Latest / Hawaii Travel Podcast | Maui, Oahu, Kauai & Big Island Vacation Tips & Guide / Green Sand Beach Rides Are Illegal, Your Reef Safe Sunscreen Might Be Banned, and What's the Best Luau on Maui?
Transcript
- 0:01Jennifer Davis: Welcome to the Hawaii Travel Podcast.
- 0:04Jennifer Davis: I'm Jennifer Davis.
- 0:05Dan Schulz: And I'm Dan Schultz, and this is the podcast where in every episode you're gonna get seven different little-known travel tips about Hawaii's main islands.
- 0:14Jennifer Davis: Take today's episode, for example.
- 0:17Jennifer Davis: The most famous luau on Maui is gone, and the old blog posts still send you there.
- 0:23Jennifer Davis: Or one choice decides whether your whale watch is a smooth ride or a rough one
- 0:28Dan Schulz: Plus, you're gonna get five more answers to problems that would have been just as annoying to run into without warning while you're already in Hawaii.
- 0:36Jennifer Davis: And by that time, it's too late
- 0:38The wireless coconut singers: (jingle)Before you go there's things to know tune in to the coconut wireless radio
- 0:50Dan Schulz: Here's what we're gonna do.
- 0:51Dan Schulz: We're gonna be going from tip to tip to tip, all of them about solving problems you're not even thinking about yet while you're planning your Hawaii vacation.
- 0:59Dan Schulz: In between each of these things, you're gonna hear this sound.
- 1:03Dan Schulz: That's the magic coconut.
- 1:04Dan Schulz: When you hear that sound, that means you should pay extra close attention because we're moving on to the next tip.
- 1:10Dan Schulz: We have seven tips today, like we said.
- 1:12Dan Schulz: This is episode one oh eight Are you ready?
- 1:15Dan Schulz: Good 620 turns, 59 one-lane bridges, and a black sand beach with a bouncer If you're driving the road to Hana in one day, pick your stops before you leave because you can't do them all.
- 1:31Dan Schulz: Kathy and Mark wrote in with that exact plan, so thanks for the question, you guys.
- 1:36Dan Schulz: You want to build the day around the one stop that needs a reservation, and that would be the black sand beach at why ah nah pah nah pah State Park out-of-state visitors must book a timed window at gostateparks.hawaii.gov
- 1:52Dan Schulz: up to 30 days ahead and never on the same day.
- 1:57Dan Schulz: It costs $5 per person plus $10 for the vehicle.
- 2:02Dan Schulz: You have to arrive within the first 30 minutes of your window or you can be turned away, and you have to leave when the window ends.
- 2:11Dan Schulz: With a few stops, the drive from Paia usually takes three to four hours, so pick a window that gives you extra time and two or three easy stops before it, like the Three Bears Waterfall or the Keanae Arboretum.
- 2:26Dan Schulz: Fill your tank in Paia because Hana has one gas station.
- 2:31Dan Schulz: The Hana Lava Tube is closed right now, so don't plan around it.
- 2:35Dan Schulz: Do it this way and you're gonna reach the black sand with time to spare, and you can walk the entire beach without checking the clock On an Oahu beach, the sunset is free and the wine can come with
- 2:48Dan Schulz: a ticket.
- 2:51Dan Schulz: If you're planning a sunset picnic on an Oahu beach with a bottle of wine, leave the bottle at the hotel.
- 2:57Dan Schulz: Honolulu doesn't allow drinking alcohol in city parks, on beaches, or on sidewalks, and Honolulu police remind visitors of that.
- 3:08Dan Schulz: Signs are posted at the parks and the beaches.
- 3:11Dan Schulz: Police can cite you.
- 3:12Dan Schulz: Tickets have started around $100, and the law allows fines up to 1,000.
- 3:19Dan Schulz: Hawaii's state parks have their own ban too.
- 3:22Dan Schulz: Keep any opened bottle in your trunk because it isn't allowed in the passenger area of a car, even when you're parked.
- 3:31Dan Schulz: Buy the wine anyway and drink it back at your room, or order it at a licensed place like a restaurant or a tiki bar on the water.
- 3:39Dan Schulz: Pack juice and snacks for the sand.
- 3:41Dan Schulz: You still get the sunset and the cold drink, and you get to sit at a table while you have them The pickup trucks in the Green Sand Beach parking lot are not taxis.
- 3:56Dan Schulz: If you want to see the Green Sand Beach on the Big Island, walk in and say no to the truck rides in the parking lot.
- 4:05Dan Schulz: The trail starts at the end of South Point Road and runs about two and a half miles each way.
- 4:10Dan Schulz: It's flat, open, and windy with no shade and no real facilities, so bring a hat and more water than you think you're gonna need.
- 4:20Dan Schulz: Drivers in pickup trucks will wait at that lot and offer rides for around twenty dollars.
- 4:26Dan Schulz: Here's the thing, though.
- 4:27Dan Schulz: Those rides are not legal.
- 4:29Dan Schulz: The land belongs to the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, which asks visitors to report the trucks because the off-road driving is tearing up fragile ground.
- 4:40Dan Schulz: Check the department's website for current conditions before you go.
- 4:44Dan Schulz: At the end, you'll climb down a steep slope to the sand, and the surf can be rough, so enjoy the beach from the shore.
- 4:51Dan Schulz: And if you do it this way, you're gonna reach a rare green sand beach on your own two feet with olive green crystals shining in the sand around you.
- 5:01Jennifer Davis: Your sunscreen might pass at home and fail on Maui.
- 5:08Jennifer Davis: Before you pack sunscreen for Hawaii, flip the bottle over because the words reef safe on the front don't mean much.
- 5:15Jennifer Davis: The label isn't regulated, and some bottles that carry it still list ingredients like avobenzone.
- 5:23Jennifer Davis: Maui County has a stricter rule.
- 5:26Jennifer Davis: Since October 1st, 2022, only mineral sunscreen can be sold or used there without a prescription, and that includes Lanai and Molokai.
- 5:35Jennifer Davis: Mineral means the Only active ingredients are zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
- 5:41Jennifer Davis: On the Big Island, stores can't sell any other kind, and a store can be fined up to one thousand dollars per incident, but you can still use what you bring.
- 5:52Jennifer Davis: Statewide, stores can't sell sunscreen with oxybenzone Or octinoxate.
- 5:59Jennifer Davis: So read the active ingredients, and if you see anything besides zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, leave it at home.
- 6:08Jennifer Davis: Buy a mineral one before you go so you're not hunting for it on your first morning.
- 6:13Jennifer Davis: Check the back of the bottle once, and you walk onto the sand with the right bottle in your bag, ready for a whole day at the beach.
- 6:20Jennifer Davis: And the reason they have these rules is actually quite important.
- 6:22Jennifer Davis: It's helps the marine life and the reefs.
- 6:25Jennifer Davis: So you wanna do what's right by Hawaii
- 6:29Dan Schulz: You could spend an entire hour researching a Maui luau that no longer exists If you're looking for a luau in Maui, check the date on any blog post you read because one of the most famous ones is gone.
- 6:45Dan Schulz: The feast at Lele on Front Street in Lahaina was lost in the August twenty twenty three fire, and it has not reopened Old Lahaina Luau reopened on March 12th, 2024.
- 6:59Dan Schulz: Adult tickets run about $230 and popular dates can sell out months ahead, so book as soon as your travel dates are set.
- 7:09Dan Schulz: You pick your seating style when you book, either low mat seating near the stage or a table and chairs, and you can't switch on the night.
- 7:18Dan Schulz: Myths of Maui at the Royal Lahaina in Ka'anapali and other resort luaus are open too.
- 7:25Dan Schulz: So ask each one what's available on your date.
- 7:28Dan Schulz: Booking directly with the luau lets you ask questions and choose your seating yourself.
- 7:33Dan Schulz: These details matter, especially if you wanna end your day at a table at sunset with hula, live music, and sun going down over the water
- 7:44Jennifer Davis: The USS Arizona Memorial costs a dollar and one calendar reminder.
- 7:52Jennifer Davis: If you're heading to Pearl Harbor to see the USS Arizona Memorial, reserve your tickets before you land.
- 7:59Jennifer Davis: The visitor center and its exhibits are free.
- 8:03Jennifer Davis: The boat ride out to the memorial needs a reservation on recreation.gov, and it costs a dollar fee per ticket.
- 8:11Jennifer Davis: Tickets are released every day at 3:00 PM Hawaii time in two batches.
- 8:16Jennifer Davis: One batch comes out eight weeks ahead, and the other comes out the day before.
- 8:21Jennifer Davis: If you can't get one, sign up for standby at the visitor center.
- 8:25Jennifer Davis: You get a number and come back when it's called, but waits can run for hours.
- 8:30Jennifer Davis: Leave your bags at the hotel because purses and backpacks aren't allowed in and storage costs extra.
- 8:38Jennifer Davis: Parking is $7.
- 8:41Jennifer Davis: Arrive an hour early, be checked in at least 10 minutes before your time, and use the restroom first since there are none on the boat or at the memorial.
- 8:50Jennifer Davis: Do it this way and you step onto the memorial right on time, standing above the ship where more than 900 sailors and Marines rest
- 9:01Dan Schulz: The whales don't care what time your boat leaves, but your stomach will.
- 9:08Dan Schulz: When you book a whale watch anywhere in Hawaii, choose a morning boat in the middle of the season.
- 9:14Dan Schulz: Roughly ten thousand humpback whales spend the winter in Hawaiian waters.
- 9:19Dan Schulz: They start arriving in November and stay through May, and the peak is January through March.
- 9:25Dan Schulz: Mornings usually have less wind and smoother seas, which helps if anybody in your group gets seasick, though nothing is guaranteed.
- 9:34Dan Schulz: Pick the earliest departure your operator offers.
- 9:37Dan Schulz: Many tours last about two hours.
- 9:40Dan Schulz: Book for the first few days of your trip and keep a backup day open just in case, because weather can cancel a boat trip.
- 9:48Dan Schulz: Boats must stay at least one hundred yards from the whales, so any close visit happens when a whale decides to come over to you.
- 9:56Dan Schulz: Go early in peak season and you've got yourself probably the best chance of a quiet ocean, a boat full of people whispering, and a humpback surfacing right beside you.
- 10:07Jennifer Davis: All right, coconuts, couple things before you go.
- 10:10Jennifer Davis: We want to know what you think is the best luau on Maui.
- 10:14Jennifer Davis: Search Hawaii Travel Podcast on Facebook, find that post, and tell us.
- 10:20Jennifer Davis: We read every one, and we answer back That was a lot to remember this week, and I get it, so let's make it easy.
- 10:27Jennifer Davis: Want all seven tips in one place?
- 10:30Jennifer Davis: Email aloha@hawaiitravelpodcast.com.
- 10:34Jennifer Davis: Put episode 108 in the subject line, and the cheat sheet is in your inbox
- 10:40Dan Schulz: By the way, that same email works for anything else.
- 10:43Dan Schulz: Just tell us where you're going, not just the island, but like the actual thing.
- 10:47Dan Schulz: What are you doing in Hawaii?
- 10:49Dan Schulz: Maybe it's a hike, maybe it's a rental car, the luau you booked, whatever.
- 10:52Dan Schulz: If you tell us, we're gonna find one way people mess it up, and then we're gonna tell you how not to mess it up.
- 10:58Dan Schulz: Good luck with your planning and thanks for listening.
- 11:01Jennifer Davis: And we'll talk to you in the next one