Katie and I spent our two-week vacation in Hawaii. It’s a popular in-country destination now, but I had no issue joining the bandwagon. We stayed for four days in Oahu, four in Maui, and six in Kauai. Some highlights:

Kauai

The “Garden Island.” Rainy, verdant, and the wildest of the islands we visited. I was particularly excited about the renowned Kalalau trail, the 22-mile multi-day trek through the iconic NaPali Coast of Kauai. For hikers, these pali, or “cliffs,” are the signature natural feature of Hawaii: steep, wavy, palisading cliffs formed from repeated lava flows carved out by millennia of erosion. We made it to the Hanakapi’ai waterfall, but the eternally waterlogged and muddy trails gave us pause and we decided to bail on the last part of the hike. Still a great excursion. 

Waimea Canyon in west Kauai is dubbed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. 17 miles long, 1 mile wide, 3800 feet deep. Waimea translates roughly to “red waters,” thus named for its vivid red color from the iron oxide-rich mud. We did a short canyon hike down to the top of its largest waterfall, but the best view was at nearby Awa’awapuhi, a coastal sheer cliff where we clamored onto a slim pali cliff to admire steep valleys on three sides.

We concluded the entire trip with a helicopter ride. We boarded a tiny five-seater with the doors off, meaning when we were strapped in there with nothing separating us from the glorious view. So many sites are only visible by helicopter, such as an inland valley with the waterfall where Jurassic Park’s opening scene was filmed. Even though this excursion was a lavish splurge (the one-hour ride cost more than the 11-hour flight from NYC) it was worth both the money and motion sickness.

We tried surfing, first taking a one-hour lesson and then renting a board to try on our own. Our chosen location was the nearby Hanalei Bay on the Kauai north shore, where the steady waves of varying sizes and huge sandbar are ideal for beginners. Later, we learned that Hanalei hosts big wave competitions during the winter when waves swell to 20 feet there! I rode waves about… two feet tall. Haha.

Our hotel on the beachfront of Kapa’a had free beach cruiser bicycles. We went on a quick sunset/dusk ride up and down the coastal path, where with my commuting speed we were probably the fastest beach cruisers there.

Maui

Geological trivia: the entire Hawaiian archipelago was formed by volcanic output as the Pacific plate drifted northwest over the steadily active Hawaiian hotspot. The deeply eroded northwest Kauai and Ni’ihau are oldest and flatter, having drifted far away over 5 million years. In contrast, the southeast Big Island is still directly above the hotspot, actively growing yet. Its giant volcanoes Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are the least eroded. Adjacent Maui is second youngest, composed of two volcanoes, the older west Maui formation and the recently extinct and still gigantic volcano Haleakala. 

Haleakala (National Park) contained our favorite hike, the Sliding Sands hike into its crater. It felt like descending into a midair tundra. Unique silversword plants dotting the moonscape, multicolored volcanic rock arranged haphazardly into giant cinder cones, clouds drifting by in the background, all framed by the distant Pacific Ocean in the distance far down below. 

We also had the privilege to drive 10,000 feet skyward at 3 am to witness the breathtaking sunrise from the summit of Haleakala. A special, coveted experience. Not that cold (46F), but windy. 

Great snorkeling is everywhere around Hawaii, but we dove in Maui. We took a boat tour out to Molokini Crater, a very popular offshore snorkeling spot. The water visibility there is stunning! Hundreds of feet in every direction. I vomited again on the boat ride… ugh. That’s 3 for 3 on small boat rides.

Separately, we rented snorkel masks and flippers and took a dip in Napili Bay, where some rock and reef formations offer a great place to see reef fish. It’s also a favorite morning snack spot for some sea turtles! Speaking of turtles, we took a takeout dinner to another beach area, Ho’okipa/Ku’au, for sunset dining and there were just dozens of turtles just lounging about on the sand! I found that so surprising, but I guess they have to sleep somewhere.

We drove counterclockwise around West Maui, a weaving, coastal cliff drive, reminiscent of a rough-and-tumble Big Sur. It was a pleasant but challenging drive. Minimal traffic; I only had to back up on a single lane cliff road once! 

Oahu

The start of our trip. Our first excursions were a timid; we made halfhearted attempts to while not quite in the Hawaiian mindset. We didn’t really engage with the beaches, we bailed on a muddy hike, and we didn’t eat out much. We drove around the North Coast of Oahu, including walking the Ka’ena Point trail at the far northwest point.

There are ridge hikes up various volcanic pali on every island. The one we chose was the Kuli’ou’ou ridge trail just outside Honolulu, which starts at the end of the street in a foothill suburb. Random, but great views. Some we skipped include Wiliwilinui (Oahu) and Waihee (west Maui).

The other notable hike we tackled was up the 1000’ abandoned railway up Koko Crater, just outside Honolulu. This is probably the most out of shape I’ve been for one of our vacations, and this scorching hike exposed my frailty. The struggle was real, but the views were nice. 

We stayed for two nights in the uber-tourist trap of Waikiki. It was difficult to find a parking spot. However, once we settled in and walked to the beach, we were rewarded with two spectacular sunsets. 

We ended our stay in Oahu with a visit to Pearl Harbor, specifically the USS Arizona Memorial. A somber place, a vibe not unlike the 9/11 Memorial back at home.

Food Highlights

Hawaii has great regional food! We sampled a bare minimum:

• Poke, which we had at Ahi Assassins. We were drawn to it thanks to an episode of Buzzfeed’s Worth It, but upon arrival the owner ruefully explained how they’ve downsized to a primarily mail-order business because of the pandemic. Fortunately, they’d just gone fishing and he was just like “I can make you some poke right now.” So he diced up and seasoned a pound of ahi tuna, handed us a handful of mixing sauces, and sent us off! We bought a box of white rice from a nearby Chinese restaurant, which made for a very memorable first meal. We shared our abundance of fish with our camping neighbors.
• Spam Musubi – so, sushi but with spam? We tried it at Isayume Musubi Cafe in Waikiki.
• Saimin – an eggy ramen-like noodle. We tried it at Saimin Dojo in Kapa’a, Kauai. Pretty salty shoyu broth, but fun to eat.
• Kalua Pork – pork shoulder smoked in a ground oven. We had it from Pono Market in Kapa’a, Kauai.
• Poi – pounded taro. We learned repeatedly that taro was the staple crop of choice brought by the original Polynesian settlers, but we ate surprisingly little, just a dollop on an acai bowl (our first!) and then as a soupy base alongside a Hawaiian plate.
• Lau Lau Pork – pork meat and and salt butterfish wrapped in taro and ti leaf. We tried it from the Hanalei Taro and Juice Co. at the Lihue, Kauai farmer’s Market.
• Kulolo – taro with coconut milk and sugar, a squishy dessert. We were surprised when the texture was quite distinct from mochi. 
• Malasada – Portuguese-style round donuts with powdered sugar. Our favorite was a macadamia nut cream-filled one from the famed bakery Leonard’s in Honolulu.
• Fish – we had a filet of Opakapaka (red snapper) at Paia Fish Market in Lahaina, Maui. 
• Shaved Ice – we tried ours at Wailua Shave Ice in Kapa’a, Kauai. The best topping was the whipped coconut cream/ube cream combo we unintentionally ordered.
• Macaroni Salad – get it anywhere!
• Chocolate – Katie has been exploring gourmet bean-to-bar chocolates (see her blog series), and so we sampled Lydgate Farms, Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate, and Puna Chocolate Co. We might’ve missed out by skipping Big Island.
• Coffee – Katie’s the coffee drinker. She was somewhat unimpressed by the ubiquitous blue packages of Kauai coffee. 
• Local fresh fruit – In mid November, we caught the tail end of guava season. On some trails in Kauai, we picked a handful of little ones which ranged from grape-sized to small tangerine-sized. Most of the sweetest had fallen or been pecked hollow by birds and insects. We chased some farmers markets on each island, which are the best place to find fresh fruit. There, we tried apple bananas (smaller, more fibrous, but with a delightful tropical notes), rambutans (lychee flavor but with a wonky red wiry exterior), starfruit (transported me to Taiwan), and sunrise papaya.
• Tiki Bar-style happy hours: every bar seemed to have a mai tai special. We tried five; the standout was at Lava Lava Beach Club in Kapa’a, Kauai.

We relied on trail food we packed in and supermarket and Subway sandwiches (PSA: you can’t fly with peanut butter), but we also stopped by a few highly recommended restaurants. These include the above underlined restaurants and also Star Noodle (asian fusion in Lahaina, Maui), Paia Fish Market (seafood in Lahaina or Paia, Maui), Puka Dogs (Hawaiian-style hot dogs with tropical relishes in Poipu, Kauai), Marugame Udon (mega-popular noodles at Waikiki, Oahu) and a food truck lot outside the Costco in Kahului, Maui where we ate some dynamite shrimp. I hear the best food is found on Oahu, but we barely ate out while there.

Some Travel Tips

Special thanks to everyone who supplied us with tips. Steven, WenJie, Tessa, Cody, Dylan, Ricki. I’ll reiterate some here:

Be respectful of the Hawaiian landscape, plants, and animals. Enjoy responsibly and sustainably. 10’ radius around turtles. 150’ radius around monk seals. Don’t touch coral. Stay on trails lest you hasten relentless erosion. Be mindful of the native Hawaiian/Polynesian culture. 

Hawaii felt like it was straining under the tourist burden (in Nov. 2021). I suspect more domestic tourists were present, and the USA just opened to international travelers. 

Plan and book early. 

• Car rentals in Kauai can sell out. We queued for an excruciating 3 hours to claim our rental.
• Passes for Haleakala sunrise sell out in seconds. 7 am Hawaii time. Most passes (125) are released 60 days prior. A few (25) are released 2 days prior. Consider going in the afternoon for sunset, which we’ve heard is just as great. 
• Trail camping passes for Kalalau are mandatory. Day trips into the Ha’ena state park for the waterfall hike also require passes, and you should use the park-and-ride shuttle. 
• Hanauma Bay and several other wildlife preserves require advance reservation.
• Many popular restaurants (Star Noodle, Mama’s Fish House, many luaus) are booked solid weeks in advance. 

There’s more traffic than you may expect. Hotspots included Honolulu and Waikiki, Lahaina (Maui), Kapa’a (Kauai). We were told the “Road to Hana” is not worth the trouble/traffic, so we didn’t go. 

There are great beaches scattered around every island. Don’t stress about missing out on several beaches. but when pursuing specialty activities like snorkeling or surfing, read which beaches are best for each.

Pack flip flops, bug spray, and reef-safe sunscreen. Prepare for muddy hikes. If camping, expect light nightly rain.

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We’re back in NYC, and I’m already on call in the hospital. I feel the aloha spirit and my exuberant tan already fading!