Taking the Long Way Around: Aulani Trip Report 1/1-1/6 via New Zealand and Australia

acndis

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 6, 2012
This past December, my family and I embarked on the ‘Mother of All Trips.’ We started in Auckland, New Zealand, went to Australia for 10 days with Adventures by Disney, flew to the Big Island of Hawaii for two days and ended up in Aulani for the last 5 days.

This board was beyond helpful to me in planning our Aulani trip so I have decided to do a trip report to pay it forward. I will leave out the Australia portion of the trip because there are two fabulous trip reports on the ABD page that pretty much reflect our experience. You can find those here:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/australia-in-december-trip-report.3653182/

https://www.disboards.com/threads/summer-2017-australia-bound-trip-report.3649973/

I will write up our experiences in New Zealand and on the Big Island, because I know there has been lots of interest in those places on these boards. As I post, my husband will add pictures.
 
Day 1 – Flying to New Zealand

We booked the Adventures by Disney Australia trip as soon as the dates were released in May 2016. We wanted the December trip and those book up very quickly. That is prime season to fly to Australia so I knew the plane fare was going to be hefty so I immediately tried to think of more cost effective ways to get there besides flying directly to Sydney. After much deliberation, my family of three (Me, DH, DS 10) decided we would try to go to Melbourne, Australia first. However, when booking time arrived (I always book the first day the fares are available and have had great luck with that), Melbourne looked extremely pricey and not much better than Sydney did.

Dejected, I started playing around with other destinations and found a frequent flyer award on United to Auckland. The flights and connections were great. I checked on flights from Auckland to Sydney and they were very inexpensive so we jumped and did it! We would only have 3 days in Auckland but we have always been interested in New Zealand so we figured the worst thing that could happen is that we would leave wanting more!

After we booked the trip, we had several airline scheduling changes that left us with a terribly short connection in San Francisco. I panicked a few days before we left and my husband called United and they graciously changed us to an earlier flight for free. That meant we had a five-hour layover in San Francisco but it ended up to be a very good thing. My Dad and his friend who were traveling with us did not change their flights and ended up missing their connection. There are worse things than spending the night in San Francisco but they were not happy to miss some of New Zealand!

For our five-hour layover, we mostly hung out the American Express Centurion Lounge that is my absolute favorite. We had a great dinner there. Then, we talked and read in comfortable chairs. It was nice to have a break before the 12-hour flight to Auckland.

The flight was uneventful and we arrived in Auckland about 20 minutes early. Customs was easy and we jumped in a cab (no UBER at the AKL airport) and headed to our hotel, The Cordis Auckland.
 
045F65F6-2CF7-4710-B5B3-599B3B23D4FC.jpeg 4CD787CE-DC5F-4ECE-AC9F-444A49337E35.jpeg Day 2 – First Day in New Zealand

Our flight had been overnight so we arrived at the Cordis about 9:30 am. We had all gotten good sleep but needed a shower. Our room was not yet ready so the Cordis let us use the beautiful spa facilities to shower and freshen up. By the time we were finished, our room was ready (perfect timing!) and we delivered our luggage to head out and explore Auckland. We did not have much planned for the day so we were free to explore the city.

First, we grabbed breakfast at Bestie Café right down the street from the Cordis. It was amazing and we ate their again on our last day. I had the Cheese Toasties (aged cheddar and quince jelly with a chili egg and homemade pickles—outstanding!) and my son had Pancakes with Salted Caramel Ice Cream (as good as it sounds). My husband had the Tandoori Fried Chicken that was also amazing. They also have all kinds of pastries and great coffee so we overindulged and enjoyed every minute of it.


The weather outside was beautiful so after we finished lunch and had a look around the shops near Bestie’s (used bookstores and other fun Knick-knack shops) we walked toward Myers Park. It was beautiful and we had a great time admiring the trees and statues within the park. There was a nice playground where many kids were playing so my son joined in and tried his hand at the ‘obstacle’ course built into the playground. We enjoyed the weather and marveled how cool it was that we were in NEW ZEALAND!

We spent the rest of the day exploring, drinking the fantastic New Zealand coffee, and doing a bit of shopping. We had a dinner cruise from Waitemata Harbour so we figured out how to get there (easy!) and headed back to the hotel to get jackets and rain gear as it had started to rain.

We headed back to Waitemata Harbour, which was about a fifteen-minute easy walk from the Cordis. Waitemata Harbour was built the first time that New Zealand hosted the America’s Cup. It is a neat area with hotels, restaurants, and shops. It is a bit touristy but we liked it.

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The dinner cruise was booked by my Dad who was (unfortunately) still in San Francisco. He encouraged us to still go and he was able to rebook on another day. The dinner cruise was a lot of fun despite being a bit chilly and rainy. We probably would have not booked it on our own but it was a nice evening. The crew was friendly, the views of the city were nice, and the food was surprisingly good! There are only 12-15 people on each cruise so it makes for a nice intimate evening.

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After the cruise, we headed back to the Cordis. We realized the walk back from Waitemata Harbour is not as easy as the walk there as Auckland has many steep hills and it was uphill the whole way! We had a full day at Waiheke Island planned for the next day so we headed to bed.
 
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4D1DCCA3-5F72-415F-A841-7463F81524A6.jpeg 3CB9449F-ADC0-4AAB-A86E-09B60AFC2ED1.jpeg 568C66ED-51B1-4F3F-9E3C-39E03DE4C08A.jpeg 6B765F30-1CC6-40B5-84B8-FEA4E7E96996.jpeg E7C8E6A7-BEB3-4659-9BAA-D3CEB2C75620.jpeg Day 3 – Waiheke Island

We were all looking forward to our trip to Waiheke Island, which is a small island near Auckland accessible by Ferry. We had reservations with EcoZip to do our first zip lining tour ever and we were excited and nervous.

Waiheke Island is most known for its vineyards and many wonderful well-known New Zealand wines are produced there. There are also beautiful beaches and many fun restaurants. We headed over to Fuller’s Ferry from the Cordis to try to get the first ferry to Waiheke. In addition to our Zip line, we had tickets for the Hop On Hop Off bus because I read that you really needed a vehicle to get around the island.

We had considered renting electric bikes (a suggestion from EcoZip). We decided against it because we have no experience with electric bikes and I pictured all of us wiping out into a vineyard or losing power on the way up a hill. I think it ended up to be a good decision. Waiheke Island is also very hilly and there was a fair amount of traffic to contend with as a bike rider. The bus worked great for us and took us all over the Island.

We did make the first Ferry and that in itself was a lot of fun. Again, it was a bit rainy that morning so we chose to sit inside. We had a great view and enjoyed the snack bar, which had some good coffee. It was a short trip (maybe 30-45 minutes) with one stop on the way before we arrived on Waiheke. It was around 10 am but at that time, not much is open on the island. We planned to have breakfast and then head to the beach.

The town of Oneroa is the first stop on the bus and that is where most of the restaurants and shopping are. We wanted to grab breakfast at the Oyster Inn but found out they only serve to their B&B guests in the morning. We found Wai Kitchen and decided to eat there. It ended up being a great choice and one of our favorite meals of the trip. I had Chicken Livers (I love them and they were great!) with bacon on a baguette. DH had some crazy mushroom and cashew dish with soft eggs that he raved about. DS had pancakes again. These had a chocolate crumble and were delicious. Another round of great coffee and we were set for the day.

We shopped a bit around Oneroa. It rained a bit and was not super warm but we decided to grab the bus and head for Onetangi Beach. By the time we got to the beach, the sun had mostly come out and it was beautiful! We had the beach to ourselves for a while but then a family from the UK joined us. I thought the water was pretty cold (I am a cold-water wimp) but once the UK kids jumped in, my son left me in the dust and swam out himself. My son has been to a few beaches before but nothing like Onetangi. It was so beautiful and peaceful. He just loved it. He would have stayed there all day. The water was calm and made for great swimming and the surroundings were perfect. We did wear beachwear to the island (it is extremely casual there) that we also planned to wear to the Zip line. We did not really have towels so I thought my son would just play around the beach and not get soaking wet. As I said, that did not work out but he dried off quickly and we headed back to the bus to go around and see the rest of the island before meeting EcoZip back at the Ferry stop for our Zip line.

The rest of the Island is beautiful. There are lots of Vineyards and a Fish Market. We made some photo stops on the bus and got off so we could make the walk back to meet EcoZip. It was a beautiful place with lots to see and do. If we come back to Auckland, I would like to spend at least one night on Waiheke at one of the B&Bs.

Once we got back to the Ferry port, we met up with EcoZip who drove us out to the Zip line. Now, I have not mentioned how friendly New Zealanders (Kiwis) are. They are just the most fun people! Everyone we met was great, super helpful, and just had the best attitudes. They made everything so much more fun. We arrived at EcoZip, which is on a hill overlooking a beautiful vineyard, and started to be briefed on our zip lining adventure. Our two guides immediately joked and put us at ease.

As I mentioned, I was pretty nervous about zip lining and had passive aggressively tried to get out of it several times. I was nervous more because I was nervous about my son doing it. He does not really like heights and I worried he would freak out when we got there and that would make me a nervous wreck. Within a few minutes of being there, I realized this was the perfect place to have our first zip line. The guides were fun but were concerned about safety and made me feel instantly comfortable. After we got our gear on and took the obligatory pictures, the guides asked if anyone was nervous. Both my son and I raised our hands (we were the only ones) and the guides said we would be rewarded by going first! That actually sounded good to me. DS and I were both nervous but we liked the sound of getting it over with!

Zip one was called the Vineyard Cruise and we started out so high, I thought it could only get easier from here (wrong!). One guide saw us off at the top and the other was waiting at the bottom so DS and I (you go two at a time right across from each other) did the countdown and we were off! We loved it. You have a beautiful view of a vineyard and the Auckland skyline but I have to say that we were hanging on for dear life and did not take in the view, as we should have. We were happy to be at the bottom. We high fived and were ready to keep going (this one had to the highest, right?). DH was in the next group to come down, he had talked a big game about how he was not nervous, and we should not be either. We expected to see him coming down no hands, doing 360s. Nope. He was holding on for dear life, too. He also loved it but was ready for Round 2.

Even though we went down, we quickly found out that Zip 2, City View is longer and steeper. This was through the forest and was beautiful but definitely scarier. EcoZip only has 12 in a group so there is not much waiting time between Zips. The trip never drags and you do not have too much time to get nervous. After Zip 2, we were ready for our biggest challenge, Kurinui!

Kurinui is a Maori word and you will have to find out the translation after you do the Zip line. This one is a real thriller 700’ high and you reach an excess of 50 KMH. My son barely made the weight limit and the guides were very surprised that we was able to zip all the way to the platform on the second Zip. On Kurinui, they told him that he would not make it to the end and they told him that they would have to pull him in. That made him a little nervous but again; the guides were so terrific and told him exactly what to do. We zipped down and I barely made it to the platform. It was awesome! Sure enough, DS did not make it, but he was not too far away and the guide reeled him in pretty quickly. DS loved this and even let go and floated around a bit. It was so much fun and such a thrill! DH headed down again hanging on for dear life. He made the platform, but barely!

After the Zip line, the guides take you on a nature walk that is almost as good as the zips. Your guide takes you through the beautiful forests and talks a bit about the history of the island. Apparently, in the not so distant past, many of the original plants had been destroyed on the island. Many efforts are being made to save the ancient forests and trees. There have been many efforts to develop on Waiheke and the residents are constantly fighting it to preserve the natural beauty and remote feeling of the island. Through the walk, I was able to learn a bit about New Zealand (did you know there are no mammals that are native to New Zealand?) and I realized that we should all find out more about the country now that we had enjoyed some of its great beauty. Because of the walk, I thought we should make a trip to the Auckland Museum so we planned to do that tomorrow.

After the walk, EcoZip took us back to Oneroa where we thought we would have dinner before getting back to the Ferry. The Hop On bus was no longer running but it was a fairly quick and easy walk to the Ferry port from Oneroa. We had survived our first zip lining experience and vowed it would not be our last! However, this one will be hard to top!

We decided to try to eat again at Oyster Inn but they were booked. I guess we looked sad enough that they said they could give us a table if we could finish dinner in an hour and a half. That sounded more than fair and we were seated. Oyster Inn was fantastic! We started with oysters three ways: Natural with lemon Chardonnay vinegar and Shallots; Granita with Lemon, Lime, and Yuzu; and Battered with wasabi mayo. They were amazing! My son loves oysters and he had eaten more than his allotment before the server even left the table. For our main, DS and I had fabulous fish and chips (the perfect post zip line meal!) DH had the fish of the day and loved it. DH and I had a Man o’ War (famous Waiheke vineyard) Sauvignon Blanc and all was well in the world. We had a perfect day on the Island! For our last hurrah, we grabbed gelato at Island Gelato, which was incredible.

We were exhausted but had a pleasant ferry trip back and then made the brutal uphill walk to the Cordis. We were asleep by 9 pm. Tomorrow would be another adventure as we would head to the Auckland Museum and then take a ride on an America’s Cup Sailboat.
 
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BBD21000-B28E-4AC8-ABEF-64EF37725234.jpeg 4126162D-D03F-48F7-8311-D960A7806E53.jpeg 9051D64D-03B0-4DBA-95B4-672F86052C61.jpeg CC2BC270-3884-4868-B2DF-8C94C3F93F63.jpeg B4D75B5F-1895-4190-AA3C-632B5D73EED1.jpeg Day 4—Auckland Museum and Sailing on an America’s Cup Sailboat

We had afternoon plans to go out on an America’s Cup Sailboat. It was a tour run by the same company that did the dinner cruise on the first night. They had advised us to book the afternoon tour because there had not been much wind in the morning and they cannot take the boat out when there are not proper conditions. That left the morning free and we had decided to go to the Auckland Museum.

We started with another late breakfast at Bestie’s and then began to walk to the museum. Before we went to the Museum, though I really liked the Cordis, I felt like it was a bit far away from what we wanted to see in Auckland. It felt like we were constantly walking to the Harbour and I thought that may be a better place to stay if/when we return. However, when we walked to the Museum, I saw how centrally located the hotel is and it was such a nice place that I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

The Auckland Museum is located near the Auckland Domain, which is the city’s oldest park and is built on an old volcano crater. The Domain area is beautiful. It is filled with playing fields and walking paths through trees. We would have never seen it if we had not gone to the Museum.

The Museum itself was fantastic. Do not miss it if you are in Auckland. They had a wonderful exhibit about the native peoples of New Zealand (something I was very interested in) and it gave a more general overview of the islands in the Pacific. I hope to visit as many as I can!

There was also a whimsical exhibit about childhood in New Zealand (with some snarky pokes at Colonial Britain) and a wonderful hands-on area for kids.

The Museum is also known as the Auckland War Memorial Museum and there is a wonderful, interactive exhibit on New Zealand’s involvement and contributions to WWI and WWII. Of course, this was something I knew nothing about before visiting and it was really interesting.

I think our favorite exhibit was on volcanoes and what to do if the volcano sitting directly across from Waitemata Harbour ever erupts. Unfortunately, that advice boiled down to, “Hope for the best.” However, the exhibit was great fun and very memorable!

I have a rule that no matter how interesting the museum is you should spend no more than two hours there (advice given to me by a wise art history professor in college). In addition, it is true, your mind starts to overload and you just cannot take much more in. We really enjoyed our time in the museum but left to do a little shopping and then head to the Harbour for our sailing expedition.

The conditions were excellent so we were a ‘go’ for our sail. We had a wonderful time on this tour and would highly recommend it! Sailing is such a big part of New Zealand. It is important to spend as much time on the water as you can. We got on the boat and were briefed that we would be helping the crew. One of the crewmembers, Saffron, befriended my son. She was only 19 and was definitely way cool. She told him about the boat, helped him with crew duties and told him where to sit. She was amazing and made his trip so much more fun (he was the only kid there).

The boat is truly thrilling as you are completely horizontal at times and it does go fast. They give you the opportunity to drive. Both DS and DH tried and found it pretty difficult. I skipped out as there was a lot of demand to give it a go and I was having more fun watching and riding. DS told Saffron about the Volcano exhibit at the Museum because we sailed right by the volcanic island (my son recognized it immediately). Her advice was that if you are worried about volcanoes; do not live in New Zealand. We thought that was pretty funny. She also told us that she learned to sail at age eight and I think that inspired DS to try sailing at summer camp. Unfortunately, it was time to go back to the Harbour. We were all sad, as we would have loved to stay on the boat all day.

On the way back to the Cordis, we stopped for more Gelato, it was not as good as it had been on Waiheke but it was good. For dinner, we had decided to eat at the Cordis Restaurant, Eight. Eight is essentially eight kitchens in one. They have every kind of food you could want but it is very pretty environment with beautiful food. The price reflects that but it was an excellent meal and we had a great time. There was an unlimited fresh raw bar (my son went crazy on the oysters), sushi, pasta, Asian soups, roasts, and fondue. It was wonderful and so much fun! It was a great way to spend our final evening in Auckland. We were flying to Sydney, Australia to meet up with Adventures by Disney the next day.
 
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A397F6DE-2BE4-4324-A80B-934155BF1D1B.jpeg Day 5—Goodbye Auckland; Hello Sydney!

Our flight did not leave until 1pm so we slept in and then got some breakfast at the fabulous Portuguese bakery next to the Cordis. It was fantastic but they only take cash! We learned that the hard way. After that, it was pretty much time to head to the airport. We bid the Cordis farewell and hoped to return to New Zealand very soon. Three days was definitely NOT enough time. However, I am so glad we made a stop there. If you get the chance, go to New Zealand for any period of time. It is a truly wonderful place. When we return, I would love to spend at least ten days and focus on the South Island. The Kiwis we met said it was the truly beautiful part. Auckland and Waiheke were so pretty that this is hard to imagine. We cannot wait to return!

As I mentioned above, I am going to skip our fabulous 11 days in Australia in order to get the main event (and what you are probably most curious about) HAWAII! Do check out the trip reports I linked above to find out about the Australia trip. It is fantastic!

The one thing I will say about Australia in this report was that the final stop on the Gold Coast was absolutely AMAZING and somewhere I would think about visiting again before or after a Hawaiian trip. Hawaiian Air flies direct to Brisbane and the Gold Coast has the prettiest beaches you will ever see. Our one-day trip to Byron Bay ranks as one of my favorite days on any trip I have ever been on. If I return, I would stay there exclusively. It was just amazing.

In the next entry, I will pick up on our journey from Brisbane to Hilo where we start our Hawaiian adventure on the Big Island of Hawaii!
 
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Following along! What an amazing trip to have experienced!! DS will definitely look back on these adventures with gratefulness and joy!
 
How awesome! Good for you for expanding your children’s horizons to see how people live in other countries.
 
Background on Booking Aulani

I have to give some background on our odyssey of ending up in Hilo for 2 days before we head to Aulani. We had planned to go to Aulani for the entire week after we got back into the USA from Australia. Our reason for this was twofold. First, it would seriously break up a long flight. The flight from Brisbane to Hawaii in only nine hours. Second, my dad has been dying for us to go try Aulani. I have had very little desire to go. I went to Hawaii as a kid and young adult (Oahu and Maui) and just did not like it. I found it touristy and as a kid, I loved WDW much more. Therefore, to me, this seemed a great way to get Aulani out of my dad’s system so we would never have to go there again.

So, I began planning the trip. We were still about 11 months out but I went ahead and purchased our flights from Brisbane to Honolulu and then I got a frequent flyer ticket (at a ridiculously low point value) from Honolulu to home. Now, I just had to wait to book a very open and available Aulani room at 7 months.

This was my first mistake. I did not entirely realize that our first few days in Hawaii would be over New Year’s Eve and much to my horror, I watched as every single room at Aulani became unavailable at around 10 months. In a panic, I called my dad. He booked two nights at the Royal Hawaiian at Waikiki and my crew and I decided to go to the Big Island for a few days before we checked into Aulani—hoping rooms would be available after New Year’s.

So, we get to seven months, and again, much to my horror, there are no rooms at Aulani available. I could not even walk the reservation. It was such a mess. I was panicking because we were already GOING to Hawaii and the reason was to ‘try’ Aulani. Now, I could not even get a room. There was nothing available. I did a little crying at my keyboard when I came up empty and went down a cried to my husband. He was very sympathetic and said to keep trying to see how many days I could get. We could waitlist the rest and hope for the best. I knew this is what we had to do but I did not like it.

It was still very much on my mind and when I got to work, I tried again over lunch. This time I could get the Grand Villa Ocean View for all of our nights (it had not been available that morning). I called my husband and even though it was a billion points, he said BOOK IT! I did and called my Dad. He was thrilled. He thought it would be great to check out Aulani in style. I will give you the rundown on the Grand Villa in the Aulani portion of the trip report!

That is the short (or not so short) version of how we ended up in Hilo. So back, to the journey.
 
99D938AD-E612-42CA-BD69-C151721392A7.jpeg 3A69800E-5540-48D8-BE63-71019D921A9B.jpeg 563D9DB9-4769-4561-877F-F15DB17A0106.jpeg EC3C9409-4D55-4503-9D9A-05F334CC02A2.jpeg Day 16—Arriving in Hilo after 11 days in Australia

We loved Hawaiian Airlines. DH and DS sat in Economy Comfort (my little treat to them) and they could not have been happier. In fact, I went to visit them from my seat in lowly economy about nine times during the trip (mostly because I needed a pen to fill out the customs form) and they were dead asleep every time. My husband was very grateful and that is good because he had a nice surprise waiting for him in Hilo.

Due to my epic cheapness, I had booked us a frequent flyer ticket to Hilo that connected in Maui making our journey more of a pain than it needed to be. Do not do this! Just pay the $$$ for the direct ticket. However, this trip had been such an extravagant splurge that I felt the need to save money where we could. Our flight was delayed getting to the gate in Maui and our connection to Hilo was very tight. I told my family there was no way we were going to make it and we dealt with the fact that we were going to have to go back to Honolulu that night to make it to Hilo or not get there at all.

We finally got to the gate and rushed to our connecting flight. Luckily, they were delayed and we made our connection but I warned my family that our bags would probably not join us. We arrived in Hilo and much to my delight my son’s and my bag were some of the first on the carousel. For DH, no luck! After a nine hour flight + our island jumping, NO BAG! Luckily, he had a sweet toiletry back from Hawaiian Airlines so he thought he would survive until the bag arrived. (Hopefully, later that night). We picked up our car from the Hertz counter and headed into Hilo. We had hoped to eat dinner (it was about 6 pm) at Moon & Turtle but did not make a reservation because we had no idea how we would feel when we arrived after the long flight. They were fully booked (it is a very small place that I would have LOVED to try). They sent us to Jackie Rey’s just down the road, which was also delicious. We tried our first poke of the trip and DS had the ribs and loved them. It was a very nice dinner but also very pricey! We found Hilo to be very expensive (it felt more expensive than even Oahu or Australia) so just be prepared. I would highly recommend Jackie Rey’s.

After dinner, we drove to the town of Volcano to check into our wonderful Bed & Breakfast, The Lava Pond Lodge. I was able to book the Lava Bond with Chase Points and got a really good deal. I had first booked us into the Volcano House (which we visited and looked TERRIFIC) but over New Year’s, it was very expensive and we felt having something more authentically Hawaii would be more fun than staying in a resort on Hilo. We loved the Lava Pond and the innkeeper, Lori. We would highly recommend it if you are in Hilo. It is extremely close to Volcano National Park (the main reason we were there!).

It was around 9 pm when we arrived at the Lava Pond and Lori was there with fresh baked cookies to greet us. She took us to our room (The Enchanted Forest) which is the only room that sleeps 3-4. It is above the garage steps away from the main house. It was quiet and very private. It was perfect for us! Sadly, after a call to Hawaiian Airlines, DH’s bag had still not been found. He had packed an extra T-shirt in his backpack so he had something to sleep in. He was being an INCREDIBLY good sport!

For Hilo, we had planned a daylong tour with MaryLou’s Island Tours, which I found through TripAdvisor. I am a chronic over planner but because we had been so highly scheduled on the New Zealand and Australia portion of our trips, I wanted to be laid back in Hawaii. You will see I made VERY few plans in advance for this portion of the trip and I would recommend that! With that said, because we were in Hilo for such a short amount of time, we thought a guided tour would help us make the most of it. The plan was to meet our guide, Ken, the next day (New Year’s Eve) for a trip around the Hilo part of the island and most excitingly, to see the Lava Glow at night in the Caldera at Volcano National Park.

It has been a long day of travel so we were thrilled to settle into the Lava Pond and Lori’s cookies. We wanted to get enough sleep for our island adventure the next day!
 

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I have had very little desire to go. I went to Hawaii as a kid and young adult (Oahu and Maui) and just did not like it. I found it touristy and as a kid, I loved WDW much more. Therefore, to me, this seemed a great way to get Aulani out of my dad’s system so we would never have to go there again.

I am a weirdo who doesn't like Hawaii, myself (I don't like expensive places, traffic, crowds and our beaches here are amazing with warm water and not usually as crowded...so I don't get the appeal. At all). That said, my DD really wants to go so I'm sure we'll end up at A'ulani at some point. I can't wait to read about the Grand Villa since I'm tempted to rent one for her graduation, fly family down and get it over with (I know-blasphemy).

I have a feeling from your intro you were converted to an A'ulani lover so really looking forward to that part of your report!

Appreciate your report on New Zealand...I so want to visit but will probably have to wait until 2020. I'm torn between an Australia ABD plus touring on our own there and a Tauck tour that does both. Decisions...decisions...
 
I am a weirdo who doesn't like Hawaii, myself (I don't like expensive places, traffic, crowds and our beaches here are amazing with warm water and not usually as crowded...so I don't get the appeal. At all). That said, my DD really wants to go so I'm sure we'll end up at A'ulani at some point. I can't wait to read about the Grand Villa since I'm tempted to rent one for her graduation, fly family down and get it over with (I know-blasphemy).

I have a feeling from your intro you were converted to an A'ulani lover so really looking forward to that part of your report!

Appreciate your report on New Zealand...I so want to visit but will probably have to wait until 2020. I'm torn between an Australia ABD plus touring on our own there and a Tauck tour that does both. Decisions...decisions...
My husband should be putting up pictures soon!

And yes, stay tuned! I'll give you all my thoughts about Aulani and the Grand Villa. Thanks for following along!
 
Loving the trip report. I live in New Zealand. There is so much to do here. Definitely the South Island including Queenstown. Taupo in the middle of the north island is good too. Plus the glaciers on the west coast of the South Island. I live in Wellington at the Bottom of the north island, it’s a pretty cool country to live in and this last summer has been some of the best weather we have ever had. For all those thinking about visiting you should definitely come if you can.
 
C86EC05A-0DE6-4A7A-8253-DC96D25D7308.jpeg 69CCE04F-504A-4B5A-B071-75A30B57AB63.jpeg 1E7A9A4B-263B-44FF-AE96-3BD7CD9A2E77.jpeg 9A63B62B-E7AE-442E-B04A-85F7F194C5D0.jpeg 570767F0-200B-4BB8-9644-04027D65B3E9.jpeg Day 17—Lava Tubes, Volcanoes, Black Sand, and KEN!

The next morning we headed over to the main house at the Lava Pond Lodge for breakfast. She had a wonderful spread with fresh fruit, hardboiled eggs, and breakfast sandwiches. She also had local macadamia nut biscotti that was pretty delicious dipped in morning coffee. Since our room was away from the main house, we had not had the chance to meet our fellow B&B’ers. It was a very nice group and we enjoyed chatting. In my observation, I believe that folks that gravitate towards the Hilo side of the Island are most interested in active travel (hiking, biking, etc.) while the Kona side is more focused towards chillaxing with the beautiful resorts and shopping.

We were scheduled to meet with our tour guide, Ken at 8:30 am. He was a bit early (awesome!) so we hopped in his car and took off for our tour. Ken and his wife MaryLou have lived on the big island for 10 years. They originally lived on Montana but ended up in Hawaii after visiting it and loving it. Ken started taking his friends around for informal tours of the island and realized he had a knack for it and started up his own business. He and MaryLou may retire soon but for now, they enjoy giving tours and meeting new people.

Very few tours leave from and just take you around the Hilo side of the island. I was glad to find Ken (and his excellent TripAdvisor reviews) because we wanted to focus on Hilo exclusively. To get to Kona is about a 2.5 – 3 hour drive just to give you an idea of how large the Big Island is. I always wanted to visit the Big Island because it is always referred to as the most remote and least touristy. This always really appealed to me because I had not really enjoyed my previous trips to Maui and Oahu so I was really excited!

First, Ken took us out to Kalapana area to see the Kaimu Black Sand Beach and the area where the Lava is flowing freely IN THE GROUND. We would not have time to take the hike out to the Lava (it takes about 4 hours round trip) but he could show us the area and the beach.

We loved Ken immediately. He does not know a stranger and knows every insider trick in the book. As we drove into the area, there are tons of guards and do not enter signs which Ken drove through with a wave to the guards. Ken said, “Most people don’t know you can drive in here. This is where I go and you can park at Kerry’s for $20.” I was glad we were with an insider because I would have NEVER driven past those guards. They did not look friendly.

As we got closer, the Lava Flow, the landscape was just incredible. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was just Black Rock. It looked completely desolate but strangely beautiful. There had been a housing development (in the 80s) here but due to an eruption, it had been completely destroyed and was now under the hard lava rock. Now, there are people who still live out here. They are mostly folks who want to live off the grid. It is illegal to live out here (because of the obvious danger) but Ken says the Hawaiian government mostly leaves these people alone.

Kerry of the $20 parking fame is one of those people. He happened to be walking around so we got to meet him. He is every bit the Hawaii Libertarian I thought he would be and it was fun to talk to someone who was brave enough to live out here. Ken parked and we got out to walk towards the beach. It was breathtaking. It was so beautiful. It was about a 10 – 15 minute hike to the water and my son just loved the landscape. It was amazing to walk on the lava rock. It was hot from the flow of lava underneath (crazy!!) but we loved seeing the Black Sand Beach with the bright blue water. Amazing! If I come back to Hilo, I would like to do the Lava Flow hike. It sounds amazing. I did regret that we did not have time this trip.

Next, we took a drive to Richardson State Park to see the giant waves and maybe some sea turtles. We saw them both! And, my son and I saw two whales put their tales up! Ken and DS claimed that we were hallucinating because they missed them both.

Ken then took my son to the Poihiki Warm spring where he was able to get in for a dip in the super warm water heated by the Volcano. Then we hit Lava Tree State Monument (amazing!) and after we were all ready for lunch. Ken took us to Pahoa Fresh Fish for Ono and Chips. It was excellent and definitely hit the spot!

We saw lots more spots including the Mauna Koa Macadamia Candy Farm and the Orchid Farm before we headed to Volcanoes National Park.

I should give an updated on my husband’s bag at this point. He had called Hawaiian Air before we met Ken and no luck on the bag. He asked if they could track it. The rep let him know they do not track bags (even though there is a bar code placed on every bag). We told Ken and he just laughed! He said, “That’s the Island Way.” Later that day, my husband got a call, the bag had been found and it was en route to Hilo! Yay! They would call us when it arrived. Well, it was not almost 3 pm on New Year’s Eve and no call. We tried to call several times to see if we could reach someone but there was no answer. We were leaving Hilo tomorrow so we hoped the bag would be found before then!

Because it was New Year’s Eve, Volcanoes National Park was not terribly crowded. Ken took us to see Keanakāko‘i Crater. DS loved it because you could scream and hear the echo and we saw the steam vents, which were really cool and very warm!

Ken took us for a walk in the Thurston Lava Tube and it was a real highlight. Do not miss it when you are there. We wrapped up at the Jagger Museum that was very interesting. It was still bit light outside so we went to the Volcano House to look at the gift shop (they had a lot of good stuff). Luggage-less DH bought a T-shirt and so did DS for good measure!

By that time, it was dark enough to head to the Kīlauea Iki Overlook to see the Lava at night. It was packed but Ken found us a good place to stand and we looked at the glowing crater. It is pretty amazing (and intimidating!). I was glad we got to see it.

It has been nearly a 12-hour day and we were all tired. Ken took us back to the Lava Pond and bid farewell. I would highly recommend using Ken if you are on the Big Island. He is a delight and knows everything about the island. For an all day tour, I thought it was a great value. We learned so much in one day.

Ken had a really big effect on us for the rest of the trip and we constantly quoted him. If someone is being a jerk, you might have to “drop kick” him/her. If someone gives you attitude, they do not have “aloha spirit” and they had better get it together. I will probably invoke the words of Ken at various other points during this trip report.

We were hungry but there was only one restaurant still open on New Year’s Eve in Volcano and that was Thai Thai. I have to say that it was pretty fantastic. They had more poke for my son and some sushi in addition to the Thai food and we had an awesome server. It was ending up to be a fabulous (if unconventional) New Year’s Eve and it only got better when my husband’s phone rang and it was Hawaiian Air letting him know that the bag had arrived in Hilo and we could pick it up tomorrow (before our flight back to Honolulu!).

We headed back to the Lava Pond and got some well-deserved rest. Due to my continued horrible flight planning in Hawaii, we did not leave until 5 pm the next day and would have another layover in Maui. We would not be at Aulani until midnight. We went to bed excited about what we had seen and were eager to take our next adventure.
 
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We woke up in time to join Lori and the other B&B guests for breakfast. It was again delicious. Check out was not until 11 am but we went ahead and bid Lori farewell and went back up to relax in our room. We had nothing formal planned for the day and understandably, the priority had become picking up my husband’s bag even though our flight did not leave until the early evening. Therefore, we decided to make the 40 minutes or so drive to Hilo right after checkout to retrieve the bag.

The bag was there and all three of us cheered (much to the delight of the TSA agent nearby). My husband would have his toothbrush, swimsuit and clean socks to wear on Oahu. We drove around Hilo for a bit and checked out the King Kamehameha statue. After traveling to Alaska over the summer, New Zealand, Australia, and now Hawaii, we started to feel like we were following the trail of Captain Cook. Since he met his demise in Hawaii at the hands of the King, it kind of put everything in perspective at the statue.

The area around the statue (in front of the North Kohala Civic Center) is beautiful. It would be a great spot for a picnic. We walked around a bit and then realized it was time for lunch. We decided to eat at Ken’s (no relation to our tour guide) Pancake House and it was fabulous! (The Rock eats here, too!). Do not miss it when you are in Hilo. My husband and I had our first Loco Moco here and it will not be our last.

After lunch, we did some quick shopping. My son had seen a GameStop and could not resist looking. We were starting feel the effects of such a long trip and quite honestly, my son was getting homesick. I had not made many plans for the Aulani portion of the trip and we were all starting to look forward to getting home. This is the longest trip we have ever been on and we all vowed we would not be gone this long again.

We headed to the airport a bit early and just ended up reading and chilling out before our flight (no free Wi-Fi!). We made it to Maui and had a long layover there but Hawaiian Air has a nice lounge so we hung out there until our trip to Honolulu (finally!).

We arrived in HNL and all three bags were there (hooray!). Got our rental car and made the drive to Aulani at around 11:30 pm (no traffic). When we arrived at Aulani, we were all excited and it did not disappoint. My husband dropped my son and me off to check in while he parked and when we walked in, it was absolutely magical. The first impression of the resort at night is jaw dropping. My son and I looked at each other and knew we were going to love it. All our energy came back and we could not wait to spend our next few days here. To be continued (Pearl Harbor and the Grand Villa!)….
 
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Day 19—Pearl Harbor, Monkeypod, and Aunty’s

It was after midnight by the time we reached the room. We were in 601 in the Waianae Tower. My dad (who was already in the room) had texted to say that it was the nicest room he had ever stayed in and I have to agree that it was fantastic. The view from the extra-long balcony was wonderful and of course, there is an unbelievable amount of space (especially for only five people). I am happy to give more details about the Grand Villa (unfortunately, I do not think we took any pictures) but I will say that for a large group it is fantastic but for our purposes, a two-bedroom would have been more than adequate. The Grand Villa really just has extra space. There is nothing that stood out as unique or special vs. the two bedroom. However, take that in context, the rooms at Aulani are WONDERFUL. They are beautiful, well designed and incredibly comfortable. After the lobby and then the room, DH said it was his favorite Disney Resort (and we had been there less than an hour). So in summation, get the room that you need! Any of them will be wonderful.

I threw in some laundry (yay!) and we went to bed. We had Pearl Harbor tickets at 2pm so we had a good chance to get some good sleep.

Our plan for Pearl Harbor was to leave at 11 am. I had read so many accounts of trips to Pearl Harbor on this board that my head was spinning and I was dreading making the trip out (especially since Aulani was so cool! We really wanted to just stay there). However, DH who usually does not make demands and goes with whatever planning I come up with was adamant about going to Pearl Harbor. He is career military and it is on the list of things he has always wanted to see. I decided that going on our first day on Oahu would be the best plan because after such a long trip, I knew going later in the week would be less appealing.

As I mentioned, my Oahu planning was not up to my usual standards and I did not log on to get the Pearl Harbor tickets until later in the afternoon 2 months out. When I logged in, there was nothing available until 2 pm. It was not my first choice but I thought that would give us a chance to sleep in. I debated on booking a tour so we would not have to worry about driving/parking but ultimately decided that since we had the car, we could save some money and do it on our own.

This was a very good choice and in fact, we loved the 2 pm time. We missed traffic leaving at 11 am and arrived to a very crowded parking lot. We did have to drive around for about half an hour but through aggressive but kind (with plenty of Aloha Spirit), we got a spot. You had to be there but when we did get a spot all three of us went crazy cheering and my husband said it was his proudest moment on the trip. So yes, parking is a pain but if you leave early, keep your aloha spirit, and be patient, it is NO problem.

I might also mention that my 10-year old son had morphed into a super-moody teenager who wanted NOTHING to do with Pearl Harbor. Again, we were at the end of a long trip and once he saw the pool and beach at Aulani, he was really not happy to be schlepping to Pearl Harbor with the family. DS is also a huge fan of the Kids Clubs on the cruises and made many friends on the Australia portion of our trip. Being with his parents for the past few days had started to bum him out. He was ready for some kid time. Before we left for Pearl Harbor, he and I went down to Aunty’s to get him registered. The only program that he was really excited about was Coconut Kings of Comedy. Unfortunately, I had sent in his pre-registration really late (if not for these boards, I would have forgotten completely) and he did not get a spot via pre-registration. When we registered, I asked if we would need to come at opening tomorrow to get him signed up for that, (I knew from the boards that we would but I was just confirming). By luck, they still had a spot for the program that night! This was unusual because Aunty’s was absolutely packed the whole time we were there. He was excited and I was glad I would not have to be at Aunty’s at 7 am the next day!

After our parking triumph, we headed to the gates at Pearl Harbor. We did not bring any bags so getting in was very easy. There was no line for the audio tour so I suggested we go ahead and get so we could start the tour. I had planned to do the audio tour but could not get the military discount online (I am so CHEAP!). It was about 12:30 pm by then and we started the Audio Tour. We all thoroughly enjoyed the tour. It is excellent. Do not try to do the museum without it. We finished just in time to get a snack and get in line for our trip to the Arizona.

We had all worn our gifts from Aulani (lei for me and Kukui Bean necklaces for the boys) because we had gotten them so late that I wanted to enjoy mine before it wilted. As we got close the Arizona, my son got really emotional. Being there truly moved him. They said you could leave flowers or throw them in the water so DS and I thought this was the best thing to do with my lei. My son placed it on the memorial and I think it made him feel better to show tribute to all those effected that day.
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We got back from the Arizona, talked a bit about what we had seen and how incredible/tragic/significant, it all was and then headed back to Aulani. I am so glad my husband pushed hard to go to Pearl Harbor. It was really a great experience and after seeing more about the war in the Pacific in New Zealand and Australia, it really made the story come together. I highly recommend you do it and take your kids! If you go at your own pace like we did, there is time to stop and process everything. We never felt rushed and felt as if we got to take it all in.

We did not do the Bowfin or the Missouri. We may do that in the future. However, for us, focusing on the Arizona was more than enough. It is a very emotional trip and a lot to take in. I am glad we kept it simple.

Pearl Harbor had been an amazing experience but now back to basics, we were starving! We had breakfast in the room (my dad had been the chef) but now we were starved. We wanted to pick up groceries but also wanted to get back to Ko Olina before the traffic. Again, we timed it perfectly and were leaving the parking lot by 4:00 pm.

We still were somewhat unfamiliar with the area and knew DS had to be back at Aunty’s by 7 pm for his program so we decided just to go to Monkeypod since it was most definitely happy hour and we had heard so many raves from this board. We loved Monkeypod and went again before we left. DH and I loved the Mai Tais but I was also a big fan of the pizzas. DS and DH loved the lobster deviled eggs!
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After Monkeypod, we decided to pick up a few things at the ABC market in the shopping center where Monkeypod is. Yes, I know that it is totally overpriced and we would have been much better off going to Costco or Target but my cheapness does have its limits. After 19 days of vacation, the last thing in the world I wanted to do was go to Costco so we paid more at the ABC store. They actually had a pretty nice selection. We got fruit, peanut butter and jelly (and bread), cereal, pasta, tacos, and beer for about $100. It was worth it! We did not want to eat in a restaurant for every meal (after so many days of being gone) and this was so convenient.

DS who had been so good and engaged at Pearl Harbor was back to being surly. He really wanted to get back to Aulani so we headed back and sent him right to Aunty’s where he could stay for his program. DH and I wandered the resort and went back to the room to watch some basketball. We are an exciting pair as we were thrilled to just sit on the couch! My dad and his friend were out and about and they are in their 70s.

We picked up DS after the Kings of Comedy. He loved it and said his joke was a big hit. He told it to me and I did not get it at all but I am not 10 years old. DS wants to be a stand-up comedian and he had made up his own joke but I think he needs to work on that material.

I think it was like 9 pm and we went to bed! So far, best part of the vacation! We had dinner at Ama Ama planned for the next day and nothing but the pool and beach at Aulani!
 
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I have truly enjoyed your adventures so far! Would have loved to been able to sneak in one of your suitcases to join your family on this (for me at least) once-in-a-lifetime vacation ;) So glad you are enjoying your visit to Aulani!
 

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