Hawaii Holidays: Why Stop at One Island?

For many Kiwi travellers, a Hawaii holiday means Honolulu. Others might combine Oʻahu with a few days on Maui.

Both make for a great holiday. But if Hawaii is somewhere you’ve always wanted to properly explore, why stop there? Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Maui and the Island of Hawaiʻi may all be part of Hawai’i but spend time on each and you’ll quickly discover just how different they are.

There is the energy and history of Oʻahu, the deep canyons and dramatic coastline of Kauaʻi, Maui’s famous beaches and Road to Hana, and the extraordinary volcanic landscapes of the Island of Hawaiʻi.

And then there are the experiences. Flying doors-off above the Nā Pali Coast. Watching the sun rise from Haleakalā. Snorkelling with manta rays after dark. Sailing off Waikiki at sunset.

Our new 17-day Explore The Hawaiian Islands suggested itinerary brings all four together.

Not so you can say you’ve been to four islands. So you can experience what makes each one worth visiting.

OʻAHU – GIVE WAIKIKI TIME, THEN EXPLORE THE ISLAND

We love Waikiki. There’s something pretty special about arriving in Hawaiʻi, checking into an ocean view hotel and knowing that Waikiki Beach is just outside.

So enjoy it. Head to the beach, wander Kalākaua Avenue, find somewhere for a Mai Tai and get out on the water for a sunset catamaran cruise.

But don’t spend your entire time there. One of the things we try to do when putting together a Hawaiʻi itinerary is show just how much more there is to Oʻahu.

Pearl Harbour is an obvious inclusion and somewhere we think first-time visitors should always experience. Our itinerary includes a guided visit incorporating the USS Arizona Memorial and Battleship Missouri, giving you time to understand one of the most important chapters in Hawaii’s history.

We’ve also included time to snorkel at Hanauma Bay before picking up a car and heading further afield. Because once you leave Honolulu behind, Oʻahu starts to look very different.

GET OUT AND SEE ANOTHER SIDE OF OʻAHU

We’ve included a Ford Mustang Convertible for this part of the journey. Is a convertible essential? Of course not. Is driving around Hawaii with the roof down a pretty cool way to explore the island? We think so.

From Waikiki, head across to Kualoa Ranch for a tour through those enormous green mountains and valleys you may recognise from films such as Jurassic Park. From there, continue north along the coast to Lāʻie and the Polynesian Cultural Centre before carrying on towards Oʻahu’s famous North Shore.

This is another side of the island altogether. Take some time to explore the beaches and surf towns along the way – and if you’re there during the winter months, you may even get to see the huge waves and some of the world’s best surfers at Banzai Pipeline.

Continue through Haleʻiwa before turning back towards Honolulu, with a stop at Waikele Premium Outlets along the way for a little retail therapy.

The important thing is to give Oʻahu enough time. Waikiki is an important part of the experience – it just isn’t the whole experience!

KAUAʻI – NOW HAWAII GETS WILDER

Fly to Kauaʻi and the change is immediate. Known as the Garden Isle, this is the Hawai’i of deep green valleys, waterfalls, dramatic canyons and extraordinary sea cliffs.

We recommend you base your journey at Poipu on the island’s south coast, giving you a great starting point for exploring. Head west and you’ll reach Waimea Canyon, sometimes described as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Continue into Kokeʻe State Park and the scenery becomes even more dramatic, with lookouts across valleys and towards the Nā Pali Coast.

Take your time here. But there’s another way we think you should see Kauaʻi – from the air!

IF YOU’RE GOING TO SPLURGE ON ONE EXPERIENCE IN KAUAʻI …

Make it a helicopter flight. Large parts of Kauaʻi simply aren’t accessible by road, which is one of the reasons seeing the island from above is so special.

Our suggested itinerary includes a doors-off helicopter flight, taking you above waterfalls, hidden valleys and the towering cliffs of the Nā Pali Coast.

And yes, we deliberately chose doors-off. It costs more than simply driving to another lookout, but this is exactly the sort of experience we think is worth building into a trip like this. You haven’t travelled all the way from New Zealand to do everything by halves!

MAUI – SET THE ALARM CLOCK

Next comes Maui. There are plenty of reasons to love this island, from the beaches around Kāʻanapali to its mountain and rainforest scenery. But one morning we’re going to suggest getting out of bed very early … very early.

Sunrise from the summit of Haleakalā is one of Maui’s signature experiences. At more than 3,000 metres above sea level, you’re watching the day begin from above the clouds. It can be cold. It requires an early start. And we’d still recommend doing it.

Then head back down the mountain because Maui has another very different journey waiting.

THE ROAD TO HANA – DON’T MAKE IT A RACE

The Road to Hana is famous, but the point isn’t simply getting to Hana. It’s the road itself.

Waterfalls, rainforest, coastal views, beaches and countless places where you’ll want to pull over along the way.

This is one of those days where trying to squeeze in every marked stop can actually make the experience worse. Choose the places that interest you, allow plenty of time and remember that you need to get back again. That’s where planning helps.

We can talk you through the route, what makes sense for the time you have and how to avoid turning one of Hawaii’s great drives into a box-ticking exercise.

And while you’re on Maui, we’ve built in a choice: head out on the water to snorkel at Molokini Crater or take a 4WD adventure across neighbouring Lānaʻi. Different experiences for sure – but both pretty good ways to spend a day.

THE ISLAND OF HAWAIʻI – SAVE SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT FOR LAST

By now you’ve experienced three islands. Then Hawaii changes again. The Island of Hawaiʻi – often simply called the Big Island – is the largest in the chain and feels very different from what has come before.

We start on the Kona side, where one of the trip’s most memorable experiences happens after dark. You’ll head out onto the water and snorkel while manta rays glide and feed beneath you.

It’s unusual, slightly surreal and one of those experiences that is difficult to appreciate until you’re actually in the water watching it happen.

But don’t leave the Island of Hawaiʻi after Kona. Cross the island to Hilo as there’s a very good reason we’ve included both sides.

HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK – SEE AN ISLAND STILL BEING SHAPED

The Island of Hawaiʻi is home to some of the most extraordinary volcanic landscapes in the United States. At Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park you’ll explore a landscape of craters, steam vents, lava fields and Nāhuku – the Thurston Lava Tube.

This isn’t Hawaii as a beach destination … it’s Hawaii at its rawest.

Our full-day experience also takes in the lush eastern side of the island around Hilo and Akaka Falls, creating another of those days where the landscape can change enormously within a relatively short distance.

And that’s why we wouldn’t simply fly into Kona for a few nights and leave. If you’ve come this far, see both sides.

SO WHY FOUR HAWAIIAN ISLANDS?

Because they’re not interchangeable. If all four offered essentially the same experience, we’d be the first to tell you there was no point spending the extra time and money travelling between them … but they don’t!

Oʻahu gives you Waikiki, Pearl Harbour, culture, surf country and those spectacular Koʻolau landscapes. Kauaʻi brings canyons, rainforest and the Nā Pali Coast. Maui combines beautiful beaches with Haleakalā and one of America’s great scenic drives. And the Island of Hawaiʻi gives you manta rays, lava landscapes, lush Hilo and one of the world’s great volcanic environments.

Put them together and you don’t simply get a longer Hawaii holiday. You get a much more complete and memorable one.

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU ALLOW?

Our suggested Explore The Hawaiian Islands itinerary is 17 days / 16 nights, giving you time to properly experience all four islands.

We’ve suggested:

• Oʻahu – 5 nights (4 nights at the beginning and 1 night at the end)
• Kauaʻi – 3 nights
• Maui – 4 nights
• Island of Hawaiʻi – 4 nights

For us, 17 days gets the balance about right. It’s long enough to experience the personality of each island rather than simply flying in, spending a night or two and moving on again.

We’ve also deliberately bookended the journey in Waikiki, with Honolulu the main gateway to the Hawaiian Islands. It gives you four nights to properly explore Oʻahu at the start, before finishing with one last night in Waikiki after your island-hopping adventure.

Along the way, we’ve built in some pretty special experiences – Pearl Harbour, Kualoa Ranch, a Waikiki sunset catamaran cruise, the Kauaʻi helicopter flight, Haleakalā sunrise, Road to Hana, manta ray snorkelling and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park among them.

Accommodation matters too. We’ve used hand-picked ocean view and oceanfront accommodation throughout because, on a trip like this, we think where you stay should feel like part of the holiday.

Rental cars are included where you need them, giving you the freedom to explore beyond the resorts rather than relying entirely on organised sightseeing.

A QUICK WORD ABOUT ISLAND HOPPING

Four islands does require more planning than booking a week in Honolulu.

There are inter-island flights to coordinate, rental cars to collect and return, experiences that need to be booked ahead and, most importantly, decisions about how much time to give each island.

That’s where getting the itinerary right matters.

You don’t want to lose half your holiday constantly packing bags and heading back to airports. Nor do you want to discover after booking that the experience you really wanted is on the opposite side of an island with no sensible way of fitting it into your plans.

These are the details we look at when we put a Hawaii holiday together. The aim isn’t to squeeze in as much as physically possible – it’s to make sure the whole journey works.

BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE OUR HAWAII

This is really important. Our Explore The Hawaiian Islands itinerary is there to show you what is possible. You can book it as we’ve designed it, but you certainly don’t have to.

Perhaps you’ve already been to Oʻahu and want less time there. Maybe you want an extra few days relaxing on Maui, more time exploring Kauaʻi or a longer stay on the Island of Hawaiʻi. You might want three islands rather than four. Or perhaps you’ve never been to Hawaii and have absolutely no idea which islands are right for you.

That’s where we come in.

As New Zealand’s only travel company dedicated 100% to leisure travel to the USA, we’re USA travel specialists who spend our days planning American holidays for Kiwi travellers. We know the destinations, we know the logistics and, just as importantly, we know the questions to ask before putting an itinerary together.

Because the best Hawaii holiday isn’t necessarily the one with the most islands or the most inclusions. It’s the one that’s right for you.

READY TO SEE MORE OF HAWAII?

If your idea of Hawaii involves beautiful beaches, we’d certainly keep those. We’d just show you everything else that can go around them.

The history of Oʻahu. The extraordinary landscapes of Kauaʻi. Sunrise above the clouds on Maui. Manta rays off Kona. Volcanoes and rainforest on the Island of Hawaiʻi.

Four islands. Four very different experiences.

And one pretty incredible way to discover just how much Hawaii has to offer.

Explore our 17-day Explore The Hawaiian Islands itinerary or contact us to talk to our USA travel experts about creating your own Hawaiian Islands adventure.