Hawaiian Waters: Hawaii's Only Real Waterpark

Once you've lived here for a while, you figure it out: there are great beaches on Oahu, a few good children's museums, and year-round warm weather to encourage sports and an outdoor lifestyle. But your kids will get bored in Hawaii because of the scarcity of kid-oriented activities for families on a budget. This makes Hawaiian Waters, Hawaii's single waterpark, a lifesaver for our family.

Hawaiian Waters is open year-round, unlike waterparks on the mainland, and caters primarily to kama'aina, people who live in Hawaii. Admission for a single day is a little high for a small waterpark, over $30 for most people, but a season pass can be found for as cheap as $70, making it a great choice for natives and military families. With reasonably-priced food concessions, this means families can come and spend the day without spending all of their entertainment budget.

Hawaiian Waters' Attractions

Hawaiian Waters tries to cater to everyone, from families with small children to young adults looking for something a little different. I divide the park attractions into three main categories: families with small children, families with older children, and adult attractions.

On the small-child side, there are two miniparks. Keiki Cove is designed for the littlest children, with gentle mushroom waterfalls and tiny sloping waterslides ending in shallow water. Little ones from less than a year up to about five years old have a great time playing throughout this area, and an abundance of lifeguards helps ensure their safety. Waterworld is for somewhat older children, and has several more challenging waterslides that, by themselves, would fill out a decent neighborhood waterpark. You'll find watercannons here as well as floating obstacle courses and water deep enough to swim in.

For those older children and their parents, there are nearly a dozen traditional waterslides here in the park, ranging from straight-drop racer slides to convoluted pipe and half-pipe slides. The two standout waterslides are the Shaka and the Flyin' Hawaiian. The Shaka looks like a waterfilled oversized skateboarding half-pipe. Riders drop down one side and slide up the other until their momentum gives out. The Flyin' Hawaiian is one of the most unusual waterslides I've ever seen - it's a short straight drop to a horizontal open pipe, and riders shoot out that open end to a ten-food straight drop to a deep catch pool.

Besides these attractions, Hawaiian Waters has a really nice giant wave pool they use to teach bodyboarding periodically. Young surfers can use their perpetual wave, just up the hill from the pool, to hone their bodyboarding or surfing skills for an additional fee.

The most unique section of Hawaiian Waters caters to young adults. It's an island, cut off from the rest of the park by a lazy river section, where over-21s can go to have a mai-tai, lounge on the abundant chairs, or hang out in a giant multi-level hot tub. This oasis has no children to deal with, and is very popular during Kama'aina Nights, a summer schedule during which the waterpark is open after dark.

Overall, the Hawaiian Waters park is very clean. Safety seems to be of a priority, with plenty of lifeguards throughout the park. Hawaiian music plays constantly in the background, and in quieter sections you can hear the trade winds blow through the abundant palm trees. On weekdays when school is in session, Hawaiian Waters is very quiet and relaxing; when school's out, it's significantly busier, but I've only seen it crowded once. If you prefer to just hang out on a lounge chair, you can always find one next to the wave pool or in Waterworld. Bring plenty of sunscreen, however; it seems like there's more sun at Hawaiian Waters than on the beach.

The food at concessions is not great, with generic formed burgers and pizza my sons say is really bad, but it's also not as bad as food I've eaten at many amusement parks. You also have the option of just getting ice cream or shave ice. If you'd rather not eat there, you can leave and get McDonald's just on the other side of the H1 highway from Hawaiian Waters or you can drive up Farrington Highway two miles east to Kapolei's downtown center; there are plenty of decent reasonably-priced restaurants there, including the excellent Kapolei Chinese Restaurant, just before an easy on-ramp back to the H1.