Dave Siciliano said:
Thanks guys! We have plenty of time, but I'm beginning to make reservations and plans.
Sorry Toby, more nieces would mean a different trip or they would have to chip in!
Snorkeling would be something the girls would certainly enjoy. Flying around the island sounds great!
On Oahu, we certainly want to get to the Pearl Harbor area because Uncle Dave would really like to see the memorial.
Dave
There is some really great snorkeling off of route 31 (can't remember the local road name) near Kehei pretty much at the end of the road. We were told it was called the 'fishbowl', but it's so touristy there it may go by another name. It's a huge eddy pool cut into a black lava field, with a small sandy beach area.
I concur, skip molokini.
Things you should not plan on doing:
1) "sea kayaking". It's not a real Kayak. It's tupperware. And you're out on the big bad ocean, often with the only available coast being pumicite shore (i.e. not a good place to come in if you run into trouble). If you do decide to do this, make sure you have reviewed the course carefully and that the guide can get you out of the water if needed. A word here about the guides offered by some of these excursion companies: they are often not qualified in what they are doing with you, and are there because every young person has like 6 jobs and they were not called by the other five that morning when the tour company called them in. If, in the aforementioned example, you get to the in point and find Kato Kaelin is your tour guide, think seriously about going. I'm a pretty decent Kayaker, and I had trouble overcoming all of the inherent problems with this trip/guide.
2) Biking down Haleakala. It sounds like a wonderful idea, but they don't tell you that you have to share the road with cars and tanker trucks, that it's wet toward the top year round (and, frankly, the oil comes out of asphalt when it's hot and wet enough), and most importantly, a dozen people a year DIE trying to ride down the mountain. On my trip I almost became #13 when the bike I was riding had a rear tire blowout on a switchback with just an 18 inch guardrail separating me from Jesus.
3) Luaus generally. Weak drinks, bad food, and high prices. Need I say more?
I do suggest that you do your homework on the road to Hana trip. There are a ton of off-the-beaten path ventures you can make (most on privately held land, but you can always beg forgiveness if caught), and you will find some of the most beautiful waterfalls, pools, ponds and views you will ever see. Ignore the car rental agent's warnings and go the full loop. It's not for the weak driver, as some sections of the 'road' can be narrow, blocked by livestock, muddy, etc., but if you leave first thing in the a.m. and make a bunch of stops on the way to see nature in its splendor, you will be coming through Makena as the sun starts setting, with the lights coming on below and ahead of you and the sun still bouncing off of the outlying islands. It's very pretty. Oh yeah, and don't expect much from the Hana dining experience. I regretted not bringing a sack lunch.
Best of luck to you, it's really wonderful in the islands, and I hope you can get off Maui for a while!
