Exploring Honolulu And Its Surroundings

I’ve already gone over some of the great sights you can see in Honolulu without having to spend much money. There’s so much to see and do in Honolulu that I thought I’d dedicate another post to give you some ideas if you’re making your way to Hawaii. This time we’ll concentrate more on Honolulu’s downtown area but as well a real gem that’s a bit outside the city.

This was the nicest area of Chinatown I could find...

Honolulu’s downtown area (or CBD for the Aussies) is fairly small and a little off the main tourist path but it does offer quite a few sights that are worth checking out. First and foremost I’d like to warn you about the Chinatown area. Normally a chinatown area doubles as a tourist area but Honolulu’s is a dump. If you look around you’ll see plenty of warnings about the area and they’re quite correct. I’ve made my way to the area both in daytime and nighttime and both times I found a very large concentration of homeless. At night it’s worse as the sidewalks were full of people sleeping. There’s really nothing to see here except some discount shops but the quality of the products are dismal.

Iolani Palace

One of the must see activities, Iolani Palace, lies in the east end of the downtown area. Here you can either take a guided tour (only available certain days) or take a self guided audio tour. Here you will learn all about Hawaii’s monarchy and its history. At the time I didn’t think I was going to enjoy it that much but it ended up being one of my favorite sights in the city. The audio tour lasts about an hour to and hour and a half and you’re free to explore all the rooms of the palace. In the same area you’ll find the State Capitol building which has interesting architecture but from the looks of it doesn’t offer tours. Also across from the palace there’s the statue of King Kamehameha I which is quite nicely detailed.

A map of the maze - pretty elaborate!

Lastly I wanna cover another of my favorite sites which was the Dole Pineapple Plantation. To get there is a bit of an adventure by public transit but it’s doable. From Waikiki take any bus going to the Ala Moana Centre and from there get to the bus stop on Ala Moana Blvd and grab the 52 to Wahiawa Heights which is the last stop. From there grab the 55 North Shore Kaneohe and the plantation is the 5th stop right in front of it. The journey takes 2 hours so this makes for a good day trip. The plantation itself is free, but all the activities cost quite little. We spent maybe $20 on activities there. There’s the big Dole shop, the Pineapple Express, a garden, as well as the world’s largest hedge maze. We only did the Pineapple Express and the hedge made. The Pineapple Express is a short 20 min train ride through the plantation while listening to the history behind Dole and Hawaii. It’s all right but nothing to really write home about. The maze was quite fun and where you can put your map reading skills to the test. There are 8 stations in the maze which you need to find and get the stencil on your maze ticket. There’s a time stamp booth at the maze entrance where you can track your start and finish time. Ours was 1hr 10min. Be sure to wear a hat and bring lots of sunscreen and water. I had forgotten my hat and regretted it while I was there as the was barely any shade in the maze.

Don't forget to get a cone of Dole Whip - Fresh  pineapple ice cream!

As you can see, there are plenty of things to do in Honolulu and its surroundings. There’s plenty of reasons to get out of Waikiki and explore the surrounding areas. As mentioned before, so long as you keep away from Chinatown you should be all right. So get out there and explore the amazing island of Oahu!

The Great Ocean Road: Exploring Victoria’s Southern Coastline

Travelling to Melbourne you’ll be able to experience all the great gems that this city has to offer. However no trip to Victoria would be complete without exploring the Great Ocean Road which follows the state’s southern coastline. This makes for a great day trip or even a weekend escape from the city. Many tour companies offer coach tours but be prepared for a long day as they usually leave early in the morning (around 7am) and only come back in the late evening. I’ve done the trip 3 times already, twice with one of my friends and once with my mom where I got behind the wheel. Renting a car is probably the best way to do it, but be warned that it’s not the easiest drive, as well be sure not to get distracted by the scenery. As well being in Victoria be sure to adhere to all speed limits accordingly, speeding by the tiniest margin (under 10k) will net you a fine of $153. These are enforced not only by officers but by speeding cameras which are well hidden.

Archway welcoming you to the Great Ocean Road

One of my trips was a fishing trip down in Apollo Bay. This is a great stop along the Great Ocean Road which offers plenty of restaurants and accommodation (including hostels for us budget travellers. If you’re fortunate to be in possession of a boat - as we were, there is a sheltered harbour here which is a great launching point for a fishing trip. I was able to catch a few flatheads as well as a gum shark. Just be careful as we did come across a stone fish which is quite poisonous, be sure to handle with care. Waters here are rough so be sure to check the forecasts as the weather can change in a heartbeat. Apollo Bay is about 3hrs away from Melbourne.

Johanna Beach

My last trip on the Great Ocean Road was for my mom’s visit. We rented a car through Budget as they were one of the few locations in my area open on a Sunday which cost us about $130 for two days. I took the wheel as I’d already been several times, as well as the fact that we drive on the left here which I’m more used to having been here long enough. The biggest frustration for me was the fact that I kept putting the damn wipers on instead of the turn signal! (The levers are reversed here.) We made our way all across the Great Ocean Road to the 12 Apostles which is a definite must see if you’re doing the Great Ocean Road. It’s quite a drive to get there, plan about 6 hrs to get there which includes time for lunch and the occasional photo/bathroom stop. Originally we were planning on spending the night out there but came to the conclusion that being the off season there wasn’t much to do so we drove into Warrnambool for dinner and took the Princes Highway back which takes about 4 hrs. It was a long day of driving but definitely worth it!

View of the Twelve Apostles from the lookout

If you are in the Melbourne area for at least a week, I highly recommend getting out of the city and checking out the Great Ocean Road. It’s a bit of a drive, and can be expensive if you’re caught speeding, but the sights and scenery definitely make up for it. Especially in the summertime this road brings you along some very stunning beaches. So be sure to get out there and explore Victoria’s countryside.

Maui On A Budget...Um...No...

When planning a trip to Hawaii you’ll probably want to visit at least one more island than Oahu. This is where careful research comes in and where careful choices have to be made. You’ll probably research Maui which is probably the second most popular island after Oahu. I did glance at it and from my research there was cheaper accommodation as well as some activities, perfect for a 3 night venture. Unfortunately while everything on paper was true regarding activities and cheaper accommodation I did screw up a very important factor which is logistics.

Maui is a popular place for honeymooners. As a result, most of the facilities on the island are catered to them. Most of the accommodation on the island is resorts which pretty much have everything you could want. As well, since most people visiting are on a honeymoon or an anniversary etc, usually their budgets are a lot higher than say ours. Shops and restaurants will have higher prices than say in Waikiki. 

Panoramic view from Lahaina Village

Getting from the airport to your hotel is quite expensive. Most likely you’ll either be on the south or west coast of the island which is FAR from the airport. The airport shuttle company had quoted us separately at $90 per person round trip to Lahaina which is outrageous. If you book as a group you can get a significant discount as it was $116 round trip if booked together. If that’s the price for an airport shuttle I’d hate to imagine the price of a taxi...

Lahaina Village

We opted to stay in Lahaina village which is an old whaling village on the west coast of the island. It’s a gorgeous village and our accommodation at the Lahaina Inn was great for the price. This is a tourist village as all the shops and restaurants are catered to tourists. You’ll find all sorts of restaurants which will satisfy anyone's taste. There’s also nightlife in Lahaina with a few bars/clubs BUT the village empties out at about 10pm when all the resort busses leave - so don’t expect it to be busy...

Luau at the Royal Lahaina Resort

Part of the deal we had with our hotel was that we had access to all the facilities at the Royal Lahaina Resort. Unfortunately public transport on the island isn’t the greatest and you’re looking at busses that depart every hour. Having to take a public bus and a free resort shuttle meant that getting to the resort would take over an hour in some cases as the bus and shuttle would just miss each other. We did however opt to do the resort luau which was great but a bit pricey at $70 per person. This however included a buffet meal and open bar. The show was great and showcased dances from many polynesian islands and finished with some fire dancing.

Thankfully the beaches are free and there are 2 nice beaches near Lahaina village, to the north and south. Apart from that a car would be required to visit most other tourist sites on the island. While I enjoyed Maui, it did present quite a few difficulties. I would highly recommend renting a car if planning on travelling here. Otherwise I’d also recommend maybe looking at some of the other islands.

Honolulu On A Budget

Hawaii is an amazing place with sun, sand, beaches and palm trees. But interestingly enough a lot of people seem to be under the impression that it’s an expensive place to vacation. To be honest, from my experience I can tell you that this assumption is dead wrong. Hawaii is a place where the cost really depends on how you choose to travel. There are heaps of 5-star gated resorts which can go for upwards of $700/night, as well as shopping malls chock full of stores you can’t even afford to set foot in. Thankfully there are also options for budget-minded travellers like us who might not want to blow their whole budget in a night or two. So let me go over a few options that you might want to consider.

Getting Around:

If you’re going to Honolulu, you’re 99% likely to be staying in Waikiki. This is THE tourist area - most if not all people walking around you will be tourists. Walking around you’ll notice trolleys, LOTS of trolleys. Many cater solely to the Japanese tourists which make up a large portion of the tourists. This seems like a great option as they go to all the tourist sites, make life simpler for you. Well folks so does TheBus, Oahu’s public transit system. Trolley prices range from $19 for a day pass to $49 for a 7-day pass. Fares for TheBus are $2.50 which includes one transfer. Think about it, you’ll most likely be visiting one site per day, two at most (but that’s pushing it) that require getting around the island. Two round trips on TheBus - $10, day pass on the trolley - $19. The math is simple really, suck it up and take TheBus. 4-day passes are available in Waikiki at any ABC Store for $25 if you plan on extensively exploring the island.

The Aloha Tower:

Free! Also not overly crowded - or in our case deserted.

This tower was built in 1926 and is one of the most iconic structures on the island of Oahu. The tower is located on the edge of the CBD along the harbor and is attached to a small shopping centre which for the time being is quite bare. The tower offers amazing views of the harbor and Honolulu’s CBD. The best part about this site is that it’s 100% free. I was pleasantly surprised when the security guard said the site was free. I was even more shocked at the fact that there was NOBODY around. We were seriously the only people in the whole building, I couldn’t believe it. While downtown Honolulu I highly suggest stopping in here - why not? It’s free right?

Diamond Head Crater

Isn't this view worth the $1?

Diamond Head is the second most iconic site on Oahu. You’ll see it on any postcard of Waikiki was the big brown cliffside in the distance. Diamond Head is an old volcanic crater but obviously no longer active. During WW2 machine gun posts were installed at the top. You can hike up a donkey trail to get yourself up to the machine-gun post which offers some of the best views of Waikiki and Honolulu. The hike itself should take about 45 minutes but keep in mind that it’s all uphill and the last 20% of it is extremely steep. At one point you do get the choice of either continuing the donkey trail or using the stairs. The trail is a lot easier but will take longer whereas the stairs will go faster but are extremely steep. Admission to the park is $1. Bring lots of water, sunscreen and a hat.

Pearl Harbor:

USS Arizona Memorial

Obviously when you think of Hawaii, Pearl Harbor comes to mind. Now it was definitely not the happiest place to be, but its historical significance makes it a definite must see while in Honolulu. Now walking around in Waikiki you’ll see a bunch of touts offering you tours of Pearl Harbor usually averaging $25-$30. Well if you do your research you’ll find that visiting Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial is actually FREE, but you do have to reserve or else you risk getting there and it being booked up. Reservations can be done online through the National Parks Service at recreation.gov and costs $1.50 per ticket. We also opted for an audio tour which cost $7.50 per person but is quite informative and well narrated. TheBus will take you right to the visitor centre. For two people doing it the smart way it cost us $23 rather than the $50-$60 we could have paid the tout offering tours.

As you can see, you don’t need bags of money to enjoy Honolulu. Quite frankly I wouldn’t even describe this as being on a budget - but really just travelling smart and doing research. A lot of activities are surprisingly available at a minimal cost or even free, you just have to do a bit of research. Hopefully this helps you as Hawaii is an amazing place that I would definitely go back to in a heartbeat.

Sydney NYE

Just as this year was my first Christmas away from home, it was also my first New Year’s Eve. Having taken up my buddy Rob’s offer of a place to crash I decided to spend NYE in Sydney. Everyone has seen what the Sydney NYE fireworks look like on TV, they’re mighty spectacular. Turns out that Sydney’s NYE is actually the world’s biggest New Year’s party attracting crowds of 1.5 million people. To put things in perspective, Times Square in NYC attracts approximately 1 million people. So obviously it is a BIG deal! Normally I end up in a club on NYE, but I didn’t come half way across the world to do exactly what I do back home, I came here to see the big show.

View Larger Map

The day started off with me and Rob plotting our journey, which park to go to etc. See, being NYE obviously we want to have some drinks. For NYE there are alcohol-permitted parks and dry parks, and anywhere with a good view is obviously dry. The only alcohol permitted park we could find that was remotely close to the Harbour Bridge was Bicentennial Park. Before we set off, we mixed a bottle of champagne with some OJ, and put it in a backpack. And so our journey started... We got to Bicentennial park and realized that the view was shit, there was another bridge blocking the view of the Harbour Bridge. Thankfully with our smartphones we plotted a course to the Balmain East Wharf which was not listed as a vantage point in the Sydney NYE website, so it should be alcohol permitted right? So after our 6.8 Km trek ON FOOT we got to Balmain East Wharf to discover that it’s a dry zone and cop central. F@#$!!

So at the park it was really busy, and unfortunately dry. We were able to get primo seats for the fireworks, but unfortunately there was at least 5 hours until they started. A lot of the evening was spent watching the cat and mouse game going on between the cops and the kids next to us drinking goon and smoking weed. We also witnessed a couple enter a port-o-potty together, and a guy get arrested which erupted in the crowd cheering (must’ve really been a dick). As the evening passed, police presence increased and they started searching bags. Thankfully being well dressed and minding our own business, we were left alone (and didn’t have our mimosa bottle confiscated/poured out). 

AWESOME!!

There are two fireworks shows over the course of the evening. The first one is around 10:00pm and is the family show. This is catered to those with small children who might not last the wait till midnight. It was nice as it was starting to get long waiting till midnight. When the countdown finally began, sadly we got it wrong a few times. Since our vantage point was behind the Harbour Bridge, the numbers on the screen were backward. Also what threw us off was that the countdown started at 90 seconds. Finally the new year came and I saw what was one of the best fireworks shows ever! Overall the trek was well worth it! Both me and Rob were completely drained when we got home, especially as it was 2:30am by the time we walked back. We walked almost 14k, and I was wearing my dress shoes... Me feet were thoroughly blistered! If you’re in this part of the world during the holiday season, you’d be a fool to miss out!

My Trip To Sydney

I just came to the realization this week that I’ve been here in Oz for over two months and I’ve barely written anything about Sydney. You may have read about my spending Christmas in Sydney, but I barely touched on what I did or saw. I had a great time in Sydney, and I reckon it reminds me a lot of a big city in North America. The city itself is very easy to get around. Just a tip to get a weekly pass if you intend on using the ferries and public transport more than 2 days in a row as a day pass with ferries is over $20! The city itself is also very safe as long as you’re streetsmart. I’ll start off by going over some of the tourist sites in the city, then go a little bit in detail on two sites that touch both extremes of good and bad. Lastly I can’t have an article on Sydney without touching on its beaches.

Be jealous of this shot, it'll be a tough one to match!

So lets start off with the site of all sites here in Australia, The Opera House. This is THE site that all the tourists want to get a picture with, next to the Harbour Bridge. I probably picked the best day of all to go there which was Christmas Day as there were almost NO tourists and I was able to get an amazing shot at the Opera House with no tourists in the background (also thanks to my buddy Rob’s photo skills!). I didn’t do the Harbour Bridge walk as it was >$200 which is a little hard on the unemployed man’s budget. There’s also a group of sites where you can get a discount if you purchase admission to all of them at once (you get like 30 days to go to all the sites). These include the Sydney Tower (ok but so not worth the wait!), Wild Life Sydney (as my friend Tor called it: pure rubbish!), Oceanworld Manly (never been), and the Sydney Aquarium which was totally worth it! (Thanks Rob!).

Lazy, lazy roos

I’ll elaborate a little more on Wildlife Sydney and the Sydney Aquarium as some of you may be curious on the extremely polar views on these two tourist sites. Lets start off with Wildlife Sydney... This is where you go if you’re ONLY going to Sydney and you’re dying to see a koala or a kangaroo. It’s pretty much a miniature zoo with a few kangaroos lying there, crocs, and some koalas you can take a picture with. While it’s cool to see the animals, if you’re visiting more than Sydney then you’re wasting your time (and money). The Aquarium on the other hand is full of exhibits ranging from crabs, jellyfish, to sharks! There are two massive tanks that are built with glass tunnels underneath which allow you to see all the action. The views from those tunnels were really cool, especially for the sharks exhibit.

A cool sight at the Aquarium

Now Sydney’s advantage over Melbourne is it’s stunning beaches. Sydney has Bondi and Manly while Melbourne has St. Kilda beach... While I love St. Kilda, the beach is a dump... Only beach ever that you’ll have trash blowing in the wind (a burger wrapper or two have rolled up my way while I was tanning). Manly and Bondi are both incredible beaches, big, clean and inviting. Be sure to always swim between the flags or you could end up on Bondi rescue. Seriously folks, I just went waist deep and could feel the water sucking me in. While Bondi is really nice, the area surrounding it is really posh and personally I find it has a sort of snobby feel to it. Manly was much nicer, with more of a mix of affordable (but not dodgy) restaurants and bars surrounding it. The only thing about Manly is that you have to take the ferry to get to it, so be sure to plan your trip ahead of time and possibly go for the weekly pass rather than the $21 day pass...

Me at Bondi

So there you have it folks, my first article on Sydney! It’s taken a long time for me to write about it, as I was there over the Christmas and New Years holidays. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that it’s a big city as it’s safe and easy to get around. My best advice is to plan your holiday ahead of time so you can save some money on public transit as well as maybe get one of those combo packs. No matter what people from Melbourne say, it’s not THAT bad! (Yeah I said it!)

Melburnian Tourist Gems

I think it’s about time that I write a little about the city that I live in, Melbourne. I’ve written plenty about the differences and quirks about Australia but I do need to give this city some credit as it is a great place to live despite my gripes! Melbourne unfortunately tends to fall off the tourist radar as it’s usually living in Sydney and the barrier reef’s shadow, but it does have some cool sights! Here are 3 different tourist activities that I’ve been to and can vouch are worth seeing.

Welcome to GAOL!

The Old Melbourne Gaol (Jail) is an interesting experience which offers both historical and entertainment value. To start off, if you are visiting this gem, be sure to add the watch-house tour. For a few dollars more you can experience what it was like to be arrested in the mid 90’s just before the jail closed. You start in front of the jail where you are arrested by a Victorian police officer and brought into the station for booking. Just before you’re booked, you’re given a card with your “name” and your crime, and other details which the officer will question you on. You’re then brought in for a search and locked in a cell. While at first I was a little skeptical as to why I’d pay to be arrested, the experience is quite fun! While you CAN get the experience for free, I highly recommend paying as you’re not forced into taking the criminal record and deportation experiences as add-ons to your tour.

The deathmask of Ned Kelly (a mould of his face after he died)

The other part of the museum is visiting the Old Gaol which holds an important place in Australian history. It’s here where you’ll learn a lot about Ned Kelly and his gang. Ned Kelly is a folk hero here in Australia where he and his gang took on the government and wanted to create a breakaway republic. The only sort of comparison I can give regarding Ned to a Canadian figure (and I do so loosely) is Louis Riel. Some love the guy, some hate what he stood for. Ned Kelly was held and later hung in the Gaol. For those who are interested there’s a whole exhibit on hanging, including actual ropes and gear that were used to hang inmates. Overall the jail is a great place where you can easily spend an afternoon, and at $23 dollars for both the jail and watch-house tour, it’s a pretty good deal.

Victorian Parliament Building

Next up we have a tour that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Being a politics major in Uni, obviously I’m going to be interested in government houses and learning how things work in the country politically. Being in Melbourne my next stop was naturally the Victorian State Parliament. This Parliament was also the original Australian Parliament before they moved the capital to Canberra. It’s a really nice building from the outside, but boy is it ever great on the inside as well. I would say that the best incentive to check this tour out is that it’s FREE. The only downside is you do have to go through security before being allowed into the building.

In the State Senate with our guide in the centre.

Our tour guide was quite fantastic and knowledgeable about the workings of government in Australia but knew a little bit about Canada as well which was quite cool. Being a tour group of varied nationalities our guide tried to get us all to describe a little bit about our countries. I got to learn about South Africa, England, Indonesia, and Austria. We got to visit the House of Commons (green chamber), the State Senate (red chamber) as well as the Parliamentary Library which is really nice. Overall this tour was well worth the cost (FREE) as well as it was a great learning experience. If you have any interest in the workings of government I do highly recommend this tour.

You have to understand that it really is hard to sum up everything in one article. On top of that, I haven’t necessarily found all the gems that Melbourne has to offer. That means that this will be an ongoing series and I will share with you all the gems as I find them. As for these two gems, if you are in town, I highly recommend you go take a peek and guarantee that you won’t regret it.