for almost 10 minutes.. It would've been fine, but most of the walking was on the busy road with cars swinging by.
Go to the Makapu'u lookout, it's opposite of the lookout on the other side of the road. There's few PRIVATE PROPERTY- signs and a rusty fence. Just follow the fence up and you'll quickly find the trail. After about 5 to 10 minutes there's a gap in the fence, you need to go to the other side to get further. I can highly recommend this hike, it was so worth it!
The other hike I did was the Diamond head hike. Super popular, easy walk.
Okay to be entirely honest, I was sure I was going to die at one point and cursed the people who said it was easy. But seriously, there was few steep bits which were really challenging especially in the heat, but once you reach the top you feel like you can easily do it again.
Also the entry is CASH ONLY. Prepare for that. 5$ per car I think it was.
SNORKELING
I only did snorkeling at Hanauma Bay this time, but it was great. You need to go there early, around 7 AM, cause they close the parking lot and won't let people in once it's full. I have a bit of a problem with water and took me and my pool noodle a while to actually go out there. To me it was a huge plus that the water wasn't too deep and the waves were soft. I saw a seal really quickly and a lot of different kind of fish. I reckon I spent easy 5-6 hours there that day. I have to admit, I did want to kick all the tourists standing on the coral. Do not be that person!! It's a beautiful place and it would be a shame if people would destroy it.
Also as a tip I wanna say, the buses at Hawaii are good, but they take a long time to get around. If your on a tight schedule, just rent a smart car. Car renting is also half cheaper to rent from the airport than from Waikiki. Many places do charge extra if you want to return the car to Waikiki. Ask multiple companies tho!! The first company I asked wanted to charge 150$, the next one 100$ and the third only 50$. Also Uber from the airport is only around 30$, so if you just want to return the car to the airport and Uber back it's also a good option.
We got a car and did some amazing adventures on the quiet side of the island. Best times!
I would definietly go back, but perhaps to another island.
Next post about my upcoming surgery.
