Blogs from Hawaii, United States, North America - page 10

We‘re up at the crack of dawn again for our 6.20am pickup for today’s little exercise, a trip along the apparently legendary road to the remote settlement of Hana on Maui’s easternmost tip. After yesterday’s pickup fiasco we’re extra careful to arrive very early, and we split up to make sure we’ve got most bases covered if the bus decides to turn up at the wrong place again. No such dramas this morning however, and our guide introduces herself as Yvonne. She’s an avid animal lover who owns two dogs (one of which has three legs and is called Tripod), a turtle, and several fish in a pond in her backyard. Her prize possession is however her pet pig Cooney, who, perhaps unsurprisingly, is more than a tad overweight, thanks largely apparently to the efforts of ... read more

We head off for a leisurely morning stroll along the Kapalua Coastal Trail which winds its way along the shore north of here. The Trail takes us past the calm, sandy and clearly very popular Kapalua Bay Beach. We pass a building hanging off the cliff face, which, if Google Maps is to be believed, is the Kapalua Cliff House. Apparently it's a wedding venue, and it seems it's been here since the 1940s. The reviews don't however seem to mention anything about weddings, most just noting that it's a good place from which to jump off the cliff. I suppose you could include this in the ceremony, but I think the bride might want to have a few lifeguards on hand if she's wearing any of the wedding dresses I'm used to seeing. One review ... read more

Today we head off on our first venture beyond our shores since the dreaded COVID hit back in early 2020. The main reason is of course to go to Canada to visit our beloved daughter Emma, who we haven’t seen for going on three years. We’ll then be continuing on to Europe, for all up nearly three months away from the cold and gloom of Melbourne in winter. Organising travel seems to have become a lot more complicated in the intervening period. Every country now seems to have developed its own unique set of rules for managing its visitors in times of the dreaded virus. We discover that the EU tried to introduce some uniformity amongst its 27 member states by developing an entry form that all visitors could use. This seemed like a good idea ... read more

Days leading up to the trip: It’s a long story Oahu wasn’t my idea, you know. But hey, when the family from Japan called to meet them there, we were in. It was originally slated for March when Japan was in the thick of the Omicron surge and they made the decision to cancel at the last minute. We had the reschedulable flight so here we are, end of April, with the whole new itinerary. I had originally planned to do half-half between Waikiki and Kaneohe as I found an Airbnb in Kaneohe; to get away from Waikiki and to explore the unexplored. Beginning of April, I got a text saying that the Airbnb listing is now ceased and desist being outside of the allowed zone. Really?! I was told that it would’ve still been honored ... read more

For those of you heading to the islands, do not underestimate the food at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. From Lovefood's best food courts: Makai Marketplace at Ala Moana Center, Honolulu You'll find restaurants for dining in, some with terraces, and places to grab a quick but delicious bite such as Holy Cow (formerly Myungrang Hot Dog), whose specialty is Korean deep-fried hot dogs on a stick. Another favorite is Tanaka Ramen & Izakaya (pictured), serving flavor-packed bowls of noodles, meat and broth alongside a range of Japanese-style snacks. It's so good – and so popular – that you might want to reserve a table in advance. Poke, typically served in bowls topped with raw fish, originates from Hawaii so it makes sense Honolulu’s biggest shopping mall food court has excellent places serving it. At Poke ... read more