Full day excursions

[WishingMom]

hi everyone

Just wondering which excursions off site you would schedule for a full day? I am completely new to researching Oahu and have no clue where to begin. A couple of things I would like to see/do would be Diamond Head hike, Pearl Harbour/USS Arizona, Polynesian Cultural Centre, hike to Manoa Falls, visit the North Shore. I'm sure throughout my research I will find more that I'd like to do as well. Planning on 10 days, 4 of which will be at Aulani for some R&R.

Thanks in advance.

 

[rocketriter]

hi everyone

Just wondering which excursions off site you would schedule for a full day?

This may sound strange, but the best excursion we've ever taken on Oahu is the day trip to Kalaupapa on Molokai. Last time we were there, it was available through Aulani's booking agency. You can also book it directly through the tiny but well-run Makani Kai airline. You fly there from Honolulu on a light (but not flimsy) plane with half a dozen other tourists or, if you want a more challenging adventure, you fly into the main part of Molokai and take a donkey ride down the cliffs, like you might in the Grand Canyon. Either way (we flew in directly) the flight is breathtaking and lasts about 25 minutes. Then you tour what was once the central Pacific's primary leper colony. (I told you this would sound strange.) If you've read Michener's "Hawaii" you're familiar with it. Today it is being converted to a national park. The islanders are very proud of Kalaupapa and consider it a sacred place. This is where Father Damien (now St. Damien) preached and built his houses of worship. The landscape is so breathtaking that I currently have a photo of it as my computer desktop. The history is moving, and not at all icky, I promise. You don't need to be Catholic to appreciate the story (we are Jewish) and feel the deep spirituality of this amazing place.

 

[iheartjily]

I was just looking at booking one of the 15 hr excursions where you go to the other islands and curious how many have done them and how great they are as well. After looking more into everything, I wish I was staying a lot longer than what I am. Next time I will have to plan better.

Um undecided though about whether I want to go to Maui, Kauai, or the Big Island though. There's still a possibility though that we will just stay on Oahu. There's so much to choose from

We're defo doing surf lessons, Polynesian Cultural Center, Helicopter Tour and realxing at Aulani though.

I was debating on leaving the island for a day, or doing Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head Hike and possibly Parasailing (which was cancelled by the company after I booked and no longer operating till further notice, so not sure what happened, which stinks because they had the best reviews on Trip Advisor).

 

[lizard1]

I did not do an excursion, but I did make my own excursion to the Big Island while we were in Hawaii. The reason I did it that way was because it was cheaper for us to tour that way. In addition, because one member of our party requires additional handicap accommodations, it is sometimes beneficial to not be on an official tour unless it is private, especially when wanting to tour natural areas that are not necessarily accessible.

If you are going soonish, I would recommend visiting the Big Island for the same reason that we did- to see the active lava. The lava is much more active than it was when we visited in the beginning of June, but even then it was an amazing site as we were able to take a helicopter up to the top of Pu'u 'O'o and see the lave lake and a bit of lava flow.

Like you, I wish we could have stayed a lot longer than we did because there is so much that we didn't get to see! The good news is I don't think you can make a wrong decision when deciding what activities to partake in.

 

[psimon]

This may sound strange, but the best excursion we've ever taken on Oahu is the day trip to Kalaupapa on Molokai. Last time we were there, it was available through Aulani's booking agency. You can also book it directly through the tiny but well-run Makani Kai airline. You fly there from Honolulu on a light (but not flimsy) plane with half a dozen other tourists or, if you want a more challenging adventure, you fly into the main part of Molokai and take a donkey ride down the cliffs, like you might in the Grand Canyon. Either way (we flew in directly) the flight is breathtaking and lasts about 25 minutes. Then you tour what was once the central Pacific's primary leper colony. (I told you this would sound strange.) If you've read Michener's "Hawaii" you're familiar with it. Today it is being converted to a national park. The islanders are very proud of Kalaupapa and consider it a sacred place. This is where Father Damien (now St. Damien) preached and built his houses of worship. The landscape is so breathtaking that I currently have a photo of it as my computer desktop. The history is moving, and not at all icky, I promise. You don't need to be Catholic to appreciate the story (we are Jewish) and feel the deep spirituality of this amazing place.

This sounds very interesting..... any idea for a ballpark of the price?

Thanks....

---Paul in Southern NJ