Hiking in Hawaii - rugged sandals or waterproof boots??
 

My husband and I will be going to Hawaii for our honeymoon in a few weeks, and I'm busy researching the Big Island, Maui and Kauai (the islands we'll be visiting). I've seen a lot of recommendations for wearing waterproof sandals, especially in Kauai, rather than hiking boots. Obviously we will wear our boots in areas like Volcanoes NP and Haleakala, but not sure about other hiking adventures. While I tend to go along with what many people recommend, my husband doesn't understand why water-hiking sandals would be better than waterproof hiking boots? Does anyone have any advice - one way or the other? Thanks!!

I took Teva walking shoes & Teva Thongs as well as Nike water t-shoes & water slippers. I didn't end up using the water t-shoes, but used the other three for different hikes.

If you'll be walking over slippery water splashed rocks, I'd go for water slippers or water T-shoes. If doing Kalaulau Trail or the like, I'd go for hiking shoes or boots (take extra socks as your feet sweat & can cause blisters) - though we saw a couple of local girls pass us in bare feet & an elderly lady in white T-shoes, using a crutch!

Oh, I forgot to mention, Sliding Sands trail on Maui - I did in an old pair of regular T-shoes that I discarded after the trip - stained red.

Great tip on Sliding Sands...I'll be doing that next month and will take some shoes I can throw away when I'm done. :)

Sturdy boots can never go wrong. Tevas or equivalent are great for shoreline hikes over tidepools and stream crossings which there are plenty of on Kauai and Maui. Carry/wear both.

Especially on the Big Island, away from the shore the trails are pretty rocky -- and that's lava rock, which is very sharp, so I would definitely wear closed shoes of whatever kind. A walking stick is also not a bad idea.