Hawaii Info for Newbies
 

Hi everyone. My (new) wife and will be going to Kauai and Maui for our honeymoon in early January. Neither of us has been there and we are looking for some general info. We will be in Kauai for 4 nights and Maui for 6 nights. We are both pretty active and adventurous. We very much believe in being spontaneous and don’t like to do a lot of planning ahead. However, from reading some of your posts, it seems as if there are certain things we should plan ahead.

We would be interested in what everyone considers a “must do” on each of those islands and things that we can skip. For example, I have spoke to many people regarding the road to Hana and about 50% of them say it is great and the other 50% say skip it.

We look forward to hearing your comments. Thanks!

I consider the Haleakala crater on Maui must do.

On Maui, there are SEVERAL! I recommend the blue book : Maui Revealed for insight. The authors live on HI and give detailed info. Then you can choose what you think you would enjoy.

Belle

We just came back from Kauai this summer
and a must do for us is any of the boat
trips that go down the Napili Coast.
While on Kauai you have the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, the mountains
and the ocean all there to enjoy. They
have special things for honeymooners.
There are some of the best waterfalls
located on that island also.

On Maui a must is the bike trip down
the crater. The best time and the
most scenic time I thought was the
sunrise time. You will have to take
some warm clothing for your trip but
it is well worth both the getting up
for and the experience. You will
take home some wonderful memories in
addition to some beautiful pictures.
Be sure to get a huge album before
you go because it will be full when
you get all your pictures developed.
Also a must on Maui is the Feast of
Lele. Be sure to fill out the little
card and let them know you are on your
honeymoon you won't be sorry. And
be sure to ask for a table in front
also. You will not regret that
experience. And last but not least
be sure to get your picture taken
while at the Feast. Have a good time.

We have been going to Kauai every year now for awhile. If you can afford it, this is the island you want to do a helicopter tour on. Also the Na Pali coast boat tour is excellet, we have been 3 times and almost went a 4th time this year. In January you want to go with a bigger boat like the HoloHolo (much better than Captain Andy's) because the smaller boats will probably be doing south shore whale watching that time of year. Seas on NaPali is rough sometimes that time of year.

Congrats on your wedding! My DH and I are going back to Kauai for the 3rd time in Jan. We love it. I agree a must do is the Na Pali Coast tour by boat. We have also done this 2x and love it, the dolphins swim with you, really incredible. Plus the views are amazing. If you like hiking, there are tons of trails there. Kauai is actually where we discovered we love hiking. The Ultimate Kauai book has some good short hike recommendations. The Wailua River is fun too, we have rented kayaks and gone down the river to Fern Grotto, then taken a short hike to a beautiful waterfall. (About a mile.) It is a nice short day trip that still gives you time for an afternoon nap. You don't need to plan much of these things though. Kauai is very laid back. We also plan to do some whale watching this time, along with the Princeville Zipline tour, which I read about on this forum and sounds really cool.

Road to Hana was the highlite of my trip to Maui. Also liked Haleakala at sunrise and Lahaina.

Waimea Canyon was nice on Kauai.

Lots of info on Maui Jon's site:

www.mauihawaii.org

Others:

www.visitmaui.com

www.kauaidiscovery.com

www.kauai-hawaii.com

www.gohawaii.com

www.alternative-hawaii.com This has good narrative driving guides.

www.driveguidemagazines.com This has good maps including detailed maps. Alos has good restaurant guide.

www.thisweek.com

www.spotlighthawaii.com

Congratulations! If you like adventure and want to combine it with seeing some gorgeous scenery try the Kipu Ranch ATV tour on Kauai. We booked it a few days before we went in Aug of 2003(my husband and 16 & 20 yr old sons)and had no problem finding a spot. It was really beautiful, you get to see land that is a private ranch and only accesible on the tour. It was dusty in August, probably really muddy in January. The guides were very informative. We went with one other couple who were also honeymooning and they seemed to enjoy it as much as we did. We stopped next to a river and everyone took turns jumping from a rope swing into the water. You can also stop on the way to the tour and hike to Kipu Falls. We saw lots of young folks jumping from the ledges into the pool. You will have a wonderful time!