The Hawaii Traveler

I’ll never forget the year we visited Kaua’i during one of its rainier times.  Usually, there is a little moisture to be had each day on the island that is home to the wettest place on the earth, but this trip was especially “dewy,” as my dad called it.   My aunt who was with us was fussy about her hair–still is, and so after hunting for the perfect umbrella, continued her sightseeing and shopping as well as she could–much to the delight and confusion of the locals, who went so far as to take pictures of her umbrella.  That’s because even the wettest weather on the islands is summarily ignored. People go on about their business in the rain, sans umbrella, mostly because if everything slowed down when the weather failed to cooperate, nothing would ever get done.  So most people suck it up when the weather turns wet, grow a pair of gills, and get on with it.  However, if you’d rather stay in, here are some indoor activities to keep you occupied while you wait for the sun.

• Museums–The Hawaiian cultural experience is the richest on Oahu, but there are usually small exhibits and “ad hoc” museums on every island, if not in a designated spot, then at hotels and resorts.
• Libraries–Getting something good to read while you wait it out doesn’t have to be expensive. Hang out at a library, not just for the books, but because librarians are a wealth of information about what else there is to do during your stay.
• Botanical gardens–Most public and botanical gardens have at least a few indoor areas, and are beautiful, fragrant places to spend time.
• Indoor tours–Home Tours Hawai’i is a culinary tour of the Big Island, but if you consider homes on wheels, there’s also a motor home tour of Oahu that sounds interesting and totally unique.  Upcountry Maui is also a great place to take self-guided tours of arts studios.
• Make something–with arts and crafts studios cropping up everywhere, it’s easy, even on-island, to find a place to let your inner artist out, even if it doesn’t want to get wet.
• Go up–Getting high in Hawaii, so to speak, is easy, because each island is situated around one or more volcanoes. Drive to the highest place on the island, and you might just find yourself above it all.
• Eat–While you may already be stuffed, take the opportunity to eat someplace you wouldn’t ordinarily go. Try something you wouldn’t ordinarily try, like the ox tail soup a Kaua’i diner serves for breakfast, or Spam sushi.
• Helicopter rides–Depending on how severe the weather is, a helicopter service may cancel all flights; however, call to get the scoop. The rain may actually free up a charter service’s schedule.
• Water parks–one way to ignore the rain is to get wet, at your own discretion.
• Hotels and resorts–Take a tour of the grand, sprawling resorts in your neck of the rainforest.
• Play centers–take the kids to an indoor playground or learning center, and make new friends to boot.
• Spas–a no-brainer, for anyone, anytime.
• Take a drive–Get out the map and point. Remember the saying, “No rain, no rainbows?” Rainbow hunting in gray conditions ought to be easy.
• Get out of Dodge–Check the weather and visit another island. If you’re on Maui or Oahu, you can take a ferry. If you’re elsewhere, you may have to take an interisland flight.
• Malls–Not only can you shop and grab a shave ice or ice cream, you might catch a free show while you’re there and do some people-watching.
• See a movie–Either by renting one, or going to a theater.
• Take in some live music–It’s everywhere on the islands; walk or drive to the nearest cluster of shops or restaurants, and listen for the slack key guitar.
• Go out anyway–When was the last time you went singing in the rain? Most of us don’t have the gills it takes to weather a week of exposure to the elements, but an hour or two could be fun. Just make sure, if you decide to swim, that conditions are safe.

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