Hawaii

Reasons to go:

1. The Big Island

  • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park★ (24/7, not free). There are two active volcanoes in the national park - Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, see this page for frequent updates on their eruption status. Apart from the eruptions, beautiful hikes are the main attraction - here are the lists of popular and off the beaten track hikes. Kilauea Crater Rim Drive is crowded, but it does contain irresistible highlights - Kilauea Overlook, Steam Vents (19.431347, -155.26785), Sulphur Banks (19.432164, -155.260996), Keanakako’i Overlook, the hike across the Kilauea Iki Crater and many more. Do make a lot of time for Chain of Craters Road to Hōlei Sea Arch - there are hikes, Puʻuloa Petroglyphs, whale watching with the view of Hōlei Sea Arch; my favourite bits were not marked on the map - Devil’s Throat crater (19.377702, -155.237151) and multicoloured lava rocks behind the wall (19.36361, -155.21435) of Pu’u Huluhulu Trail; which tells me there is so much more to be discovered if you take the time to explore. Lava glow at night (if any) is another highlight, so you want to stay nearby. I stayed in Namakanipaio Camper Cabins (19.426478, -155.29487) because it was the cheapest option, having stayed there I can now recommend it as the best option.
  • Lava tubes (not free). I did the Pit room tour (4 hours, walking only, no crawling) of Kazumura caves★ (booking by phone only, cash payment upon arrival, entrance on private land near the intersection of Uluhemalu road and Ohialani road at (19.453842, -155.15949), tours run by the land owner) and the Two hour tour (knee pads and gloves provided and you’ll need them) of the Kula Kai Caverns★ (booking by phone only, card payments only, entrance on private land at (19.066417, -155.799061)). The two lava tubes were completely different, so you definitely have to do both of them at least.
  • Papakōlea Green Sand Beach★ (18.936299, -155.6461) accessible via 4km hike (one way) from the car park (18.920094, -155.67052). To fully enjoy the olivine sand, get to the beach before it is covered by the shadows of surrounding cliffs. I enjoyed the walk to/from the beach and saw a lot of whales, I had no regrets for not taking the illegal shuttles, especially because I saw them frequently getting stuck in the dunes and ultimately taking the same time as I did to reach the beach.
  • Punaluʻu Beach - black sand beach with green sea turtles.
  • Whale watching season is from November to April, with February being the best time - when both male and female whales are around. I saw many whales on my hike to/from Papakōlea Green Sand Beach and in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (around Hōlei Sea Arch) before I even started to plan where to go whale watching.
  • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Kahuku Unit (19.064013, -155.67856) - very different landscapes from the rest of the national park.
  • Scenic drive along Old Mamalahoa highway. Stop for Onomea Bay Trail (19.806067, -155.09223) - short but beautiful hike; and for Kawainui stream (19.820554, -155.09459) as described here - this location where waterfall comes out of a lava tube is frequented by locals.
  • Rainbow falls lookout (19.719304, -155.108387) and magnificent trees nearby (19.718864, -155.10966).

Still on my wishlist:

2. Maui

  • Haleakalā National Park Summit District★ (24/7, not free, reservations required only for sunrise viewing). Start by driving to Haleakala Crater (20.710077, -156.252955) before the parking fills up, then drive back down to Pa Ka’oao (20.713845, -156.24984) for even better views. Apart from these two breathtaking viewpoints, there are many hiking options. For a great long hike, park at Halemau’u Trailhead, hitch-hike up to Keonehe’ehe’e Trailhead (there is a well designed Hiker Pickup Area for that) and hike back via Halāli’i crater (20.718699, -156.19879). For a short easy hike, go birdwatching at Hosmer grove (20.767542, -156.23585) after exploring Kalahaku Overlook and Leleiwi Overlook.
  • Waiʻānapanapa State Park★ (not free, reservations required and they sell out quickly) - breathtakingly beautiful hike to the left of the black sand beach, a short lava tube to the right. Great examples of columnar basalt with younger lava on top and blowholes.
  • Pipiwai Trail★ in Haleakala National Park Kīpahulu District - the amazing bamboo forest starts at (20.670386, -156.053975), and there are some waterfalls too.
  • Green sea turtles at Ho’okipa Beach Park (most of them are here, but so are the tourists) and Kaulahao Beach.
  • Whale watching on beaches of Kihei and south from there.
  • If there are road closures around Alelele Bridge, you’ll have no choice but to do the Road to Hana to get to Waiʻānapanapa State Park and Pipiwai Trail. Free stopping points along the Road to Hana that I enjoyed were Eucalyptus Rainbow Trees, Waikamoi nature trail (20.875442, -156.18652), Ke’anae Arboretum (20.857527, -156.14875), Keanae Lookout, Pua’a Ka’a Falls and Hamoa Beach (a great one, as not many people make it past Hana). But finding parking is difficult, and locals are not please with Disneyfication of their only road. So given a choice, I’d probably skip it.

Still on my wishlist:

3. Kauai

  • Boat tours of the Na Pali coast★ - incredible geological formations guaranteed, if you are lucky - spinner dolphins, sea caves, big birds and maybe even whales (especially in February). I had a great experience with Na Pali Experience (an early morning coast tour from Kikiaola Small Boat Harbor). Boat tours are cheaper than helicopter tours and you get the time to truly enjoy the landscapes instead of passing by in seconds; and you won’t see spinner dolphins from a helicopter.
  • Waimea Canyon State Park and Kōkeʻe State Park★ (not free, a single ticket for both parks has to be purchased from the machines in the park). Highlights include: amazing view of the canyon from this unofficial lookout (22.02032, -159.67389), Waimea Canyon Lookout (22.07165, -159.661705), this waterfall viewpoint (22.089223, -159.67162), Pu’u Hinahina viewpoint (22.108798, -159.669261), parking at (22.113222, -159.665248) for this viewpoint (22.111094, -159.66551) and continue the waterfalls at (22.105872, -159.66191) and (22.104266, -159.66149), Kalalau viewpoint of Na Pali coast (22.151119, -159.64586), Pu’u O Kila viewpoint (22.147822, -159.630889) and hiking options from there to viewpoints at (22.148441, -159.627544), (22.148485, -159.625691) and beyond.
  • Hā’ena State Park (not free, reservations required and they sell out quickly). I was disappointed that I didn’t manage to get the “Parking + Entry Pass” (it sells out instantly), but in hindsight the “Shuttle + Entry Pass” was a better option as you can spend a long time in the park (until the last shuttle) as opposed to having a parking permit for just a couple of hours. Shuttle will drop you off at (22.22113, -159.57884), from there you can hike the first part of the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapi’ai Beach (22.208406, -159.59748) and then come back and relax at Ke’e Beach, where I saw flying fish (malolo).
  • Nounou Forest Reserve★. Nounou West Trail from parking at (22.067795, -159.35879) to the Sleeping Giant peak at (22.062038, -159.35416) - while the views at the top are great, the Cook pine forest at the very beginning of the trail is the best bit, so don’t skip this even if you are not in a hiking shape. And don’t miss the view of Opaekaa Falls nearby.
  • Hanalei Beach - great views of the mountainous interior of the island. Still on my wishlist - Kekaha Beach Park and beaches of the Polihale State Park.
  • Spouting Horn blowhole (21.884696, -159.49344). Once you are here, you can explore the free garden in front of the not free McBryde & Allerton Garden.
  • The view of the Kīlauea Lighthouse and birdwatching at (22.227799, -159.40121).
  • Aloha Roastery in Lihue - their coffee and pastries are amazing.

Notes:

  • Best time to visit Hawaii - avoid the hurricane season (June to November) and USA school holiday dates. February is best for whale watching.
  • The official National Park Service app is super useful. Pre-download the information about the parks you’ll be visiting for offline use.
  • Depending on the duration of your visit, Hawaiʻi Tri-Park Pass might be cheaper than separate passes for Volcanoes National Park and Haleakalā National Park.
  • Just outside the International Arrivals Terminal of Honolulu airport there is a stall selling sim cards. I got T-mobile that was good on the Big Island, not so good on Maui and Kauai.
  • Safeway supermarkets were my favourite place to shop.
  • I read The Hawaii Vacation Guide to plan my time here.