Hike Hawaii with Aina Lani Hikes

Adriana and Lena of Aina Lani Hikes

Our island is home to so many amazing hiking trails, but when you don't do your research or don't have the right shoes or enough water, it can be a recipe for disaster. In June of this year, the Honolulu Fire Department reported they have been averaging two land/ocean rescues per day. The majority of the rescues involved visitors. 

That's where Lena and Adriana, founders of Aina Lani Hikes, come in. Aina Lani Hikes is a Hawaii licensed and insured tour agency that offers hiking guide services. Both women are also on the board of directors of the Kokonut Koalition, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting, preserving and rehabilitating the Koko Crater Stairs. 

Whenever I have a hiking question, Lena is my go-to because she is so knowledgeable about our island's trails. When she invited me to hike with Aina Lani Hikes, I was so excited! I chose Olomana Trail because it is rated a hard hike and ideally I would want to hike it with someone that is familiar with the trail.  

Before the hike, they sent me a waiver to sign and detailed instructions of what to bring and where to park. They made sure to tell me to hike at my own pace and one led the hike and the other stayed behind me. I felt comfortable to let them know whenever I needed a break which was quite frequent! 

Initially, I intended only to climb to the first peak of Olomana, but when I got there I felt comfortable enough to do the second. The entire hike was super fun.  They both took tons of video and photos during the hike and shared with me afterwards which I absolutely loved. It was so nice to have those memories to keep!

For more information or just to follow Aina Lani's hiking adventures, follow them @ainalanihikes on Instagram.    

Big thanks to Aina Lani Hikes for the hosted hike!  All opinions are honest and entirely my own.

Lena and Adriana are the best hiking photogs!

On my way to the second peak.

Saving the third for another day. Always know your limits!

I couldn't have accomplished this without Aina Lani Hikes. So thankful for them!

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Atlantis Adventures Undersea Adventure

Disclosure: Complimentary admission was provided for review purposes.  All opinions are my own.

My son has been a fan of submarines and marine life ever since he rode the Submarine Voyage ride at Disneyland this past May, so he was ecstatic when I told him that I would be taking him on an adventure aboard one of Atlantis Adventures' submarines in Waikiki.

We arrived at the Hilton Hawaiian Village thirty minutes before our scheduled tour time, and checked in at the kiosk located on Waikiki beach in front of the Hilton's Ali'i Tower.  

After we received our boarding passes, we headed out on the walkway to the Hilton Port where we waited to board the Atlantis Discovery shuttle boat.

The Discovery had an upper level and lower level. My son preferred to sit on the lower level, which was nice as it was cool and spacious (most people sat on the upper level). 

During the ride out to the submarines we enjoyed the views of Waikiki and Diamond Head. Midway to the dive site, my son got hungry, so we purchased a bag of M&Ms and a fig bar from the snack shop on the lower deck, which were reasonably priced! 

After a short ride, we arrived at the dive site. The passengers that held tickets for the "Premium Submarine Tour disembarked first aboard the Atlantis XIV, which is a larger and more luxurious submarine (larger view ports, individual seating with seat backs).

Less than 10 minutes later, we arrived at the Atlantis IX submarine and made our way down the steep steps into the submarine.

 Each view port has earphones (for non-English speaking passengers) and an a/c vent!

This particular sub had a 48 passenger seating capacity, and as you can see, every seat was taken. 

We were lucky to get seats close to the front of the submarine, so we got a good view of the controls and of our narrator, who did a great job of educating us on coral, reef life, and the submersible. 

Throughout the tour we came across a number of man-made, artificial reefs that were installed by Atlantis with the assistance of the Department of Land and Natural Resources and UH's Sea Grant Program.  

Pyramids

Airplane

Sunken Ship

If you look closely at the picture below, you can see see two turtles!

My 4 1/2 year old son loved this experience from the moment we checked in.  He loved riding the shuttle boat out to the dive site, and had an even greater time on the submarine once we started seeing the fish swimming past our view ports. For me, I enjoyed learning about the self-sustaining habitats and the importance of stewardship and protecting Hawaii's marine environment. 

If you are a Kama’aina, don't miss out on Atlantis' September Kama’aina promotion: 

For the Atlantis Undersea Adventure 48 passenger submarine, get one free Keiki ticket with each paid $30 Kama’aina adult ticket! This offer is available during the month of September in celebration of Atlantis Adventures’ 30th anniversary. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

Note: keiki (children) must be at least 36" in height for safety reasons.

For more information on the Atlantis Adventures Submarine Tours, or to book a tour, click HERE. 

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Roberts Hawaii Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, Honolulu City Tour

The last time I went to visit the USS Arizona Memorial was almost 20 years ago. Thanks to Roberts Hawaii, I was able to revisit this monument which was built above the USS Arizona - the battleship that was destroyed on December 7, 1941.

Over 1.8 million people visit the USS Arizona Memorial each year, including thousands who go on the Roberts Hawaii Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, Honolulu City Tour.

The tour allows for pick up at one of several hotels, and our pick-up location was at Ala Moana Hotel.

A comfy motor-coach promptly picked us up at 5:45am, and from there we went on to several other hotels in Waikiki to pick up other guests.

Once all the guests were picked up (32 in all for our tour), our friendly and funny guide, Ted, gave us the rundown of what to expect on the tour.

We reached Pearl Harbor just before the gates opened at 7am.  There was already a long line of people, but fortunately it moved very quickly.

Security is tight at Pearl Harbor - you are not allowed to bring in bags, backpacks, luggage, camera bags, etc.  You should stuff your belongings (i.e. wallet, phone, keys) in your pockets.  If you do bring a bag, there is a bag storage on property for a fee (on our bus, guests were allowed to store their belongings in the locked storage beneath the bus).

Ted did a great job in keeping the tour group together and giving them instructions on where to go and what time to meet back at the bus.

Once he gave us our timed tickets for the USS Arizona Memorial Tour, we were free to roam the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center before our tour started.

We visited the Road to War and Attack Exhibit Galleries, which offered insight on the events that lead up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  Some of the displays may be a little too intense for young kids, but a walk through these exhibits was very educational.

There are numerous other exhibits and monuments on the grounds of Pearl Harbor that pay tribute to the thousands of people who made the ultimate sacrifice on December 7, 1941.

Our USS Arizona Memorial tour started promptly at 8:15am.

The entire tour lasts 75 minutes, and includes a 23-minute documentary in the theater, a boat ride to the memorial, time at the memorial, and a boat ride back.

The documentary sheds light on the events that led up to the attack on Pearl Harbor and even shows actual footage of that fateful day.

After the documentary, guests board a shuttle to the memorial.

It was a little rainy on the day of the tour, but fortunately not extremely windy as it was two days prior, when visits to the memorial were actually cancelled due to safety reasons (Roberts Hawaii has no control over operations of the boat rides to the memorial).

The actual time at the memorial is about 20 minutes, so use your time wisely.

It's quite a moving experience to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, especially when you step into the shrine to view the Wall of Honor.

You definitely want to take the time to honor the fallen and reflect on the events of that day of infamy.

After the tour we had some time to walk around the property, take more photos, get a snack, and even shop, before meeting Ted and the rest of the group back at the bus.

After Pearl Harbor, we drove through the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, which was built to honor members of the armed forces.

We then drove by other historical and significant sites throughout Honolulu, such as Iolani Palace, Kawaiahao Church, and the Hawaii State Capitol.

Ted was an excellent guide. The 25-year employee was not only personable, but he was a wealth of information. He taught popular Hawaiian words, told stories of Pearl Harbor, identified various points of interest, and explained the symbolism of different monuments. He had a great sense of humor (lots of laughter filled our bus at any given moment), and really made the guests feel like part of the `ohana.

The entire Roberts Hawaii Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona, Honolulu City Tour lasted about 6 hours from pick-up to drop-off at the hotel.

I really enjoyed the Roberts Hawaii tour. We had a fantastic guide, and I truly learned a lot about this little island that I call home.

For more information on this or other Roberts Hawaii tours, click here.

Mahalo to Roberts Hawaii for hosting my tour.

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