family on holiday

The Green Turtle, now endangered, are regulars at Laniakea Beach. Our daughter swam right next to one, luckily he was completely unperturbed and just swam on up to the beach.

Lei making with Franjipanis at the Luau.Luau.

Traditional Hawaiian games at the Luau.

The Paradise Cove Luau tattooist.

A beach holiday in winter, with the chance to play with dolphins and fl oat with turtles, proved to be the ultimate combo ... great fun and totally relaxing. We based ourselves in Waikiki and, with surfb oards in tow, jaunted barefoot and sandy through high rises and admired designer shops on our way back to our apartment each day.

hawaiianholiday

Have your Hawaiian name engraved on a leather bracelet at the Pineapple Plantation.

The dolphin encounter at Sealife Park was our favourite. No child can resist

these fun-loving creatures, who seem to love the attention.

Waikiki is, essentially, a city on the beach; albeit very casual, clean, and with that laidback Polynesian feel. It’s a great place to base your family for a week in Oahu. You don’t need a car everyday, but consider it some of the time so as to take advantage of the beautiful beaches all around the Island. Although… we could happily have lazed around on the North Shore and Kailua for the whole week.

easy for kids1 No jetlag, because Hawaii is just two

hours out of sync (22 hours behind actually).

2 Great climate, and not too hot in Spring and Autumn and with sun that browns more than it burns.

3 American-style food, with plenty of great Asian options and delicious salads.

4 Casual surfie attire everywhere, so barefoot Kiwi kids fit right in.

5 Cultural, natural and relaxing.

dosea life park dolphin encountersThis was our favourite day and not to be missed if you’re a dolphin lover. Jump in the water and get up close with these beautiful creatures. The Royal Swim includes two swims with two of the dolphins - you get to ride holding their dorsal fins, and then stand up on the water while being pushed along by dolphins under your feet. The younger kids can enjoy a quieter encounter with dolphin kisses, dancing and even a swim on the dolphin’s back. Check out www.sealifeparkhawaii.com/programs.asp.

north shore excursion including laniakea beach, a.k.a. ‘turtle beach’Rent some wheels and head off for a day around the North Shore beaches. Start with a trip to Pearl Harbour which our kids found

very thought-provoking. Make sure you’re there by 7am (latest) or you’re in for a long wait. Definitely go to Laniakea Beach because the turtles are there virtually every day of the year munching on the shoreline seaweed. They seem like big gentle giants, and once you’ve hung with them in Hawaii, you are guaranteed to become turtle-obsessed! See www.portaloha.com.

Also check out Haleiwa, a cute surfing town that’s good for lunch and shopping. Sunset Beach is iconic, and the water there is lovely: a beautiful azure blue that goes from knee-high to 7 feet in just few steps. The Dole Pineapple plantation is worth a quick visit to check out their ‘pineapple everything’ store. Then head up to one of the many Prawn Shacks for a messy, but tasty feast of delicious prawns and shrimp in your favourite style.

wet’n’wildWe spent our only rainy day at this water park. The rides are great fun, with plenty for toddlers and unconfident swimmers too. But if thrill is your game, then you’ll be in heaven. The boys loved the Flyin’ Hawaiian and the Island Racer and you can even get a package that includes a boogie boarding lesson, where they’ll crank up the wave pool and get you surfing. www.wetnwildhawaii.com.

paradise cove luauParadise Cove is the ultimate tropical display; coconut trees, white sand, frangipani trees and a fiery golden sunset. Their family-friendly Luau starts with traditional Hawaiian games, lei making and a Hukilau fishing ceremony. Enjoy cocktails with a dinner of local Kalua pork, fish, chicken, salmon and salads. Then enjoy a Polynesian show, with plenty of culture and dancing (a bit of crowd participation required!). Great for kids because it moves along fairly quickly with plenty to do, eat and drink along the way. See http://paradisecovehawaii.com.

outrigger canoe surfi ngDefinitely try this (in your togs) ... it’s a lot of fun. You start with a bit of paddling and manoeuvring on to the wave, then surf your way to shore alongside other surfers (and in our case a large green turtle). Great for kids as the paddling is simple to learn and Mum and Dad (and your guide) do most of the work anyway. Oh yes, you have a friendly handsome surfer alongside you taking photos – all part of the deal, so take your memory stick. www.waikikibeachservices.com.

aloha aloha Marinovich family

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easy with kids1 No jetlag, because Hawaii is just two hours

out of sync (22 hours behind actually).

2 Great climate, and not too hot in Spring

and Autumn and with sun that browns

more than it burns.

3 American-style food, with plenty of great

Asian options and delicious salads.

4 Casual surfie attire everywhere, so

barefoot Kiwi kids fit right in.

5 Cultural, natural and relaxing.

family on holiday

The Flyin’ Hawaiian at Wet’n’wild.

y

The Fl

Don’t worry, the Outrigger Canoes are

apparently the safest in the world -

good for kids of all ages.

family know-how1 Hire boogie boards or surfboards from www.hawaiibeachtime.com if you’re after one for just the day, otherwise buy one for $30 on Waikiki.

2 Buy lilos for US$3 from the ABC stores, they’ll blow them up for you, then you can float the day away.3 Do a food shop at The Food Pantry on Kuhio Street for snacks, water and fruit. This is a good city supermarket, and is walking distance from the beach and most hotels.4 If you haven’t got room in your luggage for beach towels, you can buy them there. They sell at The Food Pantry Express for US$10.

5 Waikiki has two calm areas of beach, where a man made sea wall makes the sea like a mill pond. Great for the littlies.

Street vendors lend out their

macaws and parrots for photos.out their

f r photosfor photos.

The water and sand are lovely on Waikiki - a city on the beach.

getting therehawaiian airlines 1 Now that Hawaiian Airlines has hit New Zealand, it seems everyone is talking about holidays in Hawaii. The rates are very reasonable, and the flight times and offerings in-flight are all very family-friendly.

2 Every seat has a screen and a USB plug. So either watch the latest movies, or take your own device, complete with USB cable to keep it charged.3 Airline earphones are never that great, so our kids took their own, which made for hours of comfortable screen time (I’m not sure this is a good thing, but possibly better than the alternative!).

4 The very latest movies are US$7 each, but you can replay them endlessly. We allowed our kids one movie choice each, and then they swapped seats to watch each others’.emperor loungeSpend a little extra and use the Emperor Lounge in Auckland Airport, this is the official lounge used by Hawaiian Airlines. There are food and beverages for the kids, television, magazines and it’s a peaceful environment to have a snooze or just chill. See prices and buy tickets at www.aucklandairport.co.nz.

shoppingWaikele Outlet Mall for great bargains. You’ll get Vans for

around US$45 and the latest Levis for US$50. Other great

stores are Adidas, Converse and Gap. See

www.premiumoutlets.com for discount vouchers.

Ala Moana is a more pleasant experience, less hot and has the

food court with a massive selection of Asian and International

food (worth staying for dinner). Choose what you want to see at

www.alamoana.com first because you’ll never get around in one

day. The red velvet cake at the California Pizza Kitchen is worth

a try when you need a sugar revive.

Kahala Mall is smaller but good for a visit if you’re a keen

shopper. Best of all, it has a Whole Foods Supermarket which

I loved, and a great place to pick up healthy organic snacks

and fruit.

Most big name designer shops are at Waikiki now anyway, so

you possibly don’t even need to get out of your swimming attire.

getting around1 Rent your own car – convertible Jeeps and Mustangs are the

caper for Hawaii, and the kids will love it (although safe storage is a challenge). Check out www.discounthawaiicarrental.com

2 The bus system (trolley, hop on hop off and the local bus) runs through Waikiki, to Ala Moana, the Waikele Outlet Mall and to a handful of beaches on the east side (Kahala and Kailua). This is cost effective but it pays to ask how long each trip is likely to take. Grab a timetable from any ABC store.

3 Most parks and planned excursions provide transport either free or for a small charge, so make sure you ask about this and build it into your package.

stay - Aston at the Waikiki Banyan

We stayed at the Aston at the Waikiki Banyan. Only 5 minutes from the beach and the Strip on Waikiki, these apartments are great value for money and very family friendly.

You have access to a pool, playground and BBQ area. The kids of course were immediately taken with the icemaker in the fridge and the heated toilet (complete with hot water bottom washer and dryer!) an option in some rooms. We adults were very comfortable with the blender (which you can request), the latest DVDs on demand and even a Playstation (quiet time!). The kitchens were very modern with typical American ‘big everything’ and you have unlimited Wifi. See www.astonwaikikibanyan.com

eatYour first night really deserves to be a Mai Tai night, or anything virgin with umbrellas for the kids! Go for glamour at The Mai Tai Bar on the beach at The Royal Hawaiian, or the Sheraton Moana Surfrider close by.

Lulus on the west side of the strip has great food, interesting collectables and live music. Sits up on a level with the top of the frangipani trees overlooking the beach. Good vibe and easy with kids.

Cheesecake factory is a favourite with the kids. Get there at 5pm for an early dinner, otherwise you might end up waiting for over an hour.

Good burgers can be found at Teddy’s Bigger Burgers on the Diamond Head side. Best burgers in town, according to the locals.

Pai’s Deli tucked away in the Outrigger on the beach, is well known (since the 70s even!) for their pure fruit smoothies, delicious! You can get a fantastic sandwich or croissant here too, made to order and reasonably priced. Great if you’re on the beach.

Go to Fatty’s behind the International Market on Kuhio Boulevard. This is a small cheap Chinese eatery, almost cave-like, where you can take away or sit at a tiny bar. Has good and healthy noodle soup.

If you are super healthy or have food intolerances, go to Ruffage Natural Foods on Kuhio Street for a meal, or to stock up on supplies.

Malasadas from Leonard’s bakery on Kapahulu Avenue (or find one of their trucks either at the Waikele Outlet Mall or at Haleiwa village) are an absolute must-try. Get your pink box of these golden, hot, sugar coated, custard filled doughnuts and join the queues of locals and tourists who are in the know.

If you’re heading out to the North Shore, pop into one of the local Prawn Shacks for your favourite style of shrimp or prawns. Messy, tasty and very local.