Things to Do in Hawaii

Dubbed “House of the Sun” by native Hawaiians, Haleakala Crater is the world’s largest dormant volcano and the highest peak in Maui. Set in Haleakala National Park, here you can see a lunar landscape, admire cinder cones and endangered silversword plants, and trek wild hiking trails. 

 

Haleakala sunrise tours are the most popular way to see the crater, offering a unique look amid the orange and red-colored dawn, and saving visitors the hassle of navigating to the volcano’s summit in the dark. Many Haleakala Crater tours include pre-arranged sunrise-viewing passes for Pu’u’ula’ula Summit, the highest point on Mt. Haleakala. Sunrise bike tours typically provide one-way bus transportation to the peak, allowing you to enjoy the view and then cycle down 6,500 feet (1,981 meters) to the ocean.

Aside from early morning visits, other tours dodge the pre-dawn crowds with daytime trips, guided hikes across the crater floor, or full-day excursions to the crater and other destinations within Haleakala National Park. You can also visit Haleakala Crater on a combo tour that also stops at other top Maui sites such as Iao Valley or the Road to Hana.

 

 

Haleakala Crater is located within Haleakala National Park on Maui. The only way to get there is by road, and it takes roughly 2.5 hours to reach the summit from the town of Kahului. From Kahului, take Route 37 to Highway 377, then transfer to Highway 378. Haleakala Crater access is at the end of the road within Haleakala National Park. 

       

Haleakala National Park is open 24 hours per day, year-round. While temperatures in Maui remain fairly constant, winter (December through March) brings the coldest and rainiest weather, with average lows of 42°F (5.6°C) and upwards of seven inches (18 centimeters) of rain per month. Sunrise and sunset are the most popular times to visit the crater; opt for a daytime visit to avoid crowds. 

Upcountry Maui, the region around Mt. Haleakala, offers plenty to do after a sunrise crater tour. Head to the town of Kula to walk through lavender fields at Alii Kula Lavender Farm, stop by a Maui winery, or visit Hawaii Sea Spirits Organic Farm and Distillery, the makers of OCEAN Vodka. You can also seethe western-themed town of Makawao to enjoy some of the region’s best boutique shopping. 

Honolua Bay sits peacefully with its vibrant turquoise and deep blue, warm waters off the northwestern coast of Maui. Preserved as a Marine Life Conservation District, fishing is strictly prohibited here, making the diversity and amount of marine life particularly strong. With its rocky volcanic cliffs sheltering from winds, the bay remains calm and the water clear and excellent for snorkeling. Colorful tropical fish such as parrotfish, damselfish, Moorish Idols, snapper, and wrasse, as well as tuna, sea turtles, and eels are commonly sighted. The rock formations and abundant corals make this a scenic place to explore underwater. It is also a popular surfing spot, particularly in the winter months, due to the long waves that crash at its coast. There is a small black sand beach, but most of the coastline is jagged rock. Visibility in the water tends to improve the farther you swim from the coast.

Curvy, cozy and impossibly green, the Hamakua Coast is a verdant time portal on the Big Island’s northeastern side. Often referred to as the “Hamakua Heritage Corridor,” this 50-mile stretch of two-lane road passes through small, historic towns and offers a sumptuous buffet of scenery around every hairpin turn. Sugar was once king along this coast, and though the last field was planted in 1994, vestiges of the plantation past lay scattered along the trail.

Leave the city of Hilo behind and venture north toward Akaka Falls, continuing past the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden to the town of Laupahoehoe. Here you’ll find the Laupahoehoe Train Museum, a small building that showcases the history of the Hawaii Consolidated Railway. The train was vital for transporting sugar from the fields to the port of Hilo, although a devastating tsunami in 1946 obliterated the tracks.

Continue along a serpentine road oft likened to the Road to Hana, and make a stop in sleepy Honoka‘a for a dose of small town charm. Ranching and farming are big in these parts, and the rural economy and coastal location make for a haven for free-spirited artists. Continue further to Waipio Valley, the official end of the road, and if your legs are feeling up for the journey, take a hike down the state’s steepest road to the taro-lined valley floor. Waipio is the valley where King Kamehameha was hidden away as a child, and the way of life and secluded surroundings have changed little since the days of the king. 

Hana is a community on the eastern end of Maui, and it might remain largely isolated if not for the spectacular scenery on the Hana Highway that draws visitors in droves.

Hana Town itself has a small population, although there's a constant influx of travelers. It's hot and humid year-round, but you'll be able to escape the tropical conditions at any one of the many excellent beaches in and around Hana – including a black sand beach at Waianapanapa State Park, and Hamoa Beach (sometimes called Hawaii's most beautiful beach).

The Hana Highway – also known as the Road to Hana – meanders more than 50 miles along the northern shore of Maui and leads to the community of Hana. If you've got the time, the best way to travel the Hana Highway is slowly, stopping frequently to check out waterfalls, beaches, and breathtaking views.

Along with the many attractions along the Road to Hana, there are also historic and scenic points of interest in Hana Town itself – including the Kahanu Garden, a 294-acre botanical garden that's also home to the 14th-century Pi'ilanihale Heiau temple, the largest such temple in Hawaii.

Hiilawe Falls isn’t just high—it's higher than the highest elevation in seven U.S. states. Located in the back of historic Waipio Valley—a lush cleft in the Kohala mountainside where King Kamehameha was raised—Hiilawe Falls is a thin ribbon of white that plunges 1,450 feet, thereby making it one of the tallest waterfalls in the entire state of Hawaii. For all of the superlatives about its height, however, rarely is the waterfall very wide, since the river above the falls is diverted. Only after a heavy rain—which is fairly common in Waipio—will Hiilawe Falls swell to life to become a rushing torrent of water.

Accessing the base of the falls, however, requires passing over private land that isn’t accessible to visitors, so the best view you can get of the falls is from the road through Waipio Valley. Some travel publications encourage trespassing over the private land, but doing so has strained relations between valley residents and visitors.

To get an up close view of the famous falls, there are many Big Island helicopter tours that offer a bird's-eye view of the waterfall. Watch from above as millions of droplets free-fall their way toward the sea, and get a sense for Waipio's seclusion on this corner of the Kohala Coast. 

Steep drop-offs beckon just off Kona’s coast, the dominion of pelagic beasts—marlin and billfish some topping 1,000 lbs. Most journeys to catch one begin the 262-slip marina at Honokohau Harbor, just before the entrance to Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park. Nearly all of Kailua-Kona’s fishermen, independent sportfish tour operators as well as charter boats departing for scuba sites and popular manta and dolphin snorkeling adventures dock and depart from Honokohau Harbor. 

The full-service marina also sports two noteworthy restaurants: Harbor House, a burger and beer joint with views of vessels from their open-air dining room, and Bite Me Fish Market Bar & Grill serving seafood delivered direct from the ocean to their door. ATMs, two full service restroom blocks with hot showers and a convenience store for snacks and sundries round out the facilities here. 

Just behind the marina proper, a snaking road ends at a lava rock parking lot with a trail leading to a small beach with decent snorkeling and popular with area dog owners.

Once visitors are aware that hālona means “lookout” in Hawaiian, it becomes quite clear what the Halona Blowhole is about: views, Pacific Ocean and blowhole! The Halona Blowhole is one of the most spectacular natural wonders on O’ahu Island; the more than 1,000-year-old geyser-like rock formation is characterized by a hole which propels incoming surf in a narrow, molten lava tube, shooting sea spray high into the air as a result - sometimes up to 30 feet. This is mostly a summery phenomenon but wintertime also has a big ticket item drawing visitors: humpback whales. The lookout point offers unobstructed views of the O’ahu shoreline as well as glimpses of Lanai and Moloka'I Islands on clear days.

The coast is home to a special type of coral that requires very little light to live, the Sinularia Leather Coral, where it is possible to find various species like echinoderms, slugs, corals, and eels. And although the marine life is quite plentiful and fascinating, divers should proceed with caution because of the strong and sometimes erratic currents, including the colloquially named Moloka'i Express, which can drag divers out to sea without warning. Visitors should know that below the hālona is one of the most dangerous ocean currents in the world, and should always proceed with care. 

The Basics
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is made up of two different Hawaii volcanoes: Kilauea and Mauna Loa. While 13,000-foot Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984, Kilauea has been constantly erupting since 1983 and is known as one of the world's most active volcanoes. The park is often visited on circle island tours of the Hawaii that also include stops at sights such as Rainbow Falls and the Hamakua Coast. Hawaii Volcanoes can also be experienced on a coach bus tour or a Kilauea volcano bike tour, or even seen from above on a helicopter ride.

• Volcanic activity changes on a daily basis, so no two trips are the same. 
  
• Volcano tours get you close to the action, visiting popular sites such as Halemaumau Crater, the Kilauea Iki crater, and Devastation Trail.
  
• Bring a jacket for the brisk air at the 4,000-foot Kilauea summit, and pack a rain jacket for the lush environment around the Thurston Lava Tube.
  
• Some guided hiking tours go through rugged terrain, which isn't recommended for wheelchairs or travelers with limited mobility.
  
• It's important to hike the area around Kilauea safely; consider traveling with a professional tour guide.

How To Get to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a 45-minute drive south of Hilo and a 2.5-hour drive from Kona. The most popular ways to experience the park are as part of a Hawaii volcano tour, or on a self-guided driving tour of Crater Rim Drive and Chain of Craters Road.

When To Get There
Because volcanic activity is tough to predict, it's almost impossible to plan your trip around lava flow. Weather at the park can range from 45°F (7°C) with rain and wind at the summit of Kilauea to 85°F (29°C) by the shoreline; visitors should travel with multiple layers that are suitable for all conditions.

Has Kilauea Volcano Caused Any Destruction?

There are some wonderful farmers markets in Hawaii, but the Hilo Farmers Market is often cited as the best of the bunch. It's a great place to get an overview of the local bounty. The fruits and vegetables for sale are locally-grown, as are the herbs and nuts. There are also vendors selling jams and baked items made with local produce, as well as people selling excellent souvenirs – clothing, jewelry, and other handcrafted goods.

The market is open daily, but to get the full effect go on either Wednesday or Sunday when all the vendors are out. Even if you don't have a kitchen, a stroll through the Hilo Farmers Market is the perfect way to find out what's in season so you know what's fresh on menus.

Set on Oahu’s famous north shore just minutes from world-class surf, funky Haleiwa is the Hawaiian antithesis of urban Honolulu. Gone are the brand-name glamorous stores of Ala Moana Mall, and enter the small, locally-owned boutiques with tanned and beautiful staff. Surfboards poke from the back of trucks that cruise the two lane roads, and boardshorts, bikinis, and rubber slippers are the de facto outfit of choice. Haleiwa, however, has two different moods—and they change with the time of year. In spring, summer, and early fall, Haleiwa is a sunny, laidback beach town where where you can start the day with a shark diving tour and finish with a barbecue at the beach. The waves are flat, the skies are blue, and you’re fare more likely to pack a snorkel than a surfboard or boogie board to the beach. 

In winter, however, the entire surf world descends on Haleiwa and the buzz in the air is electric. Parking spots can be harder find, and the streets are a bit more crowded, but the chance to watch the world’s best surfers is worth the added crowds. For a short time, maybe 8 eight weeks at most, Haleiwa becomes the place to be—even more than Honolulu. Growth of the town itself, thankfully, is still relatively slow, and whether it’s ordering shave ice on a sunny day or watching the waves from shore, Haleiwa is a town that remains exactly the way that everyone likes it.

Overlooked by the Manua Loa and Mauna Kea volcanoes, Hilo is a laid-back coastal settlement full of sprawling banyan trees, local produce markets, shops, and art galleries. While the town itself is a peaceful getaway, Hilo is most famous for its proximity to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Wailuku River State Park.

A variety of volcano tours visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park from Hilo and typically include attractions such as Kilauea Volcano (one of the island’s most active volcanoes), Thurston Lava Tube, and Kilauea Iki Overlook. Opt for a nighttime tour to see glowing molten lava and enjoy dinner at Volcano Winery, or choose a private excursion for a personalized experience.

To explore the city, choose a guided tour of downtown Hilo and see the daily farmers market on Kamehameha Avenue, the Big Island Candy Factory, and Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. You can also experience Hilo’s natural attractions on a waterfall tour, guided hike, ziplining adventure tour, or helicopter tour. Other top activities include learning about ocean conservation at the headquarters of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, taking in Big Island history at the Lyman Museum, and visiting the Imiloa Astronomy Center and Pacific Tsunami Museum.

 

Hilo is located on the east coast of Hawaii’s Big Island. The town has a small international airport and is regularly visited by cruise ships. State Highway 11 links Hilo with other Big Island towns.

 

While Hilo receives relatively few visitors compared to Hawaii’s resort areas, the town is busiest during spring break, summer, and the winter holidays. To avoid rain, opt for a summer visit; the wettest month is November with most rain falling during late afternoon and early morning. 

 

In nearby Wailuku River State Park you can find Akaka Falls and Rainbow Falls, an 80-foot (24-meter) cascade famous for the rainbow that forms in its mist during sunny mornings. In the park’s Boiling Pots, you can explore a succession of pools connected by underground rivers, with water that constantly rolls and bubbles.

Historic Honolulu Harbor, the state’s original hub for commerce and immigration, stretches from Honolulu’s downtown business district in the east to Ke’ehi Lagoon in the west. A center of activity even prior to European contact, the harbor today—a series of dredged channels and basins encircling the less-than-a-square-mile Sand Island—is picturesque in parts and downright commercial in others. Despite a massive molasses spill that occurred here in Sept. 2013, there are those who say the harbor is among the cleanest commercial ports in the nation. To see for yourself, head down to Pier 7 where modern cruise ships still occasionally dock (if you didn’t arrive by boat, look for the giant wooden Falls of Clyde sailing ship fronting the now-shuttered Hawaii Maritime Center). There, just along the concrete harbor wall, is a veritable open-air aquarium: coral, tropical reef fish and the occasional reef shark can be seen making a living just steps from downtown skyscrapers. 

Among the best places to watch the big cargo ships that supply the city with cars, groceries, goods and commodities are from the harbor-facing restaurants in the Aloha Tower Marketplace 

Complex, or from the bars and restaurants located directly on Sand Island. During the 1800s, the harbor was the main point of entry into the state for visitors and immigrants, while Sand Island was used as a quarantine checkpoint for sick passengers. Also worth a visit are Piers 36-38, home to the Honolulu Fish Action—the largest tuna auction in the United States—several 

notable seafood restaurants and moorings for the state’s largest commercial fishing fleet. 

The Big Islands Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is 17 acres of lush greenery, with pathways inviting visitors to explore. The garden began taking shape in 1977, when the land was purchased by a couple from San Francisco. Over eight years, they cleared paths through what was thick jungle, and in 1984 they opened the garden to the public. It's now run by a nonprofit.

The botanical garden and nature reserve includes waterfalls and streams among more than 2,000 species of plants. One side of the property is on Onomea Bay, where there's a boardwalk overlooking the ocean. The garden is home to some wildlife, too, including geckos, frogs, and several types of local birds.

Hawaii’s Capitol building doesn’t have the grand golden domes of capitols in other U.S. states, instead its exterior is blocky and reminiscent of the 1960s postmodern era in which it was built. But, like other capitols, its features are rife with symbolism. Inside, the central courtyard opens to the sky via narrowing layers set to mimic the interior of the volcano; the two Legislative chambers also feature unique sloped walls to achieve a similar effect. The eight supporting pillars on the front and back of the building narrow toward the top to evoke the trunks of royal palm trees, there is one for each of the main Hawaiian Islands. A raised moat reflecting pool surrounds the building and is said to symbolize the Pacific surrounding the Islands. Visitors can wander through the courtyard and grounds, which has an appropriately blocky statue of Father Damien—a sainted priest who treated Hansen’s disease patients on a remote Molokai peninsula in the late 1800s before succumbing to the disease himself—an exact duplicate represents the state in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall.

Honolulu is so much more than just the sunny resort area of Waikiki, where white sands stretch all the way to iconic Diamond Head. The capital city is Hawaii’s commercial and urban heart, with first-class museums, shopping, dining, clubs, and bars. And every year millions of visitors from around the globe find aloha in Honolulu, where surfboards, sunsets, swimming, and taking it slow are simply a way of life.

 

Aside from Honolulu’s iconic Waikiki Beach, walking, driving, and even Segway city sightseeing tours feature downtown Honolulu attractions like Iolani Palace, bustling Chinatown (one of the country’s oldest), early mission houses, churches, and the Bishop Museum, which is filled with historical and cultural artifacts. Many visitors venture above and beyond the city limits on helicopter tours to take in the island’s unique and verdant volcanic topography, on land-based Oahu tours that circle the island, and on water and boat tours that cruise the Pacific. Honolulu is the perfect jumping-off point for other Oahu sights including Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor (home to the USS Arizona and USS Missouri memorials, as well as the Pacific Aviation Museum), the Dole Plantation, the Polynesian Cultural Center, the North Shore surf town of Haleiwa, laid-back Kailua, Sea Life Park, Pali Lookout, and the protected snorkeling reefs at Hanauma Bay.

 

Regular daily flights arrive at Honolulu International Airport from destinations across Hawaii, the mainland US, and the globe. From points on Oahu, a rental car and the public TheBus are your best bets for getting to Honolulu.

Honolulu enjoys year-round balmy weather, so many visitors make the trip in winter (November through March). Hawaii’s peak tourism times tend to coincide with breaks in the US academic calendar—summer, spring break, and the Christmas/New Year holidays. To get the best rates, dodge the crowds, and still enjoy some warm sun in the winter, plan a vacation for February, a particularly affordable time to travel to Honolulu.

The Honolulu Festival, celebrating the unique cultural blend of the city and neighboring countries in the Pacific Rim, is held over three days each March with parades, musical entertainment, and craft fairs. A unique and Buddhist twist on Memorial Day (observed on the last Monday of May) is also a sight to see—thousands of paper lanterns are set afloat at Ala Moana Beach Park. Kamehameha Day (June 11) sees copious amounts of floral lei draped on statues throughout the city, but perhaps the city’s most unusual festival is April’s Waikiki Spam Jam, where kitschy costumes and roadside grills honor Hawaii’s favorite meat since World War II.

The Honolulu Municipal Building doesn’t have quite the ring of Honolulu Hale—though they are one and the same. The Hale, which means house in Hawaiian, is home Oahu’s city hall— government offices including the chambers of the Mayor and the Honolulu City Council. The Spanish Colonial Revival building—a popular style in Honolulu in the 1920s—was completed in 1928, and, in addition to being interesting architecturally, hosts regular city and public functions including the popular annual Honolulu City Lights. Each December since the mid 1980s, a giant 21-foot “Shaka Santa” (that is, Santa flashing his one-handed shaka sign) and Tutu Mele (Mrs. Claus) adorn the building’s fountain pool accompanied by a flurry of colored light displays and lawn ornaments. The public is welcomed inside the building to walk amongst ornately-decorated and -themed Christmas trees, which are judged for their creativity; original artwork from area school children lines the walls. The building is a place of community pride—occasionally lit with commemorative colors (pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month; red, white and blue for Independence Day) and on the National Register of Historic Places.

At the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, terms like “lava lake” “vog” and “fissure eruption” are just part of the daily vocabulary. This informative center is one of the most popular stops while visiting the national park, as it precariously sits on the scorched rim of the Halema‘uma‘u Crater. Be careful of the noxious vog, however, as this sulphur dioxide emitted by the volcano can make it difficult to breathe. To take a break from the volcanic fumes, step inside the Jaggar Museum located next to the observatory. Watch as a seismograph traces the rumbles as they happen beneath your feet, and look at the clothes scientists wear while handling lava in the field. You can also gawk at old photos of fiery Kilauea explosions, with the current eruption running unabated since 1983.

As night falls around the park and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, a flickering, violent orange glow can be seen from the Kilauea overlook. This paved viewpoint is a short drive from the observatory and Jaggar Museum, and offers a panoramic view that gazes out at one of Earth’s most powerful corners. 

The Hard Rock Cafe Honolulu was the first in the chain to open in Hawaii, in the summer of 1987. The restaurant moved to its present location in 2000.

The current setting for the Hard Rock Cafe in Honolulu is right in the middle of Waikiki, within easy walking distance of many of the area's hotels and resorts, as well as other shops, restaurants, the Hawaii Convention Center, and the beach.

The Hard Rock Cafe Honolulu, like all the Hard Rock Cafes, has a casual restaurant with a menu full of American favorites, a lively full bar, and a shop where you can buy all kinds of Hard Rock Cafe merchandise.