Archive for June, 2008
Best Beginner Surf Spots: Part 3
When I had heard of surfing Hanalei on the North Shore of Kauai, it had always been as a spot for world class surfers riding the biggest and baddest waves. It was never place I thought I could actually learn how to surf. However, there are a variety of breaks in the bay from those of world champions to beginners. And, when you go home and tell people you surfed at Hanalei all of your friends will be really impressed, imagining you cruising the big waves of surf magazines. The surf here is best from early winter-late spring and can be a little too flat in the summer.
If you want to try it out on your own, go near the Hanalei pier. This is where veteran big wave surfer Titus Kinimaka holds his surf classes and can be a great starting place for beginners. The break here is not too big, but not too small either, and perfect for first-time surfers.
Date: June 24th, 2008 |
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Best Beginner Surf Spots: Part 1
PART 1
Launiupoko State Wayside Park
Located along the Lahaina Coast off of Highway 30 south of Puamana Beach Park and before Kulanaokala’i Beach, near mile marker 18.
Located just south of Lahaina on Maui, Launiupoko is the perfect spot for beginning surfers. It generally has long, rolling waves that are easy to catch and not overwhelming in size. It is also reef protected, which means you have to be a little careful of not cutting yourself on the sharp rocks, but the reef also shields the biggest, scariest waves.
Date: June 19th, 2008 |
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Kauai Dining
Vacationers visiting Hawaii are often on a quest to sample some of the famously delicious fresh island fish and other fresh, tropical ingredients. Hawaii is known for a plethora of gourmet restaurants satiating tourists’ taste buds for fresh island fare. One of these restaurants is Postcards Café on Hanalei Bay on Kauai’s North Shore. This vegetarian and seafood restaurant not only provides diners with a picture-perfect view overlooking the bay, it also serves up fresh island fish dishes inspired by the produce and flavors of the tropics.
Postcards is located in a charming, plantation-style building that used to serve as the Hanalei Museum. Now the building provides pleasant ambiance for diners. The menu is healthful and Hawaiian inspired with dishes like grilled or blackened fish with macademia nut butter or peppered pineapple sage sauces. You can also start with a Hawaiian twist on chips and salsa by ordering the taro fritters served with fresh papaya salsa.
Date: June 18th, 2008 |
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Hawaiian Shave Ice
Looking for the perfect refreshing treat to cool down on a hot Hawaiian day? Shave ice, which is a lot like a snow cone with a finer, more snow-like consistency, is a delightful flavored ice treat that can be found in road side stands and grocery stores throughout the islands. Sometimes, you’ll even find variations that include a scoop of ice cream at the bottom. Enjoy uniquely tropical flavors like pineapple (my favorite), passionfruit and guava. A popular combination is a rainbow, with three flavors lined up side by side. And because shave ice has a fine consistency, the flavors stay better separated for longer.
Date: June 9th, 2008 |
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Best Beginner Surf Spots: Part 2
PART 2
Canoes, near Waikiki, has been a long-time learner’s hot spot on Oahu. Known for its easy-to-ride waves and friendly learner’s vibe, it has the reputation of being the place to try out surfing for the first time. However, it is also almost always crowded and you may find yourself trying harder to avoid other inept surfers as trying to catch the ever-elusive perfect wave. Luckily, there is another great learning spot not very far from Waikiki with a whole lot less bodies and boards.
A great spot about a 40 min drive from downtown Honolulu is White Plains Beach (aka Kalaeloa), which was formerly a part of Barber’s Point Naval Station, but is now open to the public. The break here is nearly identical to Canoes with a lot fewer people. The beach also attracts everything but an eastern swell and has consistent surf year-round. The waves here are notoriously easy to catch for beginners and if you paddle far enough out you may even get lucky enough to catch a 100 yard ride into shore (ok, maybe not on your first day out, but it can be done). Pro surfer Jason Shibata credits White Plains as the place that taught him how to surf.
Date: June 20th, 2008 |
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Best Beginner Surf Spots
Hawaii is surfing Mecca. It is where great surfers have been born and where some of the biggest, gnarliest waves make for awe-inspiring pro-surf competitions (think The Pipeline off Honolulu). Now, I don’t know if you have seen Blue Crush, but the idea of being mercilessly pounded against a reef by terrifyingly huge and very heavy waves does not sound appealing to me. Being from the mountainous land-locked state of Colorado (go Broncos!), I am more than happy to shred mountains, but I’d rather opt out of getting …
Date: June 19th, 2008 |
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Kayaking Kauai
Does spending a day on a calm Hawaiian river exploring the Garden Isle sound appealing? Kayaking Kauai can be a great way to see the more remote interior of the island and get some exercise. If you are staying on the North Shore, Kayak Kauai has several different rental packages for the adventurous looking to spend a day on the water. From the Hanalei Kayak’s dock, you can paddle 2 miles upstream (the current is mild, so this is some work, but not totally exhausting) into the Hanalei Wildlife refuge. This picturesque paddle will allow you to venture into the protected wildlife refuge and get some good exercise simultaneously.
After paddling the 2 miles upstream, you can take the easier paddle downstream to Hanalei Bay. Make sure if you venture into the open waters of Hanalei Bay it is when conditions are mild (usually only in the summer months) and stay in the reef protected area of the bay.
Date: June 17th, 2008 |
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Surfing the Hawaiian Waves
Sun, surf and sand are three things that immediately come to mind when you think about a Hawaiian vacation. For those who want to take the adventurous route and enjoy the surf, there are a few things that you should take into consideration before facing the full fury of the Pacific Ocean—though in my opinion enjoying the sand and the sun is a perfectly acceptable way to go (preferably with a cocktail).
If you want free, good advice, a great place to go is a local surf shop. Stroll in and talk to the local surfers about tips of where to go and where to avoid. Depending on your experience and skill level, they will give probably be more than apt in pointing you the right direction (and outfitting you with proper equipment if you should need it). If you are nice, they may even let you know the overly crowded spots to avoid and the local spots that may not be the friendliest to tourists attempting to catch a wave.
Date: June 6th, 2008 |
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