Discover Hawaii Tours Blog

Hawaii’s extreme natural beauty and warm tropical weather creates idealistic conditions to hike and explore the islands. Many people often over look a few basic safety precautions which can ultimately save lives. During the month of January, Oahu saw two separate fatalities involving inexperienced hikers. Safety for our guests is one of the top priorities here at Discover Hawaii Tours; all of our hiking and eco guides are CPR and First Aid certified. Hiking with a certified guide is one of the best ways to ensure a safe adventure, however if you find yourself hiking in

Hawaii you should remember the following hiking tips:

Hiking trails are not paved sidewalks. Pay special attention to where your feet go.

Often forest floors can be muddy and uneven, proper shoes or boots should be worn

Trails do not often have clearly marked street signs. Stay with your guide or learn to carry and use a map

Don’t hike alone, be sure to hike with a buddy or group for safety

Don’t take unnecessary risks. Be safe

Hiking is one of the best ways to explore the Hawaiian Islands, and it’s also a great way to stay in shape too. Discover Hawaii Tours offers guided hikes to hidden waterfalls and to the tops of volcanic craters. While on tour, many guests get the chance to observe many native plants and birds. On your next Hawaiian vacation be sure to join Discover Hawaii Tours on our either our 16B Hidden Waterfall Eco-Adventure Tour or our 15A Diamond Head Guided Eco-Hike. Remember, safety first!

When most visitors think of historic Pearl Harbor, they are most likely to focus on the USS Arizona Memorial. Less widely known but frequently visited is another historic museum at Pearl Harbor, the Pacific Aviation Museum. Located on Ford Island, the Pacific Aviation Museum houses numerous aircraft from around the world. Two of the most notable aircraft here are a Japanese Zero plane – the Grumman Wildcat – utilized in the WWII surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the Stearman which was flown by the youngest aviator at that time, President H. W. Bush.

Japanese Zero Plane

Recently, local news stations have announced that there will be some new arrivals to the Pacific Aviation Museum. Flown in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, a collection of fighter jets: two F-86 Sabres, an F-4 Phantom, an F-102 Delta Dagger, and a Soviet MiG-15 will join the list of historical aircraft available for viewing at the museum. With exciting news like this, a trip to the Pacific Aviation Museum during your stay in Hawaii is sure to be enjoyable and memorable.

Delta Dagger

We offer daily tours to the Pacific Aviation Museum with included hotel pick up in Waikiki and airfare from Maui (Kahului and Kapalua), Kona, and Kauai. If you are interested in visiting the Pacific Aviation Museum, join our 42: Pearl Harbor War Memorials Tour. Included in this one-day long adventure to Pearl Harbor is a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial, the USS Bowfin Submarine, and the Pacific Aviation Museum. Also, you will enjoy a deluxe Honolulu city tour featuring the Iolani Palace, King Kamehameha Statue, and Punchbowl National Cemetery of the Pacific. Throughout the whole tour, listen to your guide as he/she offers narration filled with intriguing historical and cultural facts. What you get from a guided tour, you can never achieve on your own.

Grab a seat on the Discover Hawaii Tours mini-coach to Pearl Harbor and be one of the first to see these new aircraft at the Pacific Aviation Museum!

F-86 Sabre Fighter Jet

One way to learn about another culture is by sampling the cuisine. Here in Hawaii, the cuisine consists of a medley of recipes and dishes from all around the world, as well as a few choice foods that have had their place in Hawaiian cooking for centuries. This blog addresses three specific staples that have existed in Hawaii’s kitchens for many, many years. They are the plate lunch, poi, and Spam Musubi.

Plate lunches can be found in pretty much every local restaurant. The most basic version consists of 2 scoops of rice, 1 scoop of simple macaroni salad (macaroni and mayonnaise), and a choice of protein for the main entrée. Loco Moco is the most popular type of plate lunch. A loco moco begins with 2 scoops of rice which are topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg, and brown gravy. Over the years, numerous variations of the classic loco moco have been derived with an easy switch of the main protein. You can find loco mocos that feature bacon, ham, spam, *Kalua pork, Portuguese sausage, teriyaki beef or chicken, mahi-mahi, shrimp, oysters, or other meats.

Loco Moco Plate Lunch

Poi is extremely popular in traditional and modern Hawaiian cuisine. Made from the stem or corm of the Taro plant, Poi is created by mashing the plant until a desired consistency is reached (consistencies range from liquid to dough like). Poi is traditionally eaten with the fingers, and oftentimes is referred to as either 2-finger or 3-finger as a description of its consistency.

Purple Poi

Spam Musubi is a low-priced snack that can be found at eateries like 7-11, grocery stores, snack stands, and movie theatre concession stands. Served either warm or cold, a musubi is composed of a block of rice with a small piece of spam overtop and wrapped in seaweed. Though not necessary, condiments can be used to offer more flavor to a musubi. Common condiments used include teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and *furikake. The spam in a musubi can also be cooked in jelly to add flavor to the snack.

Spam Musubi

“Do as the locals do” and make sure to try these traditional Hawaiian foods on your next trip to the islands! It will without a doubt be a great experience on your vacation…and tasty too!

* Kalua refers to the method of cooking meat with an underground oven or imu

* Furikake is a Japanese condiment made from a mixture of dried and ground fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and MSG

Cannons blasted and parade bands strutted as blissful spectators waved U.S. flags 50 years ago when Hawaii achieved statehood in 1959. This year, however, the celebration of 50 years of statehood is expected to be far less enthusiastic. The flag-waving spectators of yesteryear will turn into chanting demonstrators as Hawaiian sovereignty advocates march outside the Hawaii Convention Center where panel discussions on native Hawaiian rights and tourism’s future will be taking place inside. Hawaiian Independence Action Alliance organizer Lynette Cruz has said, “We want to show how U.S. imperialism has spread across the Pacific and across the world.”

Happy 50th Birthday Hawaii

The root of the contention dates back to 1893 when Caucasian businessmen, many of whom were descendants of supercilious European missionaries, forced the beloved Queen Liliuokalani to abdicate while U.S. imperialist Marines came ashore to take over her palace. Many Hawaiian people of today view statehood as the product of an illegal and callous overthrow.

Hawaii's Last And Beloved Quees Liliuokalani

Although a large portion of Hawaii voters supported statehood in 1959, sovereignty champions believe the vote was bogus because there were only two choices on the ballot: become a state or remain a territory. Missing was the obvious third choice: freedom and independence.

Upside Down Hawaiian Flag

When booking a trip to Hawaii, most often the main focus is on all the activities and tours of the islands, not so much on the in-flight experience to get here. But take a look at these airline travel tips we have put together for you. These tips should help to make your flights more manageable and comfortable.

The first set of tips we want to offer is regarding the booking process. When you are booking flights, it is highly recommended that you reserve your seats as early as you possibly can. So when you are booking your flights and have just finished paying for the airfare, select your seats! And if the booking engine doesn’t allow you to do so, call the airline and reserve seats over the phone. In some cases, there may not be many desirable seat options available. If that situation occurs, take whatever seats you can and keep checking back—you can change your seats at any time and better seats may come up as people are constantly canceling flights and changing their seats as well. It’s always better to have a seat assigned in advance, especially if the flight gets overbooked. If that happens, guess who is the first to get bumped? That’s right, the passenger without a reserved seat. And that’s not a good way to start a vacation.

Another way you can try to get choice seats is to arrive early for check-in. When you do this, you allow yourself the opportunity to potentially receive the best seats available on the plane: the exit row seats. In case you didn’t know, exit row seats offer the most leg room and can be an extremely comfortable and relaxing upgrade for you. For further tips on seat selection, try the website: www.seatguru.com.

The second set of tips we would like to provide concerns the boarding procedures. When boarding a plane, the airline gate agent usually calls passengers up to board in order of their rows or in groups of rows. Try to join the line just before your row is called. This will allow you to get onto the aircraft before others so you can make sure your carry on baggage has ample room in the overhead bin. No need to squeeze your items into an already full bin when you get on line early.

Our last set of tips address highly important decisions to be made while on board the aircraft. First, it is highly recommended that you carry on board a travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer. Use the hand sanitizer before entering the aircraft lavatory AND after washing your hands. This will help you to stay clean in an otherwise extremely unclean zone. Next, make sure to order your drinks without ice. Aircraft water has an incredible amount of bacteria on it, so avoid it at all costs. Finally, and don’t forget this one, make sure to get up and walk around once every hour. Doing so will help you to prevent ankle swelling- a very common annoyance that people experience while sitting in one position for long periods of time on board an aircraft.

We hope that our tips help to make your flight to Hawaii more pleasant and enjoyable. And don’t forget, even if the flight is still a bit uncomfortable, you are just a few hours away from one of the most remarkable destinations in the world, the beautiful islands of Hawaii.

Our recently rolled out mystery shopper program is quickly becoming very popular with our passengers who earn free tours for being observant. Here at Discover Hawaii Tours we’re serious about the quality of our products and services; that’s why we have many programs in place to insure we always surpass our customer’s expectations. Our mystery shopper program is just another way to insure our talented guides and staff always perform at their best.

Participating in the mystery shopper program is very easy. All the passenger has to do is take the tour they reserved and then fill out a brief form about their experience. Once they complete the form, which should only take about 10 minutes, they just email it to us and we will reimbursement the total cost of the tour. Period!

Our mystery shoppers are selected at random based on the day, time and tour we secretly shop and opting into the program does not guarantee participation. The shoppers are selected at least 48 hours in advance and notified by email.

Hawaii’s tourism market has taken a huge hit with the recession and even the iconic Ilikai hotel, which recently announced its closure after 45 great years, could not escape the dismal arrival numbers. Discover Hawaii Tours although is remaining a strong and competitive tour company. Unlike many of our competitors, our passenger counts have increased in spite of the decline in visitor arrivals; proving that those who are coming to the Hawaiian Islands are taking our tours. In fact, just this year, Discover Hawaii Tours has been fortunate to host ABC News, Good Morning America, Politico.com, the New York Times and Samantha Brown of the Travel Network. The word seems to be out: Discover Hawaii Tours offers impressive tour products with great values and talented tour guides. We are grateful for each passenger that steps foot on our busses and our guides are eager to demonstrate our appreciation.

Gracious tour guides from Discover Hawaii Tours

If you are planning a vacation and would like to cut down on your potential expenditures, join Discover Hawaii Tours for tours all over Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island. By participating in a guided tour, you eliminate the costs of a rental car, get the opportunity to visit the most renowned destinations and regions on the islands, and have a lot of fun as well.

Discover Hawaii Tours stands as the number one tour provider to popular Oahu destinations: USS Missouri and the Polynesian Cultural Center. We are also the number one tour provider to our partner, Go Airlines, who we work with for our incredibly popular inter-island tours including: the Hawaii Night Eco Tour on the Big Island, the Road to Hana Tour, and the many tours to Oahu’s Pearl Harbor from Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai.

Hilo, Big Island of Hawaii -

Big Island Lava exploding

Reports coming from our tour guides on the Big Island of Hawaii are that the summit of the Kilauea volcano crater has been glowing every night for the past few days. This provides a great opportunity for anyone interested in viewing an active volcano while visiting Hawaii since this is the brightest glow since October 2008.

The glow is created by molten lava pooling 300 feet below the the crater floor and flowing along the vents. The lava eventually makes its way to the Pacific Ocean, over 4,000 feet below the crater, and can be seen steaming as molten lava meets cool water:

Lava flowing into Pacific Ocean

The spectacular shows over the past few nights confirm geologists suspicions that the lava is close to the Earth’s surface, which means that there could be a fountaining event at Kilauea crater in the near future. But there is no definitive way to tell. The recent changes in the glow and increased lava flow do not increase the risks to any visitors to Kilauea, but the national park staff is keeping the overlook areas open later so guests can take in the scenery later into the evening. And snap some awesome pictures:

Kilauea lava glow

Kilauea History

The current Kilauea eruption began on January 1983, and continues to produce lava flows that travel down the mountain side through a network of tubes, which eventually empty into the ocean. This eruption has covered over 117 km² of land and has built out over 2 km² of new land into the ocean, destroying about 200 homes and structures in the process.

In 1990 lava flow from Kilauea destroyed the towns of Kalapana, Kaimu, Kaimu Bay, Kalapana Black Sand Beach, and a large section of Hawaii State Route 130, which now abruptly dead-ends at the dried up lava flow. During our Big Island Volcano tour you can actually see old roads covered in lava rock. The 1983-to-present eruption is the largest historically known for Kīlauea.

Hawaiian Legend of Kilauea

Kilauea is considered to be the home of Madame Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of ancient volcano legend. Several lava formations are named after Pele such as, Madame Pele’s Tears (small droplets of lava that cool in the air and retain their teardrop shapes) and Madame Pele’s Hair (thin strands of volcanic glass that form during the explosions) In Hawaiian mythology, Kilauea is where most of the conflict between Madame Pele and the rain god Kamapua’a took place.

Aloha,

Alex

Oahu Events – Culture, Fairs, Music, Dance – June 2009

King Kamehameha Day June 11

If you are visiting Oahu in the month of June, below is a list of events for you and your family to attend:

Artists of Hawaii (Now through August 16, 2009) – This is the 58th Anniversary of the Artists of Hawaii, the largest and longest running all-media juried exhibition in the state of Hawaii. For more information about viewing the work go to the Artists of Hawaii website.

First Friday Hawaii (June 5 – 5 to 9 p.m.) – Downtown Honolulu – Chinatown Gallery Walk is the hip place to be if you want to enjoy galleries, boutiques, bars, cafes and restaurants that feature exciting art exhibits, events, activities and free entertainment. For more information visit the First Friday Hawaii website.

30th Annual Pan-Pacific Festival – Matsuri in Hawaii (June 5 – 7) – This festival celebrates the cultural exchange between Japan and Hawaii. This event and parade features Japanese and Hawaiian inspired music, dance, traditions, and food. For more information visit the Pan-Pacific Festival website.

King Kamehameha Day (June 11 – 13) – Every year on June 11th is designated a public holiday in Hawaii in honor of King Kamehameha, who is credited for brining all the Hawaiian islands together. Celebrations on King Kamehameha Day include a parade, arts and crafts shows, and a lei draping ceremony of the King Kamehameha statue in downtown Honolulu. According to Hawaii.gov the celebrations will start on Friday the 12th, with the parade through Honolulu on Saturday the 13th.

Kamehameha Statue

King Kamehameha Day Parade – 2008

Moonlight Mele concert series (June 25) – The Bishop Museum starts its three-part summer concert series with a performance by local Hawaiian musician Sean Na‘auao. The concert series is a staple of Honolulu’s summertime fun and includes a variety of food and beverages from Gordon Biersch. All the concerts are held outside on the lawn at the Bishop Museum on the last Thursday of each month in the Summer – June, July, August. Check out the Bishop Museum for more information and how to book tickets for the concert.

King Kamehameha Hula Competition (June 26 – 27) – Enjoy watching over 20 dance groups from the U.S. and Japan compete in the Hula dance competition at the Blaisdell Arena in downtown Honolulu. There is more information on the Hula Competition website.

Hawaii Dragon Boat Festival (June 26 – 28) – The annual Dragon Boat Festival is part of Chinese tradition and held to drive off evil spirits and pestilence, and for finding peace in one’s life. The event is highlighted by the colorful dragon boat races, in which competing teams drive their canoes forward to the rhythm of pounding drums.

Dates: Movie Night: June 26, 2009 – Friday Ala Moana Beach Park @ 7:00 PM Division Race Day: June 27, 2009 – Saturday Ala Moana Beach Park @ 8:00 AM Open Race Day: June 28, 2009 – Sunday Ala Moana Beach Park @ 9:00 AM Go to the Hawaii Dragon Boat Festival website for more information and see how to enter the event. If you know of any other events happening on Oahu please leave us a comment or email Discover Hawaii Tours. Check back later for events going on in Maui and The Big Island… Mahalo, Alex

The 2009 Fire Knife Championships were recently held at the Polynesian Cultural Center. The winner of the this years World Samoan Fire Knife Championships is Mikaele Oloa from Oahu. Congrats to Mikaele, check out his winning performance:

History of Fire Knife dancing

Knife dancing in Samoan culture goes back several generations. Traditionally, knife dancing was performed by warriors to showcase their knife skills prior to battle to intimidate the enemy and amp up the warrior, and then after the battle to celebrate victory. Fire was added to the performance in 1946 by a Samoan knife dancer named Freddie Letuli.

The modern Fire Knife Championships began at the Polynesian Cultural Center in 1992 and is held during the third week of May. Here is a list of previous champs: 2009 Mikaele Oloa – Waialua, Oahu 2008 Viavia Tiumalu, Jr. – Orlando, Florida 2007 Andrew “Umi” Sexton – Orlando, Florida 2006 Mikaele Oloa – Orlando, Florida 2005 Mikaele Oloa – Orlando, Florida 2004 Alex Galeai – Laie, Hawaii 2003 David Galeai – Cook Islands 2002 Pati Levasa – Samoa 2001 Pati Levasa – Samoa 2000 David Galeai – Cook Islands 1999 David Galeai – Cook Islands 1998 Pati Levasa – Samoa 1997 Pati Levasa – Samoa 1996 Ifi Soo – Maui, Hawaii 1995 Ifi Soo – Maui, Hawaii 1994 Ifi Soo – Maui, Hawaii 1993 Tauasa Sielu Avea – Laie, Hawaii How are Fire Knife performances judged? According to the Polynesian Cultural Center blog, here are the guidelines for judging Fire Knife performances: 1. Knives length – Points are deducted if they do not meet regulation size 2. Speed – The faster contestants spin the knife, while maintaining control, the better 3. Height of throws – Judges like throws at least twice the competitors height 4. Degree of difficulty – The more complex the more points competitors score 5. Presentation – Dancers are also judged on their costume and “warrior-like” demeanor Here are some more Fire Knife performances: Mikaele Oloa Final Performance Joseph Final Performance Visit the Polynesian Cutlural Center with Discover Hawaii Tours to learn more about Polynesian culture.