Looking for a fun place uniquely Hawaii to take the kids? The Dole Pineapple plantation may be just the place. Located on highway 99, just north of highway 80 and the town of Wahiawa, the plantation offers tours of the working plantation, pineapple specialties and other treats in the cafe and gift shop and a great hedge maze for the kids (and adults) to wander through and locate the six hidden stations inside the maze. You can tour the farm on the 20 minute “Pineapple Express” train and learn about how pineapple is grown and harvested. It is a good mid-morning stop for a hour or so on your way north to the north shore.
Since Kauai golf courses are among some of the top-rated golf courses in the world, thousands of individuals regardless of level want to experience the challenges and magnificent scenery awaiting them in Kauai. Here are some of the highlights you will experience on a golfing vacation in Kauai.
The Kiahuna Golf Club is located at 2545 Kiahuna Plantation Drive, Koloa and was designed by the famous golf course architect, Robert Trent Jones II. The course is designed to provide challenge as well as unique beauty. The course measures about 6,925 yards from the championship tees to a par 70 with a slope of 134 and a rating of 73.5. There are adequate water hazards, trade winds and bunkers that challenge you in every type of shot. The 18-hole course was recently renovated and features great values and facilities as well. On this course, Jones mixed ancient Hawaiian cultural remnants with a unique and challenging course. You won’t play the same game twice at the Kiahuna Golf Club. This is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the sport regardless of how serious you are about the game.
Poipu Bay Golf Course on 2250 Ainako Street, Koloa was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and is considered by manyl experts as the best golf course in the Pacific. It has been the site of several major PGA events such as the annual PGA Grand Slam of Golf since 1994. Nestled between the ocean cliffs and mounts on the south shore of Kauai, this is an 18 hole, championship course. The course spans 210 oceanfront acres and includes 85 bunkers, changing trade winds that can wreak havoc on your swing and 5 water hazards. You will enjoy tropical flora and may catch a glimpse of some Hawaiian wildlife such as the rare nene geese, monk seals, and even humpback whales playing in the warm island waters just off shore. The course even has some historical sites nearby . There are a number of ancient Hawaiian stone walls from former heiau sites dating back to the 1500s. Only the highest level of service is offered at Poipu Bay Golf Course. Upon arriving, you will receive the traditional aloha welcome plus a chilled citrus-scented towel. The staff is friendly and very helpful . Golf carts come with state-of-the-art GPS showing hole and green layouts. Also included are tips and other options that track your ball and monitor your game play for optimum performance. The clubhouse contains a golf shop, locker rooms, lounge, club storage and restaurant.
Princeville Golf Club on 5520 Ka Haku Road, Princeville was rated as the #1 course in the state of Hawaii by local residents and was awarded 5 stars by Golf Digest readers. Princeville Golf Club, at Hanalei, has 2 world-class championship golf courses. One is the Prince Golf Course and the other is the Makai Golf Course. Both courses offer challenge to the experienced golfer and gorgeous scenery as well. Here you get to experience the ultimate tropical setting with a view of Hanalei Bay and the nearby splendor of the Na Pali Coastline. Needless to say, a golf vacation you will not soon forget.
The town of Kailua, now known as Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii traces it’s roots back over 1,000 years. Originally, a small fishing village nestled around Oneo Bay and Kailua Bay beneath the shadow of Mount Hualalai Volcano, the town is now a popular resort destination on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Originally know simply as Kailua, the town received a name change in the 1950’s by the U.S. post office to help distinguish it from other towns know by the same name in the islands. Once a favorite area for Hawaiian royalty, today, it is an interesting beach town with good restaurants, shops, hotels, with a good sprinkling of historic places to share with interested visitors.The waterfront area is bright and vibrant and well worth spending some time walking up and down Alii Drive, the town’s “main drag.”
At the north end of Alii Drive next to the King Kamehameha Hotel, is one of Kailua-Kona’s most famous historic spots. This is the Kamakahonu compound where King Kamehameha spent his last years and died on May 8, 1819. Here, you can see the restored ‘Ahu’ena Heiau on a lava rock platform at the edge of the lagoon. From this spot, the great Hawaiian king had a panoramic view of the farming communities living on the side of the mountain in the area. Soon after the death of the great king, it was here that Queen Ka’ahumanu, his favorite wife, as a result of foreign influence, helped lead the overthrow of the “kapu” system of law that had been in place in the islands. She did this by eating with male members of the family and by eating a banana which had been forbidden to women. When nothing bad happened to her as a result of her actions, the old ways begin to crumble in favor of more western cultural practices. While Kamehameha lived here, he dedicated the heiau to the god Lono and filled it with European and Chinese furniture. Inside the nearby King Kamehameha Hotel, you can see portraits of the various Hawaiian royalty along the hotel lobby walls. Across the harbor is another royal retreat build by John Adams Kuakini, King Kamehameha’s brother in law called Huilihu’e Palace in 1838. The Palace received some earthquake damage in the recent earthquake but has now been repaired by the Daughters of Hawaii who oversee the museum. Across from the Palace is Moku’aikaua Church which was built in 1836 to replace Hawaii’s first Christian church which had been built in 1826 on this same spot. The new church was built with stones from a heiau. The original thatch building burned down but was rebuilt as it is today. The sanctuary has rich koa and ‘ohi’a wood furnishings and is worth a visit.
When you visit Hilo, Hawaii, a great place to visit is the Imiloa Astronomy Center on the University of Hawaii campus just off of Komohana Street. The name, “Imiloa” means “exploring new knowledge” and that is exactly what you will find here. The Center has a Planetarium, special presentations about Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, Interactive Science Displays, and information on Hawaiian culture and star navigation. The Center has a special “4-D” theater and a 6 foot, 3-dimensional globe that both young and old will enjoy. General admission to the center is $17.50 for adults and $9.50 for children between the ages of 4-12 with children under 4 admitted free. The Center is closed on Mondays and open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. except for Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. To see a video about the Center, click here!
