Oahu and Maui
 

We are a family of four (incl two boys 9 and 14) visiting Oahu for two days and Maui for four days. I know there are a lot of things here but would appreciate any information on sights/activities on these two islands that you especially liked. Also, we were thinking of a helicopter sightseeing, did you think it was worthwhile? Thanks.

We really enjoyed the West Maui/Molokai helicopter ride with Sunshine helicopters and are planning it again for our next trip. You might try the Maui Ocean Center near Kihei for something to do. It's very educational and interesting. You could also try snorkeling. It's not a big investment and you can easily do it from shore to keep the cost down. I would suggest doing it after the Ocean Center so you can get an idea of the types of fish and critters in the ocean.

You should get a guidebook and start browsing on the TripAdvisor boards. There are many posts on your topic, and there are many people with advice on activities.

My personal bias is to enjoy nature and the natural activites. Visit Haleakala Volcano (but don't do the bicycle ride). Visit the Iao Needle and Museum. Take a snorkel cruise with the kids. Get the kids a surf lesson in Lahaina.

There's a lot to see and do on Maui. We did the sunrise at Haleakala, did a whale watching tour, took the Trilogy snorkel tour to Molokini, did the road to Hana, and went to the Old Lahaina Luau. We did a helicopter tour on Kauai, and it was wonderful, one of the best vacation memories we have.

There is a ton of stuff to do on Oahu. Click on Dusty's name and see all his recommendations; he's the best. I agree that a guidebook is good. You can look through what your public library has to see which one you like best.

Thanks for all the great tips!
Have a question on restaurants in Honolulu and Maui...any ones that are a must?

What kinds of restaurants are you looking for? And where in Honolulu are you staying?

Are you looking for gourmet/fancy, cheap eats, local food, seafood, ethnic, with views?? I ask only because there's literally 100's of restaurant in the Waikiki/Honolulu area so kind of hard to make a recommendation out of the blue. You can click on my screen name, I wrote up a list of all the places I ate (mostly budget) when I was there Nov 09 for 10 days.

Dusty's posts & links will give you everything you need for planning. Guidebooks from the library are fun too look thru as well just to get ideas and see colorful photos & maps.

Yes, let us know where you are staying. Dh and I spent 6 night in Oahu in November and ate at a variety of place/$$ and some were family friendly and very good!

Take a look at the Hau Tree Lanai restaurant in Waikiki. It is in such a pretty location, right on the beach under knarled old trees. http://www.kaimana.com/dining.htm

You can reserve a table on Open Table, and go early for the sunset. It's both family oriented and romantic.

We hiked to the top of Diamondhead - did not take too long - and the views of Waikiki and the ocean were awesome! I think the boys (and you) would enjoy this. Bring water, sunscreen, hats, etc. In Maui, we loved the Zip-Line by Eco Adventures. The Zip line took 1/2 day, and the views of Kaanapali Beach were fantastic. I think children are allowed - although we had none on our tour. It is not scary, and is really fun!

Oahu:

USS Arizona Memorial

National Cemetery of the Pacific

Tantalus Drive/Round Top Drive right above the national cemetery

Climb Diamond Head. Also stop at the lookouts on Diamond Head Road near the Lighthouse.

Take Driving tour #1 or #2 on this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...trip-to-hi.cfm

Maui:

Road to Hana

Haleakala (sunrise preferred, but later is good too)

Stroll Lahaina

Iao Valley

Order free brochures for Hawaii, Oahu & Maui

1-800-GOHAWAII

Order a free Maui map. Its a really good Maui map with detailed maps of several areas.

http://www.airmaui.com/mauimap.php

If you do the sunrise at Haleakala, be sure to dress warmly. There was actually ice on the ground when we did it. The guidebook said that no matter how warmly you dress it won't be enough, so we had fair warning, but we saw people up there in shorts that looked so uncomfortable. Bring coffee or hot chocolate if you can.

We brought sleeping bags when we went up at sunrise, and were so glad we did!

If you decide on a helicopter ride, take the first one in the day if you can. You have a better chance of avoiding wind and a cloudy Haleakala. We kept putting it off year after year because it was pricey, but finally did it. The first thing my wife said when we stepped off was, "Let's do it again!"

(not only for sunrise at Haleakala)... Even later in the morning, we didn't go until around 10am, it can be COLD! bundle up!!

If you can go to Oahu first! It is fast paced and more hectic. People, traffic etc. But a must do place! Maui is much more relaxing and peaceful.
Look into the GO Card, it saved us a lot of money! Take some time to watch the surfers, that is free and it is really fun to watch them.