DCIM100GOPRO

After an awesome road trip around New Zealand I was concerned that Hawaii would be a tourist trap - overpriced, lacking personality and generally ruined by untasteful buildings. However, I was proved very wrong and I can't rave about Hawaii enough. This is truly paradise. Think golden sands, turquoise waters and very tall palm trees. Beaches with nobody on them apart from yourself. Surfers risking their lives to catch waves the size of a house (a pretty awesome show.) 

Locations:

North

The North Shore feels more authentically Hawaiian, no cities like Honolulu, it's more quirky with food trucks lining the streets, surfers everywhere, and it's easy to feel you are in a tropical island with jungle like scenery surrounding you. 

Haleiwa is worth a look and has some cool places to eat and shop too. A lot of surfer type stores but also some more authentic places to look for presents and souvenirs rather than simply buying everything from one of the ABC stores that you see every 2 minutes in Honolulu. 

Obviously everyone has to go see Banzai Pipeline while they are in the North. Even if surfing is not a sport you have any interest in, watching people risk their lives to surf on massive 5m waves is still something you can watch and appreciate. Also go to sunset beach too for even more humongous waves. 

South 

The South Shore is dominated by Honolulu and Waikiki and surprisingly this city is actually pretty cool. It's expensive yes and I'm not really sure where there are affordable places to go out (we tried - they wanted to charge us $30 to get in, which we didnt agree with, and so we ended up getting cheesecake and burgers and getting a taxi back at midnight instead - 100% the better decision.) It is touristy (as to be expected in Hawaii) but it's not too annoying. Everyone is on holiday and therefore generally happy and relaxed, which kind of sums up the atmosphere in Hawaii. The locals too are very friendly, helpful and chilled out. 

Waikiki beach is obviously very popular and is normally littered with tourists (I don't understand this - if you simply want to go to a beach to lie there all day why pick the busiest beach on the whole island? There are hundreds (no joke) of other beaches on this island. However, if you want to try surfing Waikiki is an awesome beach to go with some easy beginner level waves. I really enjoy surfing here, there's no current, the waves aren't too strong, and it's great for giving confidence. 

Food (if I could give three thumbs up here I would)

On the North there are food carts at the side of the road selling fresh produce - pineapples, coconuts and shrimps come up a lot but there's something for everyone. Whereas, as to be expected in a big city, Honolulu prices are generally a bit more expensive but if you avoid the touristy restaurants there are still some cool places to eat. 

Our favourite find in Hawaii has been acai bowls which are beautiful, taste amazing and are super healthy too (and also really won't break your bank) Special shout out to Heavenly Cafe and also Diamond Head Cove for some of the best ones we've tried so far (and we've tried a lot.) 

Activities 

Surfing 

Of course going to Hawaii would not be complete without taking to the water in search of waves which is pretty much the way the obsessive surfer would spend his whole life if it were possible. There are waves everywhere on the island (although the South is generally a bit friendlier for beginners.) Waikiki beach for surfing is like a party, be prepared to catch a wave along with the other hundred people there, and at some point probably crash into someone too. But what's cool here is that's ok, everyone's just out to have fun. We have also surfed at Queens, next to Waikiki, which is generally a bit less busy. On the North there are loads of beaches to choose from but it generally brings the big swell. If you're lucky you can even see a few turtles whilst waiting for a wave (which has happened a few times.) 

Swimming with Sharks

The obsessive surfer put down his surfboard for a couple of hours to go shark diving (without a cage because who doesn't want to swim with these man eating creatures without any protection?) I think I would have to be paid to do this activity. However, thomas said it was amazing and you could get really close to these animals so maybe for those that like sharks it's a cool thing to do. 

Hiking 

Although the majority of our time has been spent surfing we have also managed to do one of the hikes in the South part of the island (and probably the hike every tourist does when they come to Honolulu.) We climbed the Diamond Head Crater (a really easy track - apart from the massive stairway at the end.) It gives amazing views over Waikiki and apparently you can even see whales from up here (in the right season.)