| Here it is... |
Aug 7th, 2001 01:04 PM |
honolulu: <BR> <BR>--sea life park. it's about 15 minutes past waikiki on the eastern coast, w/ entertaining performances aimed at kids and featuring dolphins, a wholphin (killer whale-dolphin born at sea life park), penguins, sea lions. kids can also buy trays of raw fish to throw to sea lions and watch a scuba diver in the reef tank hand-feeding manta rays who 'dance' w/ him. the kids were so excited they ran from site to site. admission was $25 for adults and $12.50 for kids. <BR> <BR>--hawaii nature center. very low key non-profit just uphill from downtown in makiki. they sell explorer kits for meadow and stream, w/ nets for catching insects and fishes and plastic cages for kids to view their specimens before releasing them. u can wade in the small stream w/ a bamboo fishing pole and bait (included in explorer kit) and a small net, fishing for little shrimp, prawns and guppies. free admission. <BR> <BR>--hanauma bay, near sea life park. this is a nature preserve where fish are protected. u can wade into calm waters and at knee-level see fish swimming all around. my kids liked the fishes but loved building their sand castle. masks and snorkels avlbl for rental. $3 for adults, $1 per car. <BR> <BR>--while my schedule cdn't accommodate these, kid-oriented reef walks, nature walks and hikes are often featured in the weekly goings-on schedules in the local papers. <BR> <BR>--shave ice. the local version of snow cones is very popular. it comes in a paper cone w/ varieties of flavored syrups and extras, like ice cream or sweet beans at the bottom and condensed milk on top. <BR> <BR>--polynesian cultural center. this is a 1 1/2-hr drive to the north shore and another hour and a half back. it features 7 'villages' representing hawaii, tahiti, samoa, tonga, new zealand and other places in the pacific, w/ frequent shows highlighting traditions and crafts. my kids loved the samoa show, featuring a natural comedian who made fire, husked a coconut in 3 seconds and shimmied up a coconut tree. kid-oriented demonstrations ard the center teach pole-fishing, spear-throwing, fire-making etc. a pageant of canoes featuring music, dancers and warriors from each place is held every afternoon. u'll need water and an umbrella against the sun. <BR> <BR>big island -- lots to do ard the volcano, of course, including helicopter trips to see the activity; and akaka falls north of hilo is a beautiful short hike on a paved path. on the way back to hilo, at pepeekeo, is a 20-minute scenic drive down to the coast that has gorgeous views of ocean cliffs. <BR>
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