A flight from Auckland in New Zealand to Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii on Oahu, takes more than eight hours. As part of our #CreativElenaRTW round the world trip, we are travelling from New Zealand to North America before our older son starts school – but not without a stopover in the endless expanses of the Pacific Ocean: Hawaii, in our case.
Will I ever get to go there again? How cool is anyone who has been to Hawaii? Hawaii, it’s just … one of these dream-like places in the world. So yes, let’s go there!
Even if it sounds like a cliché: We did feel compelled to visit Hawaii for these very thoughts. When taking a trip around the world, Hawaii is the perfect break from the long flight from New Zealand to North America. Hawaii is also wonderfully multi-cultural, relaxed and Polynesian! We were therefore able to significantly reduce the culture shock of travelling from New Zealand, which is also characterised by the Polynesian culture of the Māori, straight on to the USA. Lucky us!
Aloha, Hawaii! About to land in Honolulu, with a view to the West Coast of the island of Oahu.
We felt really welcome by everyone in Hawaii, greeting us just as friendly as this little fellow.
Arrival and moving into our “Magic Island Yurt” in Oahu.
After completing all immigration formalities, we pick up our pre-booked hire car directly at the airport. From Honolulu International Airport, we drive on the right-hand side of the road again (after almost two months of left-hand traffic in Australia and New Zealand).
Our destination: an overnight stay in a yurt in Hau’ula near Lā’ie, in the middle of Hawaii’s seemingly paradisiacal natural landscape.
First stop on the journey from Honolulu towards Lā’ie: Swanzy Beach Park in Kaaawa. The children are surprisingly fit after the long overnight flight from New Zealand to Hawaii!
Our yurt in the middle of the subtropical island paradise of Hawaii! There are simple showers, toilets and washbasins here, as well as a distributor with three sockets and mosquito nets. That’s it! The yurt is really cool for a few days of adventure in the great outdoors (and away from amenities like WiFi and washing machines).
A view of the yurt from the inside: Lazy holidays for the kids and us!
Family travel tips in Oahu: Lā’ie and Waimea (with beach + cultural centre).
None of the six Hawaiian islands that are accessible to visitors is very large, apart from “Big Island” (nomen est omen!). From our yurt in Hau’ula, it’s thus easy to do some nice day trips in the north of the island of Oahu.
We stop for breakfast in nearby Lā’ie and the food stalls located at the Polynesian Cultural Centre; in general, the food culture in Hawaii is very much geared towards street food, roadside fruit stands or simple but cosy cafés and restaurants of all kinds.
One day we visit Waimea Beach Park (a perfect toddler beach, as the shape of the bay softens the force of the ocean waves) and the Waimea Valley behind it. The following day, it’s Haleiwa and the drive towards Ka’ena Point. Nothing is really far away here, which makes it easy to move around, also with kids in tow.
A little north of Waimea, we stop at one of the beautiful beaches in the north of Oahu: typical surf waves I’d say!
It’s wedding day anniversary in Hawaii for us! Plus lovely Waimea toddler beach area behind.
Right behind the beach is the Waimea Valley …
… featuring cultural interpretative stops that tell us more about ancient Hawaiian traditions.
One evening we treat ourselves to a breathtaking cultural show at the Poynesian Cultural Centre, which also impresses the children with its dance, song and fire performances. Unfortunately, filming and photography are not permitted this time.
Family travel tips in Oahu: Haleiwa and Ka’ena Point.
Driving from Lā’ie to Haleiwa in the north of Oahu can take an hour, even though the distance is relatively short. However, the maximum permitted speed on the narrow, winding country roads is rarely higher than 40 km/h. Smaller and larger traffic jams occur quite often along the island’s most popular beach sections.
When we reach tiny Haleiwa, we enjoy its minimal urban flair with nice bars, bistros, cafés, restaurants and shops. From there, it’s another half hour’s drive towards Ka’ena Point, the most north-westerly point of Oahu. It is located in the middle of an inaccessible nature reserve. However, the drive there and to the last car park before the nature reserve is definitely worth it, and makes for wonderful road trip feelings on Oahu!
We love our lunch time stop in Haleiwa, Oahu.
Colours abound everywhere we go.
A little further, the view expands towards Ka’ena Point, Oahu’s most north-westerly section of land.
“The beach is the best babysitter!” After 10 weeks on the road with our children, it’s lovely to see them play on their own while we get to enjoy the warm sandy beaches of Hawaii.
Honolulu with kids: Our stay close to world-famous Waikīkī Beach, Diamond Head & Pearl Harbour.
No visit to Oahu is complete without at least a glimpse of the world-famous Waikīkī Beach! We decided to stay in a simple, relatively inexpensive holiday flat that was located close to the beach; it was also convenient to be able to park the hire car there.
In addition to doing laundry, shopping, enjoying poke bowls and planning the rest of our route for the USA, our programme also included a visit to Pearl Harbour, the Diamond Head volcanic crater and, of course, Waikīkī Beach.
Pearl Harbour: Still a national trauma in the collective war memory of the USA. In our experience, you can easily visit with young kids, too.
Pure joy of life: Poke Bowl from Kai Poke on Honolulu’s Seaside Avenue. We went there three times, it tasted so good (for everyone, including the kids)!
Not a bike lane, but a surf board leads to one of the world’s most famous beaches! Of course.
And here it is: Waikīkī Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii! You need not stay in one of the (very) expensive hotels up front, you can also just go there, pitch a towel and enjoy a swim!
Tip for visiting Diamond Head: be sure to book a ticket for the volcanic crater in advance! We missed it – and “only” got to enjoy the view from the coastal road on the crater rim.
Our conclusion: Oahu is very family-friendly, the kids and we love the easy going flair and really everything we saw and visited also welcomes (small) children.
You can also read more about our experiences and travel tips for Big Island, Hawaii in my next post: Taking the family to Hawaii: Travel tips with kids in Big Island. We spent a week holidaying in Ocean View and explored the island with our hire car in several day trips.
If you would like to know more about each of the destinations of our #CreativElenaRTW family trip around the world, I can recommend the following articles on my travel blog.
They may trigger acute wanderlust, but they are certainly very useful for planning and inspiring a long-distance trip with (small) children 😉
- Perth with kids: Family travel tips in Western Australia
- Near Perth, Western Australia: Exploring Mandurah, Gingin & Pinnacles Desert
- Roadtrip in East Coast Australia: Travel Tips from Brisbane to Byron Bay.
- Campervan Travel in New Zealand: South Island Highlights for families.
- Campervan Travel in New Zealand: North Island Highlights for families.