Category: Hawaii Hiking & Outdoors

The Royal Hawaiian Golf Club in Windward Oahu is a stunningly beautiful and maddeningly challenging eighteen holes sculpted into the rainforest. It was opened in 1993, with the venerable architects Perry and Pete Dye providing the design. A recent redesign was masterminded by Aussie golf legend Greg Norman. For golfers it is a singular, savage […]

There is nothing we enjoy more than connecting Hawaii visitors with the natural beauty and wonders that the Aloha State has to offer. (Well, perhaps nothing more than enjoying them ourselves.) Here on this blog, on the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast, and in person, through video, or live planning sessions, we encourage our visitors to […]

Anyone planning a Hawaii vacation this summer should be well aware of the multitude of daytime activities available. Snorkeling, surf lessons, hiking, museum tours, even simple strolls on the beach: these are the things that people come to do and see in the Aloha State. But what about after the sun goes down? The truth […]

It’s probably true that the first thing that comes to mind when planning a Hawaii vacation is not camping. White sand beaches? Sure. Tropical rainforests, waterfalls, and rainbows spanning remote valleys? Absolutely. But camping? That just sounds like work! I’m on vacation! It’s true, camping is not everyone’s cup of tea (or steaming mug of […]

Yeah, it’s out there. But for Oahu visitors who love golf, the long drive from Waikiki to the Ewa Beach Golf Club is always worth the trip. About a 25-mile drive from the Hawaii Convention Center in Waikiki, the course is gorgeous, challenging, and it enjoys almost-always perfect weather. The course is located at the […]

The Na Ala Hele Trail & Access Program was begun by Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry & Wildlife in 1998. The program monitors and maintains a network of hiking trails, many of them ancient and predating Western contact in the Hawaiian Islands. We’ll list some of our favorites below. Concern […]

The view from the summit of Mauna Loa on Hawaii Island is beyond compare. On a clear day, the horizon stretches out endlessly before you at 13, 678 feet above sea level. On an exceptionally clear day you can see the actual curvature of the earth itself. It is astonishing and absolutely unforgettable, and it […]

We’ll take a look at the wide variety of activities and experiences available that are centered around Haleakala Crater on Maui. The list is practically endless. We’ll stick to some general themes about the “House of the Sun” and how you can best plan a trip to make the most of it. As we have […]

Hawaii’s State Department of Land and Natural Resources has made significant improvements at a number of State Parks over the past year. The closures and the near-complete loss of visitors to parks during the pandemic created a unique opportunity to use that time to make the parks more accessible to visitors, and to implement strong […]

After a quiet two years since a weeks-long eruption in 2018, Kilauea Volcano has once again burst forth in a spectacular, fiery display at the Halema’uma’u Crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It happened at 9:30 at night when a fissure opened, astonishing rangers and then the world as images and video of a massive […]

Many veterans and active duty military are quick to book a tee time at the Military Golf Courses on Oahu. But did you know there are a couple of military courses open to the public? The Water J. Nagorski Golf Course at Fort Shafter and Leilehua Golf Course in Leilehua Schofield Barracks are both open […]

Hawaii is home to a relatively new adventure sport gaining popularity around the world: waterfall rappelling (known also as “canyoneering”). It seems crazy to surrender to gravity under a torrent of falling water, tethered to life by only a thin rope and safety harness and belaying down a sheer, slick rock cliff. Maybe it is, […]