Travel Notes | Not the Hawaii I Imagined—Dynamic Oahu

Oahu is the most populous island in Hawaii and is known as the "party place". We swam, rode horses, and played zip lining with sharks on Oahu, which was fun and exciting.

The Minister of Culture and Entertainment ordered a zipline, and the tour guide Xiao Wang had to lie down and rest at home, while the photographer Xiao Tu had no choice but to bite the bullet.

There are 12 members in our group, divided into 6 groups of two, with three team leaders to play with. The team leader is very funny and very enthusiastic about repetitive work, which is very rare.

The atmosphere among the team members was full, everyone encouraged each other and came on, it was so lively.

Two and a half years ago, I played zipline in Melbourne in the jungle, with no sunlight at all. I thought it would be the same this time. But he forgot that everything in the United States is huge, and the zipline here is also the same. You even have to take a bus to go to another point in the middle. Because he was worried that his glasses would fall off while playing, he specifically told us not to bring sunglasses.

As a result, we were stunned when we arrived at the camp. We were exposed to the sun without any protection, and the activity lasted for three hours. Lao Wang turned around and drove home, but the round trip drive plus picking up things would take half an hour. At that time, there were only 10 minutes left before departure. We were working together as a team, and we had to leave when the time was up. I guess he won't be able to make it in time.

Because my eldest sister and I carried our own sunglasses with us, and Lao Wang left his sunglasses before we left, there was actually only one person without sunglasses. The second sister wore Lao Wang's sunglasses without ceremony. I felt sorry for my brother and gave him mine. After putting on the equipment and getting ready to set off, my brother returned the sunglasses to me and said: These sunglasses are worn by my old aunt, I don’t want them.

I was really warmed by my brother.

The unexpected surprise was behind - after playing one project, everyone got on the off-road vehicle and drove to the second project. On the way, they saw Lao Wang running towards him, holding up sunglasses in his hand.

Take a look at the zipline we played in Melbourne in 2020: "Melbourne Trip-Safari Park, Phillip Island, Jungle Adventure Park"

Itinerary

Day1：

Haleiwa Shark Dive cage (diving with sharks) ——Dole Plantation (Dole Pineapple Plantation)

Day2:

Play Zipline at Keana Farms - Haleiwa Beach (diving, playing in the sand, snorkeling)

Day3:

Horseback Riding at Gulani Ranch – Byodoin Temple – Lanikai Beach

Table of contents:

Haleiwa Shark Dive cage (diving with sharks)

Dole Plantation (Dole Pineapple Plantation)

Keana Farms Zipline

Gulani Ranch

▼A day at the Dole Pineapple Plantation

Attractions we visited:

one

Haleiwa Shark Dive cage (diving with sharks)

That day was the tour group route: watching sharks in the sea and visiting the pineapple garden.

When we went out to sea to see sharks, except for the two staff members, our small boat contained 12 tourists, divided into two groups. There were 7 people in that group, and we were a family of five in this group. Lao Wang said that this was shark feed for two cages.

The small boat was parked in the middle of the sea. The wind was strong and the waves were rough, and the boat was shaking violently. The captain kindly reminded you: you have to vomit in the other side where there is no cage.

The sea water is quite cold, and being in the cage is like a roller coaster under the impact of big waves. You must hold on to the cage with both hands to maintain your balance. It’s amazing that this eldest sister can still take pictures underwater with ease!

Swimming with sharks may sound scary, but it's actually safe and fun. For the most part, sharks are very peaceful creatures, more interested in eating seals and fish than attacking humans. It is precisely because of predators like sharks that the fish population does not explode and the ecosystem remains balanced.

We departed by dinghy from the North Shore of Oahu and the team was professional, fun and worked hard to make everyone feel relaxed.

Driving to the diving site, each group dived in the cage for about 20 minutes. The water was clear and choppy. We saw several 10-foot-long Galapagos sharks circling not far away.

Tips: Shark Dive is divided into cage and cageless, both are about 135$/1.5h per person.

Official website: www.realhawaiitours.com/oahu/shark-tours/

two

Dole Plantation (Dole Pineapple Plantation)

This is the largest pineapple plantation in Hawaii with a history of 150 years. After graduating from the Department of Agriculture at Harvard University, James Dole, the founder of Dole, came to Hawaii to join his cousin who was the president of the Republic of Hawaii at the time.

With the help of his cousin, he purchased 210,000 square meters of wasteland on Oahu to grow pineapples, and soon earned the title "Pineapple King."

Today, Dole has almost a monopoly on pineapples and pineapple juice in the entire United States and has developed business in more than 90 countries. The main plantations have moved to Southeast Asia and Mexico.

Visiting the pineapple garden is divided into four items:

1. Take a small train for sightseeing;

2. Go to the shopping mall to buy and eat;

3. Check-in is said to be the largest maze in the world;

4. Visit the botanical garden.

The entire farm is very participatory and visitable.

The small train will take passengers around the plantation, passing through the former farms, and the scenery along the way is endless. There are not only vast pineapple gardens, but also banana trees, Coco trees, bread trees, papayas, sugar cane, etc.

Through the tour guide's explanation, you can learn about the history of pineapple cultivation in Hawaii.

Tips: There are mostly short bushes in the park and there are not many shelters. Remember to protect yourself from the sun. Except for 3 attractions (train, maze, garden) which require fees, other places are free. Adults $26/person, children $22/person.

Official website: www.doleplantation.com

Address: 64-1550 Kamehameha Highway, Wahiawa, HI 96786

After the 20-minute train tour, we arrived at the plantation maze.

This is the world's largest outdoor plant maze, certified by Guinness. It covers an area of 9,300 square meters, has a total length of 2,736 meters, and is composed of more than 10,000 Hawaiian plants.

The trees used for isolation in this maze are relatively short, exposed to the sun, and the ground is covered with dirt. I was given a card before entering the maze. It turned out that there were 8 check-in points set up in the maze, and I marked each place. Tour guide Xiao Wang is very excited to find all 8 check-in points.

I said there are prizes for finding them all? He said no.

I said, why don't we go back downstairs to the beach earlier to play in the water? Why do we have to be exposed to the sun in this boring place?

The tour guide Xiao Wang was speechless, so I waved my hand: Let’s go to the next project.

We were leading the way with high spirits, while Xiao Wang fell behind dejectedly. I was surprised and asked why you were walking so slowly today.

Xiao Wang groaned angrily: Humph! You lazy bastards can run home faster than rabbits once you hear this.

The center of the maze is a small square. If you look down, you will find that the grass below is trimmed into pineapple patterns. (This picture comes from the Internet)

I saw many tropical fruits and plants in the plantation, such as mango, coffee, etc., and there were labels introducing them next to them. The botanical garden also has many interesting photo signs for tourists to take photos with.

The shopping mall in Pineapple Garden sells all pineapple-related products, which are dazzling. Such as pineapple tea, pineapple chocolate, pineapple cheese, various tropical fruit drinks, refrigerator magnets, clothes, etc., are all very good choices for commemorative gifts.

You can eat pineapple ice cream and pineapple ice here. Dole's ice cream does not add any water at all and uses only pineapple. I saw two tourists eating pineapple ice cream with chili peppers. We had ordered too much, so I asked if I could take a photo of yours. They graciously agreed.

The second sister who likes money ordered this pineapple ice cream that can be used as a piggy bank after eating.

The shopping mall provides free ice water, which is so nice.

three

Keana Farms Zipline

Keana Farms Zipline is located in the north of the town of Laie at the northeastern tip of Oahu. This Zipline Tour (guided zipline tour) takes 3 hours and is the longest zipline line on Oahu. In addition to 8 high-altitude ziplines, there are also It includes a variety of rappelling, climbing, elevated boardwalks, suspension bridges and other elements.

We first took an ATV off-road vehicle to the top of the ridge, where a high-altitude cable was erected on Keana Farm. We then slid down the longest zipline in Oahu, encountering ropes, sky bridges and scenic boardwalks along the way. With mountains behind and the sea in front, we admired Oahu's North Shore beaches and lush mountains from a high altitude, and also had a bird's-eye view of a Keana commercial farm that produces more than 1 million pounds of agricultural products every year.

Official website: www.climbworks.com/keana_farms/

Price: $179.95/person

Address: 1 Enos Rd, Kahuku, Oahu, HI 96731

Drinking water is provided on the way.

These photos were taken by the staff, and they feel similar to the ones we took ourselves.

Four

Gulani Ranch

Kualoa Ranch is located in the northeastern part of Oahu. It is a land of beautiful scenery and original ecology. The ranch covers an area of 4,000 acres, with green mountains, vast valleys and private beaches. Because of its undulating terrain, the ranch offers several ways to visit.

Kualoa Ranch has three packages to choose from, and of course you can also choose to play only one or two projects.

Package 1: Horse riding activity package $209/person (horse riding experience + movie city + farm)

Package 2: Four-wheel drive off-road motorcycle experience $149/person (ATV off-road vehicle + jungle adventure + ocean experience tour)

Package 3: Experience activity package $109/person (movie city + jungle adventure + farm activities)

Lao Wang arranged for us the most popular two-hour horse riding ranch activity.

Seller show:

Due to its beautiful scenery, Kualoa Ranch has been favored by many Hollywood movies, TV series and commercials. The most famous film shot here is "Jurassic Park". Professionally trained horses took us into the southern valley of Kualoa. On the way, we saw the famous Sombrero Mountain, tropical rainforest gardens, 800-year-old ancient Hawaiian fish ponds, and overlooking the beautiful scenery of the Pacific Ocean. If it's winter, you may even see humpback whales from a distance.

Buyers show:

The picture looks beautiful, but that's not the case in reality.

Without the movie special effects, Kualoa Ranch is really just an ordinary ranch. It hasn't rained for a long time, and the horse's hooves raise dust from time to time. After two hours, I was suffocated to death, and my thighs and buttocks were so painful.

Official website: cn.kualoa.com/info/kualoa/

Address: 49-560 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744

I met a lot of cows while riding.

Biking at Kualoa Ranch.

The service staff I met during these days were very enthusiastic, smiling and chatting a lot. We can feel that they really like this job, and they also give generous tips (I tipped each of zipline's three tour leaders US$20)

But the horse riding leader at Kualoa Ranch looked blank and said nothing from beginning to end. It's probably because of her introverted personality, but such a personality is really not suitable for this job. That was the only time I didn't give a tip.