Aloha State: Hawaii February 2025 (page 3 of 6)

Wow, the beauty of your last photo just makes me think of paradise on earth, Pascale 😍. Nothing to do with the Hawaii I had in my preconceived ideas!

Hi there :)

Your messages really speak to me because it was the opposite for me. That’s exactly how I imagined Hawaii, and I would’ve been pretty disappointed if it hadn’t been the case. All the Hawaiian islands are different and varied—you just have to choose the ones you visit based on what you’re looking for.

For us, Kauai, the Garden Isle, was our number one. No regrets: the north of Kauai is paradise (the south is less charming, less wild, but sunnier).

Since you like getting off the beaten path, there’s also Molokai and Lanai—islands that are way less touristy than the four mentioned earlier (not a lot of info on them because they’re rarely visited).

I'm also heading to Hawaii, which I never imagined would be like this! 😮

Welcome, Agnès!

Often, the image of Hawaii is limited to Honolulu and its surroundings (maybe because of TV shows?). Honolulu is on Oahu, which is much more Americanized, populated, and touristy.

There’s really a way to make some amazing discoveries on these islands. We loved it. We went at the end of February, beginning of March, and I think it was a good choice in terms of tourist crowds.

Continuing from Day 5🙂

We hit the road again to get gas and then head to Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, hoping to spot some whales. No luck again, but it reminds us a bit of Brittany, I think.



On the other hand, we see some nēnēs—and nēnēs are protected (I can already hear some of you letting loose in the comments…). They’re a species of goose endemic to Hawaii.







Snorkeling is calling, so we pick Anini Beach, which is supposed to be calmer than other north shore beaches in winter. Good choice: the beach is gorgeous, not too crowded, with fish and two turtles. There’s a bit of current, but it’s manageable.









Mission turtles: more than accomplished. But still no whales in sight

On the way back, we visited the Hanalei market with the option to buy fridge magnets.





Back at the Haena Beach Park parking lot: on the other side of the road is the Maniniholo Dry Cave. It’s not really beautiful, but its dimensions are pretty impressive.





We ended this day (which wasn’t so relaxing after all!) at Tunnels Beach, reputed to be the most beautiful beach on Kauai. It *is* gorgeous, but the light was already fading. I think I preferred Anini.





In Hawaii, they don’t know about the Coastal Law... But the houses are always well integrated into the landscape and they’re actually quite nice...

To wrap up the trip, we went back for a final dinner at Chicken in a Barrel—still good and not (too) expensive.

Special shout-out to Agnès!

Continuation of Day 5🙂 On the other hand, we see nēnēs and nēnēs are protected (I can feel some people are gonna let loose in the comments...), it's a species of endemic goose in Hawaii.

Since we're invited to, we won't hold back 😉 That said, nēnēs in Hawaii, it's like a postcard image, right? Just missing some scallop shells to hide them, and we're top level.

Plus, nēnēs being geese, what could be more normal!

We're good here, right? 😛

Special shout-out to Agnès



Oh, I didn’t know Agnès surfed! 🤪

You're at peak Bruno even with a peg leg!

Special shout-out to Agnès



Oh, I didn’t know Agnès surfed 🤪

No, she keeps a travel journal with photos of her meals (I love it, food is part of the trip 🙂) That said, in Hawaii, we packed freeze-dried soup packets in our suitcases to save on food costs 😏

the travel journal with photos of their meals

Yeah, food is part of the trip too! 😛[;]

Hello Pascale, I read your trip to Kauai in one go, and it really makes me want to go there! 😍 Such beautiful landscapes, what a wonderful destination! 🤩 We went to Hawaii for 3 weeks in August 2017—one week per island: Oahu, Big Island, and Maui (I kept a travel journal at the time 😊). We didn’t choose Kauai; we had to pick one, but we promised ourselves we’d go back. Your journal is making me move this destination to the top of my list! 👍.

Day 6: Departure from Kauai and arrival on Oahu

Changing islands this morning, not without a pang of sadness. The plane takes off at 11 AM, and we have about an hour’s drive to the airport. We decide to admire the Wailua Falls (double waterfall) along the way. Before, you could go down to the base of the falls, but it’s now prohibited.



We didn’t get the chance to explore the Wailua River area much during our stay due to lack of time, but there are some great hikes and activities nearby.

The island transfer goes smoothly, and we quickly realize Oahu will show us a different side—more urbanized, but we knew that before coming. Ideally, it would’ve been better to end with Kauai, but logistically, it was more complicated for car rentals, and we would’ve lost time.



New car—still economical and white this time.



Just so you know, if you want to treat yourself on the roads, for about 100 € more, we could’ve had a nice American car like a Camaro.

We only spent the last night in Honolulu for proximity to the airport and head straight to the north of the island, to Haleiwa—the place to be in winter for giant waves and a snorkeling hotspot (we hope to do some despite the season).

We’re staying at Backpackers Vacation Inn, a youth hostel that has private rooms.



Christelle and I tried this concept in Iceland and really liked it. You just have to be okay with sharing a communal bathroom (always clean so far). Hostels have really evolved. They help keep accommodation costs under control in places like Iceland and Hawaii and also let you meet cool people. Not so much here, though—there were very few people. The wall decor gets us in the vacation mood.



The big advantage is that this hostel is perfectly located—you can’t get any better!

Right across the street is Three Tables, a magical snorkeling spot. Well, right now, the beach is closed.

I really don’t understand why...



Another gem in the North, in a different style 😉, is the shrimp food truck. Pictured: spicy shrimp that were *way* too spicy!



For the view, we’re right in front of Sharks Cove, another snorkeling hotspot—but again, access is closed. It looks calm, but a lifeguard truck blocks any attempt anyway.



Suddenly, in the distance, we spot a humpback whale. She’s far away, but you can tell she’s putting on a real show. She lifts her tail and slaps the water’s surface. Pure euphoria 😎



Anyway, we can’t linger because we’ve booked a whale-watching tour.

For whale watching, we preferred booking a zodiac in the North (around 14 passengers) rather than a cheaper trip to Waikiki on big boats.

Our whale-watching tour started with a quick run-in with a rude older American tourist (he was near the front of the boat, right in front of Christelle, and stayed standing during the crossing. We couldn’t look for whales—all we could see was his backside). We very politely asked him to sit down. He complied but yelled at us, "Good now?")

Older folks need some educating these days 🤪

We saw whales—lots of them. Oahu is the second-best Hawaiian island for whale watching in winter (the undisputed queen is Maui). That also influenced our choice.









We often saw them in pairs. Unfortunately, they were pretty far away (boats aren’t allowed to get too close, but sometimes luck plays its part). We would’ve loved to be in that boat’s position (sorry for the framing—you never know when they’ll appear).





We ended this transition day with a gorgeous sunset, then off to bed because tomorrow’s another day... (not to be missed...)

Hi Isabelle, welcome!

I know your travel journal on Hawaii well—I even reread it before leaving 😎 Choosing which islands to visit is such a tough call.

Why did you decide against Kauai at the time?

Hi Isabelle, welcome!

I know your Hawaii travel journal well—I even reread it before my trip :cool: Choosing which islands to visit is such a tough call.

Why did you skip Kauai back then?

I don’t remember exactly, but at the time we were in our "volcano phase," so I think that’s why 😊

Amazing whale watching—another reason to go back, but this time in winter!

What’s the sea temperature like at this time of year?

No idea, Muriel, but I'm usually cold-sensitive and I wasn't cold at all on Kauai or Oahu. We often stayed in the water for long stretches—no problem at all!

I’m also really sensitive to the cold, which is why I was asking since you didn’t go in the summer. I’ll trust your advice 😉

Online, they seem to say it’s around 24/25 degrees in February. I think we had warmer weather—we had great conditions the whole trip!

I really don’t get why ...



This snorkeling spot looks amazing—like a washing machine! 😄

Wow, the whales! I’ve been to so many places where they are, but I’ve never been there at the right time 🤦‍♀️. But it’s also great to still have dreams to chase 😊