Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
time. Located in the Kalia Tower of the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort
& Spa, the Bishop Museum at Kalia features cultural interpreters to walk you
through the story of life in Waikiki from ancient times to today. Allow at least
an hour (1
1
⁄
2
hr. would be better). Admission here is half the price of the main
Bishop Museum. Your kids can participate in a variety of interactive, hands-on
activities, like lei making, weaving cordage from coconut fibers, pounding kapa
into cloth, learning the basic motions of the hula, or trying their hand at play-
ing a Hawaiian instrument like the
pahu
(shark skin drum),
ohe hano ihu
(nose
flute), or
uli uli
(feathered gourd rattle). As your family moves from ancient
times into the arrival of the missionaries, the royal monarchy, and the Waikiki
of the 20th century (with great old surfing movies), they will be amazed at how
time flies. Not to be missed!
1525 Bernice St., just off Kalihi St. (also known as Likelike Hwy.).
&
808/847-3511.
www.bishopmuseum.
org. Admission $15 adults, $12 children 4-12 and seniors. Daily 9am-5pm. Bus: 2.
Hawaii Maritime Center
Ages 3 and up.
You can easily spend a
couple of hours here, wandering around and learning the story of Hawaii's rich
maritime past, from the ancient journey of Polynesian voyagers to the nostalgic
days of the
Lurline,
which once brought tourists from San Francisco on 4-day
cruises. Inside the Hawaii Maritime Center's Kalakaua Boat House, patterned
after His Majesty King David Kalakaua's own canoe house, are more than 30
exhibits, including Matson cruise ships (which brought the first tourists to
Waikiki), flying boats that delivered the mail, and the skeleton of a Pacific
humpback whale that beached on Kahoolawe. Outside, the
Hokulea,
a double-
hulled sailing canoe that in 1976 reenacted the Polynesian voyage of discovery,
is moored next to the
Falls of Clyde,
a four-masted schooner that once ran tea
from China to the West Coast. There are lots of interactive exhibits to keep the
kids occupied.
Pier 7 (next to Aloha Tower), Honolulu Harbor.
&
808/536-6373.
www.bishopmuseum.org. Admission
$7.50 adults, $4.50 children 6-17. Daily 8:30am-5pm. Bus: 19 or 20.
Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park
All ages.
Your kids will love this
29-acre amusement park, so plan to spend a day here. Highlights are a football
field-size wave pool for bodysurfing, two 65-foot-high free-fall slides, two water-
toboggan bullet slides, inner-tube slides, body flume slides, a continuous river
for floating inner tubes, and separate pools for adults, teens, and children. In
addition, there are restaurants, food carts, Hawaiian performances, and shops.
400 Farrington Hwy., Kapolei.
&
808/674-9283.
www.hawaiianwaters.com. Admission $34 adults, $23 chil-
dren 4-11, free for children under 3. Daily 10:30am-5pm in peak season; during nonpeak season Mon-Fri
10:30am-3:30pm, Sat-Sun 10:30am-4pm. Take H-1 west to Exit 1 (Campbell Industrial Park). Make an imme-
diate left turn to Farrington Hwy., and you will see the park on your left.
Honolulu Zoo
All ages.
Nobody comes to Hawaii to see an Indian ele-
phant, or African lions and zebras. Right? Wrong. This 43-acre municipal zoo
in Waikiki attracts visitors in droves. Allot at least half a day to explore all the
attractions. The highlight is the new African Savannah, a 10-acre wild preserve
exhibit with more than 40 African critters roaming around in the open. The zoo
also has a rare Hawaiian nene goose, a Hawaiian pig, and mouflon sheep. There's
a kids' petting zoo and, during the summer, a heap of things to do (see “Hot Fun
in the Summertime” on p. 139).
For a real treat, take the
Zoo by Moonlight tour
, which offers a rare
behind-the-scenes look into the lives of the zoo's nocturnal residents. Tours are
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