Hawaii Vacation - Next Stop - Busy Oahu

Kailua Beach has to be one of the most perfect looking beaches in Hawaii. It's long—over 2 miles—and in a crescent shape, and has exotic looking islands offshore. There are palm trees, beach houses, and plenty of sand and water. We took an excursion here from where we stayed in Northeastern Oahu, and I have firmly decided that if we ever do Oahu again, it is most definitely worth it to pay to stay oceanfront on this beach (though DO expect to PAY for that luxury). Aside from Pearl Harbor, walking on this beach and watching hubby and the boys enjoy boogie boarding and playing in the sand was the most enjoyable Oahu experience for me.Despite being a "perfect" beach, this one was not crowded—at least not during the week in the daytime. There were other people, of course, but not hoards. One could easily find their own space, and some other lads were playing football WITHOUT getting in anyone's way. Perhaps the lack of crowds on Oahu is what made it so enjoyable for me. Do expect crowds on the roads getting to Kailua… but those crowds are pretty much everywhere, and this beach is worth it.Ok, so it's not a "perfect" beach as mentioned earlier. Snorkeling here is not worth it—too cloudy/murky. However, for basic swimming, boogie boarding, beach walking, or laying out without crowds, this place is it. A couple beach parks have picnic tables with them—same areas as the restrooms and parking. The parking lots closed at 6pm when we were there, and get chained off, so don't expect to stay late unless you're renting a place nearby.

Pearl Harbor—I'm told it's the only place that spends no money at all on advertisement and yet still gets over a couple million visitors a year. Having been there, I can understand why. Knowing this, expect a crowd, regardless of what day you visit.

To get to Pearl Harbor, get a guidebook. The traffic is heavy and the directions can be tricky, but having a navigator read while someone drives does the trick just fine. Once in the parking lot, head to the LEFT (while looking towards the water) and get in line to get your free tickets to the memorial. Parking was free, the tickets were free, and they offer headsets that are giving a good guided tour of the museum, which I THINK were free too, and if not, they were a well spent $5.

Get there EARLY! The line soon gets very long, and you can have a long wait till your tour. The last tour is at 3pm (or so). Tours last for 45 minutes. While waiting for your tour, visit the museum (and listen to your headset)—it makes the time go by quickly and is ideal for learning the history. There are restrooms and vending machines at this location, and a small gift shop.

Once your tour is called, you get in line to watch a short movie detailing Pearl Harbor, then hop on a shuttle boat to the Memorial itself. You only have 15 minutes there, and it goes by quickly. Look down at the Arizona under the water, see the oil drops leaking, and bring leis if you'd like to drop flowers in the water in memory. Go to the back and see the list of names, checking to see if you share the last name with anyone who perished (we did). All too soon you're on the shuttle craft back. It's naturally very quiet at the memorial out of respect for those who lost their lives. The feeling you get there looking down at the battleship is one I've never felt before, and very hard to describe. You'll most likely feel it, too. I think most everyone does.

In the museum area, there are often survivors of Pearl Harbor who volunteer their time there. Feel free to talk to them. Take some time to look at where the battleships (and others) were.

If you have time, go see the USS Bowfin (sub) and USS Missouri; both are accessible from the same parking lot, but to the RIGHT of where you parked (while looking at the water). Both are well worth the history lesson, though the Bowfin does not allow kids under 4 to tour.

The USS Bowfin is a submarine from WWII, nicknamed the "Pearl Harbor Avenger" since it sank 44 enemy ships. As a note, the USS Bowfin and USS Missouri are NOT National Park run (even though they are in the same location), so there are entry fees for these. They are run by preservation groups, so the money you spend goes into preserving these wonderful monuments to history.

Anyway, you can tour it (self-guided) separately for $10, or you can get a combo pass for a self-guided tours of the Bowfin and the USS Missouri for $26 ($16 for kids). We opted for both. We also opted for the headsets that explained the tour, which are HIGHLY recommended, as there are no signs explaining the same things, so you learn almost nothing without them.

BIG NOTE: Kids under 4 are NOT allowed on the submarine. Otherwise, the last tour leaves at 4:30pm and the place closes at 5pm.

If you get to Pearl Harbor early enough, you DO have time to do all three vessels (Arizona, Bowfin, and Missouri), and it's worth it to do all three. The symbolism is really neat: where WWII started, a vessel that did a bit of the fighting, and where it ended. It's a good history lesson.

To get to the sub, go RIGHT (as you're looking at the water) from the parking lot at Pearl Harbor. You'll see it, no shuttle necessary. Pay for your tour (or a museum visit) and go aboard. You can see crew quarters, fore and aft torpedo rooms, the periscope, engineering, mess deck, and other compartments. Allow about an hour, more if you spend a bit of time in the museum. It wasn't crowded at all when we were there—it might depend on the day—but probably most folks just want to see the Arizona Memorial. Why come all that way and NOT see other important WWII crafts? They are REAL, not imitations.

The USS Missouri, like the USS Bowfin, is not run by the National Park, but rather by a preservation group. Therefore, it does not offer free admission, but nonetheless, it is worth visiting to see the battleship and for the history of it all (the Japanese surrendered on the USS Missouri, thereby ending WWII).To get there, it's the same parking lot as the USS Arizona Memorial, but go right (when looking at the water) from the lot. You'll see a canopy, under which you wait for a guided shuttle ride onto the base and to the entrance. You can buy tickets directly at the entrance or a combination ticket with the USS Bowfin.The USS Missouri offers different levels of tours or self-guided admission. We originally opted for self-guided, but were talked into a basic guided tour once we arrived. We figured the money we were spending went right back into preserving the Missouri, so it was money well spent. Self guided tours are $16 each, and add another $6 for the basic tour. It was just $20 for BOTH the Bowfin and the Missouri though, a combo ticket, and then add the $6 for the guided tour. There are also more in-depth tours to choose from—for pricier fees. It all depends on your time and budget.You do get to see a bit of the ship on the tour. You get to see where the crew slept, ate, and worked, both officers and enlisted. You get to see the big guns, and listen to the guide telling you just how powerful they were. You get to see where the surrender document was signed, and see who was there (don't forget to ask why the US flag is hung BACKWARDS at the surrender spot—it's VERY interesting trivia). Mostly, after visiting the USS Arizona, where the war (for the US) began, you get to see where it ended. The USS Missouri is moored very near the USS Arizona Memorial, facing her, as if to say, "It's over now." It's really, really nice the way they have it.The USS Missouri is open from 8am to 5pm, and the last tour is at 4pm. They also offer a short simulator ride included with your guided tour ticket. The simulator is supposed to be of a typical aircraft on the Missouri at the time. Our kids liked it. We adults weren't that impressed, but it's short (5 minutes or so), so it's good to do for kids. Cut it if you're in a hurry.There are restroom facilities at the entrance, nowhere else, and of course there is a small gift shop. When we rode the shuttle back to the parking lot, our driver was telling us firsthand accounts of her and her parents during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a nice bonus in itself.

Laie is in northeastern Oahu (other end from Waikiki) and has a sight that is a really nice stop for a short diversion or stretch of legs. At the stoplight at the shopping center, head directly AWAY from the shopping center (onto Anemoku Street). At the end, turn right and head to the dead end. There will probably be others parked there.This is Laie Point—and it's a fabulous look at the water and the power of nature. There's a rock arch there—out in the water just over 400' offshore. This arch was created by nature in ONE DAY—by a tsunami in 1946—and has been standing there for visitors to gaze at ever since.Besides the arch, there is about a 330 degree water view, and a symphony of ocean wave noise—nature's own ballet to enjoy. When we were there, off the right side (while looking out to open ocean), locals were jumping off a cliff into the water. My boys didn't ask about doing this one (they would have been told "no" anyway), but it is fun to watch those who have more bravery than us.You can climb around on the rocks, picnic on the rocks, or simply gaze at the view. It's all free. There are no facilities here, just a great view and it's seldom crowded though a few small tours stop to gaze. Seeing the tsunami-caused arch is a "one of a kind" experience—and it's only there until nature decides to cave it in. So far it has lasted 60 years… who knows how long it will stay?

We wanted the most authentic luau we could find on our vacation to Hawaii and pretty much everyone said it was here, at the Polynesian Cultural Center, so that's where we went. While there, we sat next to a Hawaii resident who had brought relatives to the luau—telling them he thought this one was the most authentic, so while we don't have experience with luaus… that's the best we can offer!Overall though, the Polynesian Cultural Center can be a "whole day" destination. There are exhibits (crafts and daily life) and performers from seven Polynesian Islands—Hawaii, Samoa, Maori New Zealand, Fiji, Tahiti, the Marquesas and Tonga—all sponsored by the local Brigham Young (Mormon) University. You can buy whatever sort of entry package you like—just an entrance to the park, guided tours, luau options, etc. We opted for the Luau and Horizons show and self guided park entrance, and enjoyed what we saw. We rode the canoe around the place (it's relatively small overall) and walked around looking at exhibits. Then we opted to watch the IMAX film, "Coral Reef". That was VERY informative and good—not dealing with Hawaii specifically, but since there are coral reefs in Hawaii, it was definitely worth seeing.If you stay for the Horizon show, you MUST stay till the very end. When we were there many folks left at intermission—it was getting late, etc—but they missed the best thing of the whole day, the American Samoan Firewalkers. It was our family favorite for this destination, and the favorite of the crowd too.This is not a "theme park" destination—no real rides, etc.—it is a Polynesian educational opportunity for folks of all ages. It's very popular, but handles crowds well. Everyone was friendly—and while tours of the University and Temple are offered, by no means does anyone "push" the religious aspect of the Mormon church (the sponsor) on guests. You can spend the whole day there—or just the afternoon and evening (as we chose). For those staying in Waikiki, they offer transportation for an extra fee—it's about an hour or more away.