Oahu - Hawaii with Kids - page 120

Makaha. If you have older kids (13 and up), on the second Sunday of the month
you can ride on the nearly 100-year-old, custom-built, parlor-observation car
belonging to Benjamin F. Dillingham, founder of the Oahu Railway and Land
Co.; the fare is $15, and you must reserve in advance.
Ewa Station, Ewa Beach. & 808/681-5461. www.hawaiianrailway.com. Admission $10 adults, $7 seniors
and children 2-12. Departures Sun at 1 and 3pm and weekdays by appointment. Take H-1 west to Exit 5A;
take Hwy. 76 south for 2 1 ⁄ 2 miles to Tesoro Gas; turn right on Renton Rd. and drive 1 1 ⁄ 2 miles to end of paved
section. The station is on the left. Bus: C-Express to Kapalei, then transfer to no. 41, which goes through Ewa
and drops you off outside the gate.
Hawaii's Plantation Village Ages 7 and up. The hour-long tour of a
restored 50-acre village offers a glimpse back in time to when sugar planters
from America shaped the land, economy, and culture of territorial Hawaii. From
1852, when the first contract laborers arrived here from China, to 1947, when
the plantation era ended, more than 400,000 men, women, and children from
China, Japan, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Korea, and the Philippines came to work
the sugar-cane fields. The “talk story” tour brings the old village alive with
30 faithfully restored camp houses, Chinese and Japanese temples, the Planta-
tion Store, and even a sumo-wrestling ring. Younger kids may get bored here,
however.
Waipahu Cultural Garden Park, 94-695 Waipahu St. (at Waipahu Depot Rd.), Waipahu. & 808/677-0110.
www.hawaiiplantationvillage.org. Admission (including escorted tour) $10 adults, $7 military personnel, $7
seniors, $4 children 5-12. Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm; Sat 10am-4:30pm. Take H-1 west to Waikele-Waipahu exit
(Exit 7); get in the exit's left lane and turn left on Paiwa St.; at the 5th light, turn right onto Waipahu St.; after
the 2nd light, turn left. Bus: 47.
OTHER NATURAL WONDERS & SPECTACULAR VIEWS
In addition to the attractions listed below, check out “Diamond Head Crater”
under “For the Active Family: Hikes,” later in this chapter; almost everybody
can handle this hike, and the 360-degree views from the top are fabulous.
Nuuanu Pali Lookout All ages. Gale-force winds sometimes
howl through the mountain pass at this 1,186-foot-high perch guarded by
3,000-foot peaks, so hold on to your hat—and small children. But if you walk
up from the parking lot to the precipice, you'll be rewarded with a view that'll
blow you away. At the edge, the dizzying panorama of Oahu's windward side is
breathtaking: Clouds low enough to pinch scoot by on trade winds; pinnacles of
the pali (cliffs), green with ferns, often disappear in the mist. From on high, the
tropical palette of green and blue runs down to the sea. Combine this 10-minute
stop with a trip over the Pali to the windward side.
Near the summit of Pali Hwy. (Hwy. 61); take the Nuuanu Pali Lookout turnoff.
Nuuanu Valley Rain Forest All ages. It's not the same as a peaceful
nature walk, but if time is short and hiking isn't your thing, Honolulu has a rain-
forest you can drive through. It's only a few minutes from downtown Honolulu
in verdant Nuuanu Valley, where it rains nearly 300 inches a year. And it's easy
to reach in about 15 minutes. As the Pali Highway leaves residential Nuuanu
and begins its climb though the forest, the last stoplight is the Nuuanu Pali Road
turnoff; turn right for a jungly detour of about 2 miles under a thick canopy
strung with liana vines, past giant bamboo that creaks in the wind, Norfolk
pines, and wild shell ginger. The road rises and the vegetation clears as you drive,
blinking in the bright light of day, past a small mountain reservoir.
Soon the road rejoins the Pali Highway. Kailua is to the right and Honolulu
to the left—but it can be a hair-raising turn. Instead, turn right, go a half-mile

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