Question regarding photography in Hawaii

[sugarzebra]

My wife & I are going to be in Hawaii for a couple of weeks (our 25th anniversary) in October. We will be in Maui for a week and then spending another week between three other islands (Hawaii, Oahu & Kauai). We've never been before and I would like to know what the 'must see' locations for photography are. We will have a rental car on each island so hopefully we can get to pretty much any location.

[Mark_Cohran]

For Kauaii you have to go to the top of Wamea Canyon. For the Big Island, Volcano National Park is a place to go.

Mark

[ibdb]

On Maui, I love the beach at Kapalua. There's some construction in the area though, so there might be some cranes visible in the distance. There's also a really cool spot around there called "Dragon's Teeth." I posted some shots from there a little while back. It's really out of this world.

A little farther north from there is a pretty cool blow hole. The drive is a little curvy, but not that long, and much more manageable than some of the other scenic drives on Maui.

Lahaina is one of the biggest towns. There are quite a few photo opportunities there, as well as some great food, but it's very touristy.

If you can make it to Haleakala, I strongly recommend it. If you or your wife have any issues with motion sickness, however, don't bother. You'll never make it. :p
You can also look into Makawao (a very small town, with some neat arts and crafts shops, and a glass blowing studio), and Paia if you're going that direction.

The road to Hana is one that you'll see come up a lot, too. I've never been able to do it, though. Too many family members with motion sickness issues. I'd love it, but they'd be hanging out the doors "chumming."

As you can probably gather, I like Maui a lot. :lol:

[JAZZ D.P.G.]

Big Isand of Hawaii, places that are easily accessible along the south coast. Coming out of which town? Hilo or Kona? These can be seen in one day without too much rush.

Volcano National Park
Punaluu Black Sand Beach (Sea Turtles)
Puuhonua National Park (Place of Respite)If staying long enough, head up to Mauna Kea observatory. Look ahead to see if anything is happening there while your on the island. Some interesting events.

Kauai is small enough that anywhere is easily acessible from anywhere!

Waimea National Park. 2nd largest canyon in the US. Take your time and stop often. Go as far up the road as you can.
Take the highway all the way north to Haena, single lane bridges and interesting views.I am not a fan of Oahu or Mauii, way too American Tourister. There are interesting areas, but......

My wife and I were there for our 25th as well, and have been back twice more since (3 times in 5 years!) Planning the winter vacation now, trying to decide between returning to Hawaii or a Carribean Cruise.

Enjoy!

[Scorpio]

Oahu is a tough one. I'd say the classic is the Waikiki / Diamond Head skyline from Magic Island at Ala Moana. The sunsets from there can be pretty spectacular as well.

Other than that? Oahu is where all the people are, so not nearly as scenic as the neighbor islands in the nature & landscape sense. I'd definitely recommend a trip up to the north shore, you'll most likely find something interesting along the way. Maybe look into heading up the Old Pali Road to the Pali lookout, which is a nice old, twisty road with plenty of green all around it, ending overlooking the windward (east) side of the island. And if you're into urban stuff, a stroll down Kalakaua Ave in Waikiki is definitely something you should do with your camera, the later the better =D

I was gonna recommend Waimea on Kauai and Haleakala on Maui... but plenty of folks beat me to it.

If you have any questions, I'd be glad to (try) answer them =)

Edit: One more to consider that I just thought of- a drive out to Makapu'u, around the southeastern point, pretty neat rocky shoreline with stuff like this (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=298547) (that particular shot required a bit of a hike, but you get the idea).

[orinth]

I just got back from Maui on Sunday. There is definitely alot of stuff to photograph. I didn't have my camera with me everywhere though, and my battery died when I was at the luau.

The road to Hana is definitely worth doing. My gf almost got carsick, hell, I almost did and I was driving. I NEVER get carsick. I didn't get my pictures though since it was raining off and on that day and we got a bit of a late start so there was some traffic (not a whole lot of places to pull over or even turn around.

[sugarzebra]

For Kauaii you have to go to the top of Wamea Canyon. For the Big Island, Volcano National Park is a place to go.

Mark

Thanks Mark, we are booked to take a five hour tour of Wamea canyon, so hopefully they will slow down long enough so I can get some shots. We will be on our own to visit Volcano Nat Park and have a full day scheduled for hiking etc.

[sugarzebra]

On Maui, I love the beach at Kapalua. There's some construction in the area though, so there might be some cranes visible in the distance. There's also a really cool spot around there called "Dragon's Teeth." I posted some shots from there a little while back. It's really out of this world.

A little farther north from there is a pretty cool blow hole. The drive is a little curvy, but not that long, and much more manageable than some of the other scenic drives on Maui.

Lahaina is one of the biggest towns. There are quite a few photo opportunities there, as well as some great food, but it's very touristy.

If you can make it to Haleakala, I strongly recommend it. If you or your wife have any issues with motion sickness, however, don't bother. You'll never make it. :p
You can also look into Makawao (a very small town, with some neat arts and crafts shops, and a glass blowing studio), and Paia if you're going that direction.

The road to Hana is one that you'll see come up a lot, too. I've never been able to do it, though. Too many family members with motion sickness issues. I'd love it, but they'd be hanging out the doors "chumming."

As you can probably gather, I like Maui a lot. :lol:

Thanks for the info David and I have made notes re Dragons Teeth, Makawao & Paia. We are planning to do sunrise at Haleakala, but apparently it gets very cold up there!

[sugarzebra]

Big Isand of Hawaii, places that are easily accessible along the south coast. Coming out of which town? Hilo or Kona? These can be seen in one day without too much rush.
Volcano National Park
Punaluu Black Sand Beach (Sea Turtles)
Puuhonua National Park (Place of Respite)If staying long enough, head up to Mauna Kea observatory. Look ahead to see if anything is happening there while your on the island. Some interesting events.



Thanks Jim, we will be in Hilo overnight but only have a rental car for one day...we will see if we can get up to the observatory as well as explore Volcano Nat Park. We will also be in Kona for a day but don't have a rental car that day so will be on foot or hiring a cab to see the sights around Kona. Nice to hear from the nation's capitol (I was born in Deep River & grew up in Pembroke)

[sugarzebra]

Dan, thanks for the excellent advice and those shots of the lighthouse are excellent. We have two nights in Waikiki , so getting to Ala Moana and the lighthouse shouldn't be a problem. Plus we want to visit Pearl Harbour as well. Is the Dole Plantation worth seeing?

Oahu is a tough one. I'd say the classic is the Waikiki / Diamond Head skyline from Magic Island at Ala Moana. The sunsets from there can be pretty spectacular as well.

Other than that? Oahu is where all the people are, so not nearly as scenic as the neighbor islands in the nature & landscape sense. I'd definitely recommend a trip up to the north shore, you'll most likely find something interesting along the way. Maybe look into heading up the Old Pali Road to the Pali lookout, which is a nice old, twisty road with plenty of green all around it, ending overlooking the windward (east) side of the island. And if you're into urban stuff, a stroll down Kalakaua Ave in Waikiki is definitely something you should do with your camera, the later the better =D

I was gonna recommend Waimea on Kauai and Haleakala on Maui... but plenty of folks beat me to it.

If you have any questions, I'd be glad to (try) answer them =)

Edit: One more to consider that I just thought of- a drive out to Makapu'u, around the southeastern point, pretty neat rocky shoreline with stuff like this (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=298547) (that particular shot required a bit of a hike, but you get the idea).

[sugarzebra]

Glad you had a great trip but sorry about the batteries! We are planning a day on the road to Hanna, but were planning on stopping to take some trails to photograph a number of falls along the way....it sounds like that may be more difficult than it sounds from reading the travel guides :)

I just got back from Maui on Sunday. There is definitely alot of stuff to photograph. I didn't have my camera with me everywhere though, and my battery died when I was at the luau.

The road to Hana is definitely worth doing. My gf almost got carsick, hell, I almost did and I was driving. I NEVER get carsick. I didn't get my pictures though since it was raining off and on that day and we got a bit of a late start so there was some traffic (not a whole lot of places to pull over or even turn around.

[orinth]

Glad you had a great trip but sorry about the batteries! We are planning a day on the road to Hanna, but were planning on stopping to take some trails to photograph a number of falls along the way....it sounds like that may be more difficult than it sounds from reading the travel guides :)

It's not that bad, but I would get an early start. We just left pretty late (was leaving Kaluhui at 11am), so it was packed up there. I wanted to do a bit of hiking as well, but it was raining for us most of the drive in.

[JAZZ D.P.G.]

We will also be in Kona for a day but don't have a rental car that day so will be on foot or hiring a cab to see the sights around Kona. Nice to hear from the nation's capitol (I was born in Deep River & grew up in Pembroke)

I've spent a lot of time in both Deep and Pembroke volunteering with the Kinsmen. Both nice places.

Kona is where we base out of when we go. Found a great condo group and know some of the owners to rent directly.
Kona for a day without a car? Not a lot there beyond some nice waterfront and shopping.
The main drag is a good walk to do. Take a peek up the side streets to see some of the artists stalls.
Lunch or dinner? Lunch would be at Bubba Gumps (south end of main drag) a Forrest Gump as a shrimper themed place. Fun and good food. Dinner at the Kona Restaurant in the ocean-side mall in the middle of the main drag. Excellent food and service, great view.
There is usually a farmers market across from Bubba Gumps, (south end) some good deals to be had.
Watch out for the "vacation Hawkers" they will waste your time. Give you great deals on vacation events if you sit and listen to their time share deals. They look like event sales but will try to hook you.

As an aside, don't know how much time you have on everything (from the original post you are going to be BUSY moving from island to island) book as many things as you can for your schedule in advance on-line! Tee-Time is a great site to save some $ for golf.

Have fun and Enjoy

[Scorpio]

Dan, thanks for the excellent advice and those shots of the lighthouse are excellent. We have two nights in Waikiki , so getting to Ala Moana and the lighthouse shouldn't be a problem. Plus we want to visit Pearl Harbour as well. Is the Dole Plantation worth seeing?

Dole Plantation? Personally, I don't think it's all that interesting. If you know what a pineapple plant looks like (related to bromeliads, and is terrestrial), just imagine endless fields of red soil and pineapple plants. It does, however attract a lot of visitors, so obviously I'm not necessarily mainstream in that opinion =) You can't beat the fresh pineapple out here, that's for sure, but you don't have to go to the Dole Plantation to get it, just find a local grocery store (outside of Waikiki, please =D).


We are planning to do sunrise at Haleakala, but apparently it gets very cold up there!

Yes!!! The summit is 10,000 ft (3,000m), and is usually very windy. With windchill, temperatures sometimes dip below freezing. Not everywhere in Hawaii is nice and balmy ;-) From the park's weather page:

Weather changes rapidly at high elevations on Haleakala. Intense sunlight, thick clouds, heavy rain and high winds are possible daily. Wear lightweight, layered clothing that will keep you warm even in wet weather, and sturdy, comfortable shoes.

[sugarzebra]

I've spent a lot of time in both Deep and Pembroke volunteering with the Kinsmen. Both nice places.

Kona is where we base out of when we go. Found a great condo group and know some of the owners to rent directly.
Kona for a day without a car? Not a lot there beyond some nice waterfront and shopping.
The main drag is a good walk to do. Take a peek up the side streets to see some of the artists stalls.
Lunch or dinner? Lunch would be at Bubba Gumps (south end of main drag) a Forrest Gump as a shrimper themed place. Fun and good food. Dinner at the Kona Restaurant in the ocean-side mall in the middle of the main drag. Excellent food and service, great view.
There is usually a farmers market across from Bubba Gumps, (south end) some good deals to be had.
Watch out for the "vacation Hawkers" they will waste your time. Give you great deals on vacation events if you sit and listen to their time share deals. They look like event sales but will try to hook you.

As an aside, don't know how much time you have on everything (from the original post you are going to be BUSY moving from island to island) book as many things as you can for your schedule in advance on-line! Tee-Time is a great site to save some $ for golf.

Have fun and Enjoy

Thanks for the recommendations Jim...we will check out the restaurants. Yes we will be busy. We are on a 7 day cruise that stops for one night at Kona, however the ship cannot dock there so we need to take a tender to the mainland. We didn't think we would have time to take a tender & rent a car so we just planned to relax on the ship that day, and perhaps walk around Kona. We are also spending another week in Maui so will have lots of time see things there.

[sugarzebra]

Dole Plantation? Personally, I don't think it's all that interesting. If you know what a pineapple plant looks like (related to bromeliads, and is terrestrial), just imagine endless fields of red soil and pineapple plants. It does, however attract a lot of visitors, so obviously I'm not necessarily mainstream in that opinion =) You can't beat the fresh pineapple out here, that's for sure, but you don't have to go to the Dole Plantation to get it, just find a local grocery store (outside of Waikiki, please =D).

Thanks Dan...we will probably pass on the Dole plantation and go see Dog The Bounty Hunter instead :) :)

[JAZZ D.P.G.]

Thanks for the recommendations Jim...we will check out the restaurants. Yes we will be busy. We are on a 7 day cruise that stops for one night at Kona, however the ship cannot dock there so we need to take a tender to the mainland. We didn't think we would have time to take a tender & rent a car so we just planned to relax on the ship that day, and perhaps walk around Kona. We are also spending another week in Maui so will have lots of time see things there.

I'm familiar with the cruise ships, seen them entering the bay often.
Time to walk around town is all you have, only in port for the day.
The tenders drop you off at the north end of town.

Enjoy!