Snorkeling Gear, Teens & Costco

[livinthelife]

My family of four is spending a week at Aulani in June and then renting a house on the North Shore. A couple of questions....

1. Snorkeling Gear....we plan to snorkel at Rainbow Reef, Hanauma Bay and possibly a few other stops around the island. I know the gear is included in the price at Rainbow Reef...has anyone purchased snorkeling gear on the island, perhaps Costco? Or do you suggest brining it from home or just renting it as needed?

2. Teen activities...My daughters are 14 and 12. My 12 year old (almost 13) thinks she's too old for Aunties and my 14 year old will not go to the teen activities alone. Do they check ages at teen activities? Are they strict about the ages? The 12 year old is taller than my 14 year old and for sure does not look or act like a 12 year old.

3. Leaving things in the car...I've read many posts about not leaving things in the car. We had planned on stopping at Costco on our way to Aulani...is that a bad idea as we will have all of our luggage with us?

Thank you for your insight!

 

[Amw1064]

When are you going? We will be there the 7th-17th. Our first trip to Aulani my daughter was 12 almost 13 and they have everything in their system so she was considered a 12 year old and could not do any teen activities. She went into Aunties for one tween activity. We went last summer with friends and the kids did a few of the teen activities as they were all 13. This year we are just us again and I know she will not go to the teen activities by herself either. They check the kids in with an ipad and are super picky on the ages. One of the families had a 12 year old and she could not do the lei making on the beach with my daughter. There are quite a few activities for the family. (ukulele lessons, animation painting, beach games)

We did not do Rainbow Reef as the water is so cold but we brought our own mask & snorkel.

I think you will be fine to stop at Costco. We have been lucky so far. I am very careful when we travel around the island. Nothing gets left or if it does it is under the seat.

 

[Elima2015]

1) Did you check to see if the house you are renting has snorkel gear? When we looked at the possibility of renting a house vs. staying at Aulani some said they had snorkel gear stocked. If you have ample suitcase space you could bring from home. I would probably look at buying from Target or Costco (my MIL did some research on this and she was planning to buy hers at Target, but we never got out to snorkel) and depending on if you think you'll get further use out of it, leave it in the rental house for the next guests

2) From my experience, they are pretty strict on ages. They check hotel records rather than going off of how old the child/teen looks. I would plan on her not being able to do any of the teen activities. And, I agree, I think Aunties might feel too young for her. There are loads of family activities that looked very fun (mine were just too little to attempt some of them) - small canoe decorating, animation drawing, lei making, ukelele lessons

3) I think you will be fine. Sure, it is a risk, but I think the biggest theft risk occurs around Pearl Harbor and probably North Shore. I'd do your best to load the trunk when you pick up the car and not open it when you park at Costco. I would carry in my backpack with things I really did not want taken (like purse, tablet) and try to leave the visible portion of the car with as few items visible as possible. For us, a bigger concern might be not having enough space for luggage + a Costco run.

 

[wanderlust7]

We bought our snorkeling set at a Hawaii Costco. They're good quality and I think the price is better than elsewhere for what you get. They come with flippers - which can be a pro or a con. We find them heavy and bulky to travel with, but they're good to have if you swim out further from shore.

 

[buffettgirl]

I think you'll be fine at the costco parking lot. It's not a place where tourists are targeted like PH or some of the beaches. It's your run of the mill costco parking lot filled with normal people.

I think you'll be happier to have your own snorkel gear if you have the room. If not, rental stuff should be fine but a place like Pūpūkea or any other public beach won't rentals. Personally, I find I'm perfectly happy without flippers at every place I go. It's all shallow and I find flippers just get in my way. I generally don't venture out into the open water - and unless you're a good snorkeler, you probably shouldn't either.

 

[oakleycat]

We ended up buying snorkel gear for our kids at the ABC store when they suddenly decided they were interested in snorkeling. Only $10 and plenty good quality for the snorkeling we did. We also went to Costco with all our luggage and had no problems, there are plenty of people around so it would be difficult to break in without anyone noticing.