VIRTUAL ALOHA ARCHIVE

Malaki (March) 2000
Issue #11

Excellent Snorkel Spot on the Big Island
Many visitors hear and experience the great snorkeling available at Hanauma Bay on Oahu but not many explore the life filled reef on the Big Island off shore at Kahalu’u Beach Park. Swim along with turtles, butterfly fish, parrotfish, moorish idols, surgeonfish, tangs, moray eels…there are too many varieties in just as many colors to possibly mention. The waters are usually calm and suitable for any level snorkeler. The Beach Park is protected by what remains of a breakwater built by early Hawaiians to aid in fish farming. Experienced snorkelers, divers, and swimmers can access the open waters of the bay by a sand bar near the breakwater. This beautiful white sand beach has showers, restrooms, pavilions, food stand, snorkel gear rental, and lifeguards. High surf conditions can create a hazardous rip current so check the lifeguard stand for this and other warnings prior to entering the water. There is a map layout of the bay and its currents in front of a pavilion that is also worth checking out. For the health and safety of yourself and the marine creatures do not feed or touch them. It is very tempting to reach out and "pet" a beautiful fish or adorable turtle but they can be infected by germs passed by your loving touch and can become ill or even die. Some creatures may also try to defend themselves from your "petting" and could harm you if provoked. Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles are protected by a Federal law where you can not touch them and you must stay at least 500 feet away. They may approach you but you must never touch them. You may also encounter whales, Hawaiian monk seals, and Hawaiian Nene goose on your island adventures. The same federal law that protects the sea turtles protects these animals. Kahalu'u Beach Park is about 6 miles south of Kailua-Kona on Alii Drive. For more island specific Hawaii adventure suggestions visit www.alohafriendshawaii.com  

Get The Skinny On The Mini
You know that mini-golf is a lot of fun and Bay View Golf Course in Kaneohe delivers. Bay View offers an 18-hole full golf course and a 36-hole mini course, plus a 500-yard two-tier driving range for whacking some long shots. Their mini-golf course was good fun, with a unique layout and challenging holes our skills were tested without leaving us frustrated. They offer two separate 18-hole routes, "The Pali course" and the "Like-like course". It was pretty clean and they have some fascinating water features: waterfalls and streams running through the course although, maintenance seems to be low on their priority list. The streams in the Like-like course were not running when we went and it appeared to be out of service for quite some time. It took a little out of our experience on that side of the course but we enjoyed ourselves all-around. Check out our full review and enjoy a virtual mini golf adventure at www.alohafriendshawaii.com/minigolf.html

Visiting Oahu Soon? Read This!
A few rockslides have occurred on Oahu. There has been a rockslide on the Kamehameha Hwy on the north side of Waimea Bay approx. 4 ½miles north of Haleiwa town causing the road to be closed indefinitely. Several spots on the Kalaniana’ole Hwy between Hanauma Bay and Sea life Park, have also had smaller landslides but one lane remains opened. The City & County of Honolulu is making plans to remedy the situations of loose rocks at these places, the Pali Hwy and other spots. A circle-island adventure in a rental car temporarily not available since Kamehameha Hwy at Waimea Bay is impassible. Bus Companies Circle Island Tours are going as far as they can on one side of the rock slide then have their passengers walk across a sand bar to another side where another bus awaits to take them on the other half of the island tour. Waimea Valley Park remains open and is accessible only from the north-west side of Oahu. Keep checking our web site at www.alohafriends.com for updates as your time in Hawaii draws closer.

CREATE AN AUTHENTIC HAWAIIAN LUAU ANYWHERE!
Luaus are fun for birthday/anniversary parties, promotion/retirement parties, family reunions, company picnics, block parties, bridal/baby showers, or just when a few good friends get together. For lots of great decorating tips, tasty recipes, and fun Hawaii theme game ideas visit www.alohafriendsluau.com and have a party that everyone will enjoy! There are even instructions for creating an underground imu pit to cook your feast like the ancient Hawaiians did! Another fun option is to host a Hawaiian Theme Cookie Decorating Contest with suggestions and cookie cutters featured at www.alohafriends.com/HIcookiecutter.html 
Getting married? Check out our tips on creating a Hawaii theme wedding anywhere at  www.alohafriends.com/Hawaii_wedding.html 
Planning to host a Christmas in April party? Check out our NEW tips on creating a Hawaiian theme Christmas luau at www.alohafriendsluau.com/christmas.html 

Getting Married in the Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are a beautiful setting to celebrate your love by uniting in marriage or renewing your vows. Many couples find Hawaii the perfect place to elope or hold a small wedding ceremony. Enjoy the wedding you have dreamed about with a traditional wedding in a church, on the beach at sunset, or in a botanical garden. Or enjoy a less traditional wedding by exchanging your vows while sky diving, in a glider plane, SCUBA diving, on a boat, on the summit of Diamond Head, or just about anywhere you want. You are limited only by your imagination!
There is no waiting period to obtain a marriage license. You must be at least 18 years old and  provide a valid driver’s license, photo id, or passport as proof of identification. A marriage license is $50 and is good for 30 days. The ceremony must be performed by an officiate licensed by the State of Hawaii. For more information on obtaining a marriage license contact the City and County Licensing Office: Hawaii (Big Island) 808 974-6008, Kauai 808 241-3498, Oahu 808 586-4545, Maui 808 984-8210, Molokai 808 553-3663, Lanai 808 565-6411.
We would be happy to assist you with your arrangements in any way possible. Email us details on what you’re looking for on your special day to islandtips@aol.com
For more useful Hawaii information to plan your dream Hawaiian honeymoon or vacation visit www.alohafriends.com

Going Karting ~ Fast and Fun!
Drivers! Start your engines! And get ready for some high-speed cornering and quick maneuvers around the circuit at Hawaii Formula Kart Racing School. The program of racing has a brief verbal instruction followed by about two hours of ‘seat time’ including warm-up, qualifying and time trials, and head-to-head racing! These are not your average 15mph low-slung lawnmower type go-karts. They’re twice as fast and offer a hundred times more thrills than just laps on the grass around the house. Put on your helmet and driving gloves and try to beat my fastest lap time, but you’ll have to be fast… Enjoy a virtual go-kart adventure at www.alohafriendshawaii.com/kart_racing
For more useful Hawaii activity suggestions visit www.alohafriends.com

Traveling between the islands
Long gone are the days when the Pan-Am Clipper lifted out of the water and brought passengers to Hawaii on a flight taking 21 hours 33 minutes from California for $360. Steamships were being faded into history and inter-island travel was uncommon. That was 1936 and everything has changed except the price, in fact you can fly to Hawaii from the US. West Coast for less money and in less than four hours! Hawaii is no longer a destination for the rich, relatively anyone with about $800 (per-person) can come for a week with enough spending money to have a ton-o-fun! Traveling between the islands is easy and costs about $65 per person per leg of your journey, or even less. Flights come and go all day to each of the six main islands. Presently there are no ferry services between islands, but there are tours on island-hopper ship cruises.
The average cost for budget hotels on each island is about $100 per night and it is about $40 for a compact rental car per day. Check www.alohafriendshawaii.com to review island specific activity options and plan your dream Hawaiian vacation. We even offer tips for any travelers trying to stretch their vacation dollars. 

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that the Hawaiian Islands are the most remote landmass in the world? Hawaii is 2,100 miles from any sizable landmass. The first humans to arrive in the islands are believed to have traveled by canoe from the Marquesas Islands between 500 and 700 A.D. The canoes had two hulls and could hold up to 100 people. The first travelers navigated the Pacific Ocean by using the stars, currents, and the flight of birds. They did not know what they would encounter so the early travelers brought with them everything they needed to start a new life…
*Women to reproduce
*Pregnant dogs and pigs for future food
*Chickens for food
*Water held in gourd calabashes
*Taro, breadfruit, sweet potato, banana, sugarcane, yam, and arrowroot for food
*Paper Mulberry to make cloth
*Bamboo for construction
*Coconut for food and construction
*Candlenut Tree for medicine, dye, food, and light
*Wild Ginger for dye
*Hibiscus for medicine and construction
*Ti for cooking, religious ceremonies, and other uses

HAWAII ACTIVITY PROVIDERS: GET MORE EXPOSURE!
Would you like more visitors to Hawaii to know about your island activity? Our web site is filled with hundreds of island specific activity suggestions but we accept NO commissions or paid advertisements. Find out how you can increase your activity exposure by being featured as a virtual adventure on our web site. We have thousands of visitors to our site each month looking for ways to enjoy their time in paradise. Visit www.alohafriends.com/activityproviders.html to find out details!

HAWAIIAN WORDS OF THE MONTH
Each month build your Hawaiian vocabulary and learn to speak like a native…
How to pronounce Hawaiian words: they are spoken in two or three letter syllables.
Wikiwiki. (we-key we-key)- fast, quick
Huila. (hoo ee-la)- wheel
Huli. (hoo-lee)- turn
Hele. (heh-lay)- go
Ho’oku’u [i ke ka’a]. (ho o-koo oo)- stop [the car]
Hae. (hi)- flag

JUST ASK!
Is the Polynesian Cultural Center worth it, or a tourist trap?
The Polynesian Cultural Center is both worth it, and a "tourist trap." You will see ancient style villages, crafts and tools along with demonstrations from each of the seven isles of Polynesia who’s people came to inhabit these islands from AD500 to the 1700’s. You won’t see Hawaii’s people living in a little grass shack, Honolulu has all of the modern conveniences of an average city. If you wish to see ancient Polynesian life you will enjoy the Polynesian Cultural Center. There also is a great Imax movie, and an elaborate river parade. The crowd is pretty large there and the lu'au is nothing special, it’s not like going to the others. You eat a Hawaii buffet in a pavilion. The entertaining night show is later in the evening at their outdoor auditorium and is the best. Everything told to you is also said in Japanese and that can be distracting, and the ‘cheap seats’ are a bit far from the stage. To see it all, you spend seven to nine hours of your time here, including round-trip transportation. It’s about an hour from The Polynesian Cultural Center in La’ie to Waikiki.
Do you have a question about anything related to Hawaii? We are sure other Virtual Aloha subscribers are staying up nights wondering the same thing. Get it off your mind and just ask us! Submit your Just Ask question to islandtips@aol.com

ISLAND WEATHER
It is typically wetter and cooler in February, but last month was absolutely beautiful! We enjoyed day time highs up to 85F with night time lows reaching a chilly mid 50’s F. Hawaii is the perfect place to escape from the winter storms on the Mainland. The sun is still very powerful in the winter. It is best to limit yourself to a maximum of one hour a day at the beach to avoid burning. It looks like it is going to be a mild winter but you may want to pack a light jacket or sweatshirt for evening walks or if you go on a whale-watching cruise. You’ll find the best surf conditions on the North side of the islands. Current North Shore wave conditions are 10 feet and can reach 25-30 feet during the winter! For more useful Hawaii travel tips visit www.alohafriends.com

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(C) Kim and Mike Crinella/A Friend in the Islands. No reprints without acknowledgement from the publisher that the article(s) are written by Mike and Kim Crinella, A Friend in the Islands at www.alohafriends.com

PLEASE NOTE: Prices for island activities featured within our site are NOT guaranteed. Since we are not affiliated with any of the activity providers we are not notified if services or prices change. You will need to contact the activity provider directly for a current price quote and for availability information. 

Disclaimer : Our activity suggestions, tips, and Enews articles are based on our experiences and research. The information contained within this site and our Enews letter "Virtual Aloha" is meant to be a guide for anyone who wants to learn more about the islands and for visitors to explore what kinds of activities are available prior to arrival. Prices are listed to use as a guide to help determine what fits in each visitors budget and are subject to change by the activity provider. We are NOT affiliated with any activity provider and do NOT make any money from activity providers our suggestions! We are concerned with the quality of our suggestions and welcome positive and negative feedback about the activities. We, Mike and Kim Crinella, and our company, "A Friend in the Islands", will not be held responsible for any accidents, loss of property, or any other misfortunes associated with activities who's information is provided. 
This page was created by and is maintained by Mike & Kim Crinella. All information, graphics, and photos contained in this web site are property of Mike & Kim Crinella. Reuse of anything for commercial purposes requires credit be given to Mike & Kim Crinella and  A Friend in the Islands at www.alohafriends.com

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