Is this too ambitious?

dachsie

DIS Veteran
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
So trying to plan for a day in January and am wondering if I am thinking I can get more done than I actually can. Is this doable?

Leave Aulani 5:45am and go to Leonard's food truck for malasadas
Head to Kualoa ranch for 8:45 jungle jeep tour
head to north shore after tour to Kahaku and go to Giovanni shrimp truck for lunch
Then head west. Stop at farm stand for fresh fruits
Stop Sunset Beach to see waves/surfers hopefully - maybe stop at Shark's cove
Stop at Waimea Falls - probably won't swim
Go to Lanikea Beach - but I am not sure there will be turtles if the waves are big
Head to Haleiwa - stop at North shore macadamia nut company, Matsumoto shave ice, shopping possible
Have dinner at Haleiwa Joe's
Head back to Aulani

Is that too much for one day? If so, what would you cut out?
 
I think its doable. Just my two cents:

Leave Aulani 5:45am and go to Leonard's food truck for malasadas
Head to Kualoa ranch for 8:45 jungle jeep tour
We had a 9:15 tour at Kualoa Ranch and they required us to be there at 8:30 for check-in. I'm not sure if that's typical or specific to our tour. Because of this, we left Aulani at 6:45 and pulled in the parking lot right at 8:30. Took us much longer to get there than we anticipated - we caught rush hour traffic on the highway, and again once we got to the other side of the island. On the windward side, the road was one lane in either direction and traffic got backed up.

Personally, I would skip Leonard's in the morning. We found it easier to stop on the way back to Aulani instead.

head to north shore after tour to Kahaku and go to Giovanni shrimp truck for lunch
We stopped by the shrimp trucks but after seeing how busy they were and the lack of shaded seating, we opted to eat at Kono's in Haleiwa (which was amazing!). Since you won't be in Haleiwa until later on, I would also recommend the lunch buffet at Kualoa Ranch. The price was great and a lot of the food served is grown on the Ranch - including the beef! It was all you can eat and delicious.

Stop at Waimea Falls - probably won't swim
Waimea Falls is at Waimea Valley and its about $16 per person admission. It took us a little over an hour to walk the path to the falls and then back. It was beautiful, but not sure it was worth the cost. It was just a paved path with pretty foliage. For swimming, its my understanding the water is cold, deep, and bacteria laced and you're required to wear a life jacket they provide. Also seemed like it would be a hassle to change there because they didn't really have facilities, just a walled-off area outside. If I had to cut something from your day, it would probably be this stop.
 
I found that essentially everything I did on Oahu took much longer than expected. For example, I waited over an hour in line at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. The line for Matsumoto's also took over half an hour. Just driving through Haleiwa and parking is a huge ordeal in itself. Haleiwa Joe's does not take reservations, so we arrived a half hour after they opened and waited an hour and a half. Kualoa said to arrive at 8:00am but the tour did not actually start until 9:15am. However, this was all in August a few weeks ago, so your experience in the slower month of January may differ. All of these things are worth experiencing, but I would second the recommendation to cut Waimea Valley unless you find yourself well ahead of schedule. Hawaii, as with most places, is best experienced slowly. Head out and do what you can but don't stress if you don't get to certain things.
 


If you want to enjoy the activities and not feel rushed cut a few things off your list and do them the next day. It's hard to tour commando style in Hawaii because they're on island time. They operate on a much slower and laid back pace.
 


We skipped the shrimp trucks because DH and kids were skeeved out by the flies, lack of hand washing area, and lack of seating. I’d probably try it on my own, but in your case, I’d say just eat in Haleiwa. Then you’ll at least have a place to park. We skipped Matsumoto’s because the line was nuts. But there are lots of cute little shops if you’d be interested in that for an hour or so. We enjoyed Sharks Cove but if not planning to snorkel, there’s not much to really do or see. Plus parking is tough because it’s right across from the shrimp trucks.
 
We loved Giovannis I wouldn't skip it if you love good shrimp and lots of garlic. We did a similar itinerary in January this year and found it manageable (but we are just two 20somethings). Also we didn't wait in line for anything and had no trouble parking anywhere on your list - so the time of year does make a big difference :)
 
January is in the middle of big wave season. Your plan won't work if there are big waves on that day because the North Shore will be gridlocked with bumper to bumper traffic. The upside is that, if you don't mind the traffic, you'll get to see some awesome waves and amazing surfing.
 
January is in the middle of big wave season. Your plan won't work if there are big waves on that day because the North Shore will be gridlocked with bumper to bumper traffic. The upside is that, if you don't mind the traffic, you'll get to see some awesome waves and amazing surfing.
That's what we thought we would see. I lived in Houston - I can handle traffic. LOL. I am hoping to see big waves but I think that means no turtles on the beach.
 
January is in the middle of big wave season. Your plan won't work if there are big waves on that day because the North Shore will be gridlocked with bumper to bumper traffic. The upside is that, if you don't mind the traffic, you'll get to see some awesome waves and amazing surfing.

If the waves are big you might want to rethink Sharks cove as well. You would be bouncy around in there and I would be afraid to hit my head or something on the rocky edges that encircle the area. You can always check and see the surf advisory that morning

https://www.surfline.com/surf-report/pipeline/5842041f4e65fad6a7708890
Otherwise I think you the day works well. I would probably bring snacks if you are not eating at Kualoa.
 
If the waves are big you might want to rethink Sharks cove as well. You would be bouncy around in there and I would be afraid to hit my head or something on the rocky edges that encircle the area. You can always check and see the surf advisory that morning

https://www.surfline.com/surf-report/pipeline/5842041f4e65fad6a7708890
Otherwise I think you the day works well. I would probably bring snacks if you are not eating at Kualoa.
yea - I wasn't sure we would get to do Shark's cove or the turtle beach because of waves. I think I am cutting Waimea Falls too. I don't want to be rushing thru everything. Thank you for that website. I plan to keep an eye on it as I get closer to the trip.
 

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