Status: Away - Hawaii

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

With eight major islands to explore, it’s no surprise that Canadians love to escape to Hawaii.

Christine B., from the Air Canada Vacations team, recently visited Hawaii and she’ll be sharing her experience, as well as some insider tips for making the best out of your visit to the Aloha State.

Quick tips

• Dress warm for the volcano tours, which take place at dawn or dusk
• Bring water shoes for the rockier beaches
• Don’t be afraid to explore multiple islands! Inter-island flights are extremely easy and convenient
• Grocery stores all have poke bars with super fresh fish at affordable prices
• The beaches in Hawaii are all public, so a beachfront resort isn’t necessary to enjoy the ocean

Staff picks

• Hawaiʻi Island and Ocean Tours runs a great night-time excursion where you can see manta rays up close in the water
• Paia Fish Market serves up some of the freshest and most delicious seafood in Maui
• The locally run Waipiʻo Valley Shuttle is a great way to experience the area while giving back to the community
   

Hawaii

Hawaii is such a unique place, and it’s the type of destination where once you arrive, you’re like, “Oh. I get it.” This was my third time visiting Hawaii. It’s such a laid-back place. Each time, we like to do something different, so this trip, we left in October, which is a great time to visit as it’s during the low season. We’re big snorkellers as well, so it was nice to skip the crowds at our favourite spots. We stayed for about 10 days on Big Island and then four on Maui.

Big Island

This isn’t surprising but Big Island lives up to its name, so public transit is hard to come by. We rented a car at the airport and drove to the other side of the island to Hilo, which is this super cute little town with shops and restaurants. Plus, there’s a street market open every day with local vendors, making it a great way to experience the local food and culture.

Hilo

It’s also a great place to explore Big Island as it’s not too far from the major attractions. We spent a full day at Volcano National Park, which has plenty of small hikes where you can see craters and lava flows. There’s even a crater rim drive that takes you down to the water where you can see the black volcanic rock cooling off. The landscape there is spectacular and so different from what we have at home.

We also visited the Waipiʻo Valley, with the locally run Waipiʻo Valley Shuttle, which is the only way to get in. The Valley is considered a sacred place for Hawaiians, and along the way you see tons of waterfalls and hiking trails you can take. When you get down into the Valley, it’s a completely different vibe. The environment is basically untouched, with a few houses and taro fields. There’s no construction at all and you’re so close to the wilderness. Best of all, the money from the excursion goes back to the community.

Kona

After a few days of non-stop exploration and travel, we decided to take it easy and drove to Kona. It’s a bit more touristy of a town because it’s on the sunnier side of the island, but it’s still a great place to get in touch with nature. There’s tons of well-indicated hiking trails ranging from 15-minute walks to full-day excursions. For example, you can take a trail to this black sand beach where sea turtles nest called Puna Luʻu.

There’s also the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Park, which is full of traditional Hawaiian architecture as well as knowledgeable park rangers you can talk to. We went snorkelling here, but there’s so many fish you can see them right from the surface.

One of Kona’s main excursions is this night-time manta ray snorkel. Right after sunset, you take a boat out into the ocean and they lay out surfboards with hanging lights to attract plankton, which the manta rays feed on. You lie on the surfboard, and you can see the rays come out under you; at one point we had seven or eight swimming beneath us, you can almost reach out and touch them.

Maui

After saying goodbye to Kona, we drove to the airport for our flight to Maui. You’d be surprised, but flying between the islands is convenient. There are many flights each day, with each one only lasting about 15 minutes, so you’re bound to find one that works for your schedule.

Our first stop was the ʻĪao Valley. It has this spectacular landscape that’s so different from the rest of Maui because it’s in the middle of the jungle, nestled between mountains.

After that, we visited Makawao, the main hub of Upcountry Maui, which is the home of the paniolo cowboys. There’re ranches and old-style buildings you expect to see in westerns. It’s really such a surprise to see it in person.

From there, we went to the surfer town of Paia, which is my favourite spot in Hawaiʻi. Surfboards line every street, so it feels like you’re in a postcard. The best beach here is called Hoʻokipa, and it has surfers and sea turtles relaxing on the sand. My favourite restaurant in Maui is here as well: the Paia Fish Market. It’s simple food but made from very fresh ingredients.

On our last full day, we returned to some of our favourite snorkelling spots from previous trips. Ahihi is this little creek sheltered from the ocean, but it’s a great place for getting more comfortable underwater. Kam Beach is another great option with snorkelling spots by the rocks, and Makena Beach, which is the island’s biggest, has great places to lounge in the sun.

It’s always hard to say goodbye to Hawaii because it’s such a special place, but we’ll be back before you know it.

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