heading to Ohau for 2 weeks late August
anyone from Ohau here ?
got any travel tips for an Aussie ?
i live in a laidback coastal town in Oz, so seeing a bustling city like Honolulu is what i am looking fwd to.
That and the chance to kickback and do the 'laid back' Hawaii thang.
What is Honolulu like as a city ?
What other cities of the world is it like ?
Cant wait to try the food, see the locals , and snicker at the fat American tourist arses.
Im guessing Honolulu has a heap of US chain stores in its malls etc ?
Whats a cool radio station i could pop into to have a look at ? (pref Rock)
Oh and is a Luau(spelling?) worth it, or are they overpriced and overrated ?

You will likely want to head for Waikiki Beach which is the party central for beach lovers. Honolulu itself is a spread-out city but the business district is really not much to see. It is not like most bustling cities in North America; definitely does not compare to Sydney or Melbourne. Waikiki is probably closest in comparison to Surfer's Paradise. Take the time to drive around the island to see the various beaches: particularly the North Shore and Sunset beach for body surfing, try snorkelling at Haunama Bay. There are some malls but not like on the mainland and the prices are high due to location. Luauas are definitely tacky and over priced. Waikiki is a lot of fun but if you are not into crowds of people, night clubs, high rise hotels and the beach, the smaller islands are actually a lot nicer.

Christmas is commercialized, overpriced, over rated, but I have fun every year. A Luau is the same; the shows, the food , the drinks in coconuts, the whole experience is about as cheesy as you can get BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT!! You should not, cannot go to Hawaii and skip this, just be sure to go with a friend or more , drink, get loose, and have a good time enjoying it for what it is.

My info is 5 years old but I would say as a tourist, you should probably stick to Wakiki as far as your Honolulu experience goes. There are definitely places you do not want to be in Honolulu after dark, and ChinaTown at night can be a harrowing experience if you are unfamiliar or bothered with crack heads and REALLY CHEAP NASTY SKANK WHORES.Waikiki has everything from an open air market full of trinkets to the finest clothing stores you can find. Dining ranges from Jack in the Box to 5 star experieneces. And at every opportunity, pick up the local tourist handouts and look for the coupons, they can save you a lot. Plenty of bars and night clubs too in Waikiki, from expensive and romantic beach front spots to alternative and mixed clubs with the latest dance music pounding until 4 AM ( for the Brave try Fusions on Kuhio, 2200 or 2300 block, after 2 AM when the gay bars close it may not be for the faint of heart, but before hand fairly mixed) Head down Lewers streets to the beach and hit the pubs for live music on the way., at least they used to be there.The Red Lion used to face the Irsih Rose pub and both had great live house bands in the past.

To get that laid back feeling, if you are going to stay on Oahu, head to the North Shore. But the outer islands are the best, Maui being the most commercial, and Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii being the best as far as local flavor goes. Really the volcanoes on the Big Island are something to see, and you can center in Kailua-Kona and find decent rooms at decent prices, or pay the premium and head up the Kona Caost to the Big Name resorts. The east side of the island may attract you in photos with lush and beautiful tropical pictures of jungles and strange plants, but remember,A RAIN FOReST MEANS RAIN. The Kona side is also known as the dry side of the Big Island, and Hilo is the Wet Side.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-06-20 08:48 by kahoosier.

thanks heaps for the replies guys.
I work for a radio station in Oz, and was hoping to pop into a rock station to say hi,scope out some formats and radio biz, drop off some Aussie CDs (and then claim part of the trip)
any tips on cool rock stations on Oahu ?

me and the girl are planning on spending 2 weeks on Oahu..
is 2 weeks too long for Oahu ?

Yeah Deathgod it's 98 Rock!! Surf report every hour the whole tamale'!! I used to tear Waikiki up for about ten years!!! The strip clubs are the best in the world man, Club Rockza and Feme Nu if you can break from your chick for a couple of hours totally nude and BOOZE! There' Exotic night to if your into the local and asian chicks! Tear it up!!!!!!

aha 98 Rock , i actualy had a 98 Rock t-shirt a few years ago from a buddy when i was at Triple M SYdney.

u know the PDs name ?

What Five o!!

Deathgod Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> thanks heaps for the replies guys.
> I work for a radio station in Oz, and was hoping
> to pop into a rock station to say hi,scope out
> some formats and radio biz, drop off some Aussie
> CDs (and then claim part of the trip)
> any tips on cool rock stations on Oahu ?
>
> me and the girl are planning on spending 2 weeks
> on Oahu..
> is 2 weeks too long for Oahu ?


How long is too long in paradise? Wake up, have breakfast, lie on the beach, have lunch, lie on the beach, have dinner, have drinks, go to sleep, repeat

hubba hubba

You plan to stay only on Oahu island ?
Honolulu / Waikiki looks like any other big over-crowded seaside city (Miami Beach, Rio, Phuket, Andalucia coast in Spain...) with huge towers and people everywhere.
The Oahu North Shore is less touristic and more enjoyable IMHO.
But if you can, spend some days on the three other major islands :
- Hawaii (Big Island) with Kilauea volcano (on eruption since 1983 ! on a lucky day you can see clearly the lava flow at dusk), Kamuela area (looks like Switzerland with a huge ranch with cattle and horses), Kailua-Kona area (sportfishing, golf)...
Take a live look at the hot spot of Kilauea volcano : [hvo.wr.usgs.gov]
- Maui with the fabulous Haleakala Crater National Park at dawn (remember Jimi Hendrix / Rainbow Bridge) , the scenic Hana road on the east coast...
- Kauai with the Waimea Canyon ("The Grand Canyon of the Pacific") and the Na Pali coast (sharp cliffs falling in the ocean).
Helicopter tour is a must on Kauai.

Say hello to Duke Kahanamoku on Waikiki beach :
[www.co.honolulu.hi.us]

"The Red Lion used to face the Irsih Rose pub and both had great live house bands in the past."


There was a house band at the Red Lion in the late 70's that did a great version of Dead Flowers!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-06-20 17:48 by georgeV.

The red Lion is still there it's on Lewers street. With another place called Moose Magillicutys and the Jazz seller with rock bands every nite it used to be called the Rock seller it's acroos the street from the Red lion i saw Eddie Van Halen join a local rock band in there in the late eighties and jam with them after the VH concert at the Blaisdale!! You might want to checke the Blaisdale web site for any show's and a place called The Shell really cool outside Ampitheater alot of show's are there in the summer!