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December 13th, 2021 - January 13th, 2022
| Hawaii Travelogue 11 |
The trip itself was smooth enough, though our first flight sat at the gate for a little while because they were missing a part for one of their fire extinguishers. And we weren't able to get the new wrist bands that you can pick up to avoid the COVID paperwork check line when arriving in Hawaii (convenient, but they're only available in certain airports and there's no guarantee the desk that handles it will be anywhere near your gate). But all in all it was an ok trip.
Maui hasn't changed too much since we were here just under a year ago. They don't try to make you wear masks outside anymore, which is nice, but you have to show proof of vaccination to eat inside a restaurant (at least officially, some restaurants are ignoring it). But most stuff is up and running and the number of tourists has certainly increased a lot compared to last year (can't say how it compares to pre-COVID numbers though). Since I've written about Maui and Hawaii in general a lot in my previous travelogues, I'm going to gloss over a lot this time around and mostly focus on some highlights and new things.
Our first week was mostly spent hanging out with with family and doing things in the area. Playing with Zack on the trampoline, going to the beach, that type of stuff. Connie and I did get away for a little while to see Spiderman (which is great), but otherwise we mostly hung out with my parents and/or my brother's family. We did, however, spend one night in a hotel. That's not something we normally do here since staying with my parents is free, but someone has gifted them a night at the Hyatt Regency in Lahaina so we headed up there for a day with my brother's family so the kids could have fun in the giant pool. While not quite as elaborate as the pools at some of the resorts I've seen, it's still big, fancy, and has a nice kids area so we had no trouble passing a few hours there. We also got to check out the hotel's assortment of tropical birds and enjoy the great view from our room and the sunset over the beach. It was a fun change of pace since we don't normally get the whole resort experience. There's certainly some very nice (and expensive) hotels around here.
Anyway, it's been a pleasant and relaxing time, though not especially exciting. We will be doing some more interesting things later on though...
The submarine tour departs from Lahaina, though you actually have to take a boat out to the submarine itself. It's a little cramped, but there's plenty of port holes so everyone has a good view. The boat ride was a bit choppy, but once you're underwater, you don't really feel the movement at all. The sub goes down to around 130 feet below and you get to see lots of fish, reefs, and even a sunken ship. You don't really see anything quite as close or as clearly as when you're in the water yourself, but it's a neat (and easy) way to get a look at the world "under the sea." The submarine ride itself lasted for around 45 minutes, and then it was back on the boat for the return trip to Lahaina. It was fun, and I suppose I'd go again if the opportunity came up, but I'd say that if you're physically fit enough, a good snorkeling tour (or even scuba) is the better option. That said, for older people, those with young children (like my son and nephew), or even those who feel too nervous to go swimming themselves, a submarine ride is worth a look.
Anyway, my brother has a friend who does scuba expeditions, so he set up a session for us and some of his friends. We met at a beach at the south end of Lahaina to gear up and go over the basics. As a note, scuba tanks are pretty heavy. What's even heavier is all the weights you need to wear in your suit. Why weights? Well, although you can drown in the ocean, humans are fairly buoyant (not to mention all the air in that tank), so if you want to sink, you need to weigh yourself down a bit. All that weight isn't really a problem when you're in the water, but it's pretty tiring to lug around on land.
We headed into the water by an old dock, the ruins of which have become a reef. (If you're wondering, that's me in the second picture. My brother brought his GoPro so he was the photographer this time around.) Despite being so close to the shore, it's a pretty nice snorkeling/scuba spot. Very good coral, lots of fish, even a bunch of sea turtles. Snorkeling is fun, but it's great being able to stay under for a long time without having to worry about coming up for air. We even swam underneath some overhangs and such. Unfortunately, I probably could have used one more weight, as I had a tendency to start floating towards the surface if I wasn't careful. That was annoying, but I had a lot of fun regardless. Hard not to with such great scenery. There was even a shark, though not a type that's particularly dangerous to humans. We were probably in the water around 45 minutes or so before heading back to shore. It wore me out a bit more than expected, but it was a lot of fun and I would definitely go again sometime.
Sea Life Park is sort of like a mini Sea World. It's pretty much all outdoors and has a focus on shows and animal watching instead of rides. Zack especially enjoyed feeding animals like sea turtles, fish, and birds (even though the birds they have really aren't "sea life"). The birds were his favorite by far and we ended up going back to them multiple times. Animal feeding aside, the main thing to do at Sea Life is watch the shows. Unfortunately, the really good sea lion show that they had last time isn't being done anymore but they do have a new (if not quite as good) one. There were also animal feedings, some primarily educational shows, and a really good dolphin show (one of the better ones I've seen). As a side note, the dolphin on the far right of the second picture (with the darker skin) isn't actually a dolphin, but a wolphin (a rare whale/dolphin cross-breed), which is kind neat. Shows and feedings aside, you can walk around and look at the animals, and there's a decent playground. If you skip the shows you could easily see everything the park has to offer in an hour or less. But with them, you can stretch that out to 2 - 3 hours easily enough.
In the end, I wouldn't really say that Sea Life Park is a must see on Oahu, but it's a fun way to spend a morning, especially with kids.
As with Maui, a lot of our time on Oahu doesn't really need much of a write-up. We went to the beach, visited some favorite restaurants, went to Wet 'n Wild a couple of times (which, while still a fairly good water park, is a bit understaffed and could use some maintenance these days), spent time on the beaches, and walked around a lot of our usual hangouts. Unfortunately, not everything survived COVID lockdowns. In particular, both the Waikiki Yokocho and Shirokiya Japanese food courts are gone, which is pretty sad. On the plus side, Book Off has a new bigger location. It's a little out of the way, but pretty nice. Honolulu and the rest of Oahu is still fun, though COVID restrictions, and closures and such resulting from those restrictions, do take a bit of the shine off things, but more on that later. Now that Zack enjoys a water a lot more than he used to, we were really able to take advantage of things like the pool and water park. So yeah, a generally fun time but nothing particularly new or exciting. We did see a nice sunset though.
Random Hawaii Comment: Hawaii and COVID
Hawaii always had some of the strictest COVID lockdowns and restrictions in the US, despite a relatively low number of cases (and even lower number of deaths) and that hasn't changed. But compared to the last time I visited, in early 2021, things have eased up a bit. Back then, you were supposed to wear masks outside (though that was followed and enforced pretty sporadically), you weren't supposed to lay on the beach, benches and out places to sit were blocked off, indoor capacity for restaurants and such was extremely limited, etc. That said, it's still the only state that you need either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to visit and you also need to show proof of vaccination and ID to enter a restaurant or some other businesses (enforcement is a bit spotty, but most places seem to take it seriously). Masks are still required indoors but not outdoors, thankfully. Sitting in public areas and on beaches is allowed and pretty much everything is open again... At least everything that didn't get forced out of business by the lockdowns. There's quite a lot of shops, restaurants, and other businesses, including a number of places I used to consider iconic, that are completely gone, and many of the shuttered buildings and units are still empty.
Though things are improving. The number of tourists has gone up a lot. Not sure how it compares to pre-COVID levels, though probably still a good bit lower considering how limited international travel is. Unfortunately, things may get worse again before they get better. Not because of COVID itself, but because of the government. Shortly before the end of our trip, Hawaii announced that they were updating their definition of "fully vaccinated" to include a booster, which is going to significantly limit both the number of tourists and the people who can visit restaurants and such (tourist and local). They're putting a big cap on group gatherings as well (though what does and doesn't count as such is a bit weird). Seems like a pretty stupid move in my opinion (and according to the "science" if you actually ignore the hype and posturing and check the data), but it's not like the Hawaiian state government is known for making good decisions, or even demonstrating basic competence (a problem they've had since long before COVID ever came), so I suppose that's par for the course.
One other thing I noticed is that people in Hawaii can be pretty rude about the whole thing. Not everyone, of course, but we had a few instances with some people being rather nasty because we got slightly too close to them while at the pool or beach or some such. Something that's never happened back home, or any of the other states I've visited since the start of COVID. Once again, this isn't indicative of the entire population by any means, most people were perfectly friendly, but the whole "aloha spirit" does seem a bit lacking these days.
Anyway, visiting Hawaii is easier and more fun than it was a year ago, but still a bit of a pain in the neck and the state is nowhere near fully recovered. And now, unless you've gotten both a full COVID vaccine and a booster, or are prepared to take frequent COVID tests, there's a whole lot you won't be able to do so keep that in mind before you start planning a trip.
Then, just as the villages were getting ready to close, it was time to head to the luau. The PCC luau is often called one of Hawaii's best and, while you don't get the sunset over the beach like at our favorite Maui luau, they've got a very scenic setting with good music and hula while you eat. Speaking of eating, there's good buffet with a variety of Hawaiian favorites. Compared to the other luaus I've been too... I'd say the food is better than the Hilton Hawaiian Village and just as good as our Maui luau. I mean, it's not as good as what you'd get in a high end restaurant, but it is good and it's an all-you-can eat buffet. Though one thing to be aware of is that, since the PCC is run by the Mormon church, so there's none of the mixed drinks that are usually a staple of luaus. In fact, aside from one really good virgin pina colada, the drink options are just your usual soda, tea, and coffee. As a side note, I don't actually have a lot of pictures from the luau since Zack kept borrowing my camera (he got one of his own as a birthday present, but we forgot to bring it that day).
After that we had a bit of time to kill so we visited the ukulele museum and store in the shopping area outside the villages before the show. The PCC's big show is called Ha: Breath of Life and it's actually separate from the luau so you can do one or the other if you want. Anyway, cameras weren't allowed so no photos or videos. It's a fairly big and elaborate production (probably more so than any other luau show). There's a story of sorts, though it's mainly an excuse to show off some dancing from each of the different islands featured in the PCC. Good performances, but nothing particularly unique or amazing...except for the fire dancing at the end, which was the best I've seen.
All in all, it was a fun day. The PCC is always worth a visit on its own, and I can see why the luau is so highly regarded (though the lack of alcohol would be a huge minus for some). Ha is pretty good as well. Not a must see, perhaps, but certainly worth the money.
That aside though, it was a good trip. Though, despite the cold, we were glad to get home and away from the annoying COVID restrictions. Hopefully Hawaii will get with the times (and the science) and fully open up soon. Though, knowing the Hawaiian government, I wouldn't hold my breath.