The Hawaiian Islands Abound with Nature

My husband and I are traveling to Hawaii on Thursday and except for a planned excursion on the Atlantis Submarine, we'll be on our own self-arranged Ecotour. Although many Ecotours can take you into the heart of places most people can't reach, the Hawaiian Islands abounds with natural beauty and wildlife, especially a number of endemic bird species, i.e. ones that are only found in these locations. The last place we expect to find ourselves in is a shopping center, even though the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center and Waikiki Shopping Plaza are within walking distance from our hotel. Sure, we're likely to go shopping at least once a day in order to dine at one of the many fine restaurants, buy useful supplies and send the requisite postcards. But we've planned ahead and we will be so busy exploring the ocean, golfing, and birding all over the islands, we're likely to forget our primary purpose for going, namely to relax and unwind. This visit to the Hawaiian Islands will have us arrive and depart Oahu with a week in between spent on Kauai. Among the less well-known things we'll do is a trip to the Bishop Museum and Planetarium and the Waikiki aquarium. We're somewhat limited this trip since we don't plan to rent a car in Oahu, although we'll have one on Kauai. Our hotel in Kauai is near the Wailua river, but both of us have already visited the famous Fern Grotto where locals and visitors marry in the beautiful natural setting alongside the waterfall while being serenaded with Hawaiian tunes.

Birding around the Islands
On all of our visits to places around the islands, we bring our binoculars and bird books. Hawaii has a number of endemic species, i.e. this is the only place these birds live, which makes for an exciting learning experience. Many of the endemics live in the higher altitudes near the volcano craters. Some of them are destined to die off due to lack of habitat. Bird species range from seabirds including albatross, booby, and tropicbird, to forest birds like the 'apapane and 'amakihi, to the open country birds like the nene goose and several species of francolin, to the shorebirds including a'eo or black-necked stilt and 'ulili or wandering tattler to the more common parrots, waxbills and finches. On this trip, birding outings will include Waimea Canyon, hiking on the Na Pali coast, and a visit to the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Reserve on Kauai. If we have time, we plan to seek out the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge and Alakoko Menhune Fishpond. On Oahu trips to Kapiolani Park, Queen Kapiolani Hibiscus Garden, and Diamond Head in Waikiki we'll also search for birds, as well as on all golf courses and on all beaches. Favorite places to bird on the Big Island include: Hawaii Volcano's National Park, the Bird Park Kipuka Puoula, Kiluea, the road to Hana, the saddle road. Our most exciting moment was when we spotted a Pueo, short-eared owl sitting on a post in North Kona. Favorite Places to bird in Maui include: Kanaha Pond Wildlife Reserve, Hosmer Grove Campground, Haleakal, Ahii Kinau and Makena.

Exploring the Ocean
The Hawaiian Islands is one of the three destinations in North America where you can climb aboard one of the new tourist class submarines from Atlantis Adventures. We prepaid our tickets through the Hawaii Travel Network for transportation from a local hotel to a motor launch that will take us out to the submarine. Once onboard, we'll spend an hour underwater exploring where coral reefs abound with sharks. We're somewhat timid about scuba diving, but this trip may convince us we'll have to try. However, snorkeling remains our favorite way to experience the deep. This trip we plan to snorkel near Haena State Park, which contains the trailhead for a hike along the Na Pali coast, two wet caves and a hula platform. We'll also swim near our hotel in the ocean and our swimming pool.

Golfing at the Municipals
Golfing can be an expensive endeavor on the Hawaiian Islands, but by bringing our golf clubs and playing the municipal and less expensive golf courses, we can still have a good time without breaking our budget. Our favorites Oahu golf courses are: Ala Wai Golf Course, Waikiki, Oahu, Ewa Villages Golf Course, Ewa Beach, Oahu. Our favorite Kauai golf courses are:Wailua Golf Course, Kauai.

Overall, we find many natural wildlife species and adventure, when we delve into the Hawaiian forests, taro ponds, walk on the many fine beaches and hope to spy a whale or two spouting offshore. In addition, we still find time to watch the sunset while muscular men paddle outriggers down shore and drinking a good mai tai and snacking on pineapple and macadamia nuts.