Things to do with our son

Aloha!

We are finally in the final planning stages of our trip to Oahu in June. This will be our 7 year old son%26#39;s first trip to Hawaii. We will be staying for 10 days and will be renting a car, so we can drive wherever we like. Following is what we have planned thus far:

1. Diamond Head

2. Hanauma Bay

3. Sunset sail

4. PCC

5. Arizona

6. Sea Life Park

Any other suggestions for a 7 year old?

Mahalo, in advance!

Things to do with our son

hiker3 .... first of all what hotel accomodation do you have? A few hotels have activities for the children during the day giving the parents a day at the beach and/or work and the child goes on an field trip with other children vacationing at the same hotel. Trips to the aquarium, zoo, bishop museum are a few things they may do. Just like a day care center. It comes highly recommended and if your child is out going, this is the thing to do with other children.

They are more to do, but, all comes with what your child interest are. There is a soft cover book ';TONS of Things to Do for HAWAI%26#39;I%26#39;S KIDS'; in local book stores on Activities, Adventures and Excursions for Keiki (children) Eager to Explore O%26#39;AHU, by Carrie Ching. This is a great help for parents with children visiting Hawaii that want something else to do other than just the beach.

Good luck, lots to do with a child.

Things to do with our son

That sounds pretty good to me. If he likes swimming/snorkeling and is good in the water you may want investigate shark%26#39;s cove on the north shore which can have much nicer snorkeling than Hanauma Bay.

We are going to Oahu with our 2 kids in June also. (Ages 11 and 17.) We are doing most of the things on your list too. :)

There%26#39;s a smallish waterpark called Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park. I haven%26#39;t been there yet to comment on quality but we may possibly go. (Don%26#39;t know if you%26#39;d want that if you have waterparks in your area at home though.)

We are going to be doing a lot of hiking and picnics, and of course snorkeling at Shark%26#39;s Cove which is supposed to be divine in the summer.

:D

Bishop Museum has a volcano house where kids can create a volcano %26amp; tidal waves.

Byodo-In Temple has a huge gong, koi (carp) pond, black swans, peacocks.

National Cemetery of the Pacific - Not really for kids, but no reason you can%26#39;t go %26amp; take him along.

Lots of info:

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g29222-i37-k647862…

We went to Maui and the Big Island a few years ago with our kids and are going to Oahu this year. Our oldest was 7 when we took our last trip. He very much enjoyed the luau we attended (especially the fire dancing - not sure of the correct name). He also loved snorkeling and the snorkeling catamaran trips. We snorkeled in a local indoor pool before our trip so that he knew how to use the snorkel equipment, but in hindsight the practice run was not necessary. We just wore snorkel vests for easy flotation, held hands and snorkeled together. It was a blast. If you asked him, the snorkeling was his favorite activity.

Have a great vacation.

Netta7

Wow! What a wealth of information--I%26#39;m so glad I came here to ask this question. You folks are the best! I am going to print out this thread and keep it for future reference (I%26#39;ve got a whole file on our trip).

I have one question regarding Shark%26#39;s Cove. Is there a particular time of day that is recommended for snorkeling there? Earlier, I%26#39;m guessing? Is it difficult to get into the water?

We will be staying at the ResortQuest Waikiki Towers. They do not offer child care, that I know of (it%26#39;s a condo). However, we do plan to enroll our son in a keiki club on the North Shore (Turtle Bay Resort). That should give us some much-needed time to ourselves!

We will definitely add the Bishop Museum to our list of things to do. We are very big on learning about local art, history and culture.

Mahalo for all the great ideas. :) It is lots of fun to read every post!

1. Hawaii Children%26#39;s Discovery Center (and the wonderful adjoining Kakaakao Waterfront Park).

See:

http://www.discoverycenterhawaii.org/

2. The Waikiki Aquarium (really quite good)

http://www.waquarium.org/

3. Honolulu Zoo (nice and fun, but nothing spectacular)

http://www.honoluluzoo.org/

4. Pali Lookout, particularly on a windy day

portaloha.com/SecretsOfHawaii/PaliLookout.htm

5. Maunawili and/or Manoa Falls

... the keiki club program is great at Turtle Bay.

In respond to ';Shark%26#39;s Cove';, located next to the tide-pool at Pupukea, Shark%26#39;s Cove offers fantastic snorkeling and scube much of the time during the summer (May - September) months. Popular and crowded with people. Because this is a perserve, you may find gobs of fish, the occasional green turtle and hard to find octopus.

Be careful entering the water. Entry can be awkward over the slippery rocks. Most people enter from the left. If you want more room entering, enter from the right side of the cove. Snorkelers should stay inside the cove.

During high tide the tide-pool becomes a giant swimming pool when seas are calm. Visitors mistakenly think this is where they%26#39;re supposed to snorkel. It looks interesting from shore, but, there are relatively few fish in the tide pool. Stick with the cove unless you hate the thought of venturing into deeper water.

Big surf makes this tide-pool area dangerous and of course, ruins the cove itself for swimming.

Snorkel gear can be rented across the street near Foodland Super Market and Starbucks Coffee.

Hope this helps .....