Dolphins are represented everywhere in Hawaii. You’ll see them in murals, paintings and sculptures. They’re on the holding ends of swizzle sticks in bars, forming the bases of lamps in hotel rooms and decorating the walls of lobbies and cocktail lounges.
It’s more than likely that you’ll see real live dolphins on your Hawaii vacation. If you’re on a local cruise or aboard a private boat, you may see a pod of dolphins join you — riding on the bow waves or the stern wake. While that behavior probably is adapted from the practice of riding ocean swells, the wakes of large whales or a mother dolphin’s "slip stream," it seems for all the world that the friendly mammals are socializing with you. Seemingly carefree, they appear out of nowhere to put on a show for you. When they do, you may feel an almost irresistible urge to get in the water and play with them.
But swimming with dolphins in the wild is illegal. Humans and vessels have to maintain a distance of at least 50 yards. (It’s not illegal for dolphins to approach you, but it is against the law to approach, chase, surround, touch or swim with them.)
Some tour boat operators have developed acceptable self-regulating guidelines and offer small group tours with guides who are trained marine mammal naturalists. There are rules, generally including the following:
• Let the dolphins approach you and stay relaxed. Swim quietly alongside them
and when they swim away, don’t follow them.
• Don’t try to feed them. That would be harmful to their health as well as their
social behavior. They’ll find all the food they need on their own.
• Don’t try to get them to play with a toy. They can find their own toys in the
ocean.
Another way to get to know dolphins is to participate in the Dolphin Quest interactive program at the Kahala Hotel and Resort on Oahu or the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island. The program provides a variety of fun and educational encounters with dolphins. At the Kahala, the staff works with a small pod of dolphins training them to, among other things, interact with people. One staffer there says the dolphins are like Golden Retrievers because they love meeting new people. At Hilton Waikoloa Village, the dolphins reside in a protected area of the resort’s four-acre, saltwater lagoon.
Sea Life Park, on the east shore of Oahu, offers interactive dolphin experiences, too. The park’s Dolphin Adventures is a deep-water experience that allows you to swim with and among dolphins, and you’ll get a personal lesson from Sea Life Park trainers with a chance to view dolphins underwater and up close.
Such adventures are enormously popular, and expensive. At Sea Life Park, you can get a kiss on the cheek from a dolphin, a dorsal fin ride and a foot push (That’s when you get thrust across the water from the bottom of your feet from a dolphin’s bottle nose.)
Sound like fun? It costs almost $200 per person and will go up to $215 after the first of the year. (There are less expensive encounters, starting at about $100 for adults and $70 for kids.)
Plan well. At all the venues, the encounters are booked months ahead.
If you want to work a dolphin encounter into your vacation, Hawaii-Aloha.com can package one for you that accommodates all your other plans, and we’ll find you the best rates available. Pick and agent from our Web site at hawaii-aloha.com, or call 1-800-843-8771.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
Published by Bruce Fisher
Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.
November 10th, 2008
If you’re a river rat – a lover of river activities such as sailing, speed boating, fishing, water skiing, canoeing and tubing – you won’t find a whole lot of rivers in Hawaii on which to indulge your pleasure. We have no rapids to shoot here; no white water for rafting.
These islands are loaded with waterfalls (about 100 of them have names). Many of them are magnificent and several are accessible, but they’re fed by streams and springs from rain rather than by a “conventional” source such as the Great lakes-Niagara River feeding of Niagara Falls.
The Kaukonahua River on the island of Oahu is Hawaii’s longest at 33 miles, but it offers little in the way of activities other than hiking near its banks.
But there’s hope for you on the island of Kauai. The Wailua River offers the only fresh-water skiing in the state. It is, in fact, the only navigable river in all of Hawaii. Several forks in the river lead to waterfalls and can be easily explored by kayak. About a quarter of a mile wide near its mouth, it’s also a very good setting for power-boat sports. Usually smooth and warm, the Wailua attracts pros from around the world to train, play or compete on skis, wakeboards, scurfers and kneeboards.
Beginners and intermediates can have good fun here, too. Tows are moderately priced, and passengers who don’t ski ride free. The ski boat companies supply all the equipment.
And the tubing can be a special experience, even for tubing veterans. A company based in Hanama’ulu offers tube rides down the Lihue Plantation irrigation ditch and tunnel system, which runs through some of the most beautiful land on the island with spectacular views of the ocean, coastline and valleys. Beginning near the top of Mount Waialeale (the wettest spot on earth), the waterway and ditch system winds through open canals, rushing flumes and mysterious tunnels.
The most popular river trip is to the sacred Fern Grotto. A flat-bottom cruise boat will carry you 40 minutes up the river to that natural wonder.
So Hawaii is far from being “The Land of Rivers,” but river rats can find a place to play … and have a great time.
If you’d like to know more, pick an agent from our Web site home page, or call 1-800-843-8771. We can help you squeeze some river fun into your Hawaii vacation. And, of course, we can help you do everything you’d like – at the best possible rates.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
Published by Bruce Fisher
Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.
October 30th, 2008
You’re looking ahead, planning your next vacation (or is it your first?) You’re considering where to go: The U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe, the Far East, South America, Africa, the South Pacific? Maybe you’re considering taking a cruise. You’re debating whether to take the whole family. You’re studying your finances.
Decisions, decisions, decisions. Okay, you finally decide on Hawaii. But where? Oahu and Waikiki, the Big Island and the volcanoes, Kauai and its splendor, Maui and Haeakala and the super resorts, or one of the smaller islands with their isolation? You should even consider visiting more than one island.
Once you’ve decided on Hawaii, what kind of accommodations are best for you? Imagine, to begin with, traveling by yourself. Do you simply determine where you’re going to be and book a hotel room? The decision — especially if there will be more than one of you — takes more thought than that.
Do you want and appreciate the creature comforts of a nice hotel where the staff become familiar with you and anticipate your needs and all you have to do is pick up the phone and they “bring it”? Do you like being surrounded by an array of activities and attractions and upscale restaurants with imaginative menus? In Hawaii we have grand resorts and fine hotels at all prices ranges in great locations on all the islands with eager, professional staffs.
Or do you anticipate a laid-back, quiet, away-from-it-all vacation? You can keep to yourself, do what you want when you want, do most of your own cooking, have space among several rooms, bask in the ideal weather and recharge? There now is a huge inventory of condominium apartment vacation rentals where the accommodations are lovely, the included rooms are furnished according to the taste of the owners, the conveniences are at hand, but you pretty-much fend for yourself.
And there are compromises between those extremes. If you like the idea of sharing your vacation with some hospitable local people who gladly will offer advice and friendship as they put you up, consider a bed and breakfast. If you want to combine luxury hotel service with upscale apartment living, we have condo-hotel properties that offer both … at a price, of course.
That’s what we do at Hawaii Aloha. We help you with those decisions. We make suggestions, track rates and facilities for you, determine what you would enjoy seeing and doing, and put together a package for you that exploits all the deals, special offers, discounts and hidden bargains available. Then we book everything for you, keep in touch with you, and solve any problems you might encounter on your trip and while you’re in our islands. (Be sure there will be problems wherever you go in the world. Trying to get satisfaction yourself directly from an airline, hotel or car-rental company can be a time-consuming, frustrating adventure.)
So as you’re doing your vacation planning, pick an agent from our Web site home page (hawaii-aloha.com), or call 1-800-843-8771. You’ll have found a loyal friend with clout to be there for you every step of the way.
Published by Bruce Fisher
Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.
October 21st, 2008
If you’re going to be on Oahu on any Thursday evening and want something fun to do, you might consider taking part in the Great Honolulu Treasure Hunt. It’s a bedazzling experience that features codex wheels, UV lights and gadgets along with elaborate codes, ciphers, and symbols that will help you discover clues, solve riddles and eventually unlock the secret of the race to reach the end location.
It happens at Aloha Tower — on the harbor in Downtown Honolulu — every Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. The Aloha Tower Marketplace is worth visiting in itself. It’s the only place in the nation to combine a visitor attraction, a myriad of shops, excellent restaurants, and a working commercial harbor facility – all in one place.
Reservations for the Treasure Hunt are required one day in advance. The fifty-dollar price includes some drinks and pupu. You can make reservations at (808) 203-8963, or call Aloha Tower while you’re here.
Published by Bruce Fisher
Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.
October 20th, 2008
Over the years, the State of Hawaii, the counties, the visitor industry and assorted developers have devised ways to attract you to our islands and to enhance your experience one you’re here. But it’s never easy.
After the tourist boom that followed WW II, ideas, construction and money – private and taxpayer – went into new hotels, shopping centers, attractions and venues created to impress our visitors. Concurrently, the conservative watchdogs impeded every step of modernization. They felt the islands were losing their charm, the heart of their culture and their aloha spirit—the very aspects of life in Hawaii that attracted visitors in the first place.
And the beat goes on.
Back in the 1980s, the City and County of Honolulu erected modern, big, orange, right-angular traffic-light poles on Kalakaua Avenue. Locals were appalled and raised some hell. Today, the traffic-light and streetlight poles are comparatively retro, more consistent with the décor of Old Hawaii.
Also in the ‘80s, the precious shoreline in Kakaako (between downtown Honolulu and Waikiki) was opened for development. Without question, the property could become the heart and soul of Hawaii’s identity, perhaps with an iconic presence that would beckon visitors as do the Statue of Liberty and the Sydney Opera House. Proposals were made, scrutinized, fought about and eventually dismissed. (In the meantime, the University of Hawaii Medical School was relocated to the area and provides an impressive – if unimaginative – presence.) The idea of fully developing the state-owned property remains a “some day” concept.
After the turn of this century, Outrigger Hotels and Resorts announced the grandest development in Waikiki’s history – the Waikiki Beach Walk complex of hotels, condominiums, restaurants, big-box retailers, upscale boutiques and entertainment venues. Local communities are still expressing resistance to such development as they see beloved local mom-and-pop stores and eateries continuing to close. The Kauai County Council recently voted to limit the size of the island’s retail stores to not more than 75,000 square feet in order to preserve the rural character of Kauai and avert a Wal-Mart Supercenter that had been planned to be the first in the state.
At first, the interisland Superferry system was met with strong resistance – especially on Kauai. Now, even though the ferry has seen success and is expanding its fleet and routes, the resistance continues.
The dominant issue in this year’s Honolulu mayoral election is the development of a high-speed rail system on Oahu; whether to build one, what mode of operation to use, and what alternatives are viable. Talk about treats, cajolery and controversy!
The rustic and charming International Marketplace in Waikiki will be redeveloped into a contemporary mixed-use resort destination that includes shopping, dining and entertainment. More resistance; more controversy. Die-hard locals point out that the marketplace is the last vestige of the “real” Hawaii visitors can experience in Waikiki.
With a pass so far is Disney’s proposed Ko Olina resort on Leeward Oahu that will include 350 hotel rooms and 480 timeshare vacation villas on 21 acres of oceanfront property, along with a small river, water slides several pools, a spa and a conference center. But the Disney developers certainly won’t escape local scrutiny before its planned opening in 2011.
All of the foregoing is to point out that what you encounter when you vacation in our islands is well thought out, carefully planned and tailored to your needs and dreams.
Except, of course, for the natural wonders that will remain forever unchanged.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
Published by Bruce Fisher
Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.
October 20th, 2008
Oahu’s Leeward Shore – the westernmost area of Oahu – is rarely visited by vacationers, even though it’s truly beautiful. (It was used for principal filming of the 1965 movie “Hawaii.”) It’s a long drive, and there aren’t many attractions apart from the beaches themselves. The loveliest among those beaches is the isolated Makua Beach, with its long crescent of white sand fronting a deep, wide valley that’s undeveloped and uninhabited – the only coastal valley on the island without housing or development projects. Local surfers don’t go there often because the surf is unpredictable, and when the surf’s up, it’s dangerous.
While the beach is isolated, it can’t exactly be called “unspoiled.” There’s a large rock at the shoreline where adventurous surfers used to gather, peer out at the ocean and pray to the kahuna of sun, sand, and surf for waves they could handle. The term “Pray for surf” became part of the youth lexicon, and surfers used it as a bidding when they parted at night. One morning in the mid-1960s, early arrivals at the beach discovered some garish, whimsical graffiti painted on one side of the rock. It read PRAY FOR SEX. The artist was never identified.
Now, some 40 years later, the words remain, slightly weathered but unaffected by any attempts to remove them. The rock is called the “Pray for Sex” rock and Makua Beach often is referred to as “Pray for Sex Beach.”
So if you hear that characterization while you’re on Oahu, you now know where it came from and don’t need to seek it out while you’re here.
Unless you’re really horny.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
Published by Bruce Fisher
Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.
October 11th, 2008
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