Tide Travels: Hawaii- To Oahu by Sea (Part 1)

Scotty about to board the Superferry in Kihei on Maui

Early on in our Hawaii trip planning, we knew we wanted to see more than one island. With a total of 15 days (not counting arrival and departure days), we figured three islands would be doable. Maui was a definite choice, since Jeff lived there and offered to play host, not to mention we’d heard it was amazingly beautiful with tons to do and see.

With one island chosen, we discussed the rest. I’d always wanted to see Oahu, particularly Honolulu, since I’d seen it immortalized on postcards and shower curtains for years and read about it each time it appeared on a “Top 10 Best (i.e. Most Expensive) Places to Live List”. Scotty was especially interested in Kauai for its natural beauty and the small chance that we might hike the famous Kalalau Trail on the Napali Coast. We also talked about going to the Big Island of Hawaii. In the end, Oahu and Kauai won out as each of our first choices.

I’d also talked to people who spent time on the “Big Island” of Hawaii and enjoyed that experience, citing its different, rugged landscape formed by not-so-ancient lava flows, with nice resorts and entertainment around desert-like Kona, or a chance to see the “real Hawaii” near tropical Hilo on the eastern side of the island. Hopefully, we’ll get the chance next time.

Next, we considered how to get from one island to another. Flying was simple enough since Hawaiian Airlines offers service between islands. In January 2009, the total cost for two one-way tickets from Honolulu, Oahu to Lihue, Kauai and two one-way tickets from Lihue, Kauai to Kahului, Maui was $238.40.

Scotty is a boat guy, so we looked into whether ferry service was offered between islands and found the Hawaii Superferry with routes between Maui and Oahu. So for $107 ($49 each plus tax) we purchased two one-way tickets between Kahului, Maui to Honolulu, Oahu. Variety in transportation, check!

After five days on Maui, early in the morning Jeff drove us about 25 miles to the ferry terminal in Kahului near the airport. We were required to check in 90 minutes before boarding the ferry.

We were pretty excited at this point, to put it mildly. “How many people get to do this?!!” we exclaimed more times than necessary as we boarded. As it turns out, not too many more would. In March 2009, only just over a month later, this ferry service was indefinitely suspended after a 2007 law passed by the Hawaii Supreme Court was invalidated. The law had allowed the ferry system to resume operations before completing state environmental reviews.

The ferry trip itself was... interesting. As the boat lurched into motion, I became quickly aware of the rocking and rolling motion beneath us. We paid a bit extra ($10 each) for “lounge” seats with an excellent view in the bow of the boat, but with the first signs of seasickness urging me to go to sleep, I did just that.

Leaving Maui

Water view of Honolulu

Fortunately, I never did get completely sick. I woke up just long enough to take in a view of Lanai’s gorgeous cliffs and then watch a baby upchuck its breakfast on her poor mother. She and her friend were laughing (perhaps instead of crying) as they tried to clean up the mess and I tried not to look. Scotty got a kick out of all this, of course.

The trip took three hours and by the time we reached Honolulu I was very glad to be back on dry land. We then took a cab from the ferry terminal to our pre-reserved rental car at airport about ten minutes away. The next step was finding a place to sleep that night.

Who goes to Hawaii without a reservation? Well, we were there during the last few weeks of January, thus avoiding the peak holiday season. Perhaps it was a rookie move, but I had the idea that maybe we would simply be able to drive up the eastern side of the island and find accommodations- a cute little cabana or a quaint B& B perhaps. We were even willing to camp, but the few parks we passed looked sketchy, with a few folks hanging around their cars and looking strung out. I could just picture getting ripped off in the middle of the night. So we kept driving north, stopping at a grocery store, and eventually turning around after about an hour and a half of driving. Heading south, we watched the sun sink over the Pacific, the sky streaked in fuchsia and coral.

I had very little idea of what to expect from Honolulu. Scotty drove down Honolulu’s confusing downtown streets and I tried in vain to help with directions, we both realized we were in over our heads. Not only was conveying the street names difficult with names such as Kawaiahao St., Waimanu St., and Kamakee St., but there were plenty of one-ways and streets that seemed to change names. Just finding a space to pull over proved difficult. And it was getting dark.

Which is why, when we saw the car-friendly entrance of the Pacific Monarch hotel by Resortquest Hawaii, that allowed us to pull right up to the door, we happily rented a “penthouse suite” for $140 a night for total of three nights. Check out the amazing view from our balcony: