Climbing Diamond Head and other Honolulu, HI Things to Do Tips

Ah well, having put on appropriate hiking gear, jeans and trainers, it was time to try and kill myself by climbing the hill.......

A strenuous climb for one so unfit, I noted the distinct lack of cardiac resuscitation equipment along the way and the elegant sandals and shoes of the Japanese Tourists.... with frequent pauses (to admire the views) it is possible to climb it in about 45 minutes, going down was much easier....

The path is sometimes rocky and uneven so good footwear is a must unless you want broken ankles, although I did see a rather fetching pair of high heeled glittery slingbacks on one fashion conscious girl, also a rather well dressed couple with elegant umbrellas..... so it seems it is possible to wear what you like.

Take water and plenty of film, also a good pair of binoculars.... when you get to the top you can see for miles and it is also a good place for whale watching. One humpbacked jumped right out of the water.... magical. The sea is a deep blue, although not the royal blue of the Mediterranean and you can watch the paragliding surfers in action. Lots of helicopters flew by on sight seeing tours which looked like fun, if you don't get airsick.

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Address: Scenic; Hiking Trail
Directions: Look at Honolulu from the sea and it is on the left..... well, you know I haven't got a clue where anything is.....

Eh... we went, we waited, we saw water vapour, but no dramatic spout.... the sea just was not rough enough to make the flaming thing work, and as soon as we had moved on to another beach, the wind got up and we could see magnificent spouts of water from a distance. Sigh.... a case of not being in the right place at the right time......

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Address: Further along from Diamond Head
Directions: Um, I found it best just to keep going in circles.... after all, it is an island....

Now THIS was the place to be..... an all day event and you still don't get to see everything.... it is set out in little villages with all of the cultures and traditions (with dancing) at set times. Just refer to the brochure for the things you want to see. A must is the Tahitian Dancing, those girls can REALLY move the hips..... trying it out generally means you end up in traction for a while..... leave it to the experts.

The canoe pageant was worth seeing, all of the cultures in local dress (you have to imagine it as it was as the costumes are a bit stylised for tourist consumption) and the rather loud announcer tells you all about each canoe and the occupants.... they also have a band and the drummers which is quite exciting.

Yeah, we took hula lessons..... failed miserably, but lost a few pounds in sheer effort.

Make sure you see the evening show which features over 100 performers.... the setting is wonderful and the fire dances are well worth watching. You can't take pictures of the fire shows as they don't come out very well.

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Being curious, I love to see how others live so this was a must for me. As well as a tour of the palace, the video gave a brief history of the islands and the Kamehameha dynasty, the stories, the lifestyle.... extremely interesting.

I was terribly sad to see that outside "western" influences saw fit to invade and impose their changes on a happy people who had been doing quite well for a long time without interference, thank you very much.....

Palace itself was very European in design, grand staircases, French fittings, Italian Marble, flushing loos.... but whatever you do, don't go through the wrong gate, they executed people for doing that.....

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Phone: (808) 522 0822
Address: Junction of Richard Street/King Street Honolulu
Directions: Middle of Honolulu...
Website: kanaina@iolanipalace.org
Other Contact: ticket office (808) 522 0832