Hawaii is one of our all time favourite places to holiday and we love heading to Honolulu for some sun and cocktails. From amazing shopping to relaxing on the beach or taking a scenic hike, there really is something for everyone. If you’re ready to pack your bags and head over to Honolulu, check out some of our favourite things to do there.
Ticked off the bucket list
Diamond Head
See a green turtle
Take a movie set tour
Go on a hike and chase some waterfalls
Eat at the Cheesecake Factory
Top songs on the playlist
Somewhere over the rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwoʻole
Waterfalls – TLC
Hawaiian rollercoaster ride – Lilo & Stitch soundtrack
Can’t help falling in love – Elvis
What to do
Out and about
- Shop at Waikele Premium Outlets®
- Visit a spa for a massage
- Walk along Waikiki beach
- Visit the Polynesian Cultural Centre
- Get lei’d at a luau
- Attend an ‘Elvis’ show
- Visit Pearl Harbour
One with nature
- Snorkel at Hanauma bay
- Hike up Diamond Head to watch the sunrise
- Learn to surf on the North Shore
- Book a group walk to hidden waterfalls
- Go on a whale watching tour
- Hire a bike and go exploring
Travel hacks
- You will need a waiver visa if travelling on a New Zealand passport. Ask your travel agent for more information
- Best time to travel:
- Apr – June is the low tourist season and hotels/flights can be cheaper
- Dec – Mar is the high tourist season but is the best time to surf and experience nature
- Tipping is customary in Honolulu. Be sure to carry some small change with you for taxis and restaurants
- Restaurant waitstaff 15% to 20%
- Bar staff 15% to 20% per round
- Taxis 10% to 15%
- Tax is not included in the retail price of some products so be prepared to spend a little bit extra on items (anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars)
- Hunt down a restaurant called The Cheesecake Factory on the main strip – there are a million (slightly exaggerated) cheesecakes to choose from and you can buy reasonably priced lunches and dinners
- In most restaurants, a portion of food can serve two or three people. Be sure to ask about the size of the meals before you order as you may be able to save yourselves some money and share with a friend
- Love a good bargain? If you’ve shopped your way through Ala Moana and the outlet mall, ask your hotel receptionist where your local Ross is. You can find all sorts of clothes (including Designer items) at an insanely reduced rate
- Take some good walking shoes as you’ll do more of that than you realise
- It is quite humid in Honolulu so stay hydrated between the beach cocktails with bottles of water
- Do your souvenir shopping at the ABC store – a local convenience store that is everywhere. You can’t miss it if you tried
If you’ve been to Honolulu or any other part of Hawaii, let us know what your favourite thing to do was.
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Written by Emily Blake
The source of our #fomo, Emily is constantly jetting overseas. A coffee aficionado, you’ll most likely find her swiping right on Tinder and daydreaming about her next adventure.
Favourite karaoke song: Wonderwall by Oasis
My parents just went to Hawaii and they loved every moment of it. It was summer, so pretty humid as mentioned in the article above. The outlet stores were really good too apparently. They also did a cruise around the islands in the area which they thoroughly recommended.
Hawaii sounds like a great spot I would love to visit pearl harbour one day and see where everything happened in the past. The travel hacks are good in relation to taxing as it is so very different to NZ buying things. The food portion sizes sound interesting if they are really massive could be an interesting meal experience.
I have always wanted to go to hawaii, it seems like it would be a great place to relax as well as a lot of natural tourism. I would also love to do the movie set tour if I went there.
Ah yes – if only 🙂 My partner and I have never been on holiday together and we have been together for 10 years. We are on 1 wage so simply can’t afford something like this. However in under a year we will have paid off a lot of debt and be a lot better off – may have to start saving then!!
Oh my goodness this place looks luxurious. I must look into this. A cheesecake factory now that sounds absolutely amazing. And whale watching. We are right into hiking so that’d be way cool. Everything just sounds so great. I’m going to have to talk to hubby about this. ♥