| |
Hawaii Family Travel Guide
Aloha! Welcome to Hawaii, the 50th state of the United States
Of America.
Hawaii is around 9.5 hours from the east coast of Australia and
offers beautiful year round weather, hundreds of beaches, fantastic
shopping, and the world famous Waikiki Beach.
This page contains information on Hawaii that may be of value to families. Facts about
Hawaii are listed along with tips for families planning holidays in
Hawaii. The accommodation pages contain links to a number of
Hawaiian resorts that cater for families. Each resort is listed with the
available family facilities, web site link and Trip Advisor travel
reviews.
Hawaii Facts
Location: Located 20 degrees north of the equator and around 4000 kilometres from the US. Flight
time from Australia is about 9.5 hours. Flight time from the US is about 5 hours.
Climate: Tropical climate so temperatures are fairly consistent
year round. Average summer (Kau) temperatures are 24-29 degrees Celsius and
winter (Ho'oilo) temperatures range from 18-25. Summer months are from May to October and winter from
November to April.
It's more likely to rain in the winter months. Night time
temperatures are approximately 10 degrees cooler.
Currency: US Dollar. 1 cent, 5 cents (nickel), 10 cents (dime), 25 cents (quarter), 1
dollar, 5 dollars, 10 dollars, 20 dollars, 100 dollars. The dime is smaller than
the nickel. All notes are the same size and colour which can be confusing.
Banks are open Monday to Friday 9am-3pm.
Travelling With Children and Babies: New rules apply for screening children and babies. Please check the
US TSA site for information on breast milk,
baby formulas and other liquids, and for the screening process for kids.
Fights: Qantas, Virgin, Hawaiian Air and Air New
Zealand fly regularly from Australia. Waikiki is approximately 25 minutes from
Honolulu airport. There are daily domestic air services fro Oahu to
the other islands flying Hawaiian Air and Aloha Airlines. opands
Population: Around 1.5 million people on all the Hawaiian Islands
Time Zone: Hawaii is one day behind Australia and 4 hours ahead of
Australian Eastern Standard Time. There is no daylight saving time in Hawaii.
Driving: On Oahu the three freeways H1,
H2 and H3 are the main traffic routes. It is advisable to avoid the freeways
from 5:30 to 8:30 am and 3:30 to 6:30pm because of heavy traffic.
Taxis: Plenty of taxis available. Waikiki
is approximately 25 minutes from Honolulu airport which will cost you around
$25 - $30 US.
Passports and Visas: All visitors to the US
must have a valid passport. Australian passport holders do not require a visa as
long as your stay does not exceed 90 days, you have a valid passport and
outbound ticket, have no criminal record and have never been refused a visa.
Health: There are no special requirements or inoculations required to visit the Hawaii. Make
sure your travel insurance is adequate as medical treatment in the US is
expensive.
Electricity: The standard US voltage is 110 volts (compared to Australia's 240 volts). If you are taking any electrical appliances make sure you get an adapter or two
before you leave (you'd be very lucky to find an aussie power adapter in the
US). For things like hair dryers, charging video players or cameras, handheld
games and laptop computers. Light switches in the US are the opposite (up for
on, down for off).
U.S. Measures: 1 foot = 0.3 metre, 1 mile = 1.6 kilometres, 1 pound = 0.45 kilograms, 1
gallon = 3.784 litres.
Hand Luggage: Restrictions have been placed on the luggage you can take with you when travelling to the US.
Click here to see what restrictions apply.
Tips For Families Visiting Hawaii
Getting Around Honolulu
The Bus is the main public transport system servicing the whole
island of Oahu. A network of more than 60 bus routes from downtown
Honolulu and the Ala Moana shopping centre. For more information
visit www.thebus.org
Waikiki Trolley routes cover almost all tourist attractions and stops at most major shopping malls on Oahu.
For more information visit www.waikikitrolley.com
Things To Do
Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park - Voted the Kamaaina’s #1 Family Attraction!
Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park is 25-acres of safe, clean family fun and excitement. Located 30 minutes west of Waikiki. It’s Hawaii’s only waterpark.
For more information visit
www.hawaiianwaters.com.
Polynesian Culture Centre - Spread over 42 acres in La'ie on
Oahu's north shore - about an hour from Waikiki. It features seven
Pacific Island villages, an IMAX theatre, an evening show, a canoe
pageant and a handicraft and arts marketplace. Visitors will get a
taste of music, dance, clothing, food, arts and craft and cultural
beliefs of the Polynesian people. Charges apply - for more
information visit
www.polynesianculturalcenter.com.
Arizona Memorial - During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 the USS Arizona was sunk along with 1,177 of her crew. The memorial straddles the sunken ship in the middle of the harbor. More than 1.5 million people visit this memorial each year. A 23 minute documentary precedes a
boat ride to the memorial. The entire tour takes about one hour 15 minutes. Entry is free. Think twice about taking young kids as the
wait for the tour can stretch on for hours - with little cover or respite from the hot Hawaiian sun. There are strict security
measures in place - no bags or any items that offer concealment allowed - visit
www.nps.gov/usar/ for more information.
USS Missouri - the USS Missouri was the site of Japans surrender, bringing an end to World War II. Visitors are able to walk the decks of the Missouri
and tour the wardroom and quarters of the battleship as well as see the Surrender Deck where the war ended.
There is an admission charge and strict security measures are in
place - for full details visit
www.ussmissouri.org.
Honolulu Zoo - The Honolulu Zoo is located between the slopes of Diamond Head and Waikiki
at the corner of Kapahulu Ave. and Kalakaua Blvd. It is open from 9am to 4.30 pm daily. Over 750,000 people visit the Honolulu Zoo annually. It is the largest zoo within a radius of 2,300 miles and unique in that it is the only zoo in the United States originating from a King's grant of royal lands to the people.
Try to pick a cool day as it can get very hot - probably best
first thing in the morning and the zoo is not that large so a few
hours will suffice. For more information visit
www.honoluluzoo.org.
Dole Plantation - about an hours drive from Waikiki is the
Dole Pineapple Plantation. It includes a 2 mile, 20-minute train
tour of the plantation - the Pineapple Express. There's also the
'worlds largest maze' which the kids will enjoy and a garden tour
that highlights the wide variety of crops being grown on the North
Shore of Oahu. Check their website at www.dole-plantation.com.
(doesn't compare to the Big Pineapple in Qld).
Shopping
The Ala Moana centre, located on Ala Moana
Boulevard, is one of the largest open-air shopping centres in the world with more than 200 stores to meet your every need. Its about
15 minutes drive from the centre of Waikiki but can take up to an hour by public transport if your staying at the eastern end of Waikiki.
Pearlridge Shopping Complex is located near the Aloha Stadium and Arizona Memorial. It is Hawaii’s only two-phased mall connected by a monorail system
Aloha Stadium Swap Meet provides bargains, bargains and more bargains! The popular outdoor bazaar is more than just a shopping experience. Hundreds of vendors sell island-style products in booths sprawled across the parking lot of Aloha Stadium, with everything from souvenirs to plants and T-shirts to collectibles.
Other shopping venues include the International Marketplace in
Waikiki, the Aloha Tower Marketplace and heaps more.
Some things in the US are very cheap compared to what you will pay in Australia, even allowing for the weaker aussie dollar. Most notably clothing
and some electrical goods (especially computers, laptops and TV's).
However there are some things to remember. DVD's may not work in Australia, unless you have a multi zone DVD player, Playstation games also
may not work in Australia. Remember to check that electrical items can handle 240 volts as well as 110 volts. For items that use low voltage, adapters can be purchased in Australia. Pin converters are around A$10 but adapters that convert 240v to 110v are expensive
and not practical.
Tipping
Some services that you receive in the US require that you pay a tip. In particular, restaurant waiters, bus drivers, taxi drivers and hotel porters. The wages paid to these people are calculated based on the fact that they will receive a tip for their services. The accepted tip for restaurant services is 15% (doesn't include fast food like McDonalds or KFC). The easy way to calculate the amount you need to tip is to double the sales tax on the docket. Some restaurants will automatically take the tip out for you, especially if you are part of a large group (8 or more).
For porters the tip is about $1 per suitcase. A fiver usually keeps them happy. For public transport tips are not required, but for hired bus trips (like the transfer from the airport) a dollar per person will suffice.
Service in general is excellent and the fact that the people providing the service are looking for a tip is probably the main reason.
Money
You'll need cash for things like bus fares, tips etc. Shop around for the best rate before you get to the airport prior to departure. Travellers cheques are a good option but cashing them may be a slight problem. The hotels we've stayed at will only cash up to $100 US per day, which may not be enough to see you through if you plan to pay everything by cash. Otherwise you'll need to visit one of the major banks or change at the airport. The most widely accepted credit cards in the US are Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Diners Club. The best option would be to pay for most things by card and only pay cash when necessary.
Dining
So many dining options in Waikiki - some of the better family ones
were The Cheesecake Factory, Dennys and
Bubba Gumps.
Surfing
Located on Oahu's north shore are the world famous surfing beaches - Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach. Waimea Bay is the home of the Banzai Pipeline
(the perfect
wave) and the triple crown of surfing during November and December. Makaha is located on the west coast of Oahu and is the home of the International Winter Surfing championships.
Other surfing beaches include Kalapaki Beach on Kauai and Maui's south west and west shores.
Generally summer waters are very gentle on all beaches but in winter
storms in the Pacific can generate huge waves.
Links
Hawaii Family Accommodation
Hawaii Tourism Site
|
|
|
|
