Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to inquire about weather, trail, or surf
conditions; water availability; and
other conditions before you take off
on your adventure.
For hikers, a great alternative to hir-
ing a private guide is taking a guided
hike offered by the
Nature Conser-
vancy of Hawaii,
1116 Smith St., no.
210, Honolulu, HI 96817 (
&
808/
537-4508
on Oahu,
808/572-7849
on Maui,
808/553-5236
on Molokai;
www.tnc.org/hawaii), or by the
Hawaii
Chapter of the Sierra Club,
P.O. Box
2577, Honolulu, HI 96803 (
&
808/
538-6616
on Oahu; www.hi.sierra
club.org). Both organizations offer
guided hikes in preserves and special
areas during the year, as well as day- to
week-long work trips to restore habi-
tats and trails and to root out invasive
plants. It might not sound like a
dream vacation to everyone, but it's
a chance to see the “real” Hawaii—
including wilderness areas that are
ordinarily off-limits.
All Nature Conservancy hikes and
work trips are free (donations are
appreciated). However, you must
reserve a spot for yourself, and a
deposit is required for guided hikes to
ensure that you'll show up; your
deposit is refunded once you do. The
hikes are generally offered once a
month on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai,
and twice a month on Oahu. For all
islands, call the Oahu office for reser-
vations. Write for a schedule of guided
hikes and other programs.
The Sierra Club offers weekly hikes
on Oahu and Maui. Hikes are led by
certified Sierra Club volunteers and
are classified as easy, moderate, or
strenuous. These half-day or all-day
affairs cost $1 for Sierra Club mem-
bers and $3 for nonmembers. (Bring
exact change.) For a copy of the club
newsletter, which lists all outings and
trail-repair work, send $2 to the
address above.
Local ecotourism opportunities are
also discussed in each island chapter.
For more information, contact the
Hawaii Ecotourism Association
(
&
877/300-7058;
www.hawaiieco
tourism.org).
USING ACTIVITIES DESKS TO
BOOK YOUR ISLAND FUN
If you're unsure of which activity or
which outfitter or guide is the right
one for your family, you might con-
sider booking through a discount
activities center or activities desk. Not
only will they save you money, the
good activities centers should also be
able to help you find, say, the snorkel
cruise that's right for you, or the luau
that's most suitable for both you
and
the kids.
Remember, however, that it's in the
activities agent's best interest to sign
you up with outfitters from whom
they earn the most commission. Some
agents have no qualms about booking
you into any activity if it means an
extra buck for them. If an agent tries
Outdoor Etiquette
Act locally, think globally, and carry out what you carry in. Find a trash
container for all your litter (including cigarette butts; it's
very
bad form to
throw them out of your car window or to use the beach as an ashtray).
Observe
KAPU
(taboo) and
NO TRESPASSING
signs. Don't climb on ancient
Hawaiian
heiau
(temple) walls or carry home rocks, all of which belong to
the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele. Some say it's silly superstition, but
each year, the national and state park services get boxes of lava rocks in
the mail that have been sent back to Hawaii by visitors who've experi-
enced unusually bad luck.
